Quick takes
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CLOSE CALL: This short clip of a series of still pictures is from the June 20 warehouse fire in Wenatchee, WA. Click here for more.
New PGFD chief sworn in despite union’s objections: It was role reversal time at the Prince George’s County Council on Tuesday. Usually it is IAFF Local 1619 that supports the new chief at the confirmation hearing while the volunteers raise the concerns. Not this time. Actually, with the union as the lone exception, it was a love fest for Eugene Jones, who has been acting chief since February. The council voted unanimously to confirm Jones. Chief Jones said to offset the dwindling number of career firefighters, the department is moving forward in bringing aboard 500 new volunteers. We have our story and the raw video of interviews with Chief Jones and other county public safety leaders. Click here.
That didn’t take long: DC’s chief waited two-years before questioning the accuracy of one of our stories. The new PGFD chief waited about two-minutes. In our interview just after he was confirmed by the council, Chief Eugene Jones claimed the STATter911.com story about a volunteer fill-in crew not wanting to run the ambulance was “hearsay” and “inaccurate”. We lay it all out for you here.
Fossilmedic is on to something: Mike Ward wrote a column in Firgeezer yesterday comparing PGFD to GM. Ward thinks it may be time for a reorganization. Chief Jones certainly gave that indication in our interview. Click here to read what Ward wrote.
Oh, why not one more PGFD story? The spokesman speaks: The Examiner takes a look at the man who may have the toughest job of any fire department PIO in the National Capital Region. Check it out.
The benefits of increasing staffing: In Granville Township, Ohio the local paper is running a story about the immediate payoff of adding staff to a small department. Click here.
Taking a page from the Providence playbook: You may recall our story in May about the Providence (RI) Fire Department hiring private detectives to check on firefighters who call in sick. In Massachusetts, as you may have read, the Haverhill Fire Department is doing something similar. The latest story has the union objecting that wives and children are showing up on the videos. Click here.
Update on Arizona chopper probe: Back in January one of our readers alerted us to a December incident involving an Arizona chief in charge of a crash scene. Whetstone Chief Peter Bidon has now been cited by the state for unprofessional conduct after waving off a medical chopper that was about to land and ordering one from the company where he worked, 50-miles-away. Read the story.
Houston update – putting them on the record: With all of the controversy surrounding HFD, a blogger thinks it is important to put the mayoral candidates on the record. Check it out.
When texting is a felony: Police in Pennsylvania say a volunteer firefighter passed on information gathered from a scanner to assist a friend who was in the middle of an armed stand-off with police. Read and watch the story.
Military flare behind massive meatpacking plant fire: Remember the 3-day fire at the Patrick Cudahy plant in Wisconsin? Investigators now say it was started by a military flare landing on the roof. The source of the flare is still a mystery. Check out the latest.
More fires in New Castle: Lawrence County, Pennsylvania fire investigators have three more fires in recent days to add to a growing list of set fires. Click here for the latest.
Fire engine overturns in TN: The two firefighters on board were sent for check ups after a Rural/Metro engine in Knox County turned over. Click here for pictures and details.
Winston-Salem second-alarm: No injuries as part of a seniors complex goes up in flames. Read more and see some pictures here.
