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Parent Category: Incident Alert Archives

Category: Emergency Services Accident

Published: 17 August 2010

Emergency Services Accident Page #1

This page was last updated on  05/06/2010

South Carolina Firefighter Burned In Flashover
HEATHER CASPI Firehouse.Com News
A South Carolina firefighter suffered serious burns when he became disoriented and trapped after a flashover at a live-fire training exercise Monday. Tom Jurgensmeyer, 25, suffered second, third, and fourth degree burns over 26 percent of his body, said Whitesville Rural Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tim Stephenson. "He's in a lot of pain," the chief said. "But his mother told me he's already hitting on the nurses." Jurgensmeyer has been a volunteer with the department for one year, and has 10 years of fire service experience as both a volunteer and paid firefighter, Stephenson said. He is employed by Berkeley County EMS. Stephenson said the department was conducting a live-fire training exercise at a single family, one-story dwelling they had acquired. Jurgensmeyer, a lieutenant, was leading a crew of four - himself, another lead firefighter, and two inexperienced firefighters. Then the flashover occurred. "He pointed the way out for the crew, but in the confusion he became disoriented and trapped in the structure," the chief said. The rest of the crew made it out safely, and three rapid intervention crews, each stationed at different entrances, immediately went to rescue Jurgensmeyer. Stephenson estimates it was a minute and a half to two minutes from the time of the flashover to the time EMS officials were treating the firefighter. There were no other injuries at the incident, and the cause of the flashover is under investigation, the chief said. He said all NFPA regulations were followed and the house had been in good condition. Jurgensmeyer is being treated at the Joseph Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, Georgia. Doctors estimate he will be in the burn center for about 30 days, and it will be four to six months before he can return to duty, the chief said. He will require rehabilitation and skin grafting, but, "His mom seems hopeful that he's going to be making a full recovery," Stephenson said. Stephenson said the close-call has been difficult on firefighters, and this is the first time the department has ever faced a duty-related major injury. "We are an emotional wreck," he said. Department members met with the fire department chaplain, and will have a critical incident stress debriefing Thursday. The Whitesville Rural Volunteer Fire Department in Berkeley County, South Carolina, has 32 volunteer firefighters and a full time chief. They serve an area of 58.6 square miles and operate out of two stations with four engines, one ladder, two tankers and two brush trucks. The area is a mix of rural, residential, commercial and industrial. 

FLASH FIRES AT DERAILMENT CAUSE NO DAMAGE 
BY CHRISTI MATHIS THE SOUTHERN Tue Feb 11 2003 
TAMAROA -- The cause of Sunday morning's hazardous materials train derailment on the Canadian National Railroad in downtown Tamaroa remains unknown, and flash fires led to a scare early Tuesday. "At approximately 3:09 a.m. there were two flare-ups at the site that were dealt with by personnel on the scene," said David Searby Jr., operations director of the Du Quoin Emergency Services Disaster Agency. "This caused us to reassess the re-entry situation. We will not allow anybody to enter until we are sure they will be safe." Safety officials did allow about 200 of the 1,000 people forced from their homes to return Tuesday. Officials said readings continue to show no contamination to the air, water or soil beyond the immediate crash site, and they hope even more people will be able to return home today. The fireball from the flash fires caused by leaking methanol quickly died out, and personnel returned to resume eliminating what officials said was the most dangerous situation -- a breached tanker filled with vinyl chloride. The tanker had a hole in the top, but wasn't leaking. Vinyl chloride is particularly volatile, so it was transferred to another tanker in a lengthy process that wasn't completed until about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Officials said they were relieved when the transfer was complete, and then went to work on cars at the south end of the crash site. They also decided to shrink the evacuation zone from a three-mile radius of the crash to a one-mile radius. That means rural residents are allowed home, but those who live inside Tamaroa are still displaced. The derailment involved 21 cars containing hydrochloric acid, vinyl chloride, methanol and formaldehyde. Tamaroa Mayor William Place said he has spent much time at the crash site and has seen no damage to any homes. "The site is very well-contained, and that's where any problem would be," Place said. He said there is a "hot zone" that measures about one block by 800 feet, where no one but hazardous materials crews in special gear are allowed. Place said that "probably half of that hot zone is in my yard." "It's a mess, though," Place said. "There are huge amounts of heavy equipment, lots of mud. It's a muddy mess." He said there will not be school in Tamaroa on Thursday, and Wednesday night's village board meeting has been postponed indefinitely. Because of the "orange alert" the country is under, the involvement of hazardous chemicals and the proximity to an FBI office in Carbondale, the FBI was called in Sunday shortly after the wreck to assess the situation, state police Capt. Charles Mays said. He said it was just "as a precaution," and that "within a few hours the opinion was it was not a terrorist attack." Officials said it might be some time before the cause of the derailment is determined and right now all agree that the priority is getting the damaged rail cars emptied, the mess cleaned up and people returned to their homes. A town meeting was held at the Du Quoin American Legion on Tuesday night. The facility was packed with people wanting information. They were promised that entrances to the town would be staffed by police, and that the railroad would provide quick reimbursement for expenses. Sheriff Keith Kellerman said his department has escorted about 100 people home to retrieve their pets, and farmers were taken to feed livestock. 

