Archives for major-incidents
“I still remember the smells that night, the sounds that night. That will always be there.” — Retired Worcester District Fire Chief Michael O. McNamee
On December 3, 1999, the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire took the lives of six firefighters. Unless you are very, very new to the fire service you have already heard this horrific story.Posted in Command & Leadership, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, LODD, Major Incidents
Here’s my rant on “Never Forget”. I hope it pisses you off.
Click here to listen to my ranr as I gave it on this week's Firefighter Netcast program
It’s been 10 years since the horror. How are you remembering?
We see the networks ramp up their coverage of the tragedy with all the videos seen and various fire entities do their best to commemorate the lives of the three thousand taken that day- including 343 of our nation’s finest.
We’re remembering by hearing stories of individual lives lost and those left behind, by attending local tributes, by ringing bells, by running stairs, by wearing bracelets, by carrying photos around our necks and in our helmets, by wearing t-shirts admonishing us to “never forget,” by getting misty at the piper’s playing of Amazing Grace and the mournful notes of a bugler signaling Taps.
It’s the national response to an American tragedy with millions of Americans remembering/commemorating/memorializing- each in their own way. It’s the way we do things. We pause, we remember, and we move on.
Is it enough, Brother? Hell no, it’s not.
Why are our Brothers and Sisters STILL waging a war to obtain benefits from the long-term effects of their heroic actions working “The Pile” in the hours, days, and weeks that followed?
The same government that told them- within days- that The Pile’s environment was “safe” to work in is STILL denying that the cancer ravaging their bodies is connected in any way. Our Brothers and Sisters are being told that enough time hasn’t past to make that determination.
How does this make you feel?
The only reason I ask is that I’m not hearing much from any of you out there whenever these stories of how we are being treated bubble up to the surface..
This treatment of the “other heroes” of the days and weeks that followed the deaths of the 343 is ludicrous and they deserve much better than this.
This is pure crap and it pisses me off. Where is your outrage?
Howabaout the unconscionable lack of progress made in one of the findings of the 9/11 commission wherein police and firefighters are STILL unable to communicate with each other when (not if) the next attack occurs? Ten years later!
Again, How does this make you feel? Again, I ask is that because I’m still hearing crickets as these stories get reported.
This is pure crap and it pisses me off. Where is your outrage?
As we pause to remember the brave folks who gave their lives at The World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and in Shanksville, please- don’t forget so many of the others who are still suffering today from working the pile, and those who will suffer in the future because we have –to date- STILL FAILED to do everything we can to help us meet the challenges from the next attack.
So, go ahead and buy the t-shirt. Wear the bracelet. Climb the stairs with or without gear. Put the stickers on your truck bumper and make your helmets look cool.
But I dare you to be outraged and to do more. Do what the fallen would want you to do. Make yourself heard whenever you feel that they would want you to do so.
Don’t forget – NEVER FORGET- that the attacks on America and indeed- America’s fire service continue to this very day.
Never forget that.
Stay stoked, my friends.
-J
Posted in Brotherhood, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, LODD, Major Incidents, NetCast, Never Forget, News, WTF?
VIDEO AND FIREGROUND AUDIO: (LODD) CFD’s Cory Ankum and Edward Stringer die, 19 firefighters seriously injured in Chicago Building Collapse- 100 years to the day of the Chicago Stockyards Fire that killed 21 firefighters
> Click here for comprehensive information regarding funeral arrangements, maps, hotels, etc. <
Two firefighters have lost their lives, and 19 others seriously injured in a building collapse during a fire this morning in an abandoned commercial building fire this morning at 1744 E. 75th Street in Chicago’s South Shore.
One of the firefighters, 34-year-old Cory Ankum from Tower Ladder 34, had been on the department only sixteen months. Corey had previously served as a Chicago Police officer before joining the city’s fire department. His wife is Mayor Richard Daley’s personal secretary. He is a father of three children under 12 years old, including a one-year old child.
The second firefighter is identified as Engine 63′s Edward Stringer, a 12-year veteran of the CFD. According to “a highly-dependable source” inside the CFD, he was working as a “relief Lieutenant”, covering for another Lieutenant for an unknown reason . Before Stringer went in with the hoseline, the normally-assigned Lieutenant showed up told him he could leave now. Stringer declined the offer, saying “I got it”, and went inside. The ensuing collapse killed him and Ankum.
Live Fireground Audio during the initial response and mayday
The tragic fire comes exactly 100 years to the day of another Chicago fire tragedy. On December 22, 1910, 21 firefighters died when a wall collapsed upon them at the Union Stockyards Fire. Until the collapse of the World Trade Center’s twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001, no single disaster in the history of the United States claimed the lives of more firefighters.
Many of those responding to the 3-11 fire left services commemorating that event and responded to today’s scene to assist in the rescue effort.
