Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Lime-Green Vs. Red Vs. Black!

70s throwback: Lime-yellow fire trucks fade outWhat's most important is the ability for drivers to recognize a vehicle for what it is rather than its colour, says report

By Jamie Thompson
FireRescue1 Senior Editor

The 1970s gave a lot to the world, from the sublime to the ridiculous — and the fire service was no exception. It was during this decade that the logic behind the traditional color of fire trucks first began to be questioned by some.

Red, so the argument went, was not as visible as other colors. The color of choice for the forward-thinking and progressive? Lime-yellow.

Some departments made the break with tradition in the belief that a change in color scheme could improve the visibility of fire trucks, improving safety for civilians and firefighters alike.

The Pinellas Park, Fla., Fire Department was one of them. In 1972, it ordered its first lime-yellow truck. As older vehicles were phased out over the years that followed, they too were replaced with apparatus colored in the new style.

However, the department is now going back to its roots. The St. Petersburg Times reported this week that, with a request by the department for three new rescue units, a council member questioned Fire Chief Doug Lewis over the current color scheme.

The chief polled his firefighters, and more than 70 percent of those who responded said they wanted a return to red. The end result is the new rescue units — and subsequent trucks ordered in the future — will be a deep red similar to the 1925 American LaFrance fire engine that the city still has and uses for parades.

"Since the 1970s, the fire service has come a long way with advances in retro-reflective materials on vehicles and lighting, so we aren't concerned we will lose any safety at all in going back to red," Chief Lewis said.

"We are kind of looking forward to going back to red. We have put in orders for three rescue units and we will probably need to be ordering two engines in the next budget year, which means half our fleet by then will be back to red."

A study released in September last year highlighted best practices for emergency vehicle visibility and conspicuity.

The report by the USFA, in partnership with the International Fire Service Training Association, covered retroreflective striping and chevrons, high-visibility paint, built-in passive light, and other reflectors for fire apparatus, EMS vehicles and law enforcement patrol vehicles.

"The report basically suggested that the most important thing for drivers is to be able to recognize the vehicle for what it is, whether it be a post office vehicle, a school bus or a fire truck — it's about what people are accustomed to seeing," Chief Lewis said.

"Red is the most recognizable color for fire trucks in the United States."

Key findings in the study were:

The increased use of retroreflective materials holds great promise for enhancing the conspicuity of emergency vehicles.
Both visibility and recognition are important facets of emergency vehicle conspicuity.
The use of contrasting colors can assist drivers with locating a hazard amid the visual clutter of the roadway.
There is limited scientific evidence that drivers are "drawn into" highly-visible emergency vehicles.
It is theoretically possible to "over-do" the use of retroreflective materials and interfere with drivers' abilities to recognize other hazards.

One section in the study focuses on the selection of different paint colors for emergency vehicles, referencing the existing literature available.

Most comes from Stephen S. Solomon and James G. King; Solomon is a practicing optometrist and consultant on color and safety while King is an electrical engineer who holds patents for electronic circuits that carry out numeric algorithms. Both have long-term experience as volunteer firefighters.

They suggested the predominant color scheme on United States fire apparatus change from red to lime-yellow, reasoning that yellow-green is an easy color for the human eye to discern in both day/night lighting conditions, as well as providing contrast with typical backgrounds.

In 2002, according to the USFA report, UK researchers proposed a single-color paint scheme, using fluorescent orange, as the appropriate choice for emergency vehicle visibility/conspicuity under most environmental conditions.

"Whatever the specific color, research performed for this report suggests what is more important is the ability for drivers to recognize the vehicle for what it is," the USFA document said.

"An example is the ubiquitous 'yellow school bus' prevalent throughout the United States. These vehicles are instantly recognizable and likely promote immediate behavioral responses by surrounding drivers. Similarly, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) or other mail/delivery trucks painted in a standard color may also prompt drivers to behave in certain ways (i.e., expecting multiple stops at any time).

"Following this principle, it is a common belief that people are more likely to identify red with a fire apparatus than other colors, regardless of the conditions."

Jack Sullivan, director of training at the Emergency Responder Safety Institute, said the issue has always provoked debate.

"It started back in the 1970s with some publications and studies that were written by some folks in the business who claimed that fire trucks that were lime-green or similar versions of that color were much more visible than red," he said.

"They alluded to the fact that if you used this color in fire trucks they would have fewer accidents. Over time, since the 1970s, all kinds of colors have been used in the fire service but for the most part, even after 30 years, fire trucks are still predominantly red."

People recognize and relate to the red color more than lime-green/yellow, purple or any other color out there, according to Sullivan.

"A lot of people working for departments that have lime-yellow/green trucks have always pushed to go back to red trucks, and I don't think there are any statistics out that support the claim that lime-green/yellow trucks are involved in fewer wrecks than red trucks."

FireRescue1 Editorial Advisor Chief Adam K. Thiel, who gave input to the report, said, "The existing research on emergency vehicle conspicuity in the United States suggests that we need a great deal more information on how drivers react to vehicles with different conspicuity treatments."

"The really important question, and the missing link in the research, is how surrounding drivers notice, and react to, emergency vehicles in the complex traffic environment.

Firefighter Saves Gas Station With Personal Vehicle, Loses Truck In Process

Editor's note: Firefighter Lee's selfless act, and willingness to sacrifice his own property to mitigate the hazards posed by a burning car at the gas pumps, was certainly in keeping with the proudest traditions of the U.S. fire service.

I couldn't agree more with his statement in the news article, Trucks are replaceable, lives aren't. That includes the lives of our brother and sister firefighters...

Remember that whether you are on-duty: with the benefits of full personal protective equipment, self-contained breathing apparatus , and a properly-equipped and staffed engine company; or off-duty — with nothing more than your training, experience, and critical thinking skills — your personal safety must always come first! (I hope Mike is successful in getting his truck replaced...)

Chief Adam K. Thiel, FireRescue1 Editorial Advisor

JACKSON, Miss. — A Mississippi volunteer firefighter lost his personal vehicle while saving a gas station.

Star Firefighter Mike Lee used his truck to push a burning car away from gas pumps on Saturday, according to WLBT.

His truck was destroyed when it stalled and caught fire in the process of pushing the car.

Firefighter Lee told the local news station that he has no regrets and would do it all again.

"I didn't want the station to blow up. We would have had a big problem then," he said. "Trucks are replaceable, lives aren't."

Firefighter Lee and his wife have been volunteer firefighters for almost two years.

Members of the Star Fire Department are asking for donations to help Firefighter Lee get a new truck.

Donations can be sent to the Star Fire Department, in care of Mike Lee, P.O. Box 70, Star, Mississippi 39167.