Two Virginia Firefighters Injured in Senior Apartment Fire
KEITH WALKER Courtesy of the Potomac News
Two Prince William firefighters were injured at 4:42 a.m. Saturday in a fire at the River Run Senior Apartment community at 13900 Hedgewood Drive, near the intersection of Minnieville Road and Prince William Parkway, said Battalion Chief C. Hadden Culp. One of the firefighters, Assistant Chief Jon Covey, was flown to Washington Hospital Center with severe burns on his hand and face after a piece of the roof collapsed on him during search-and-rescue operations, Culp said. "He had second degree burns to the back of his neck and some on his face. On the back of his hands, second degree, and he had third degree burns on his palms," Culp said of Covey, a firefighter with the Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department. "It's not a whole lot of volume on the body but when it's your hands or your face it's considered pretty serious," Culp said. Rick DuFlocq, OWL Volunteer Fire Department spokesman, said Covey's injuries are not life-threatening. "He's resting and they've got the burns treated, but there's going to be some recovery period," DuFlocq said. An unidentified Dale City volunteer firefighter received less serious steam burns and is doing well, Culp said. "She had some steam burn on her hands. She was treated on the scene," Culp said. None of the residents of the apartment complex were injured in the fire, Culp said. "We had close to a hundred people living in this building. We were very lucky here," Culp said Saturday around noon at the apartment complex in Woodbridge. Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire, which caused an estimated $6 million worth of damage, Culp said. More than 80 firefighters, rescue workers and police officers responded to the fire and helped carry the less ambulatory of the residents out of the burning building, Culp said. "It was certainly a combined effort between the police and the firemen to get all of those occupants," Culp said. While most of the residents went to stay with family members, others were able to move into vacant apartments at the complex and the American Red Cross provided hotel rooms for the remainder of those displaced by the fire, Culp said. Firefighters extinguished the fire in about 45 minutes, Culp said. At least 40 firefighters from outlying units were called to a second fire at 10:21 a.m. Saturday that destroyed a town house at 3517 Covered Bridge Lane in Woodbridge, Culp said. Fairfax County and Quantico Marine Corps Base firefighters and volunteers from Buckhall, Stonewall Jackson, Coles District and Dale City Volunteer Fire Departments joined volunteers from Dumfries-Triangle, OWL and Lake Jackson volunteers to fight the fire that spread into the two adjacent town homes, DuFlocq said. "The reason some of those folks from out of our immediate area were there was they were fill-ins for Dale City and OWL who were on Hedgewood," DuFlocq said. The Prince William fire marshal also condemned the town homes at 3519 and 3515 Covered Bridge Lane because of fire, water and smoke damage, DuFlocq said. The residents of those two homes were treated for minor injuries at the scene and released, DuFlocq said. The woman who lived in the town house where the fire started was taken to the hospital for potential smoke inhalation, DuFlocq said. The damage to the three homes was estimated at $500,000, Culp said. 

Medical helicopter goes down; Third fatal crash in two years apparently kills four; inquiry demanded, night flights halted 
An ambulance helicopter racing to Icaria to pick up a seriously ill woman crashed four miles off the eastern Aegean island, with the apparent loss of its four-man crew, in the early hours yesterday. This, the third fatal helicopter accident involving the National First Aid Center (EKAB) in just over two years, raised urgent questions as to the causes of the crashes that have now killed 14 people. The government immediately suspended all night flights by EKAB's three remaining Agusta A109 E helicopters. The center carries out between 2,000 and 2,500 medical airlifts annually, serving the residents of Greece's isolated islands. Health Minister Costas Stefanis said that mercy flight procedures would be changed radically from October, when the contract with Helitalia, the Italian company which operates the EKAB's helicopters, ends. The Defense Ministry, which conducted such flights from 1976 until 2000, and the coast guard will now be responsible for the emergency transfer of patients. «I express my deepest sorrow at today's event. For all of us this is a tragic incident,» Stefanis said. «I assure you there will be a thorough investigation of the causes of the accident. EKAB got its own helicopters, Agusta A109 Es operated by Helitalia, in 2000. The first to crash went down off Attica's Cape Sounion on January 14, 2001, killing the four-member crew and a patient. That was blamed on the pilot's underestimating the strength of a storm that the helicopter flew into. The second occurred on June 17, 2002, when a helicopter taking off with a patient from Anafi crashed into a nearby mountaintop, again killing all five aboard. Yesterday, helicopter SX-HDV, code-named Victor, crashed suddenly four miles off Icaria shortly after 00.15 a.m. after the island's control tower and the pilot had exchanged messages saying they saw each other. An immediate sea and air search was ordered. The helicopter pilot, Efstratios Fotiadis, 49, was highly experienced and had a certificate as a flight trainer. Visibility was said to be good, with moderate wind. Initial suspicions focused on technical problems, although Helitalia stressed that the helicopter had only flown 647 hours, had recently undergone maintenance and had no record of malfunctions. On February 3, though, the aircraft had been forced to land on the island of Psarra and wait for a part of its oil pump to be changed. A spokesman for the Italian company said this was not a serious issue. Late yesterday, reports from Icaria said that a naval ship searching in the area where the helicopter went down had traced the fuselage with its sonar equipment. On board the helicopter, which was based on the island of Lesvos, apart from the pilot, were co-pilot Ilias Lendis, Dr Maged Safadi, and paramedic Ioannis Kouroulis. Kouroulis was on his very first EKAB flight after transferring from being an ambulance driver. The patient, 70-year-old Olympia Kotsoni, was taken by boat to the island of Samos and was in stable condition yesterday. Doctors on Icaria had decided to transfer her because she needed surgery and they did not have enough blood on the island. «It would have been better if I had died, instead of those young people,» the elderly woman sobbed to reporters. Opposition parties called for a full inquiry and blamed the government for the accident. 

Passer-by helps injured trooper
CORNWALL, Conn. (AP)- A state trooper who works out of the Canaan barracks got some help from a passer-by and was in stable condition after a weekend highway accident. Trooper Dennis Henderson was injured Saturday after crashing his cruiser into a guardrail on Route 4 while on his way to a call. Doctors are still assessing his injuries. "It sounds like he may have a pretty severe concussion," Lt. Christopher Arciero, the commanding officer of Troop B in Canaan, said Sunday. Henderson was traveling eastbound toward the Mohawk Ski Area when his cruiser veered off the road head on into the guardrails at the side of the road. Henderson was trapped in the vehicle, but was able to call for help on his radio. But then there was silence. After a minute or so another voice came over the radio. It was a man, apparently a passerby, who had found Henderson trapped in his car and used the radio to tell police where Henderson was and answer questions about his condition. Members of the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department and Ambulance Service arrived and extricated Henderson, by then unconscious. He was taken to Hartford Hospital by Life Star helicopter. The passerby stayed on the scene for some time after the emergency rescue workers arrived, but left at some point without saying anything and the police still do not know who he is. "I think it was wonderful what he did. From what I heard last night, it would have been more important for him to stay and talk to us if Dennis's condition had deteriorated, but fortunately, it didn't. But we would still like to talk to him regarding the accident," Arciero said. 

18-Wheeler Trailer Hits Firefighters
A hit-and-run incident on a snowy Interstate 40 Sunday night sent three volunteer firefighters to the hospital. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the three were working on a minor weather-related accident near the Roane/Cumberland county line at the time. Officers said the trailer of an 18-wheeler slid around, hitting the workers. Patrick Brady, 20, is in stable condition at UT Medical Center. Phillip Shepherd and Bryan Griesback were both treated and released from Cumberland Medical Center. THP officers are looking for the person driving the truck that hit the men.