According to Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff, firefighters entered the burning structure because of reports there may have been squatters inside the old laundry and cleaning facility. So far, no other victims have been located.
At one point in the 2-11 fire, a wall collapse occurred, sending the flat wooden roof crashing down on firefighters burying them in the rubble. Instantaneously, a mayday was sounded and rescue efforts were mounted.
The fire was initially brought under control with two lines when the collapse occurred. The alarm was escalated to a 3-11 and an EMS plan 2 bringing in 10 additional ambulances. Two firefighters were quickly rescued, and the other two needed hydraulic tools for their rescue in the rear of the building as the fire continued to progress.
All firefighters have finally been accounted for. The initial accounting was difficult as the fire came in right at shift change. Normally assigned crews were mixed between the two shifts.
Everyday Chicagoans joined firefighters, paramedics, and law enforcement along the streets as the fire department ambulances carrying the bodies of the two Chicago firefighters passed by on their way to the Medical Examiner’s office. Firefighters were too overcome with grief to grant interviews with the press just a few hours after the tragic events.
Posted in Chicagoland, Fires, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, LODD, Major Incidents, News, Videos
My Worst Call- The Seven Angels of Fox River Grove
Everyone has their worst call.
Mine occurred 15 years ago this morning as an express commuter train traveling at about 70 mph struck a school bus packed full of high school students. Seven died and dozens more were injured.
Bus body comes to rest 180 degrees and off the chassis
The bus was stopped for a red light and a few feet of the rear portion remained within the path of the speeding train. As the train gates came down on top of the bus, students screamed for the driver to move. Some seated in the rear of the bus left the seats and ran forward to get c;ear of the impact point.
The train struck the bus, separating the body from the chassis with such force that several of the children were cruelly hurled directly through the side wall and windows of the bus as the body spun 180 degrees in a fraction of a second.
Four died instantly, three others would fight for their lives before succumbing to their injuries.
My department was small, and I was the lone full-timer. Not yet on duty, I responded from home, about three blocks away. Our Assistant Chief was having coffee across the street with a neighboring chief and was on the scene instantly. He established Command and immediately called for a five-alarm EMS response and an additional request for three medical helicopters.
Arriving a few moments later, I was tasked as the triage officer. I just went into automatic mode as I suspect everyone else did as well.
The chaotic scene, littered with dead and dying children, was awash with passing motorists cradling the injured. Nurses suctioned airways, off duty firefighters forced entry into the mangled school bus.
There was screaming, and there was silence. It was the most surreal event of my life.
Eventually, as resources arrived, everything gelled and ran as smoothly as could be expected. An impromptu sector called “parents” was set up to control the response and notifications paramount during the incident.
In the following days, a dozen satellite trucks and the constant drone of helicopters permeated out small community. It was the nightmare that seemingly had no end. Rescue workers followed up with their patients with daily visits to their hospital bedsides. Sadly, wakes and funerals seemed endless, but the community responded with open arms and compassion.
Each year we pause to think of the seven angels taken away from us on that crisp, sunny morning. God bless those children and those they left behind.
Jeffrey Clark, 16
Stephanie Fulham, 15
Susana Guzman, 18
Michael Hoffman, 14
Joseph Kalte, 16
Shawn Robinson, 14
Tiffany Schneider, 15
Our Seven Angels.
Posted in Chicagoland, Disasters, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, Never Forget, News
“The Big Burn” – Largest fire in American history
The aftermath in Wallace, Idaho
Exactly 100 years ago, the summer of 1910 was hot and dry like no other. The resultant drought left plenty of dry vegetation in the forests of northeast Washington, northern Idaho, and western Montana. By mid-August there were 1,000 to 3,000 fires already burning due to hot cinders flung from locomotives, sparks, lightning, and backfiring crews.
Then came the wind.
On August 20, a cold front swept through the area bring hurricane-force winds which blew all the smaller fires into one or two gargantuan blazes- far too huge for the U.S. Forest Service- then only 7 years old- to handle with little manpower, and even less resources.
Some firsthand accounts from rangers who lived through the horror:
“They told of trees swelling, sweating hot sap, and then exploding; of horses dying in seconds; of small creeks boiling, full of dead trout, their white bellies up; of bear cubs clinging to flaming trees, wailing like children.”
For two days, the conflagration consumed nearly three million acres of forest (roughly the size of Connecticut), killing 87 people, 78 of them firefighters.
The scale was immense. Telegraph operators sent out desperate messages describing the approach of a solid line of flame 30 miles wide, and that was no exaggeration. Today, you can drive Interstate 90 east from Wallace, Idaho to just short of St. Regis, Idaho — about 45 miles — and be within the old burn zone every mile of the way. And this was by no means the only burn zone in the Northern Rockies – just the biggest.Smoke from the fire was said to have been seen as far east as Watertown, New York and as far south as Denver, Colorado. Ships 500 miles out into the Pacific Ocean, could not navigate by the stars because the sky was cloudy with smoke.