Six Children Identified In Fatal Blaze In New York

The bodies were found in various bedrooms

By Christen Gowan
The Times-Union

FORT EDWARD, N.Y. — Emergency officials confirmed the identities on Monday of the six children who were killed in a house fire on Burgoyne Avenue early Saturday.

On Monday, Washington County Director of Public Safety William Cook confirmed the identities of the six children who were killed in the fire. They were identified as: Hope Palazzo-Smith, 12; Mackenzie Palazzo-Smith, 6; Lewis Carl Smith III, 7; Emilie L. Smith, 3; Abbigayle Smith, 1; and Paige Cox, 8. Autopsies of the children revealed that all six died of smoke inhalation.

Abbigayle Smith was found in a downstairs bedroom of the two-story, wood-frame house on Burgoyne Avenue. The rest were found in various bedrooms upstairs. Investigators have said that the fire appears to be accidental and that the fire started in the first-floor living room. The exact cause is still under investigation, and investigators are waiting for several other interviews before officially stating the fire's cause.

Cook said that one smoke detector was found in the cellar stairway, but said he was unsure if the detector sounded during the fire. The public safety official said other detectors could have been in the house, but they weren't found in the rubble.

Four people — three adults and a child — escaped the fire.

Westchester Medical Center spokesman David Billig said that Samantha Cox, the mother of Paige Cox, is still in critical condition. Lewis Carl Smith Sr., the father of the five Smith children who were killed, no longer has a condition listed with the hospital. He was previously listed in good condition.

Firefighters got the call at 6:50 a.m. Saturday. By the time they arrived, the flames were already too thick for first responders to enter the building, said Fort Edward Assistant Fire Chief Bill Brown.

Counseling services are available for community members coping with the aftermath at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Fort Edward High School.

Cook said the community has banded together tremendously in the wake of the devastating fire. "We'd like to thank everybody for their help in this most trying time," Cook said.

Poor Judgement About A Call Makes FDNY Medic Likely Candidate To Lose Job And Be Made Example

The Lt. posted details online of a 911 call he found hilarious — a woman complaining of a swollen vagina — with the patient's name and address

By Ginger Adams Otis
The New York Post

NEW YORK — He got punked — by himself.

An EMS lieutenant with a sick sense of humor is likely to lose his FDNY job thanks to a tasteless joke that violated federal medical-privacy law.

Bozo boss Michael Palleschi, 36, posted details online of a 911 call he found hilarious — a woman complaining of a swollen vagina — without redacting the patient's name and address, sources said.

FDNY top brass found nothing comical about Palleschi's behavior and pushed to get him fired.

Even as his job hung in the balance, the pudgy prankster got into hot water again — this time for an alleged joke on a teenager in the EMS Explorer program at the Brooklyn EMS station in Canarsie, where Palleschi had been exiled on modified duty, sources said.

The juvenile high jinks got Palleschi hauled in for a second investigation, the FDNY said.

An anonymous tipster told the FDNY that, two weeks ago, Palleschi wrote a stickup note demanding cash, then folded it up and passed it to the young Explorer, claiming it was a coffee and bagel order that he should get filled at the nearby Dunkin' Donuts.

According to sources, Palleschi admitted he added a line about a stickup to a coffee order compiled at the station but said he ripped that part off before the Explorer ever left the building to hand it to a Dunkin' Donuts clerk.

The EMS Explorer program, part of an effort to recruit members into the FDNY, brings in local kids, usually between 16 and 20, from area high schools and colleges to intern at EMS stations.

An FDNY spokesman declined to comment on its problem prankster.

In the first incident, Palleschi took a picture of the computer screen in his ambulance that displays patient names, addresses, medical complaint and other sensitive personal data and uploaded it to his Facebook page because a woman's description of her swollen vagina amused him, sources said.

It was a serious violation of the strict federal rules — known as HIPAA — that protect the privacy of individual health information and patient confidentiality.

Palleschi's union head, Vincent Variale, said neither probe had yet returned conclusive evidence that he had done anything wrong. "Investigations are still ongoing, and until they are finished, it would be unfair to draw conclusions," he said.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Port Of Tampa Fire Injuries 5 Firefighters From Heat Exhaustion

CARY WILLIAMS
ABC ActionNews
Reprinted with Permission

TAMPA, Fla. - Five firefighters were transported to local hospitals with heat exhaustion after battling the four-alarm fire at the Port of Tampa Wednesday morning.

(ABC ActionNews photo)

Related
Tampa Firefighters Battle Port Blaze

The fire broke out on a large conveyor belt attached to a $50 million cargo ship. Because of the heat, more than 100 fire fighters from Tampa Fire Rescue fought the fire.

The blaze was reported around 9 a.m. at berth 220 on the west side of Hooker's Point near Davis Islands.

The fire went to a fourth alarm shortly after 9:30 a.m. The Coast Guard was called in to assist in the firefighting efforts around 9:45.

With the heavy equipment and high temperatures, heat exhaustion was a concern, and firefighters battled the blaze in shifts.

Battling this blaze on the water gave rescue officials plenty of concerns.

Fire crews had to back away when the conveyor frame weakened, and at one point began to collapse. Another concern was stressing the vessel with too much water. Variable weight may have tilted and capsized the shipper.

Firefighters from the ground and the water used water and foam to try to put out the stubborn blaze, finally extinguishing the fire around 1 p.m.

Tampa Fire spokesman Captain Bill Wade says, "We are optimistic they will be treated and released. Firefighter push really hard fighting fire, that's who fire fighters are."

Wade said that all 32 crewmembers aboard the 742-foot Liberian-registered Sophia Oldendorff were evacuated safely.

Just put into service in September, Tampa Fire Rescue employed a new fire boat, The Patriot.

"The Patriot was essential in fighting this fire," Wade said.

According to Captain Wade, the fire originated at the conveyor belt. "We do understand that this conveyor belt started working last night. And it is believed that somehow it had a malfunction to cause the belt, which is made of rubber and plastic, to catch fire."

The multimillion dollar boat travelled to the Port of Tampa from Canada.

My Opinion

This is another story about how much we really need to know our limits. Heat exhaustion is a very real thing in our profession, we need to keep a weary eye on it. Drink lots of water and especially when you have that many firefighters at a call, you should be taking lots of breaks. This goes for Wildland Firefighters as well, don't just work the entire day, drink plenty of water, drink one gatorade or electrolyte replacement for every two bottles of water, you still need the salts in your body or you'll drown your cells, and take plenty of breaks. Work hard, but still monitor your own vitals and keep a watch on heat exhaustion and fatigue. We all know that working 10 days on a fireline can really take a lot out of you, so watch out for yourselves and your team. Kudos on Tampa Fire/Rescue on an otherwise great job on extinguishing this fire.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Man Does Everything Right In Helping His Rescue

Calif. crews coordinate to rescue man from fireThe 80-year-old who was rescued called 911 when he realized he was faced with a wall of fire

By Brent Ainsworth
The Marin Independent Journal

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — An 80-year-old San Rafael man did everything he was supposed to do when fire engulfed his condominium building and deserves partial credit for saving his own life, a fire chief said Monday.