Va. trooper shot, one killed during water contamination probe 
By SONJA BARISIC Associated Press Writer NORFOLK, Va. 
A man investigated by the FBI for allegedly threatening to poison Virginia water supplies is an illegal alien from Mexico who previously had been kicked out of the United States, a federal prosecutor said in court Wednesday. A preliminary hearing was set for Friday for Ipolito "Polo" Campos, who has been charged with using phony immigration documents and a false Social Security number. Prosecutors said he could face more serious charges, including attempted murder of a state trooper who was wounded during a raid Tuesday night at Campos's mobile home in Accomac, on the Eastern Shore. A threat that Campos allegedly made against the state's water supplies was not even mentioned in court. Officers were executing a warrant when shots were fired and a trooper was wounded in the arm, said Phil Mann, chief division counsel with the Norfolk FBI office. A second person was shot and killed while exchanging gun fire with troopers, Mann said. The wounded trooper, H.A. Chambers, was in good condition Wednesday at a Norfolk hospital, state police spokesman Larry Hill said. Chambers, 32, is a five-year state police veteran who joined the raid as a member of a tactical squad. State police were trying to identify the man who was killed, Hill said. Neither Mann nor Hill would say who shot the trooper. "At this time, the investigation is still continuing into the shooting incident," Hill said. "We've still got a lot of facts to gather." However, prosecutor Mike Smythers said during a hearing in U.S. District Court that authorities may charge Campos with attempted murder and assault of a state trooper and possession of a sawed-off shotgun. Campos could get life in prison if convicted, Smythers said. The two charges that were filed against Campos before the raid each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Smythers told the judge that Campos is an illegal alien from Mexico who had been stopped at the border once before and kicked out of the United States. U.S. Magistrate Judge F. Bradford Stillman ordered Campos to remain in custody until the preliminary hearing and said the court would appoint an attorney. Speaking through an interpreter, Campos said he is unemployed and penniless, is married and has six children and that his wife does not have a job in the United States. The FBI began investigating Campos after someone told the Accomack County sheriff's office on Jan. 18 that Campos said he was from an "Arabian" country and was sent to poison Virginia's waters and "if he did not poison the water someone would kill him," according to an affidavit filed in federal court by FBI Special Agent Jason W. Freed. The affidavit did not identify the informant. Mann said the reported threat was being investigated by the region's Joint Terrorism Task Force, but no credible evidence existed that any such attack was planned. The task force was set up after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to investigate such reports. The public water supply on the Eastern Shore is very limited, with the peninsula's 51,000 residents overwhelmingly relying on private wells, said Paul Berge, executive director of the Accomack-Northampton County Planning District Commission. Only Chincoteague and Tangier islands and the towns of Parksley, Onancock, Exmore, Eastville and Cape Charles have public water systems, he said. The Immigration and Naturalization Service told the FBI that it had no record on Ipolito Campos, according to court records. In addition, immigration documents on file at a seafood company where Campos worked do not exist in INS files, and the Social Security number Campos provided to the business belongs to someone else, court records said. Campos began working for Eastern Shore Seafood Products Inc. on Dec. 28, 2001 _ first at the company's Mappsville processing plant and later on company-owned fishing boats in Norfolk _ but was fired one year later after failing a random drug test, the court records said. A woman who answered the telephone Wednesday at the company said no one was available to comment. 

Policeman killed while attending Huntingdon road accident
A 34-year old Cambridgeshire police officer was killed while attending an accident scene on the A1 northbound at Alconbury around 08.15 on Wednesday. The unnamed policeman had responded to a call to attend a 4-vehicle crash and was understood to be on foot at the locus when he died.

Police investigate deputy's death, Passenger suspected to be trigger-man in Jones' death
By GREG MARANO
ESCALANTE -- One of the men accused of killing a Garfield County Sheriff's deputy is in the Iron County Jail, and the other is in a Flagstaff, Ariz., hospital as police try to learn all the events that led up to Sunday's deadly shooting. Police believe William Byron Allred, 50, of Salina was driving just south of Escalante at 3:30 p.m. Sunday with his friend and co-worker Earl Barnes of Colorado as a passenger. They were pulled over by Deputy David Jones on suspicion of DUI. Garfield County Sheriff Than Cooper said Jones had handcuffed Allred and was waiting for backup and a tow truck. That's when they believe Barnes fired at least one shot at Jones, striking him in the chest. Jones managed to fire back, hitting Barnes in the lung. Barnes was taken to a hospital in Page, Ariz., before being transferred to Flagstaff, where he is expected to recover. Jones died from his injuries. Cooper estimates that less than a minute had elapsed before the tow truck driver arrived and found Jones on the ground. The suspects ad fled down Alvey Wash Road. Escalante Mayor Lenza Wilson said the escape route the suspects took actually aided in their apprehension, as there were only three exits from that road and it was easy for law enforcement to surround them and bring them into custody. "Shooting cops is not the Southern Utah way. It doesn't happen," Cooper said. "Or it shouldn't happen." Garfield County Attorney Wallace Lee said he will try to seek the death penalty against the two subjects, according to a press release by the Garfield County Sheriff's Office. "We're all wondering why. We're all wondering what would possess someone to shoot a person over an open container violation," Cooper said. The Garfield County Sheriff's Office has only six deputies, including Jones. Cooper said two other deputies shared the duties of patroling the Escalante area with Jones. Allred was booked into Iron County Jail in Cedar City instead of the Garfield County Jail in Panguitch. "The investigators at the scene and I felt it would be better to have him in (Iron County Jail," Cooper said. He said that because the officers in charge of the Garfield County Jail knew and worked with Jones, he wanted to protect his deputies from any allegations of mistreatement, Cooper said. Allred and Barnes worked together at Skyline Forest Resources, a sawmill just east of Escalante. Owner Stephen Steed said Allred had been working there since July and that Barnes had only been there for a couple of months. Both, he said, were very dependable employees. "The sawmill starts at 5:30 in the morning," Steed said, "and those guys were here every day." The mill is the largest employer in town, with 56 workers, Steed said. He said he never saw any problems between the two suspects and other workers and that Allred had come with a very good recommendation from his previous employer. Jones leaves behind a wife, Carolyn, and five children, ranging in age from 6 to 22. Funeral services are tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday in Escalante, with burial planned for Orem.