The fire had no end in sight and would have burned on had Mother Nature not returned to the scene with another cold front containing dousing rains.
The legacy of The Big Burn was the re-shaping of the U.S. Forest Service.
Prior to the fire, debates like those that remain today were taking place: let the fires burn as nature intended, or fight them in order to protect the forests. However, after the devastation of this fire it was decided that the U.S. Forest Service was to prevent and battle against every wildfire.
Firefighters across the nation are gathering to mark the centennial of the event this weekend. Numerous events are planned around the region to commemorate lost lives, reflect on a century’s worth of changes in wildland fire management philosophy, and celebrate how far we’ve come.
Posted in Disasters, Fires, Major Incidents, Never Forget, Tradition, Wildland
Firefighter Storytellers Wednesday Night: “My dad was a Chief at the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire.”
Like many other firefighters, Tim Sendelbach’s roots in the fire service started with his dad.
A fire chief in his hometown of Wilder, Kentucky, Tim’s dad was one of the many firefighters who responded to the horrific Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire on Memorial Day weekend in 1977.
You may recall it is the third deadliest night club fire in U.S. history, claiming 165 lives and injuring 200 more.
Now the editor-in-chief at FireRescue Magazine, Tim will share his unique perspective on this historic fire live this Wednesday night at 9pm ET on “Firefighter Storytellers”
Don’t miss this great opportunity to call in to talk with Tiger and Tim, hang out in the chat room, or just listen in live Wednesday night at 9pm ET as Firefighter NetCast brings you another engrossing edition of “Firefighter Storytellers” hosted by Tiger Schmittendorf.
Posted in Disasters, Fires, Major Incidents, NetCast, Videos
“The Charleston 43” – Always Remember and Never Forget
On Friday, June 18, we mark the third anniversary of an enormously tragic incident in which nine Charleston, SC firefighters lost their lives battling a furniture store fire.
To mark the incident, there will be no shortage of written and video tributes to experience, no shortage of “ALWAYS REMEMBER”s and “NEVER FORGET”s, and no shortage of opportunity to buy a helmet sticker, purchase a lapel pin, and otherwise show others that you share some type of connection with this and other LODD incidents.
But do you?
This year, I implore you to try something a little different.
Take an additional step or two of effort and delve into the lessons we can learn from what happened that day. This NIOSH report has about as many recommendations for improvement as any other I’ve run across.
I’ll save you the task of counting them out- there are 43. Forty-frickin three.
This represents a huge responsibility for us, as professional firefighters, to arm ourselves with some of the ammo we’ll be able to use to make sure each of us actually goes home at the end of the day (not just wear the cool helmet sticker).
To see the entire NIOSH report, click here. Allow me to enumerate the recommendations made, and ask you if any of them may apply to you or your department today, three years after the Charleston 9 lost their lives.
NIOSH investigators concluded that, to minimize the risk of similar occurrences, fire departments should:
- develop, implement and enforce written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for an occupational safety and health program in accordance with NFPA 1500
- develop, implement, and enforce a written Incident Management System to be followed at all emergency incident operations
- develop, implement, and enforce written SOPs that identify incident management training standards and requirements for members expected to serve in command roles
- ensure that the Incident Commander is clearly identified as the only individual with overall authority and responsibility for management of all activities at an incident
- ensure that the Incident Commander conducts an initial size-up and risk assessment of the incident scene before beginning interior fire fighting operations
- train fire fighters to communicate interior conditions to the Incident Commander as soon as possible and to provide regular updates
- ensure that the Incident Commander establishes a stationary command post, maintains the role of director of fireground operations, and does not become involved in fire-fighting efforts
- ensure the early implementation of division / group command into the Incident Command System
- ensure that the Incident Commander continuously evaluates the risk versus gain when determining whether the fire suppression operation will be offensive or defensive
- ensure that the Incident Commander maintains close accountability for all personnel operating on the fireground
- ensure that a separate Incident Safety Officer, independent from the Incident Commander, is appointed at each structure fire
- ensure that crew integrity is maintained during fire suppression operations
- ensure that a rapid intervention crew (RIC) / rapid intervention team (RIT) is established and available to immediately respond to emergency rescue incidents
- ensure that adequate numbers of staff are available to immediately respond to emergency incidents
- ensure that ventilation to release heat and smoke is closely coordinated with interior fire suppression operations
- conduct pre-incident planning inspections of buildings within their jurisdictions to facilitate development of safe fireground strategies and tactics
- consider establishing and enforcing standardized resource deployment approaches and utilize dispatch entities to move resources to fill service gaps
- develop and coordinate pre-incident planning protocols with mutual aid departments
- ensure that any offensive attack is conducted using adequate fire streams based on characteristics of the structure and fuel load present
- ensure that an adequate water supply is established and maintained
