Firefighter Close Calls

 

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ILLINOIS OSHA TELLS CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT TO MAKE CHANGES

1 month 3 weeks ago
State inspectors have warned Mayor Brandon Johnson to improve firefighter safety after finding major breakdowns in communication at scenes where firefighters have died, including a blaze that left a rookie dead. The Illinois Division of Occupational Safety and Health sent a strongly worded letter to Johnson that the Chicago Fire Department must make it “standard […]
Joe Knitter

FIREFIGHTER HISTORY 2/1

1 month 3 weeks ago
On 2/1/1985 the Vicstar Electronics Store fire killed three Chicago, Illinois firefighters. “Early in the morning, a two-story building at 2847 North Milwaukee Avenue was destroyed by fire. Three firefighters perished while fighting the blaze. The building’s first floor housed Vicstar Electronics, a consumer electronics store. Jang Han Bae, one of Vicstar’s owners, was convicted […]
Karl Thompson

OKLAHOMA CONSIDERING LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE FREE CANCER SCREENINGS

1 month 3 weeks ago
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, has filed legislation to provide all Oklahoma firefighters with free coverage for annual comprehensive cancer screenings. In this legislative session, the bill will be referred to as House Bill 3573, but Pae calls it the “Fighting Chance for Firefighters Act.” The bill, if passed, could make quite an […]
Joe Knitter

FIREFIGHTER HISTORY 1/31

1 month 4 weeks ago
On 1/31/1945 the Lacoste Babies Home (an orphanage) fire killed seventeen (sixteen babies) in Auburn Maine. The privately owned unlicensed boarding home was destroyed by a fire that originated in the kitchen around a coal stove. The home was boarding more than the maximum number of babies allowed under the state code, but no action […]
Karl Thompson

Fundraising Link re NJ FALLEN FIREFIGHTER (The Secret List)

1 month 4 weeks ago
All, Below is a link to the memorial fund that the Plainfield Firefighters Union Local has requested we pass on. This was set up directly through the FMBA Foundation to raise money for the Hudson family, by the New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association. Donations received through this link will be 100% donated to the family. […]
Joe Knitter

FIREFIGHTER HISTORY 1/30

1 month 4 weeks ago
On 1/30/1976 at 11:30 a.m. an arson fire at the Wincrest Nursing Home, 6326 N. Winthrop Avenue Chicago, Illinois killed twenty-three that started in a wardrobe closet in room 306. The building was occupied by eighty-three residents and a staff of sixteen. The room of origin was completely gutted, and the adjacent corridor sustained moderate […]
Karl Thompson

FIREFIGHTER HISTORY 1/29

1 month 4 weeks ago
On 1/29/1973 in Pleasantville, New Jersey, just north of Atlantic City, a nursing home fire at “Street’s Rest Home” killed ten and injured six in a two-story wood-frame structure. When firefighters arrived “flames were shooting out of first-story windows.” It is believed the fire began in a linen closet. “The nursing home’s fire alarm, which […]
Karl Thompson

FIREFIGHTER HISTORY 1/28

2 months ago
On 1/28/1986 the Challenger spacecraft exploded 73 seconds into its flight killing all seven crew members after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster failed. The Challenger disaster occurred over the Atlantic Ocean, in U.S. waters, off the coast of central Florida, at 11:39 a.m. On 1/28/1961 nine Chicago Illinois firefighters died while […]
Karl Thompson

FIREFIGHTER HISTORY 1/27

2 months ago
On 1/27/1967 a fire onboard Apollo 1, the Apollo/Saturn 204 (AS-204) spacecraft, killed Command Pilot Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Senior Pilot Ed White, and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee during a training exercise at Launch Complex 34 at Cape Canaveral (Cape Kennedy) Florida. “A NASA review board found a stray spark (probably from damaged wires near […]
Karl Thompson

FIREFIGHTER HISTORY 1/26

2 months ago
On 1/26/1969 the Victoria Hotel fire killed thirteen in Dunnville, Ontario. The 63-year-old hotel was destroyed and 3 other buildings in the Niagara Peninsula town were heavily damaged before dawn. “It was reported that forty-three people were in the hotel at the time the fire broke out. Many escaped the building, but it was estimated […]
Karl Thompson

THE DIRE SHORTAGE OF VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS IN THE UNITED STATES

2 months ago
Much of the US relies heavily on non-career firefighters, but their ranks are dwindling. If the problem doesn’t abate, there’s a lot at stake. During Covid-19, I – like many others – found myself wondering what I could do to help. After passing by a local fire station many times, I checked out the department’s […]
Billy

SOUTH AUSTIN FIRE THAT INJURED 4 FIREFIGHTERS HIGHLIGHTS DANGER OF THE JOB

2 months ago
Late Monday night, the initial call came in for a fire at a home undergoing renovations on Camperdown Elm. “Between 11:24 p.m. and 11:43 p.m., the fire grew rapidly,” said Rachael Lewis, operations public information officer for the Austin Fire Department. “They were shooting water into the attic and the roof collapsed on the firefighters from there.” Four […]
Brian Kazmierzak

FIREHOUSE HIT BY GUNFIRE FOR SECOND TIME – ILLINOIS

2 months ago
CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill — For the second time in less than a month, a Metro East fire station was left with costly damages after being struck by gunfire. The Camp Jackson Fire Department shared on Facebook Wednesday that it had been struck again. Fire Chief Chris Davis told 5 On Your Side the firehouse was hit at […]
Joe Knitter

FIREFIGHTER HISTORY 1/25

2 months ago
On 1/25/1865 three Buffalo, New York died on a bitterly cold morning, at a major fire that destroyed a block of buildings, including stores and a rambling five-story hotel. “As gale force winds threatened to spread the fire into other blocks, a decision was made to blow up several buildings to create a firebreak. The […]
Karl Thompson

FIVE FIREFIGHTERS INCLUDING FIRE CHIEF & SON INJURED IN SAWMILL EXPLOSION – SOUTH CAROLINA

2 months ago
PAGELAND, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Five volunteer firefighters were injured while on scene of a fire Saturday night in Chesterfield County, according to local fire officials. The incident happened at the Circle S Shavings Mill, a business that specializes in wood shavings. Chief Bill Busse with High Point Volunteer Fire Department in Pageland said […]
Joe Knitter

FIREFIGHTERS BRIEFLY TRAPPED DUE TO ROOF COLLAPSE – TEXAS

2 months ago
The Austin Fire Department says an accidental fire at a home in south Austin left two firefighters momentarily trapped late Monday night. AFD tweeted they were working the fire around 11:50 p.m. at a home located on Camperdown Elm Drive near South 1st Street. Crews said there were heavy fire conditions when they arrived on […]
Joe Knitter
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