Rescue worker dies in avalanche
From correspondents in Warsaw January 27, 2003
A RESCUE worker has been killed and four injured after they were hit by an avalanche during a training exercise in Poland's Karkonosze mountains. Other mountaineers taking part in the joint German-Polish exercise were able to help rescue the men, but the effort was hampered by heavy snowfall and rapidly dropping temperatures. The five victims - one Polish and four German - were part of a group of about 40 taking part in the three-day training exercise in a valley near the town of Karpacz, about 450km south-west of Warsaw. The Polish man was killed, while one of the Germans was in critical condition in a hospital in Jelenia Gora, said local rescue worker Jerzy Pokoj. The others were being treated for minor injuries. No names have been released.

Police officer injured in deadly accident
1/26/03 7:34 AM By: Jason Hamorsky, news14.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Police are investigating an accident involving an Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer that happened early Sunday morning on W. Tyvola Road. A police spokesman says that one person died when the Toyota Celica they were riding in slid on an icy patch, crossed the center line and struck a police cruiser. The driver of the Celica was taken to Carolinas Medical Center with serious injuries. Police say that officer driving the cruiser suffered bumps and bruises and was also taken to Carolinas Medical Center to be checked out. 

WA volunteer fireman dies as blaze threatens Lancelin
A 32-year-old volunteer firefighter has died after he was injured in a traffic accident near Lancelin, about 130 kilometres north of Perth, this afternoon. The man, from Ocean Farm Volunteers, was one of five firefighters injured when three emergency vehicles, including a large tanker crashed. The others are being treated at Joondalup Health Campus. The crews had been fighting a large blaze, which is now threatening the township of Lancelin. The town is tonight without electricity and Western Power is trying to get generators to the area. Residents are being asked to keep their water use to a minimum. A change in wind direction has given firefighters some time to prepare the town but authorities say another wind change at midnight will see the fire head towards it. Wind gusts up to 60 kilometres an hour are expected. The blaze has already burnt through 3,200 hectares. About 200 people have been forced to leave their homes at nearby Nilgen Estate. 

UPDATE Paramedic who lost legs in traffic accident expected to live 
The Associated Press 
CHARLOTTE, N.C.(AP) - A paramedic whose legs were severed in an accident while he was caring for patients on the shoulder of an interstate was in critical condition Friday but is expected to survive, the state trooper who investigated the wreck said. Tim Hayes, 32, remained at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte on Saturday. A hospital spokeswoman declined to release his condition. Hayes, a paramedic chief, has worked for Medic, the Mecklenburg EMS Agency, for seven years. He is married with four children. "His kids are his pride and joy," said Michael Miller, a friend and former co-worker in Wetzel County, W.Va. "He is so good with them." Friends and colleagues describe Hayes as someone with a good sense of humor who becomes all-business when it matters. They said he is determined and can sometimes be quite stubborn. "I think those qualities are going to work in his favor to get him through this," said Gary Patterson, a paramedic who has known Hayes since before he joined the agency. "It's been fun watching him grow and gain the experience and the respect of the people he works with and takes care of." State Highway Patrol Trooper Willie Emmons said the chain-reaction crash that led to Hayes' injury involved seven vehicles and began when a tractor-trailer rear-ended a car on Interstate 77 about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. That car hit another and the two of them went off the left side of the road, Emmons said. The truck driver then lost control and slammed into the back of Hayes' ambulance, which was on the right shoulder of the southbound lanes. The ambulance, parked behind two sport utility vehicles that had been involved in an earlier accident, hit one of them, which then pinned Hayes against a guardrail, Emmons said. Hayes had been standing between the SUV and the guardrail tending to a patient inside, he said. Morgan Maris, 21, a UNC Charlotte student, saw it happen. She was involved in the original wreck and said either Hayes or his partner "told me to step on the other side of the railing just in case someone else loses control." "It just all happened so fast. If it weren't for the medics (telling her to move over the railing), I don't know," said Maris, who lives in Huntersville. "I hope he is OK. I'm really going to get in touch with him and thank him." The tractor-trailer driver, Robert Alexander, 37, of Palmetto, Fla., is charged with failure to reduce speed. Alexander is distraught about the crash, Emmons said. "He just kept saying he couldn't figure out why the truck turned to the left when he tried to turn it to the right. I told him, 'You don't know which way it's going to go on ice,'" Emmons recalled. "I couldn't make out every other word because he was crying so much." The wreck was one of more than 100 investigated by the N.C. Highway Patrol in the Charlotte area beginning early Thursday, when a storm dumped as much as 8 1/2 inches of snow in the area. Information from: The Charlotte Observer

UPDATE Paramedic worker still in critical condition
Updated: 1/23/2003 2:04:22 PM By: News 14 Carolina 
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A paramedic worker is still in critical condition after being struck by a car while assisting an accident victim on I-77. Paramedic worker, Tim Hayes, was responding to the scene of an accident around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Police say the driver of a tractor trailer lost control and struck two cars, which caused a six vehicle chain reaction. Hayes was pinned in by one of the vehicles. Hayes was taken to Lake Norman Regional by ambulance and was later flown by helicopter to Carolinas Medical Center. Hayes, who is listed in critical condition, lost both of his legs from the accident. The people in the other six cars only suffered minor injuries. MEDIC workers say they have received e-mails from all over the world expressing sympathy and support for Hayes. A fund has been set up for Hayes and his family through Bank of America. You can send a donation to the Tim Hayes Foundation, care of Bank of America, P.O. Box 651658, Charlotte, N.C. 28265. You can also e-mail your thoughts to Tim's family at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Robert M. Alexander, the driver of the tractor trailer is from Palmetto, Florida. Alexander is charged with failure to reduce speed and more charges may be pending. Authorities responded to several wrecks in the area Thursday -- many blamed on slick roads. Officials say driving conditions are very dangerous. They will have crews working during the night to spread salt on area roadways.

