FFs in the video village; Top cop cops FD beer; Lt. reported threats, now feels “ill will”; Worldwide videos; Dave recalls his Gumby moment
(Updated at 7:39 PM)
Missouri firefighter sentenced to 3 years after POV wreck
Dominic Gillen received a 3-year sentence for the November, 2006 crash that killed a 17-year-old boy. Gillen, from the Goodhope Fire Department, responded to a brush fire in his personal vehicle. Police say he was traveling 84 mph when he passed a car in a no-passing zone, and hit Jacob Yeates car head-on. Read the story.
San Antonio chief now says protocol violated, 4 medics disciplined
Chief Charles Hood who said he didn’t expect anyone to be disciplined after an accident victim, still alive, was left for dead, now has some different words: “Medical protocol was definitely violated in this instance. It was an error in judgment.”
EMSresponder.com has the AP story on the latest from the December 16th crash.
Article from San Antonio Express-News
Editorial from San Antonio Express-News
Shoot first, handle the emergency later
That may be an exaggeration, but it is one of the concerns voiced about cameras in the hands of front line first responders. STATter 911 has been running a series of columns about the impact of YouTube and LiveLeak on fire and EMS. We have one today, that includes a couple of interesting response videos and the views of fire service veteran and Firehouse.com Assistant Content Editor William Carey. Click here to see and read it.
Police chief convicted of stealing beer from fire department
The Wilson, Kansas police chief has been fired after his conviction for stealing beer from the Wilson Fire Department. The theft occurred in August. Apparently the police and fire departments share an office separated by a door. When beer began disappearing from the fire department refrigerator (no explanation on why the beer was there) firefighters set up a motion-activated camera.
Here is the most recent story. A previous story has more details.
Lt. who reported threat against chief feels pressure
In Sandusky, Ohio a pre-disciplinary hearing was held yesterday for a firefighter accused of threatening to shoot and kill the chief and shoot up fire stations. No criminal charges have been filed. At the same time, the lieutenant who reported the threats says he is feeling “ill-will” from co-workers. Read and watch the story.
Fire in the Philippines
A fire in four homes on Sunday.
Fire in Moscow
Fire on Monday.
Fire in Belgium
Fire on Tuesday in Westende on the Belgian coast.
December fire in IL
This is recently posted video of a fire that we first told you about when it happened. The December 21 fire destroyed a Cicero furniture store. Watch for the collapse and the involvement of the power pole toward the end.
Ice training
This is training on Monday by the Providence, RI Fire Department. The caption reads, “Members from Ladder Co 5, Engine 2, Rescue 4, and Special Hazards took part in the drill”.
Watching this one, I get chills. Not because of the ice, but because it reminds of one of my lowest moments in TV. I am guessing it was about 1997. My bosses were hell-bent on doing an ice rescue story for the ratings period. Problem was, the winter was pretty warm. After no one in the DC area had much ice, I finally got the Baltimore County Fire Department to play with us.
We met them at a lake I used to visit as a kid, adjacent to the old Gwynn Oak Amusement Park. I got dressed in the Gumby suit and jumped in. The firefighters job was to rescue me. The problem was, there was precious little ice. It looked terrible and I felt stupid. And just like in the fire department, I have plenty of people I work with who love to remind me of this glorious moment in my career.
Around the web
WithTheCommand.com has the story of the Dallas firefighter who drove two heart attack victims to the hospital. He was one of them.
FireGeezer.com has the proposed ban on silly string at a Long Island town’s parades because it hurts the fire trucks. More seriously, FossilMedic Mike Ward looks at a mess in Philadelphia and a New Year’s Day tragedy.
Firefighter Spot has some training videos, including one on rapid intervention. There is also a look at the real live use of RIT in Delaware.
Thehousewatch.com also has some training tips and more.
The Washington-Metro Area Fire & Injury Prevention site sees a trend growing in requiring firefighters to take the National Fire Academy’s Self-Study Course for Community Safety Educators.
This scary picture above is from DCFD.com’s newest feature called “Around The House”. A great idea to show some of the nicer moments and celebrations. The picture is from an October event at E29’s quarters. The only thing positive to say about it is at least I have more hair than 2 of the guys and I may not have the biggest waist size.
Boredom
This one says this is what happens when firefighters get bored.
