Firefighter Close Calls

On 2/16/1968 Representative Rankin Fite, the Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives completed the first 9-1-1 call in the United States in Haleyville, Alabama. The Alabama Telephone Company was the service provider, and this Haleyville 9-1-1 system is still in service today. On February 22, 1968, Nome, Alaska implemented the second 9-1-1 service. “As […]

On 2/15/2013 two Bryan, Texas firefighters died while fighting a fire at the Knights of Columbus Hall. “At approximately 11:20 p.m. a passerby reported a structure fire on Groesbeck Street. The hall was not occupied at the time of the fire discovery. Bryan firefighters responded and initiated interior firefighting operations. During interior operations, one firefighter […]

DORCHESTER – A Boston Fire truck hit a person in Dorchester Wednesday afternoon. It happened on Bowdoin Street around 12:30 p.m. A spokesperson for Boston EMS said the person was rushed to a hospital in an “advanced life support ambulance.” Police said the victim has life-threatening injuries. The Suffolk County District Attorney identified the victim […]

On 2/14/1958 six Manhattan, New York (FDNY) firefighters died at the Wooster Street Collapse, Box 55-334, 137-9 Wooster Street, between West Houston and Prince Street. “Two FDNY firefighters venting the roof, and four members of Fire Patrol # 1 placing salvage covers were buried alive when all floors and the roof suddenly collapsed in a […]

On 2/13/1909 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin the Johns Manville Manufacturing Company fire killed five firefighters and injured about a dozen more when the rear brick wall collapsed without warning at 225 Clybourne Street. “On arrival, firefighters found heavy fire showing from the first and second floors of a six-story brick asbestos factory. The building became fully […]

GRIFFIN, Ga. (Feb. 10, 2024) – At approximately 2:49 am on Saturday, February 10, firefighters at Spalding County Fire Department Station 6 (Reid Station), located at 1843 North Hill Street Extension, were alerted to the smell of smoke within the station premises. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the fire truck housed in the station […]

On 2/12/1955 a five-alarm fire in a transient hotel killed twenty-nine residents at the Barton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. The fast-spreading fire roared through a dilapidated 40-year-old “hotel” in the “Skid Row” neighborhood.  Most of the twenty-nine fire fatalities were transients. Many more, including several firefighters, were injured. The Barton Hotel was located at 644-648 […]

On 2/11/1876 a Manhattan, New York (FDNY) firefighter “died as a result of injuries sustained February 8th, when he was caught under a collapsing wall while operating at a fire. Two firefighters were killed in the collapse on February 8th.” On 2/11/1903 a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania firefighter died after falling from a roof at American Street. […]

By Ozark First: A strip mall owned by a church received damage and a firefighter was injured Thursday in a fire in Forsyth, Mo. According to Forsyth Fire Chief Nathan Bower, the call came in at 4:30 p.m. at 111 Coy Blvd in Forsyth. The fire caused extensive damage to the building and part of […]

By The Review: Two firefighters have been sent to the hospital after a Calcutta business’s garage was destroyed in a fire Friday afternoon. According to Calcutta fire Chief Dave McCoy, when crews arrived at the scene for a reported structure fire, the garage was already fully involved; the fire department called for backup. McCoy says […]

On 2/10/1863 a patent was issued for the first portable fire extinguisher to Alanson Crane of Monroe, Virginia (No 37,160). The tube container was a step up from the fire suppression glass “grenades” that were previously the most popular form of emergency firefighting. Little is known about Crane himself, and numerous patents were granted to […]

On 2/9/1858 a New Haven, Connecticut firefighter “died after being shot during a riot. An altercation between Yale students and the firefighters of Engine Company 2 erupted and a riot ensued. Shots were fired, and one firefighter was shot and killed. Several of the students were arrested, but through the mediation of the faculty, the […]

On 2/8/1933 seven Omaha, Nebraska firefighters were killed, and seventeen others were injured in a spectacular fire that destroyed the four-story Millard Hotel when the hotel walls collapsed.  The loss was estimated at $250,000; all 45 guests made it to safety. The four-story historic structure located on the northeast corner of 13th and Douglas Streets […]

On 2/7/1904 over 1,231, firefighters worked to control the two-day conflagration; that destroyed over 1,500 buildings and an area of some 140 acres covering most of the central city during the Great Baltimore, Maryland Fire. Firefighters were hampered by unstandardized fire hose connections and equipment. Units responded from New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlantic […]

When a female firefighter in Los Angeles County rushes into a burning building to save a life, she must deal with an extra challenge her male counterparts do not face: her uniform. At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, female firefighters and lifeguards explained to the board how ill-fitting uniforms designed for men restrict their ability […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — A man and woman crashed into a Birmingham fire station after being shot Tuesday night. The incident happened at Fire Station 30 on Old Springville Road shortly before 7:00 p.m. The Birmingham Police Department said the injured people were inside a vehicle. When officers arrived, police said firefighters were working on the […]

The Baltimore County Fire Department’s response to a massive fire last summer at an auto parts store lacked cohesive communication and effective leadership and failed to follow safety procedures, putting firefighters in harm’s way, according to a review by The Baltimore Sun of the department’s incident report, an anonymous complaint to authorities that resulted in […]

UNION, N.J. (AP) — New testimony in the case of a fatal cargo ship fire in New Jersey sheds some light on whether it could have been prevented. A crew member says he saw smoke coming from a seaport vehicle being used to push inoperative cars onto a cargo ship at least nine hours before […]

On 2/6/1923 the last fire horses “were retired from the Chicago Fire Department. Fire alarm box Number 848 was pulled at 12:40 p.m. at State and Chicago Avenues. The loud fire bell then rang in Engine 11’s firehouse at 10 East Grand Avenue, about a third mile south and just off State Street. Teddy, Dan, […]

Marion County Fire Rescue (Ocala area) is once again mourning the loss of one of its Firefighters. This Firefighter, who died Sunday (yesterday) after a years-long “daunting battle” against COVID-19. Driver-Engineer Charles “Chuck” Westphal was battling COVID-related issues since his hospitalization in August 2021. He was on a ventilator for 133 days in the ICU and had […]