Paramedic injured on I-77
ROBERT F. MOORE Staff Writer
A paramedic was seriously injured -- his legs severed -- as he responded to a wreck on Interstate 77 this afternoon, emergency officials said. The paramedic was in critical condition late Thursday, according to Scott White, a Carolinas Medical Center spokesman. Medic has not released the man's name. The wreck occurred about 2:30 p.m. near exit 30 in Davidson. The wreck, one of about 100 weather-related wrecks investigated by the N.C. Highway Patrol beginning early today, shut down traffic in both directions. The southbound lanes were still blocked about 3:45 p.m. The northbound lanes are now open, but traffic is moving slowly. Troopers said an 18-wheeler struck a sport utility vehicle which then pinned the paramedic against a guardrail near the southbound lane. The paramedic was trying to help someone already involved in a wreck when he was hit. He was taken to Lake Norman Regional Medical Center and transferred by helicopter to Carolinas Medical Center. Eight Medic employees soon gathered in a private room at the hospital, officials said. The paramedic's wife is also at the hospital. A second person sustained minor injuries in the wreck, officials said. 

UPDATE Details Emerge In Pennsylvania Firefighter's Death
DALE HEBERLIG The Sentinel
A Shippensburg firefighter died Monday after part of a old house collapsed on him and two others as they battled a fire in Huntingdon County. Keith Hess, 22, of the 9800 block of Possum Hollow Road, was a volunteer with West End Fire and Rescue Co. and a paid EMT and firefighter for Fannett Metal Fire Dept. in Dry Run. Franklin County Coroner Jeff Conner said Tuesday that Hess was on duty with Fannett Metal around 3 p.m. Monday when he responded to a structure fire at 246 Hotel Road in Blairs Mills. Conner said Hess was performing "salvage and overhaul" on the first floor with Shippensburg firefighters Cory Connelly and Dave Ocker around 5 p.m., after the fire had been brought under control, when a chimney in the center of the structure collapsed. The falling structure collapsed the second floor onto the three firefighters, Conner said. One man was able to escape on his own while the other two, including Hess, had to be rescued, the coroner said. State police investigator Daniel Sneath says there were "a multitude" of firefighters inside the building at the time of the collapse. Despite "heroic efforts" of fellow firefighters and EMS and the crew of Hershey Life Lion, Conner said, Hess died at Chambersburg Hospital at 6:07 p.m. The official cause of his death is "compressional asphyxia." The exact manner of his death remains "undetermined." W. Mervin Fogelsanger is thought to be the only other Shippensburg firefighter ever to die in action. He fell victim to an apparent heart attack in February 1969 while battling a huge downtown blaze in the first block of East King Street. Connelly, 30, and Ocker, 20, have been released from the hospital and are now "resting at home with their families," said a press release from Cumberland Valley Hose Co. Fire Chief Scott A. Kitner. Kitner says the men were trapped in the structure for about 10 minutes before they were rescued. Blairs Mills is a village of about 800 people near the border of Juniata and Huntingdon counties, about 19 miles northwest of Shippensburg and 30 miles west of Carlisle. State police trooper Charles Aungst of the Huntingdon barracks reports the fire was at the intersection of Hotel Road and Tuscarora Creek Road in Tell Township. Police say the building was owned by Kimberly Burdge of Blairs Mills. Fannett-Metal Fire Chief Sam Peterson says the building is a total loss. No residents were injured in the fire, officials say. Fannett-Metal and West End were among 11 stations responding. Investigation into the fire's cause continues through the state police fire marshal and state police. The West End station was out of service Monday night, with other fire stations serving backup duty. Many of the company's members were sequestered in their quarters while others gathered quietly near apparatus in the station. By last night, West End equipment and some personnel were back on the job, but the company was still getting support from other companies to complement their manpower. The death of fireman Keith Hess Monday spread grief throughout the emergency response community, but the tragedy devastated two Franklin County companies in particular. Hess, 22, a lieutenant at Shippensburg's West End Fire and Rescue Co. and a paid firefighter and EMT for the Fannett-Metal Fire and Ambulance Co. in Path Valley, perished while on duty with the Fannett-Metal station. That makes the loss no easier to swallow for WEFR members. West End Deputy Chief Jeff Coombe choked back tears as he read a prepared statement at a Tuesday afternoon press conference about the fire and Hess' death. "All that had the pleasure of knowing and working with Lt. Hess regarded him as a great friend, firefighter, officer and employee," Coombe said. Fannett-Metal Capt. Jason Peterson says members of the Path Valley company are stung by the loss of Hess, who joined the company ranks in 1999. "I've come to know him well since then, as the other guys have," Peterson says. "Everyone is dealing with this in their own way. Some are just sitting, others are crying and some are working harder than usual to keep their minds occupied." Justin Martin, WEFR assistant chief, says he's "thankful" he wasn't at the scene Monday. "It's just a huge tragedy," Martin says. "I've known Keith since elementary school and I don't know anyone who disliked him. He was just a completely likable guy." Martin says many WEFR volunteers are reminiscing to cope with the grief. Martin recalls Hess' "pride and joy" pickup truck that he rebuilt. "I think it was a Chevy," Martin says. "I know you could hear it coming from a long way off." Roy Dubbs, an uncle, says Hess intended to keep that truck forever, because it had belonged to his grandfather and had emotional value. Dubbs, a brother to Hess' mother, Judy, says he knew the young man since he was a boy in diapers. "He was just a basic good person," Dubbs says. "An easygoing, gentle giant. A big, strapping boy with never a bad word to say about anyone." Dubbs says Hess was part of a close-knit family. "Bob and Judy are very supportive parents and you couldn't find two closer kids than Keith and his sister, Chrissie," he says. Denny Clopper, a WEFR fireman and an emergency dispatcher in Franklin County, says he talked with Hess and some of his friends at the Fannett-Metal station not long before Monday's 3 p.m. alarm. "Stevie Sites was on the phone and I could hear Keith in the background," Clopper says. "They were giving me a hard time, disrespecting me in a fun way." Shortly afterwards, Clopper dispatched Fannett-Metal to the Blairs Mills fire and was talking to Hess enroute to the call. "The next thing I heard was that he was gone," Clopper says. Hess was a 1998 graduate of Shippensburg Area Senior High School where he was "an A and B student," according to Principal Fred Shilling. "He worked very hard academically," Shilling says. The principal also said Hess declared his interest in firefighting early in his high school years. Hess joined WEFR as a junior member at the age of 14 and became the company's Rookie of the Year in 1997. He was named Firefighter of the Year in 2000. Funeral & Memorial Inormation Memorial/Visitation - Friday, January 24 Visiting Fire Department and Emergency Services personnel are encouraged to pay their respects from 1500 to 1800 at the Fogelsanger-Bricker Funeral Home, 112 West King Street, Shippensburg. After 1800, the family suggests that personnel from West End Shippensburg and Fannett-Metal Fire Departments, community, friends, and relatives greet the family at this time. Please do not bring ANY apparatus to the funeral home Friday, other than personal vehicles. Please strive to accommodate the wishes of the family. Directions: North I-81 to Exit 24, to Fayette Street, left on Fayette Street to King Street, left on King Street to funeral home on immediate left. South I-81 to Exit 29, right on Walnut Bottom Road to King Street, left on King Street, six signal lights, funeral home on left. Questions on directions, please contact the Franklin County Emergency Services office, 717-264-2813. Funeral - Saturday, January 25 All Emergency Services vehicles should report to the Shippensburg Area Senior High School, starting at 1100 to check in at the intersection of Eberly and Baker Russel Drive. Please arrive prior to 1300 so that proper arrangements can be made. Please limit apparatus in the line-of-march to one unit per department. Private autos will be directed to their parking at time of arrival. All personnel are asked to be in the High School Auditorium by 1400. Following the service, all Emergency Services personnel will be excused to return to their apparatus. Personnel are asked to form an "Honor Guard" with their apparatus and personnel, providing appropriate hand salute as the procession passes. At the end of the family procession, apparatus will be directed to join the procession. Individuals may elect to ride their apparatus or return to their personal vehicles for the procession. Apparatus will be staged prior to entry to the cemetery at direction of the local fire police. Additional information and directions will be provided upon arrival and check-in. Please check-in prior to 1300 hours. Please contact the Franklin County Department of Emergency Services at 264-2813, to confirm the number of participants by Thursday, January 23, 2100 hours. The family requests the omission of flowers, memorial donations should be made to: Keith Hess Memorial Fund West End Fire and Rescue 49 Lurgan Avenue Shippensburg, PA 17257