The crew from San Rafael fire's Engine 54 found the building at 3665 Kerner Blvd. with a first-floor condo fully engulfed in flames at 1:28 a.m. Friday. The first attempt to rescue the inhabitant in Unit D was repelled by smoke and flames, Chief Christopher Gray said, but an aggressive, coordinated effort between Engine 54 and Engine 52 resulted in the rescue.

Russell Bertuccelli was sent to Kaiser hospital in Terra Linda and treated in the intensive care unit for smoke inhalation and burns to his hand and face, Gray said. He was released Sunday and is being cared for by family, the chief said.

Bertuccelli was alerted to the fire by a smoke detector, retreated to a back bedroom and called 911 when he realized he was faced with a wall of fire, and there's no way he would be in position to celebrate his 81st birthday this Thursday he he hadn't taken those steps, Gray said.

"This incident could have gone far worse — most do in conditions like this," he said. "We don't save these people usually. We're all lucky he had a working smoke detector. So many people either don't have smoke detectors or have one with dead batteries."

Gray said Bertuccelli might have even placed something to block smoke coming from underneath a door.

"Faced with this, he did everything right," Gray said. "We are very fortunate that we had a successful rescue. There were some very important lessons learned. It was a textbook situation from our end."

Fire personnel searched the building for other occupants and worked to ventilate the building. Larkspur firefighters also responded, bringing the total to 19 personnel.

Damages were estimated at $75,000. The cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Calif. save highlights 3 key issuesFirefighter near-miss and fatality reports are filled with instances where command, control, and coordination breakdowns were contributing factors

Editor's note: Earlier this week, San Rafael Chief Christopher Gray praised crews for "an aggressive, coordinated effort" that led to the rescue of an 80-year-old man from a house fire. Chief Gray added there were some "very important lessons learned. It was a textbook situation from our end." Check out the full story here and read FR1's Editorial Advisor Adam K. Thiel's take below.

The positive result of this incident demonstrates three related issues:

1. The value of fire prevention and life safety efforts

2. The importance of tactical coordination between companies working on a dynamic and challenging fireground

3. The need to identify lessons learned for all incidents, even (especially) the ones where everything goes right.

Even the best aggressive interior attack is often not enough to make a successful rescue; as Chief Gray suggests in this case, "we're all lucky he had a working smoke detector."

So many people either don't have smoke detectors, or have one with dead batteries. Fire departments that spend time on fire prevention and life safety education will often increase their chances of making the save(s), as well as providing a higher safety margin for both occupants and firefighters.

Firefighter near-miss, injury, and fatality reports are filled with instances where command, control, and coordination breakdowns were contributing factors in firefighter casualties.

By contrast, this incident offers an example of how coordinated fire attack, search and rescue, and ventilation operations led to a good outcome.

While this was by all accounts a textbook situation, Chief Gray still identifies that, "There were some very important lessons learned."

Firefighters tend to be hyper-critical and we generally do a great job finding things that went wrong; it's just as, if not more, important to identify things that went well on an incident during regular after-action reviews and post-incident analyses.

My Opinion

This is a great story in the fact that this man was rescued, but I like the second part of the story where it outlines the 3 keys to the successful rescue of the victim. Just to recap them they were:

1. The value of fire prevention and life safety efforts

2. The importance of tactical coordination between companies working on a dynamic and challenging fireground

3. The need to identify lessons learned for all incidents, even (especially) the ones where everything goes right.

We all need to realize that on every incident things go wrong. I'm sure even though this was a "textbook rescue" something went wrong that no one noticed as it was quickly fixed and probably only the person it happened to noticed it was happening and self corrected. But we can't just look at the things that went wrong. We NEED to look at the things that went right.

When things go right we need to learn from them as well. Sometimes that may work again, but we can't rely on it. If it worked really well in this situation, it's just another idea to add to our vast repretoire of ideas that we on the fireline often go through and use. The more ideas you have, the better chance you have at saving someone. You can go through two or three plans, and all of a sudden you're out of ideas. The more ideas you have, the more adaptive you are. It's good to have a standard set of procedures, hence SOP's and SOG's, but then there are times when they won't apply because it's a "textbook situation" but with some sort of a twist in it. This is where being adaptable and flexible works well. Great work by everyone in San Rafael

12yr Old Boy Saves 3 In Fatal Crash

He pushed one child up an embankment while carrying another with his left arm and dragging a third child by his left leg

By Paul Foy
The Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — A 12-year-old Utah boy who dragged three younger children from a one-vehicle accident that killed their baby sitter said he knew he had to act fast.

"I remember we fishtailed and went off the edge," Cory Arnett of New Harmony, Utah, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The driver, Beth Donnelly, drifted off a steep, narrow mountain road on Monday and flipped her Ford Explorer, which landed nose first in a 15-foot stream bed. She was ejected from an open window and died instantly.

Donnelly's 3-year-old daughter and two other children, a 2-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy from another family, were left screaming inside the vehicle. Cory initially blacked out, then got out the younger kids, who had minor injuries.

Cory pushed one child up the embankment while carrying another with his left arm and dragging a third child by his left leg. He sheltered the children from the heat under a tree and then walked a mile for help. He flagged down a nurse on an ATV.

But first, the boy checked on Donnelly, who was lying face-down in the dirt.

"When I turned her over, her face and head were bleeding. The medics said she died instantly — and I knew that. But it was my responsibility to get the kids out of there," Cory said.

The boy's father, Don Arnett, said Donnelly was new to the area and decided to take a drive while baby-sitting the children. She drove to the top of a "treacherous" dirt road outside of New Harmony that is littered with potholes and rocks. She turned around, and it was on the descent that she lost control.

Donnelly and her husband had just moved from Las Vegas. Don Arnett, an insurance executive, said they rented a house he owned nearby. The woman's husband commutes to Las Vegas for a four-day work week.

Cory Arnett said he tried to warn Donnelly that she was driving too fast. She replied that she was going only 30 mph — a speed Don Arnett said was probably too fast for the rubble-filled road that is snowbound in winter.

"Cory is handling it pretty well and everyone is assuring him he did everything he could do," his father told The Spectrum of St. George. "There is nothing he could have done that he didn't do."

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

15 Firefighters Injured In Blazes In Milwaukee

Pioneer Press

Fifteen firefighters are recovering after being injured while battling two house fires in Milwaukee.

Police say the fire was first reported at 7:41 p.m. Friday in an attic of a vacant house but spread to another house and quickly escalated.

The vacant house was destroyed, and 12 people living in three units in the second house were displaced.