- consider using exit locators such as high intensity floodlights or flashing strobe lights to guide lost or disoriented fire fighters to the exit
- ensure that Mayday transmissions are received and prioritized by the Incident Commander
- train fire fighters on actions to take if they become trapped or disoriented inside a burning structure
- ensure that all fire fighters and line officers receive fundamental and annual refresher training according to NFPA 1001 and NFPA 1021
- implement joint training on response protocols with mutual aid departments
- ensure apparatus operators are properly trained and familiar with their apparatus
- protect stretched hose lines from vehicular traffic and work with law enforcement or other appropriate agencies to provide traffic control
- ensure that fire fighters wear a full array of turnout clothing and personal protective equipment appropriate for the assigned task while participating in fire suppression and overhaul activities
- ensure that fire fighters are trained in air management techniques to ensure they receive the maximum benefit from their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
- develop, implement and enforce written SOPS to ensure that SCBA cylinders are fully charged and ready for use
- use thermal imaging cameras (TICs) during the initial size-up and search phases of a fire
- develop, implement and enforce written SOPs and provide fire fighters with training on the hazards of truss construction
- establish a system to facilitate the reporting of unsafe conditions or code violations to the appropriate authorities
- ensure that fire fighters and emergency responders are provided with effective incident rehabilitation
- provide fire fighters with station / work uniforms (e.g., pants and shirts) that are compliant with NFPA 1975 and ensure the use and proper care of these garments.
Additionally, federal and state occupational safety and health administrations should:
- consider developing additional regulations to improve the safety of fire fighters, including adopting National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) consensus standards.
Additionally, manufacturers, equipment designers, and researchers should:
- continue to develop and refine durable, easy-to-use radio systems to enhance verbal and radio communication in conjunction with properly worn SCBA
- conduct research into refining existing and developing new technology to track the movement of fire fighters inside structures.
Additionally, code setting organizations and municipalities should:
- require the use of sprinkler systems in commercial structures, especially ones having high fuel loads and other unique life-safety hazards, and establish retroactive requirements for the installation of fire sprinkler systems when additions to commercial buildings increase the fire and life safety hazards
- require the use of automatic ventilation systems in large commercial structures, especially ones having high fuel loads and other unique life-safety hazards.
Additionally, municipalities and local authorities having jurisdiction should:
- coordinate the collection of building information and the sharing of information between building authorities and fire departments
- consider establishing one central dispatch center to coordinate and communicate activities involving units from multiple jurisdictions
- ensure that fire departments responding to mutual aid incidents are equipped with mobile and portable communications equipment that are capable of handling the volume of radio traffic and allow communications among all responding companies within their jurisdiction.
Do any of these recommendations apply to your department or agency? Of course they do. Now work with your fellow leaders and make the changes that need to be made.
The events of June 18, 2007 are tragic indeed. Failing to accept and learn from the recommendations is a disrespectful slap in the face to the Charleston 9, their families and friends, and the fine firefighters who were so greatly affected on that fateful evening.
So if you sport a cool Charleston 9 t-shirt , or if their sticker adorns your helmet, or you utter the phrase “Never Forget” every June 18, back it up with the knowledge that you took the effort to learn from what happened that day- and took the extra time to apply it to the way you operate on the fireground.
I say THAT’S the memory that Brad, Billy, Mark, Michael, Melvin, Earl, Mike, Louis, and Brandon are counting on you to never forget.
-J
Cool Web Sites to Monitor the U.S. Wildfire Season
While wet weather initially delayed the start of the fire season in places like Arizona and New Mexico, the 2010 fire season is now well underway. According to a report from KTUU, 530 people were battling the Eagle Trail Fire near the village of Tanacross in eastern Alaska which caused the hurried evacuation of over 500 residents. The fire, now only 15% contained, was started last Wednesday by a lightning strike. A Red Flag Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service due to additional dry thunderstorms forecast in the region this week.
(Photo by Susan Stancliff.) The Eagle Trail fire near Tok blew up again Thursday during hot and dry daytime conditions.
Of the 14 active fires burning right now across the United States, Alaska is home to eight of them. You can track their progress here at the U.S. Forest Service Active Large Incident Map as well as follow additional large scale wildfires throughout the season.
Additionally, detailed status information can be found on a cool site called InciWeb, which is an interagency all-risk incident information management system. The system was developed with two primary missions:
- Provide the public a single source of incident related information
- Provide a standardized reporting tool for the Public Affairs community
A number of supporting systems automate the delivery of incident information to remote sources. This ensures that the information regarding active incidents is consistent, and the delivery is timely.