PA Firefighter Dies in Chimney Collapse
BLAIRS MILLS, Pa. — A chimney collapse at the site of an apartment building fire triggered a structural failure that killed one firefighter who was trying to douse hot spots after the blaze was under control, authorities said. Four firefighters were inside the building at the time of the collapse and two of them were trapped briefly, said Huntingdon County Emergency Management Coordinator Richard Moore. Besides the dead firefighter, two others were injured, authorities said. Firefighters from Huntingdon, Franklin and Cumberland counties responded to the fire reported at about 4 p.m. in an apartment building in Blairs Mills, a tiny community near the Franklin County border, about 35 miles south of State College. Moore told WTAJ television in Altoona that the fire was essentially out when the accident happened. No residents were injured in the fire, officials said. The dead firefighter's name and department were not immediately released, but the firefighter is from Franklin County, said Franklin County Coroner Jeffrey Conner. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday morning, but Conner said no other information about the firefighter would be released until a news conference Tuesday afternoon at the state police barracks in Chambersburg. Of the two injured firefighters, one was taken to Chambersburg Hospital and one refused treatment at the scene, officials said. A spokeswoman at Chambersburg Hospital said she couldn't release any information Monday night. State police from Huntingdon were investigating, but didn't immediately return calls for comment. Moore's assistant, Kristie Riley, said the cause of the fire wasn't immediately determined. Eleven fire companies were called to battle the fire, which was extinguished by 7:30 p.m.

Volunteer Firefighter Killed In Showroom Fire, 2 Firefighters Injured
PORTER, Texas -- A volunteer firefighter died and two others were injured while battling a blaze at an antique car showroom and shop Sunday. The Porter firefighters were inside the building when flames suddenly engulfed the showroom, trapping them, Houston Fire Department spokesman Jay Evans said. "They got about three feet into the shop, near the showroom, when the entire showroom flashed over with flame," Evans said. The three had been guiding the nozzle of a hose, and two of them were able to follow the line back out of the building. The third became disoriented and didn't make it out. "The one firefighter evidently became disoriented either by the force of whatever caused the fire to grow, we don't know for sure. We're still working on that -- what caused the fire to grow so rapidly all at once," said Jimmy Williams, Montgomery County senior investigator. "We found him about 25 feet from the line," Evans said. The fallen firefighter was identified as Gary Staley. He had been with the Porter Volunteer Fire Department for about a year, officials said. The injured firefighters were being treated at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston for second- and third-degree burns to the face, neck and chest. They were identified as Allen Haynes of the New Caney Fire Department and Juan Chapa of the Porter Volunteer Fire Department. Hospital officials told News2Houston that Haynes is listed in fair condition and Chapa is listed in good condition. "This is the worst part of being a firefighter," New Caney Volunteer Fire Department chief Bob Yancey said. "This is something that is not expected." "I hate to hear that because he was so young. That's awful," said Kellie Burgess, Staley's neighbor. "I know that we lift him up in prayer from time to time in church, for our community people -- our firefighters, our police officers and stuff like that because they need it. It's a bad world." "It's a real loss. We're all going to be (sad) for a while. But we know where he's at -- he's upstairs and everything. But it's going to be a loss for Porter," said Anthony Nash, a Porter resident. The fire was reported to the Porter Volunteer Fire Department about 9:45 a.m. Sunday, and more than a dozen departments responded. The fire was extinguished about two hours later, but crews continued to put out spot fires for another two to three hours, Evans said. The Montgomery County Fire Marshal is investigating the blaze. River Oaks Baptist Church pastor Mitchell Bell said a worker at the antique auto shop was laying tile when the building became engulfed in flames. The owner of the showroom said that he lost six of his vehicles in the blaze. Porter is about 25 miles northeast of Houston.