Battalion Fire Chief Salvatore Santoro Jr. told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that some firefighters suffered minor injuries from falling off water-laden equipment. He said firefighters were taken to local hospitals; most received only bumps, bruises, scrapes and strains.

Another Article: http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/96190874.html

Sweltering night adds to aggravation; most wounds bumps and bruises

By Jesse Garza of the Journal Sentinel

About a dozen firefighters were injured while battling a four-alarm fire on Milwaukee's south side Friday night.

The fire was first reported at 7:41 p.m. in the attic of a vacant house in the 2400 block of S. 8th St., but spread to a house to the north and quickly escalated. The vacant house was destroyed, and 12 people living in three units in the second house were displaced.

About 100 firefighters responded to the fire, along with at least 16 ladder trucks and engines and five paramedic units, according to Salvatore Santoro Jr., 4th battalion fire chief.

It was hot and sticky Friday night, with temperatures in the 80s.

Firefighters worked in rotations, fighting the blaze for 15 minutes and then taking half-hour breaks to rest and rehydrate, Santoro said.

Some of the minor injuries suffered were related to firefighters falling off water-laden equipment, he said. While the dozen firefighters were taken to local hospitals, none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening, he said.

"It was mostly bumps, bruises, scrapes and strains, but the heat certainly didn't help," Santoro said.

Besides the sweltering weather, Santoro estimated the temperature inside the burning structures was about 800 degrees.

The fire was under control by late Friday night. Water used to extinguish the flames came from as far as two blocks away, Santoro said. Smoke hung over the entire neighborhood.

Francisco Donan, 37, said his mother and 11 relatives lived in three units in the house where the fire had spread.

"They lost everything," Donan said.

Linda Lyndanicely, spokeswoman for American Red Cross, said the 12 displaced people were being helped by the Red Cross.

Related Article:
http://statter911.com/2010/06/12/at-least-a-dozen-firefighters-hurt-in-milwaukee-injuries-reported-minor-in-4-alarm-house-fire/

My Opinion

So after reading these three articles and a number of comments, there was one comment in particular that troubled me in particular.

"12 injured firefighters? I think it is time for them to go to the gym and start getting in shape. There is no excuse for that many injuries for that small of fire. It's too bad that the one house lost everything and 12 (?) in one house are out of a home. Maybe if there more athletic firefirefighters, maybe that would not have happened. 12 injured firefighters equals 3 trucks out of service is pathetic."

Now I agree with the next person that 12-15 firefighters injured is astronomical and shouldn't happen. But to cut into them for being physically fit? How do you know? Were you there? Are they all pudgy and fat and slow? Or were they professional, quick to respond, and just hurried a little too much on scene? With that said, most of those injuries came from slips on water-laden equipment, which is always a hazard. Watch your footing, and we all know those boots aren't the greatest for gripping on water, so you really have to be careful, especially when you know you're on wet equipment and off the ground. There was another commenter that said "unless you can explain how the supposed lack of conditioning contributed to the 3 burn injuries, a broken wrist, broken finger or the tooth that was knocked out. Exactly what type of physical conditioning prevents human skin from burning?" so know we know the other injuries. Now, assuming the broken wrist, finger and the tooth were from the slips which we all know can happen, usually from rushing on-scene which we shouldn't be doing or not watching our footing, where did the 3 burn injuries come from? How did those happen? That sounds like a lack of proper PPE to me. In which case, yes, they deserve a little bit of harassment from the general public because they weren't doing as they should have been, but this is all just an assumption remember. After all this is said, just remember, just because you're on-scene and on a large scale incident, doesn't mean that you should be rushing everywhere. Let's try to eliminate these incidents - the burns included - by slowing yourself down, not rushing, remembering to put on ALL of your PPE and do things properly. Most times we'll get things done fast and more efficient using our heads, not just our physical agility and strength, though those do play a large role in our jobs.

I agree a little bit with this commenter that 3 trucks now out of service, even for a short time, from injuries, is a little excessive. We all understand there are budget constraints and budget cuts coming everywhere and it's really hurting our departments, we're still here to do a job and you can't do it from a hospital bed. Now you take out those 3 trucks and now you're putting even more of a strain on the department as those trucks are now out of service and, who knows, maybe one of our brothers or sisters gets hurt because it took that much longer for a truck to get there because one of those 3 trucks were out of service because 15 firefighters went down from rushing on scene? See where I'm going with this? Welcome to the snowball effect.

Brad MacMillan

5 Dead In Seattle Fire As First Engine In Has Pump Problems

SEATTLE - Investigators are looking for the cause of the fire that killed a woman and four children in a Seattle apartment.

Related

The fire department says investigators have no reason to believe Saturday's fire was suspicious.

The department is also trying to determine why the first engine on the scene was unable to pump water. The crew had tested the pump earlier that day without any problems.

One woman and a child escaped the fire but five other family members were trapped by flames in an upstairs bathroom.

The apartment is owned by the Seattle Housing Authority, and a spokeswoman says a smoke alarm did go off.

A memorial for the victims is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at the Seattle Center's Exhibition Hall.

(with information from KCPQ-TV)

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Flash Flood In Arkansas Kills 20, 40 Still Missing

JILL ZEMAN BLEED
Associated Press Writer

CADDO GAP, Ark. - Floodwaters that rose as swiftly as 8 feet an hour rushed into a remote Arkansas valley early Friday, killing at least 20 people, many of them campers who became trapped by a devastating wall of water. Dozens more were missing and feared dead.

Heavy rains caused the normally quiet Caddo and Little Missouri rivers to climb out of their banks during the night. Around dawn, floodwaters barreled through the Albert Pike Recreation Area, a 54-unit campground in the Ouachita National Forest that was packed with vacationing families who were probably still asleep when their tents began to fill with water.

Two dozen people were hospitalized. Authorities rescued 60 others.

The water quickly began to recede, and anguished relatives pleaded with emergency workers for help finding more than 40 missing loved ones.

"It's a lot of tragedy. I cannot even imagine what the families are going through," said Gary Fox, a retired emergency medical technician who was helping identify the dead and those who were unaccounted for.

The water poured through the valley with such force that it overturned RVs, peeled asphalt off roads, and swept away tents and their occupants.

Gov. Mike Beebe said the death toll could rise. Forecasters warned of the approaching danger, but those advisories could easily have been missed in such an isolated area.

"There's not a lot of way to get warning to a place where there's virtually no communication," Beebe said. "Right now we're just trying to find anybody that is still capable of being rescued."

Authorities also prepared for a long effort to find victims whose bodies may have been washed away.

"This is not a one- or two-day thing," Fox said. "This is going to be a week or two- or three-week recovery."