The site offers news, announcements, maps, and even photographs from the front lines like this one (above right) from the Eagle Trail fire.
Meanwhile in California, joint training exercises between CalFire, the California National Guard, The U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy have been taking place. Coordinating an aerial assault with several different agencies with differently trained pilots and personnel can be daunting, but scenario training such as this helps ensure a safe and efficient mitigation of any large scale incident involving numerous agencies and entities.
As the season progresses, we wish all of our wildland firefighters great health and safety as they risk their lives over and over during grueling conditions. They are excellent representatives of the U.S. Fire Service!
Stay stoked!
-J
Posted in Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, News, Videos, Wildland
Fire Daily’s Daily Fire- First Interstate Bank Fire
First Interstste Bank Fire
On May 4 and May 5 of 1988, nearly 400 LAFD firefighters busted their butts getting a handle on what was the largest high-rise fire in their history at the First Interstate Bank at 707 West Wilshire. It took 64 fire companies, 10 City rescue ambulances, 17 private ambulances, 4 helicopters, 53 Command Officers and support personnel, and considerable assistance from other City departments to bring this fire under control in about four hours.The firefight that night would eventually provide for the foundation of training for high-rise operations around the world.
Comprehensive coverage of the incident can be found in an article by FireRescue Magazine in todays FirefighterNation.com. It includes a timeline of events and videos taken that day. FireRescue Magazine’s Editor in Chief Timothy Sendelbach offers some thought-provoking lessons learned:
“At the time, the First Interstate Bank Fire was said to be, “the high-rise fire that you can’t put out.” More than 20 years later, the largest high-rise fire in LAFD history continues to provide valuable lessons to urban and suburban firefighters throughout the country. While many of the lessons from this incident have been applied–in engineering, building construction, fire prevention and fire suppression–many more have since resurfaced with deadly consequences (in short, we failed to learn from the past) pressure-reducing valves, overtaxed communications, air operations, out-of-service sprinkler systems, command and control issues, etc…In reading the post-incident report and the numerous links related to this incident, few will argue that this incident should be (if it isn’t already) one of the most formidable tools in training today’s firefighters in the challenges and complexities of high-rise operations.”
May 3- Great Fire of 1901
photo: Jacksonville Historical Society
On May 3, 1901, Jacksonville, Florida suffered the most destructive event in the city’s history. Never before (or since) has there been a larger metropolitan fire in the entire South.
The conflagration destroyed the majority of downtown Jacksonville, wiping out 2,368 buildings and leaving nearly 10,000 people homeless. Miraculously, only seven died.
“The Great Fire” triggered an unprecedented rebuilding effort that laid the foundation for modern-day Jacksonville.
Co-author of the book The Great Fire of 1901, Dr. Wayne Wood points out, “The 1901 Fire of Jacksonville was one of the most cataclysmic city disasters in American history. It is right up there with the San Francisco earthquake, the Chicago fire and the Galveston hurricane. Yet with all of its drama and destruction, the story of Jacksonville’s Great Fire has never fully been told.”
It began with an errant cinder from a shanty’s cook stove at lunch hour. The spark ignited piles of moss that were drying at a mattress factory to the west of town, at Davis and Beaver Streets. The fire erupted with a torrent of flame that quickly spread from block to block.
By the time the fire was brought under control at 8:30 pm, it had destroyed nearly everything in a 2-mile swath across the city.
photo: Jacksonville Historical Society
Cindy Devone-Pacheco, Senior Editor at FireRescue Magazine, also brought our attention back to this incident, as well as the Great Atlanta Fire which occurred sixteen years later. You can read more about these two epic events in fire history at her article here.
Although these events happened about a century ago, there are valuable lessons to be learned about preparation and readiness that apply to this day.
Posted in Disasters, Fires, Major Incidents, Never Forget, Tradition
360 Burn Size-up of the Fire Web- 1/21/2010
photo: Firenews.net
More Apparatus Accidents
Apparatus Accidents are headlining the news far too frequently again. After medical issues, vehicle accidents kill more firefighters every year. Read up the horrific injuries sustained by by firefighters in New Jersey, Kentucky, and North Carolina as related in FirefighterCloseCalls.com Then, take an active role on doing whatever you can to keep your department out of these types of headlines.
Do that today.
When Maydays Bring Crickets
While looking for a way out during a search, two veteran Cincinnati firefighters became trapped by a burning stairwell after one of them tumbled face first down six stairs, knocking his helmet and air mask off.
“Mayday, mayday, mayday!” his partner called out over his fire radio.
Silence.
“Mayday, mayday, mayday!” It was so quiet they wondered aloud if they were on the wrong channel. “Is anybody copying?” he asked as both men got critically low on air.
Why was this happening? Read the article in Cincinnati.com by Sharon Coolidge to find out more on a new threat to modern firefighters.