Officer first female on Norfolk force killed on duty
NORFOLK -- A city policewoman and a gunman were killed early Thursday in a shootout outside a Brambleton Avenue sports bar and grill. sheila Herring-Patrick, 39, is the first female officer on the Norfolk force to be slain in the line of duty and the city's 36th officer killed on the job. Police said the gunman who fatally wounded her was killed during the shootout. Herring-Patrick She joined the department last February and graduated from the police academy in August. But she was hired with experience, having begun her career in 1989 with the Detroit police. She and other officers responded to a call at 1:45 a.m. about a shooting inside Champion Sports Bar & Grill, at 1010 E. Brambleton Ave. Four officers in two cruisers arrived at the one-story building and encountered people outside, said police spokesman Chris Amos. A man pulled a handgun and shot Herring-Patrick, Amos said. She was hit three times in areas not protected by her bullet-resistant vest, including her abdomen, Amos said. The officers returned fire and struck the gunman. He died at the scene. Police did not release his identity. Herring-Patrick died of her wounds at 2:51 a.m. at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Another shooting victim was found inside the bar, Amos said. That man's injuries were not considered life-threatening. Police said the gunman shot him before officers arrived. The gunman had gone to the bar earlier in the evening, left and returned around 1:30 a.m., said William McSwain, an assistant manager at Champion. He said that both the gunman and the man wounded in the initial shooting were regulars who had not met before. McSwain said he had turned off a metal detector at the entrance because he was preparing to close. It was a slow night, he said, so the usual security guard was not stationed at the door. McSwain said he could not discuss the initial shooting because police had asked him not to, but he said the incident took place in less than three minutes. ``It was out of control,'' McSwain said. ``It happened so quickly. Everyone scattered.'' McSwain called 911 from both the bar phone and a cell phone. He said he locked the gunman out of the bar to protect himself, three workers and two patrons. From inside, he heard one gunshot, then several more. Thursday was a somber day for police, who already were grieving the loss of another colleague. Detective Steven M. Crawford, 47, died at his home Monday. His funeral was Thursday afternoon. Police brass and at least 200 officers gathered with friends and family during a ceremony at Rock Church in Virginia Beach. During the two-hour service, Crawford's career was celebrated by several speakers, including Police Chief Melvin C. High. A montage of photos appeared a screen while a recording of Vince Gill singing ``Go Rest High On That Mountain'' played. ``There's not a person on this department, sworn or civilian, that hasn't been touched in an adverse way by what's happened,'' Amos said. ``Everybody on the department knows one or the other. It's just been a difficult day, a long day. The clouds overhead are appropriate for a day like today.'' Of the 147 police officers killed in the United States last year, 14 were women, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Inc. That statistic tied the record high, set in 1998. Herring-Patrick apparently is only the second female officer in South Hampton Roads to be killed in the line of duty. ``It was a real tragedy for her family and our police family,'' Chief High said. ``It's a tough thing to lose an officer in this way.'' In 1999, a Norfolk Naval Shipyard police officer, Lisa Bailey, was shot and killed in Norfolk when she intervened in an armed robbery at the Open House Diner at Tidewater and Willow Wood drives. Bailey was off work, but she flashed her badge at the robber, who shot her in the head. Norfolk Officer James B. Gilbert was the most recent local officer killed when he was shot by a man threatening suicide on Sept. 28, 2001. Another city officer, Robert M. Testa Jr., survived five gunshot wounds on Aug. 23 when he confronted a robber at a credit union. The danger always lurks for police, Amos said. ``It's tragic,'' he said. ``You never get used to it, and you're never really prepared for it when it happens. You just pick up the pieces and move on.'' At the bar Thursday, officers collected forensic evidence throughout the morning, and crime-scene tape kept passers-by away. Information about prior police activity there was unavailable Thursday. The state has no record of any charges or complaints against the bar, said Leon G. Coleman, special agent in charge of the bureau of law enforcement for the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. ABC will investigate the incident, he said. In December, the bar's owners asked the city's permission to expand to accommodate 150 people, up from 88, and to add live music, disc jockeys and dancing, according to city records. City planners have recommended allowing the expansion, saying the bar has operated since 1999 without complaints. The Norfolk Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the request for 2:30 p.m. Jan. 23. McSwain said his heart ached over Herring-Patrick's death. ``I really am very sorry for the family that this happened.''

Firefighter Injured on Way to Estill Blaze
By: Wayne Thomas January 17, 2003
Firemen from North Franklin County and Estill Springs Fire Departments battled a fire that destroyed a house located at the corner of Honey Lane and Highway 130 Thursday A North Franklin County Fireman was injured while enroute to a fire in Estill Springs Thursday morning. According to a report by Tennessee Highway Patrolman Russell Miller report, Fireman Gordon Konyndyk, 61, of 610 Boswell LN, Tullahoma was driving a tanker truck to a fire when got too close to edge of the road onto the narrow shoulder and then compensated. He then went across the roadway into a field. Once into the field, according to the trooper, the truck rolled twice before coming to rest on its wheels. Konyndyk was removed from the vehicle and transported by Rural Metro Ambulance Service to Harton Regional Medical Center in Tullahoma. The traffic along Highway 130, near Blue Springs Road, was blocked for sometime while Frankie Morris Wrecker Service removed the fire truck from the field. Before the tanker truck was removed from the field, rescue personnel drained the water the vehcile was transporting. Konyndyk was treated and released at Harton. Deputy Sgt. Wayne Morris and Deputy Paul Sanson and members of the fire department assisted with traffic and in freeing the fireman. Meanwhile, other North Franklin County Firemen proceeded to the fire on 27 Honey Lane in Estill Springs. Once at the fire, the firemen joined Estill Springs firefighters in battling the blaze. Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy Jennifer Grubbs, who was in route to teach D.A.R.E. at North Lake Elementary School discovered the fire. She and two high school students attempted to get into the house to make sure no one was injured. Grubbs notified dispatchers that the house, which was located at the corner of Highway 130 and Honey Lane, was fully engulfed. Once at the door, she found Wade Davis in the residence, who advised Grubbs that he did not need an ambulance and did not need to go to be transported to the hospital. Also living in the residence, but was not home at the time of the blaze, was Norma Reynolds. Traffic along the busy highway was also halted for a time while fire fighters continued to fight the blaze. North Franklin County Fire Chief Bill Faulkner requested the assistance of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department to determine the cause of the blaze. Capt. Greg Lewis and Investigator Mike Bell along with Sheriff's Deputies Bruce Bishop and Todd Hindman arrived to assist with the traffic problems. Sheriff's Investigator Lt. Robert Campbell will investigate the fire to determine the cause of the blaze.