The heavily wooded region offers a mix of campgrounds, hunting grounds and private homes. Wilderness buffs can stay at sites with modern facilities or hike and camp off the beaten path.

Cabins dotting the banks of the river were severely damaged. Boards hung lopsided from rooftops, and porches were missing rails. Some trees were flattened by the water, bent to the ground by the force of the flood. Others had bare spots where the water apparently wiped the bark clean from their trunks. Mobile homes lay on their sides.

Brigette Williams, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross in Little Rock, estimated that up to 300 people were in the area when the floods stormed through.

"There's no way to know who was in there last night," state police spokesman Bill Sadler said. It would be difficult to signal for help because of the rugged and remote nature of the area being searched, some 75 miles west of Little Rock.

"This is not an area you would typically be able to get a cell signal out of," Sadler said.

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management sent satellite phones and specialized radio equipment to help in the rescue effort.

The rough terrain likely kept some campers from reaching safety, according to Tabitha Clarke, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service office in North Little Rock.

Some parts of the valley are so steep and craggy that the only way out is to hike downstream. Any hikers who had taken cars to the camp sites would have been blocked at low-water bridge crossings that are inundated when the rivers rise, she said.

Marc and Stacy McNeil of Marshall, Texas, survived by pulling their pickup truck between two trees and standing in the bed in waist-deep water.

"It was just like a boat tied to a tree," Marc McNeil said, describing how the truck bobbed up and down.

They were on their first night of camping with a group of seven, staying in tents. The rain kept falling, and the water kept rising throughout the night, at one point topping the tool box in the back of the truck.

"We huddled together, and prayed like we'd never prayed before." Stacy McNeil said.

After the rain stopped, they were able to walk to safety.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning around 2 a.m. after a slow-moving storm dumped heavy rain on the area. At that point, a gauge at nearby Langley showed the Little Missouri River was less than 4 feet deep. But as the rain rolled down the steep hillsides, it built up volume and speed.

Even if people attempted to leave at the first sign of danger - maybe that was the water lapping at their sleeping bags - water climbing higher and higher along the valley walls may already have inundated a number of low-water crossings, trapping them, Clarke said.

Authorities established a command post near the post office in Langley, along the Little Missouri. Helicopters landed behind a general store, and a triage unit was set up at a volunteer fire department.

Meliea Moore of Hot Springs waited at the store with her friend whose sister, brother-in-law and niece were among the missing. They had been staying in a cabin for the past week at the campground.

A center for relatives of the missing was set up at a church in Lodi offering dry clothes and food

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Fitchburg Firefighter Recovering After Fall Through A Ceiling

Fitchburg fire Lt. Philip Jordan Jr. was released from UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester Saturday night

The Sentinel & Enterprise
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Mass. firefighter injured fighting club fire
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FITCHBURG, Mass. — A Fitchburg firefighter who fell through the ceiling of a nightclub while battling a one-alarm fire Saturday has been released from the hospital after being treated for his injuries.

Fitchburg fire Lt. Philip Jordan Jr. was released from UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester Saturday night after falling 15 to 20 feet while battling a fire at Swagger nightclub earlier in the afternoon, Fitchburg fire Capt. Gregg Normandin said Sunday.

A 20-year veteran of the Fire Department, Jordan fell through a suspended ceiling at the Fitchburg club, crashing to the concrete floor while trying to contain a fire that appeared to have started by a ventilation fan, fire officials said Saturday.

Jordan was taken to Worcester by ambulance, where he was treated for chest and stomach pain and released, according to Normandin.

A True Reality Of The Fireground

By Charles Bailey

I was recently in Eugene, Oregon, where I met a couple of fire service thinkers, Capt. Brian Smith and Chief Joe Zaludek. Over the course of four days we drove through Eugene and the surrounding areas drinking coffee and talking about fires.

I even took in a small dwelling fire and ate a wrap (a rolled up sandwich). It was nice to visit a fire department where a senior captain was drilling on hand line deployment on a Sunday afternoon with his crew and where a young officer up for promotion was put through a battery of severe tests, including live burns, in preparation for his final officer test.

Part of our discussion centered on conducting risk/benefit analysis and how that works and how it should be done. Capt. Smith showed me some pictures of a rip- roaring, rocking house fire.

It was obvious that no one would be able to survive inside. Using anyone's risk/benefit analysis tool, you would have come up with the same answer; no one could survive that.

Then he showed me the pictures of the aftermath, the rooms remote from the fire with closed doors, no soot on the walls and not a shred of heat damage anywhere.

These were rooms where it is obvious that people should have been able to survive. But like I said, "Using anyone's risk/benefit analysis tool, you would have come up with the same answer; no one could survive that."

Though the decision to enter a burning building and the decision to search that building are distinct decisions, we must search every structure we enter. We must not write people off too quickly.

It is important that we balance the risk without avoiding it; that we understand that while flames are impressive, they are the smallest part of our concern. We must learn to engage using nimble, adaptive structures and to make adjustments as necessary.

In our efforts to be safer, we risk irrelevance. If instead we seek to be smarter, safer will come as a matter of course. The only way to get there I think is by spending more time studying fire behavior, by coming to truly understand the behavior of the physical processes that we see before us.

But even after we have a solid grounding in fire behavior, it is important that we understand the truth of Eugene Fire's SOP 3-4-15, "…Command must not lose sight of the very simple and basic fireground reality that at some point firefighters must engage and fight the fire.” The whole of it is that simply said.

Bees Complicate Rescue Of MVC Victims

Firefighters sprayed tens of thousands of gallons of water on the bees to keep them contained

By Jessica Fleming
St. Paul Pioneer Press

LAKEVILLE, Minn. — When Lakeville Fire Chief Scott Nelson arrived at a multivehicle crash on Interstate 35 late Monday morning, a black cloud hovered overhead.

He didn't know what it was.

"But I found out real quick," Nelson said. "I opened my door and got stung in the face."

Thousands of honeybees had escaped from a truck, one of two semitrailers and two automobiles involved in an 11:30 a.m. crash near County Road 70 that killed the drivers of the two cars.

State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske said angry bees hampered efforts to clear the scene. A five-mile stretch of northbound I-35 between County Road 2 and County Road 70 remained closed until 7:10 p.m.

One of the car drivers was pronounced dead at the scene. That victim was not immediately identified, pending notification of relatives. The critically injured driver of the other car, Kari Rasmussen, 24, of St. Anthony, was airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, but she died there Monday evening.

The semitrailer drivers were identified as Darren Straus, 37, of Fertile, Minn., and Jason Styrbicky, 36, of Buffalo, Minn. Neither was injured.

The investigation into what caused the accident was not complete, but road construction a few hundred feet ahead of the crash might have been a factor. Dale Bauer of Bauer Honey Inc. said he was told the driver of his truck stopped because of the construction, and another vehicle rear-ended him.