Virginia Firefighters in Haiti Safe Following Aftershock
As if they didn’t already have enough on their plate, Mother Nature continued to keep things interesting as a 6.1 aftershock hammered the disaster area Wednesday morning.
All 83 members of the Virginia Task Force 2 were unscathed and are continuing their efforts at this moment. You can follow VTF 2 on their cool website.
Despite all the obstacles that have been overcome by all of our heroic expert rescuers, the worse may still be on the way. Unfortunately, civil unrest is already making the situation more dangerous as Haitians increasingly turn to violence in their quest for the basic needs of food, water, and medicine.
Haiti and Social Media: This Ain’t Your Daddy’s Internet Anymore….
When Iranian citizens took the streets to challenge the Presidential elections last year it was difficult to obtain any real time reporting from traditional sources in the mainstream media. The government had cracked down on all foreign media, and threatened severe retribution.
But while CNN, ABC, and NBC all struggled to keep the video and audio flowing, we saw the emergence of an entirely new form of communication in street-level reporting. Anyone and everyone with some type of connection to the internet suddenly had the instant ability to become the next Christiane Amanpour, Anderson Cooper, or Wolf Blitzer.
During no other disaster has the entire world depended on cyber space as we do today.
This week, the internet faces it’s greatest test to demonstrate its capacity for good as it continues to establish a firm foot hold during history in the making.
Social media has developed into a modern technology which allows us to reach into areas of the world with immediacy in a way traditional systems can no longer match.
Facebook has 1500 status updates involving Haiti in every minute. Relatives and friends are utilizing the power of Facebook as a tool to obtain information about missing loved ones who have .
In some cases, the first long awaited message that a family member is OK has come in the form of a tweet. A Twitter message of less than 140 characters can carry this type of news more easily, more quickly, and more consistently when telephone and other traditional communication systems no longer can function.
Celebrities and musicians with hundreds of thousands of followers on twitter have established fund raising efforts with incredible results. Those followers join the cause, but then create an entirely new group of donors simply by re-tweeting the information to their own followers.
The result? Millions and millions of dollars in donations in just a few days from this twitter effort alone.
Haven’t given in to lure of your Tweeps, or have yet to take the dive in creating a Facebook presence? No worries.
Just today (January 14, 2010), the American Red Cross reported that over 3 million dollars has been raised- ten dollars at a time- from people simply texting in donations from their cell phones.
We are truly at a turning point in communications worldwide. As social media continues to demonstrate its value in Haiti, we begin to wonder what new technologies will grow from this point forward, and dream of how different it may be in just a few years.
Whether in a fund-raising role, or by providing a critically important communications ability, social media is no longer only a means by which to just chat with friends. This week, it has evolved into an entirely new animal, demonstrating just how invaluable it can be.
Added Jan. 15- Be sure to check out a post this morning from PIOSocialMediaTraining.com written by David Konig entitled “Social Mddia- The Real First Responder in Haiti” He lists details and links to several social media efforts to communicate and donate to the disaster in Haiti…
was written by @DavidKonig for PIOSocialMediaTraining.com
360 Burn Size-up of The Fire Web 12/22/09
Chicago’s Gold Badge Society- One of a Kind
We know that a special type of brotherhood exists in the fire service. In a Chicago Tribune story we see an example of the true blessings that brotherhood is made of. Chicago’s Gold Badge Society recently held a Christmas Party bringing together many of the group’s 75 members, all of whom are relatives of Chicago firefighters and paramedics killed on the job. Read the story of how these wonderful people have helped the family of a Buffalo NY firefighter nearly killed in a roof collapse and putting him into a coma lasting almost 10 years. If your active on Facebook, Chicago’s Gold Badge Society has it’s own Cause page, nearly reaching the goal of 2500 members. Pop in and show your support!
Grab the Right Tool
If you cant get to the fire, you can’t make an interior attack. Without good forcible entry skills, just prepare to set up for an exterior attack and all the fun that ensues with a winter water carnival.
The blog site VentEnterSearch.com is always a great spot to check out when looking to review your ability to recognize the way to best force entry in a given situation. The most recent post gets you thinking about which is the best tool to use for gaining access into a special kind of door (your first choice is probably wrong).
As always, VentEnterSearch.com is worth your attention on a regular basis.
Station Fire Government Report Indicates Planes Ordered, Canceled, Then Re-Ordered
Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich reportedly wants Congress to investigate how the firefighting was conducted in the county’s largest wildfire in history. The “Station Fire” ultimately killed two firefighters, destroyed 89 homes and blackened 250 square miles on the edge of Los Angeles.
