Quick Takes: June 20, 2011.
Five-alarm chemical plant explosion & fire in St. Louis: Evacuations and the shutdown of I-44 early this morning after a fire at Chemisphere Corporation in the 2100 block of Clifton. Check out the latest.
Nude photos taken inside fire station live forever on the Internet: The fire department in Pasadena, Texas is finding this out the hard way. The chief got rid of a volunteer who took pictures of his wife posing almost naked next to a fire engine three years ago. The chief also originally thought the pictures were taken down from the web. Of course they are very easy to find. Check it out.
Positive ID on the thug who swings at firefighters & cops? Plus a Facebook page dedicated to having him arrested: If you haven't seen the video of that wonderful man from Vancouver who hits a firefighter and, in a separate incident, swings his bag at a cop, you must do so. As we reported over the weekend, some websites say they know who this guy is and have named names. Here's our coverage. Now the man has his own fan page on Facebook. But with fans like these who needs enemies.
Another Canadian with a chip on his shoulder when it comes to firefighters & cops: If you haven't yet read the opinion of Chris Brennan in The Expositor of Brantford in Ontario, Canada, you will want to. Brennan points out how the jobs of firefighters and police officers aren't that dangerous compared to other occupations. The columnist also thinks LODD death funerals are "stale and self-indulgent". You will have to see this one for yourself. Are we sure this guy wasn't in Vancouver last week?
The city councilman & the cell phone cam, plus a fire truck wreck in PA: Glenn Usdin's FireTruckBlog.com has the story of a Slatington Fire Department engine hitting a utility pole while responding (here). And you need to check out Saturday's story of the city council member from Auburn, Maine who is keeping a special eye on where the town's fire trucks go (here).
Funeral arrangements for Du Quoin, Illinois Firefighter Corey Shaw: Firefighter Close Calls has details on the funeral for Firefighter Shaw, son of the Du Quoin fire chief. He was killed during the collapse of a wall at a fire in Pinckneyville. Click here for our earlier coverage with video from the scene.
Update on sexual harassment claims in Fairfax County, Virginia: Fairfax County was in court Friday appealing the $250,000 judgement awarded one former female firefighter last month. Patch.com also has the latest on another suit by a current firefighter. Here's the latest.
California chief, retired from Fairfax, gets heat over his Harvard education: Contra Costa Chief Daryl Louder is hearing it from a newspaper columnist and some politicians over the timing and expense of the three-week "Senior Executives in State and Local Government" program at Harvard he is currently attending. Louder has some answers for the columnist. Here's the story.
Seven-alarms in Camden, New Jersey: Yes, another one. A fire before dawn on Sunday was the third major blaze in two weeks. Click here for video and details.
Holy smokes! Sorry, that was Holyoke: Just my reaction to Firegeezer's continuing coverage of a test to see how his firefighters responded that has a Massachusetts fire chief on suspension with pay. It has also been described as a false alarm and a prank. Click here and let Bill sort it out.
Early video from four-alarm Oklahoma City apartment fire: This video is from last Tuesday at the Crown Point Apartments. Click here for details.