Boxes of bees spilled from the crushed back end of the Bauer truck. Firefighters sprayed what Nelson estimated was tens of thousands of gallons of water on the bees to keep them contained.

Roeske and Nelson said they had never seen anything like the incident.

"We're taking direction from the beekeepers on this one," Nelson said.

Nelson said an ambulance was standing by in case anyone with an allergy to bee stings was stung. Officers told people in the southbound lanes to roll up their windows to keep bees from getting in.

By about 2 p.m., most of the small vehicles had been able to turn around and drive off the closed roadway, but semitrailers were still stuck. The trucks, too big to turn around, backed south on the freeway and got off at the County Road 2 exit.

Firefighters and other first responders donned suits and face masks, but from the waving arms of some of those on the scene, it was apparent the bees were still a nuisance.

"We're all taking a sting here, a sting there," Nelson said Monday afternoon.

At least one firefighter had to be treated for heat exhaustion, with temperatures soaring into the mid-90s and full fire suits required to keep the bees at bay.

The bee truck was one of two carrying honeybees from Mississippi, where they were being held during the winter, to North Dakota, Bauer said. He estimated each truck carried upward of 18 million bees. The other truck was not involved in the crash.

The drivers of the bee trucks helped firefighters determine how to contain the bees, Nelson said.

Trucks from Lakeville and the Elko New Market fire departments were shuttling water to the scene.

"I'm kind of hoping we can save some of the bees," Bauer said late Monday afternoon. "But I don't know; they've been sitting there an awful long time."

Bauer said the bees make up about 10 percent of his Fertile, Minn.-based business.

But it didn't much matter to Bauer, who was thinking about the families of those involved in the crash.

"I'm just so sorry about those people who got killed and hurt," he said.

Another truck was sent to pick up the bees that could be salvaged. Bauer said forklift operators in protective suits would transfer the bees.

Dr. Marla Spivak, of the University of Minnesota's entomology department, said local rescue crews should have sprayed the escaped bees with special foam that firefighters across the country use to kill bees on contact. She said hosing the bees might have irritated them more.

"(The water) just makes them angrier," Spivak said. "They are probably already disoriented. They are probably confused."

But Bauer said the volume of water coming out of a firehose likely would end up killing most of the bees. Nelson said the fire department planned to use firefighting foam on the remainder of the bees after the crash scene was cleared.

Firefighters Overcome By Oxygen Deficient Atmosphere During Confined Space Rescue

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio - Police say a city worker in Ohio apparently overcome by fumes fell into a manhole and died.

Authorities say 31-year-old Jabin Lakes was doing a routine inspection of a sewer line Friday morning when he lost consciousness and fell. Authorities have not determined the source or the type of fumes but say the air was oxygen-depleted. They have closed off the manhole and say there is no public risk.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

Three firefighters who tried to rescue Lakes were overcome and taken to hospitals. Officials at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown say 47-year-old Fire Marshal Bob Hess was in fair condition. Another firefighter was treated and released. A message was left at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton seeking 44-year-old Capt. Todd Wissemeier's condition

My Opinion

I think this is a classic case of improper size up, rushing into a scene, and a possible lack of training or someone who wasn't paying attention during training. You've got a man that's collapsed after an unknown incident in a confined space. Why would you immediately just try to rescue him? I understand that he needs help as soon as possible, but whenever you're entering a confined space for a rescue you should at minimum be wearing your SCBA, but realistically, you should have a gas tester with you to test for hazardous atmospheric conditions. I'm glad that the firefighters weren't seriously injured in the incident, but hopefully we can ALL learn from this incident. This is another reason why they've invented these gas testers. It's not just for the people going in, it's for the rescuer's too.

Brad MacMillan

Four Michigan Departments Work To Contain Blaze In Strip Mall

OAK PARK, Mich. - A quick moving fire consumed a local strip mall Wednesday night including a family business, forcing workers and customers to run for safety.

It happened at the Oak Park Shopping Center at 9 Mile and Coolidge roads.

Businesses affected include the Kashat Market, and the new Sahara Restaurant.

The fire started Wednesday afternoon and continued well into the night, as firefighters fought to save what they could of the shopping center.

It was a frightening ordeal for almost everyone inside, when smoke started filing the air; people went into panic mode and got out fast.

The thick black smoke could be seen from miles away.

Imad Kashat, owner of the Kashat Market, was notified of the flames by a customer.

By the time Imad Kashat arrived, the business he’s owned for over 20 years was unrecognizable.

Flames destroyed the new Sahara Restaurant, it’s distribution center and a farmer’s market located next door.

Tara Kashat, a waitress at the Sahara Restaurant said the flames ripped through the restaurant quickly and filled with thick black smoke.

“We saw black smoke everywhere I went back inside to grab my purse and make sure no one else was in there, but within five minutes the restaurant was filled with black smoke,” Kashat said.

Faiza Hamama is a shopper who witnessed the fire.

“My car is still there, I didn't know what to do I was shaking," Hamama said.

More than three hours later the blaze was still burning and the cause still unknown.

Rafid Shaba escaped the smoke and flames.

“This is a tragedy to everybody families are going to be out of jobs -- unbelievable how this took place,” Shaba said.

There have been no reports of any injuries.

Crews from three different departments assisted the Oak Park Fire Department and worked to keep the fire contained to the northwest portion of the mall.

Investigators can not go into the structure until all the flames are extinguished.

Ammunition Plant Blows In Bend, Oregon

BEND, Ore. - Employees evacuated a Bend bullet plant Wednesday minutes before an explosion leveled part of the building, shaking the ground and rattling windows several blocks away.

The Nosler Inc. plant, which manufactures hunting ammunition, was evacuated at about 2:15 p.m. after a worker saw smoke and pulled a fire alarm.

Witnesses said the blast occurred in an ammunition testing area, but authorities were still investigating its cause, KTVZ-TV reported.

All 100 plant employees were accounted for, but at least one worker's car was buried in debris.

"From the information we have, everyone was out of the building at the time," Bend Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Bond said.

About 10 percent of the 80,000-square-foot building collapsed, Bond said. The one-floor structure has a test shooting range in the basement, but Bond said he didn't know where the fire began. He said an extensive investigation will be conducted by the fire department, law enforcement agencies, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Witnesses said work was under way in the ballistics tunnel, a testing area for ammunition, when there was a flash, followed by an explosion, the television station reported.

Barb Gonzalez, who lives near the plant, said the blast was like "feeling a bomb inside your house." Gonzalez said she saw dense plumes of orange smoke above the plant.

Bend resident Bella Blackney said the explosion was "really intense."

"All of a sudden the house shakes, and the glass is rumbling in all the windows, visibly _ all the glass shook," Blackney told KTVZ-TV.