According to a report from the Associated Press, questions still linger regarding the handling of the incident. Chief among them is the apparent two-hour delay of three aerial tankers summoned by the U.S. Forest Service who later canceled then reordered them again according to Forest Service records obtained by The Associated Press through the Freedom of Information Act. Read the entire story here
Posted in 360 Burn, Brotherhood, Chicagoland, Command & Leadership, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, News, Wildland, WTF?
The Ghosts of Fires Past
In January of 2002, a fatal fire broke out in the Plaza on DeWitt condominium hi-rise at 260 East Chestnut in Chicago. In that fire several firefighters were injured and residents were rescued from the building’s roof where they were forced to flee to escape severe smoke conditions.
A few mornings ago as reported here on Fire Daily, history repeated itself. As the first brutally cold and windy night of winter charged into the city, fully one-third of the on-duty personnel of Chicago’s firefighters were again called to the Plaza on DeWitt. The 36th floor fire was again fatal; again eight firefighters were injured; several residents again were rescued from the building’s roof where they were forced to escape severe smoke conditions.
A little over a week ago on December 3, we all took pause to remember the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire of ten years ago. Six firefighters lost their lives that day on an interior rescue for squatters believed to be inside the old building.
Yesterday, history again repeated itself.
A two-alarm blaze in a vacant South Boston warehouse yesterday was eerily reminiscent of the Worcester fire. Boston Fire Rescue Company 1 was advised that the building was known to be occupied by squatters and people may be trapped inside. They entered, split into two groups and began their search. Two of Boston’s bravest tripped and fell into FOUR FEET of standing water during the effort.
One of the firefighters was able to feel his way up some stairs and found the lone occupant who had become disoriented in the heavy smoke conditions. That firefighter, 63-year old John Smith, a FORTY YEAR VETERAN FIREFIGHTER. led the man outside to waiting EMS workers.
The report from the Boston Globe describes the scene:
“Fire officials said the rescued man was one of several people living in the warehouse. Inside the building, an intricately organized squatters’ residence could be seen, with beds, televisions, microwaves, and even a stocked kitchen setup, complete with a spice rack. Fire officials said yesterday that the legally vacant building was even wired for electricity.
South Boston is home to an array of warehouses and industrial-type buildings, and fire officials know that homeless people gather here.
“Since Worcester, there’s been a heightened awareness among firefighters’’ as they go about their searches,” (Boston Fire Department Spokesman Steve) MacDonald said.
Smith said his crew stayed focused on saving anyone who might be inside the warehouse yesterday. “This is a prime spot for homeless people at this time of year,’’ he said. “Inside these buildings, they can set up quite a bit of housekeeping and stay there for quite some time.’’
The firefighters in Massachusetts and Chicago have witnessed history repeating itself.
Because they applied knowledge gained from these previous incidents, they were better prepared to handle the next incident.
Here is tangible proof that the Worcester 6 an others like them have not died in vain.
We have learned from their tragedy and all become better prepared to handle the next call where history will invariably repeat itself.
Again.
Stay stoked!
-J
360 Burn Size-up of the Fire Web 12/12/09
The New Haven 20 Finally Get Their Due
Amid blaring bagpipes, the crowd erupted with even louder cheers, whistles and shouts when firefighters entered a high school auditorium to receive their promotional badges after a 5-year legal battle that ended with a U.S. Supreme Court victory. Read more on the promotions of the group who became known as the New Haven 20 and the finish line they crossed yesterday in a contest that began back in 2003.
Berkshire County Loses National/Local Treasure
A five alarm fire marks the end of a historic and beloved building in the Massachusetts Berkshires this week. The Egremont Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, having been around since before the American Revolution. The three-story wood frame structure did not have a sprinkler system. Of course, the cause has not yet been determined. One firefighter suffered minor injuries. Read more from the Boston Globe here.
VIDEO: When it becomes second nature, training can save your life.
Toronto firefighters on a residential second-floor interior attack forced to bailout a window and down a ladder. See how each firefighter came down the ladder and file it away in your memory banks under training. Also a great “Reading Smoke” video…
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Fatal Early Morning 5-Alarmer Eerily Similar to Fire There 8 Years Ago
“It was the only thing we could do. Both stairwells were filled with smoke. There was nowhere to go but up.”
It started as a slight smell of smoke, possibly from a cigarette he thought. But when the smell continued to grow stronger and smoke began seeping through the vents inside his apartment, Jeff Amsel called 911. As his apartment began to fill with smoke, he woke up his 6-year old daughter and, clothed only in loungewear ran out into the hallway. With no other options, they grabbed some winter coats and headed for the roof.
This morning’s hi-rise fire at The Plaza on DeWitt in the Streeterville neighborhood in Chicago has now claimed at least one life and developed into a five-alarm challenge for firefighters facing the first brutally windy and cold night of the season. Among the many injured reported were several Chicago firefighters treated for smoke inhalation.
