Volunteer recruitment; Two sad PGFD anniversaries; Old Springfield Towers fire; Videos from CT, MA, MI, & OK
Good helmet-cam video of CT fire
We first told you about the fire in Norwich on November 13th, the day after it occurred. Now, a firefighter from Yantic takes us on the call and into the fire with his helmet-cam. I can live without the music, but the pictures are interesting. Three firefighters and a civilian were injured in the fire that burned through much of the day.
Lynn fire has neighbor hero
In Lynn, MA, 17 people were home Tuesday afternoon when fire broke out. A neighbor apparently saved the day. Click the BostonChannel.com image above, to see the story.
Volunteer recruitment 1992 and today
This is a CNBC story from 1992 on how one Long Island fire department gets them started young. But this problem seems to be universal, and now, 15-years later, is much worse.
On November 15th we linked to a story out of Nova Scotia where the quote from the fire chief was, “I can take you to fire stations … and you’ll think you’re looking at a seniors’ club”. Well we have received a nice email from the person who said those words, Chief Philip Publicover of the Blandford and Area Fire Rescue Service:
As you stated, this is not a local problem for us or for those in your area, but a North American wide issue. The lack of committed and willing volunteers to take on the training and subsequent response from the current generation is going to cripple rural emergency services in coming years.
If you have never had the opportunity to visit our beautiful province it can best be described as being a natural jewel. Less than one million persons spread over an area three times the size of Massachusetts with one third in the capital city of Halifax. Needless to say the majority of the fire services 300 plus departments protect small populations over rather large geographic areas. But this does not exclude us from dealing with large and complex situations. In 1998 my department, with myself as the initial IC since becoming fire chief two months beforehand, responded first due to the crash of SWISSAIR 111 and our facilities were the staging area during the recovery operations over the subsequent months. This was an experience that will hopefully never be repeated locally but one which serves as a lesson for others, it can happen anywhere.
I thank you for your interest and I look forward to viewing your site from now on. Keep up your great work. We in the trenches appreciate your efforts to promote the fire and emergency services.
Remembering Wes
With the blessing of his mother and sister, and the help of his good friend Ricky Riley, STATter 911 hopes to make Wes Gerald’s many fire pictures a regular feature. This is the first installment.
We know the building is the 15-story Springfield Towers at 6310 Augusta Drive. It sits just west of I-95, north of Franconia Road. Who knows the date and the details?
20th anniversary of tragic fire and the safety program it spawned
The image above is from a fire at 203 69th Street in Seat Pleasant, MD on Thanksgiving Day, 1987. Fifteen people were in the house, when three children playing with matches started a fire in the living room. Six children didn’t make it out alive. At 11:00 a.m. Prince George’s County Fire/EMS will look back at that fire and the safety program it inspired. Also, the house next door to this one almost took the life of a firefighter in 2004. Click here for our video from 20-years-ago and a preview of today’s event.
Remembering another sad Thanksgiving Day in Prince George’s County
Friday will be the 35th anniversary of the day Squad 2 collided with a freight train in Hyattsville. On December 11th, 19-year-old volunteer firefighter George Duvall III died from injuries sustained in that crash. The day of the accident, November 23rd, 1972, was Thanksgiving Day. Former Hyattsville VFD member Mike Preston reminded us of the anniversary. Here is what Mike remembers:
I was driving Engine 12 (as the pumper) on a fire reported out at 4211 Oglethorpe St., early on a Thanksgiving morning. Engine 11 laid out and went up the apartment driveway and I took the plug at 42nd and Oglethorpe. I walked up to the wagon and was chatting with FF Charlie Hardesty when we looked over at the 3rd floor apartment to see flames blowing out a bedroom window. Charlie called for the box, but the sergeant, Don Herring, said the fire was out and cancelled the box. Charlie and I pointed to the building and Sgt. Herring called in saying “This is the Sergeant, give me the box.” On the way to the call, Squad 2 was struck by a train and Buster Duvall was killed. Buster was son of Chief 2 and a great guy. I had a couple of MFRI classes with him. I think about that call and Buster’s death every Thanksgiving.
I was still in Baltimore in 1972, working at the Community College of Baltimore radio station. After seeing the story on the wires, I made what would be my very first of a career-full of calls to the Prince George’s County Police Department Public Information Office. I followed the story in the papers (I have some articles stashed away, somewhere), I recall the driver of Squad 2 was first convicted and later cleared of manslaughter charges.
House fire in Detroit
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X_BCOxaxrA&rel=1]
Fire on the second floor and in the attic of a single-family home in Detroit. Not a lot of info with this video posted on November 14th.
Natick, MA
This appears to be from December 2001 in Natick, MA, as multiple single family homes burn. You can find additional parts to the video, here.
Old faithful
Actually, the only thing I can say for sure it that this is not Yellowstone. No details on this geyser in a neighborhood, somewhere. It is part of our special sweeps series called “When good hydrants go bad”.
High-rise fire in Tulsa, 1994
TV coverage of the high-rise fire at Tulsa’s Petroleum Club Building in January of 1994. Part 2 is here.
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round the web
Where have all the ladders gone? That’s the question FireGeezer asks this morning. There have been a lot of articles about this and it is a question I have been asking privately for some time of fire service leaders. Often the only ladder you see raised on a fireground is the aerial ladder. Also, the story about the fire truck and the sink hole.
WithTheCommand.com looks at a story I forgot to add, the dispute over funding in Frederick County, VA. Plus there is much more on the site.
VAFireNews.com is working on its roster of Virginia fire equipment and everything else Virginia.
Grant has South Carolina covered with SConFire.com and has more on the fatal bus wreck in Dorchester County.
More, later.