Nosler is a small-arms ammunition manufacturer founded in the late 1940s by John Nosler. It reported annual sales in 2008 between $20 million and $50 million.

The company's website says it manufactures rifles as well as ammunition. Attempts to reach a company spokesman Wednesday evening by The Associated Press were unsuccessful.

Man Injured In Noon Explosion At Home

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - A Sandy Springs man is in the hospital recovering from burns after his apartment exploded.

It happened just after noon at the Edgewater at Sandy Springs apartments off Roswell Road.

When the tenant turned his key to walk into his bottom floor apartment an explosion blew him back out the front door and blew off the entire wall of his living room.

Neighbor Alberto Reyes was watching television in his nearby apartment when he heard and felt the explosion.

"I looked out my window and I saw this guy running out his door and screaming, then I saw flames and smoke," Reyes said.

While he grabbed wet towels for the victim other neighbors grabbed fire extinguishers and tried to put out what flames they could before firefighters arrived.

Neighbor Vinn Williams said he tried to ask the victim if there was anyone else inside, but he couldn't speak.

"His face was blood red and his lips were completely pale. His hair was burnt off his arms and legs," Williams said.

Fire officials are still investigating the blast, but believe it may have been caused by a gas leak.

Crews evacuated several other surrounding units until they make sure the building is sound.

The Red Cross is assisting 8 tenants with food, clothing and shelter.

Two Killed, 5 Injured, 11 Homeless In East Boston Blaze

Firefighters made a desperate bid to save two people who ultimately succumbed to their injuries yesterday in an East Boston blaze that left five others injured and 11 homeless, authorities said.

Firefighters found one man dead after 2:30 a.m. on the first floor of 64 Gove St., and carried a woman down a third-floor fire escape in the dark, but she later died of her injuries, said Steve MacDonald, a fire department spokesman.

``The whole street was filled with smoke, and the third floor was engulfed in flames,'' said Ian Crowley, 30, a tenant of the building next door, who had just come home from the Celtics' playoff game. ``I saw one man get carried out. He looked like he was dead. Two firefighters had him draped over their shoulders.''

Carlos Nieves, captain of Ladder 21, said he saw a man screaming that his sister was trapped on the third floor. The only way upstairs was on a fire escape at the back of the three-story building, Nieves said. When they got to the top, they began breaking windows and forced their way inside, he said.

``I spotted a body three to five feet from the window,'' he said.

The woman apparently had made her way out of a roughly 5-by-5 pantry that was being used as a bedroom off the kitchen and tried to get out of the apartment but was most likely overcome by smoke, he said.

By the time firefighters got her out, she was in full cardiac arrest, Nieves said, but they managed to revive her and rush her to Massachusetts General Hospital.

While Nieves was being treated there for a shoulder injury, nurses gave him updates on her condition, he said, but after his release, he got a call saying that she had been pronounced dead. Neither her name, nor the name of the man who was found dead on the first floor, was released by early last night.

Two other tenants were treated for burns and smoke inhalation, and another was taken to the hospital for evaluation after the two-alarm blaze, MacDonald said.

The remainder of the 11 adults and two children who lived in the building are staying with family and friends, he said.

``Right now, we're trying to come up with where the fire started and how,'' MacDonald said.

Nieves said the pantry in the third-floor apartment appeared to be illegal. But as of last night, the Inspectional Services Department could not confirm that because it could not gain access to the building to do a complete inspection, ISD spokeswoman Lisa Timberlake said. The damage to the building was estimated at $250,000.

The owner, whom Timberlake identified as Ralph Ciruolo, was issued some violations for disrepair in 2008, but he was issued a permit in December of that year and corrected them, she said. He could not be reached for comment.

Friday, June 4, 2010

HIV and Hep C Infected Man Charged With Spitting On First Responders

Man was being treated for injuries from a fire when we began flinging his head, getting blood and saliva on the EMS workers treating him

By Jarrel Wade
The Tulsa World

TULSA, Okla. — A man was charged Tuesday with four counts of exposing others to HIV, with prosecutors alleging that the man slung blood and spit on emergency crews trying to give him medical treatment May 22.

Daniel Paul Hedge, 46, was being treated for injuries from a fire when he became combative, police said. He began flinging his head and spitting on three EMSA workers and a Tulsa firefighter, getting blood and saliva on them, according to an arrest report.

He told emergency personnel he is HIV positive and also has hepatitis C, according to the report. Following standard procedure, one EMSA employee was tested for the virus and disease, and Hedge was also tested, said Jason Whitlow, field operations supervisor for EMSA.

It can take up to six months before an infection can be detected by the tests, EMSA spokesman Chris Stevens said Whitlow said Hedge became belligerent quickly, before workers were able to put on all their protective gear. "Unfortunately, these things happen in our line of work," Whitlow said. "But we do take lots of precautions."

Stevens said EMSA medics "are prepared for anything." Usually people with infectious diseases are more careful about the possibility of spreading the disease than they need to be, and they usually indicate to emergency workers the need for extra precautions, he said.

The likelihood of medics catching something from the man's saliva and blood is very low as long as they didn't have any open cuts, Stevens said. Hedge has been in prison for shooting with intent to kill, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of contraband in a penal institution, according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Bangladesh Fire Kills 116 and Injures 100

The blaze started when an electric transformer exploded, igniting a three-story apartment building

By Farid Hossain
The Associated Press

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Survivors wept Friday over lost loved ones, including 15 members of a wedding party, as the death toll from the Bangladeshi capital's worst fire in recent history rose to 116. More than 100 others were injured, many with severe burns.

The blaze started Thursday night in the narrow alleys of the old section of Dhaka, crammed with new additions to decades-old buildings, when an electrical transformer exploded soon after a rainstorm swept the city, police officer Abul Kalam said.

As the neighborhood plunged into darkness, the explosion ignited a shop storing flammable chemicals, from where the flames quickly spread to at least six apartment buildings and about 15 stores in the Najirabazar area. Shops selling old newspapers and iron for scrap as well as fruits and vegetables dot the ground floors of residential building, making escape more difficult.

"There were screams, shouts for help and total chaos," Kalam said.

Fire official Abdus Salam said firefighters were delayed because their vehicles couldn't fit through the narrow streets and there were no hydrants or other sources of water.

Firefighters and residents carried victims to hospitals on three-wheeled rickshaws as relatives wailed.

The state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital was overwhelmed with burn victims. Burn unit chief Shamanta Lal Sen said it was the worst disaster he had seen in his 40-year career. His hospital division struggled to care for the casualties with available beds for only about 25 people.

Government administrator Mohibul Haque said 116 people were confirmed dead, most of them from two or three residential building where families were unable to escape the inferno.

The death toll could rise because some were still feared trapped in the rubble, he said.