Nearly 8 years ago, an eerily similar fire at this 51-story condominium building at 260 East Chestnut resulted in a fatality and injuring eight firefighters. As in this morning’s fire, the January 2002 fire also required firefighters to rescue residents from the building’s roof where they had also fled for safety.
The 2002 fire revived criticism by local fire experts about the City of Chicago’s refusal to require sprinkler systems in residential high-rises built prior to 1975. Because of the expense involved in retro-fitting these buildings, the city has given them an alternative. They have until Jan. 1, 2012 to take alternative life-saving measures. The modifications could include communication systems, fire hoses and emergency backup equipment.
Read more on these stories from Chicago Breaking News here , here and here. FireGeezer has posted a video report as well at his site.
Here is the fire communications audio:
Posted in Chicagoland, Fires, Major Incidents, News
360 Burn Size-up of the Fire Web 12/3/2009
Ten Years Ago Today
On December 3, 1999, the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire took the lives of six firefighters. Head on over to FirefighterCloseCalls.com for a full report, complete with links to articles, photos, audio, and much more.
Follow that up with a read of an article entitled “A Chief’s Perspective” by retired Worcester District Fire Chief Michael O. McNamee and hope you never have to go through his nightmare. With trapped crews inside and after others had gone in to save them, Chief McNamee ordered that no more firefighters go in. He was met with heated threats of physical violence by his firefighters on the scene, many demanding to allow them to go in to rescue their brothers. But he hung firm- and in doing so stopped that massive fire from killing any more of his men that night. Thanks, Chief. Use the information at FirefighterCloseCalls.com to create a training session for everyone on your department, especially for the newer guys who may never have heard the tragic details.
More is Less is Less is More
Did you catch the post by FireGeezer on Tuesday about the Newark (OH) fire chief who did the math? Turns out that hiring more firefighters resulted in less overtime costs (way less). Read the story about how fire chief Jack Stickradt was able to show the city manager how it could be done, after which the mayor followed suit. Now with more firefighters, there’s les OT, less injuries, and more safety. Hmmm.I’ve always wondered why a municipality would want to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars rather than hire more people…
Next on the horizon for firefighters? Personal air conditioning…ahhhhhh…
Colorado State University engineering professors are using a $917,000 Fire Prevention and Safety Grant to develop technology that would protect firefighters’ cardiovascular health and stave off heat stress. Researchers will use a device called the SCAMP (Super Critical Air Mobility Pack) device from Niwot Technologies that can cool firefighters and hazmat teams as they work. SCAMP was developed for and used by NASA astronauts 20 years ago and uses cryogenically-cooled air in a thin compact case. Their work looks to help alleviate the number one cause of firefighter line-of-duty deaths (cardiovascular failure- 43% of all deaths) by providing up to four hours of purified air and body cooling. See more here.
What Happened at the Station Fire? $$$ ?
On a sizzling August morning, as flames burned unchecked down the road, fire crews milled about at an Angeles Crest Highway ranger station. Others were parked along the pavement — a critical line of defense — their engines quiet and hoses slack.
It was more than an hour after first light, and some six hours after U.S. Forest Service commanders had determined that the fire required a more aggressive air attack. But the skies remained empty of water-dropping helicopters — tankers that were readily available.
What was happening?
In a story to be published in the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times, Paul Pringle reports on the mounting quest for answers regarding the response to what turned out to be the largest fire in LA County history. The Station Fire eventually killed two Los Angeles County firefighters, destroyed about 90 dwellings and devastated one of America’s most-visited national forests.
It had been previously reported that the Forest Service issued a memorandum to Southern California Managers three weeks prior to the Station Fire. It had directed its Southern California managers to trim expenses by reducing the use of reinforcements from municipal departments and the state.
Many have charged that the initial response to the fire was inadequate, and assets that were ready and available were not used soon enough, resulting in a conflagration that should never have occurred.
County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said he has ordered an executive review of his department’s response during the first five days of the fire. It is due out November 17.
“We’ll take care of our brother…”
For 37 years, he had been a proud LA County Firefighter saving lives and homes. Last August, retired LA County firefighter MIke Weatherbie was at the end of a long illness, unconscious, and the largest fire in LA county history was knocking on his back door. His wife didn’t know how she could themselves out of harms way and desperately needed help.
During the Station fire , LA County firefighters were busy evacuating the remote Antelope Valley area when they recognized a special emblem on the Weatherbie’s address sign. It indicated that a fellow firefighter lived there. They met up outside with Lori, his wife of 55 years.
“I told them that he is not really conscious right now,” she said. “And he said ‘Is that the fireman?’, and I said ‘yeah’. and he says ‘we’ll take care of our brother.’”
A video showing yet another example of the meaning of brotherhood, and the special gift of passage given by his brothers at LA County fire….
Posted in Brotherhood, Major Incidents, Wildland
What You’ve Said