Bangladesh will hold a day of national mourning Saturday when flags will be lowered to half-staff and special prayers will be recited at places of worship across the country.

Businessman Mohammad Gulzar was serving beverages to dozens of guests who had just arrived in his small apartment for his daughter's wedding reception when they were jolted by a loud blast. The building was quickly engulfed by fire, and the guests tried to run outside but found themselves trapped as the blaze engulfed the gate of the five-story building.

At least 15 of Gulzar's guests and family members died.

"Why me, Allah? What wrong have I committed?" Gulzar, 50, cried as he sat in front of rows of corpses covered with white shrouds on the road outside his burned apartment.

Gulzar's daughter Runa Aktar survived because she was at a beauty parlor to prepare for the ceremony.

Mohammad Faruk, who lived nearby, lost all 16 family members - his wife, children, grandchildren and parents.

Many of them normally would have been at work, but on Thursday night all came home early because of the heavy rain.

Faruk, however, had to remain at work late because of a business deal and was the only one who survived.

"I should have come home early," he said, sobbing. "Maybe I could have saved some of them."

In 2007, a blaze in a 11-story building in central Dhaka housing two TV stations and a newspaper killed six people, including several who jumped to their deaths from the burning offices. Others were rescued from the rooftop by firefighters using ropes and steel ladders.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

2 Mass. Firefighters Injured From Backdraft

They were hospitalized after being sent flying so violently they broke through deck railings and landed about 30 or 40 feet away

By Doug Fraser
Cape Cod Times

SANDWICH, Mass. — On a busy Memorial Day filled with ambulance runs, firefighters Daniel Keane and Lee Burrill were the only ones available to immediately respond to a house fire that soon went to three alarms at the Ridge Club.

They stood at a doorway with a fire hose shortly after 12:30 p.m. pushing the flames back inside the building when suddenly an explosion rocked the 5,000-square-foot home at 15 Open Trail Road, said fire Capt. James Huska.

The impact sent Keane and Burrill flying backward so violently they broke through the deck railings and landed about 30 or 40 feet from where they started, Huska said.

Keane, a firefighter/paramedic, has a broken neck and a broken back. Doctors at Cape Cod Hospital are watching for signs of paralysis, but Keane was moving his toes last night, Huska said. Cape Cod Healthcare spokeswoman Robin Lord said Keane was in stable condition.

Burrill, also a firefighter/paramedic, has a badly fractured ankle, and was being taken from Cape Cod Hospital to a Boston hospital last night, Huska added.

Huska said within minutes of the call, the first crew found itself overmatched by the fire and the need to attend to the injured firefighters. Two firefighters had to drag the injured men away from the path of a three-story chimney that was about to collapse.

Dragging men with back and neck injuries is rarely a good idea, Huska said, but they had no choice. The chimney collapsed less than a minute after they were moved, he said.

Meanwhile the fire was moving fast through the large, contemporary home. The injured men "had to lie on the ground for 15 minutes while we waited for mutual aid," Huska said.

The Sandwich Fire Department sounded a third alarm, calling for manpower from all over the Upper Cape. In the end, about 50 firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control in about an hour, Huska said.

Last night, however, shortly before 9 p.m., the fire reignited and a Sandwich fire crew went back to the same address, the Sandwich fire dispatcher said.

Huska blamed understaffing for the injuries and the severe damage to the home, which he declared a total loss.

"We didn't have enough staff," Huska said. "We weren't able to get enough water on that fire quickly enough."

The explosion was caused by a backdraft, he explained, which occurs when gas from the fire builds up, in this case in the attic.

Oxygen and accelerants struck the gas, causing a huge explosion.

"It lifted the entire roof off the building," Huska said. "It blew debris 100 to 150 feet."

While the outcome was bad enough, it could have been much worse if the backdraft had been larger, he said.

"Both these guys have children and they'll be coming home to them," he said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but firefighters ruled out arson.

Neighbors inside the Ridge Club, a gated golf community, said they noticed smoke soon after the family left in the late morning to go for a boat ride. At least one neighbor said he used a garden hose in an attempt to put out a fire at an outdoor grill in the rear of the home.

Huska said the fire started near the gas grill, but firefighters were not positive if that caused it.

Mashpee Fire Chief George Baker said the fire spread quickly through the home.

He said he's noticed that has been happening with large, newly built contemporary homes with a lot of open interior spaces.

Neighbors contacted the owners of the home, Tom and Joanne Sullivan, when the fire was discovered and the family returned as the last of the flames were being extinguished at around 2 p.m.

They were too emotional to comment at the scene yesterday afternoon.

Another page from this paper

Fire Capt. James Huska said that department staffing played a role in the injuries and the house being a total loss

By George Brennan
Cape Cod Times

SANDWICH, Mass. — Two firefighters are recovering in separate hospitals from injuries suffered in a house fire Monday, Fire Chief George Russell said yesterday.

Daniel Keane, who suffered a broken neck and back, continues to be monitored closely by doctors for signs of paralysis, Russell said. "As far as I know, he's still moving his extremities," Russell said.

A hospital spokeswoman said Keane remains in stable condition at Cape Cod Hospital.

The second injured firefighter, Lee Burrill, underwent surgery in a Boston hospital to insert pins in his fractured ankle, Russell said.

The injuries to the firefighters, which were suffered as they responded to a house fire at 15 Open Trail Road, have hit the department hard, Russell said.

"It makes them stop and think," he said of the firefighters. "They're risking their lives. It's a serious and dangerous job. You never know."

The two men were injured as they entered the house to battle the blaze. An explosion sent them flying backward, breaking through deck railings. They landed 30 to 40 feet from the doorway, according to fire officials.

The two men were covering the Forestdale station because members of the fire department were out at other emergencies. Fire Capt. James Huska said Monday that department staffing played a role in the injuries and the house being a total loss. It took 15 minutes to call in mutual aid to rescue the two injured firefighters, he told the Times.

But Russell downplayed Huska's concerns yesterday. He said while the fire department could always use more staffing, a backdraft such as the one that occurred Monday could happen at any time.

"We're happy that they're not life-threatening injuries," he said.

But the fire does, once again, put the fire department's staffing in the spotlight. Two years ago, town meeting approved a petitioned article to spend $710,000 from the sale of property in town to staff and reopen the East Sandwich Fire Station because of concerns raised by the public about response times to emergencies.

But the board of selectmen, after learning that the town could not sustain the additional staffing into the following year's budget, never hired the eight additional firefighters. At the time they made their decision, selectmen said it would be irresponsible to spend money to train the firefighters only to lay them off the following year.

Town Manager George "Bud" Dunham said yesterday the East Sandwich Fire Station money was returned to town coffers and spent on other items, though he wasn't sure exactly where the money wound up. He said staffing continues to be an issue for the fire department, but the town doesn't have the money to increase staffing levels.