Firefighter Injured in Delco Blaze
UPPER DARBY, Pa. — Two firefighters were injured battling a two-alarm blaze, officials said.
The firefighters were taken to Delaware County Memorial Hospital, where one was treated for a nail puncture and the other for a knee injury, Fire Chief Ed Cubler said. The intense fire, which broke out shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday, melted basement joists in the two-story house, causing part of the first floor to collapse. Officials had not immediately determined a cause.

Two DeKalb Firefighters Injured While Battling Blaze
Firefighters Expected to Recover
Two DeKalb County firefighters are recovering after being injured while fighting separate fires. One firefighter was injured when hot embers fell on him while battling a blaze at a home on Reilly Lane. Authorities said the fire started in the basement. His injuries were not life threatening. Another firefighter was injured while battling a fire at a residential unit on Glenside Court. Part of the roof and the ceiling collapsed on the firefighter, authorities said.

OPP officer struck by car at accident scene
By Star Staff 
Local News - An Ontario Provincial Police officer from Sudbury is in hospital in serious condition after being struck by a car while investigating a motor vehicle accident. The female officer, whose name was not released, was assisting at the scene of a two-vehicle collision Saturday night on Highway 17, west of the Long Lake Road intersection, when she was struck by a westbound vehicle. The initial accident occurred at about 6 p.m. The officer was struck at 8:20 p.m. No further information on her condition was available. The drivers of the two vehicles involved in the original accident were taken to hospital. They have been identified as Marcel Bourgouin and Howard Armstrong, both of Sudbury. Armstrong was released from hospital with minor injuries. Bourgouin was transported to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. The investigation into the initial accident is ongoing, but police say alcohol was a factor . The highway was closed for about 15 hours while OPP reconstruction officers investigated the two 
incidents. 

Firefighter charged after accident
By: news14.com 
CORNELIUS, N.C. — Cornelius police have charged a volunteer Davidson firefighter with reckless driving after the firetruck he was driving to a Saturday night house fire overturned in the road. According to police, 22-year-old Robert Hutchinson has been charged with reckless driving. He was charged with going 55 mph in a 35 mph zone. Fortunately, all three Davidson volunteer firefighters involved in the incident walked away with only minor injuries. Two captains and one assistant fire chief escaped the wreck with some scrapes, bruises and soreness. But once the three men were released from the hospital, police started looking for answers. "To determine if speed was a factor or whatever," said Fire Chief David Boyd about what the investigation would be looking at. "We'll do our own internal investigation." During the investigation, police determined the truck was going 55 mph. The speed limit on the road and around the curve is 35 mph. "Whatever the posted speed limit is, you're given 10 miles over on that call," said Boyd. Currently, the three men involved are on leave. "It's not a suspension," said Boyd. "But more of a leave until all this is worked out." The firefighters on the overturned truck never made it to the fire. Fortunately, Davidson's 29 volunteer firefighters have the backup of the Cornelius Fire Department on every single call. "From what I gather, they did a heck of a job saving what they saved, but I don't think us not showing up had a detrimental effect," said Boyd. The Davidson Volunteer Fire Department also lost the use of its $500,000 ladder truck, which the department said it hopes it can salvage. Until then, it will rely on Cornelius and Huntersville for the use of their trucks. The chief said he feels very lucky no one was seriously injured and that there is a backup system in place for fires. He said the firefighters may get probation, and more instruction about operating oversized vehicles.

Utah Medevac Enroute to Accident Crashes, Killing Two
PATTY HENETZ Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A medical helicopter responding to an emergency crashed in dense fog, killing two hospital employees and leaving the only survivor in critical condition, authorities said. The helicopter went down in a field near the Salt Lake City airport about 9 p.m. Friday with the pilot, a nurse and a paramedic aboard, said Fire Department spokesman Scott Freitag. The only survivor, the nurse, was hospitalized at LDS Hospital, where all three men worked. The LifeFlight crew had been headed to a car crash about 100 miles away near Wendover when the pilot determined the fog was too thick to continue. The helicopter turned back, and the pilot asked to land at the Salt Lake City airport, Freitag said. ``They were waiting for clearance when something went wrong and they crashed,'' he said. Another emergency helicopter had been called earlier to respond to the same crash but it, too, had headed back shortly after takeoff because the fog was too thick, said University of Utah hospital spokeswoman Ann Brillinger. ``We lost members of our family last night,'' said Jess Gomez, a spokesman for LDS Hospital. ``Now we are just doing what we can to make sure their families are taken care of.'' The area where the helicopter crashed, just south of Great Salt Lake, is vulnerable to thick winter fog. Nearly 60 vehicles collided in the same area Wednesday in fog and black ice, resulting in 11 injuries. Freitag said the National Transportation and Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were investigating the helicopter crash. 

Trooper hospitalized after inhaling fumes
Fumes from the remnants of a methamphetamine lab sent a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper to the hospital this afternoon. Maintenance workers discovered the remnants inside a trash can at the southbound rest area south of Newton on I-135, Harvey County officials said. A trooper who responded to the call became faint after inhaling the fumes. He was treated and released Saturday from Newton Medical Center. The rest area was temporarily closed while officers from the Harvey County Drug Task Force conducted an investigation and cleanup. 

Fireman hurt in Cal City fire
BY KEITH BENMAN Times Business Writer
CALUMET CITY -- A firefighter was injured after receiving a 7,800-volt jolt as he investigated the cause of a soffit fire at the Value City Furniture strip mall Saturday morning. The firefighter suffered some small burns and was taken to St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Center in Hammond and later released, according to Capt. Joseph Ratkovich. The captain said he could not release the firefighter's name. The fire at the strip mall at 2100 River Oaks Drive was reported at 10:49 a.m. and shoppers and store workers were evacuated when firefighters arrived, according to Ratkovich. The fire was smoldering in a tangle of wires in the soffit, Ratkovich said. The firefighter who received the electric shock had crawled up into the soffit and was in a confined space when he received the shock. Other firefighters assisted him in getting out. Commonwealth Edison was called to turn off all electricity to the mall, and hot wires in the area of the fire were removed. The mall reopened about 2 p.m.

SF firefighter remains critical after fall from engine
A female San Francisco firefighter remains in critical condition today after falling from the back of a fire engine and hitting her head. Forty-year-old Melinda Ohler was injured Wednesday evening as the engine she was on headed for San Francisco International Airport to respond to reports of a fire in a people-mover car. The 13-year veteran of the force underwent two operations at San Francisco General Hospital to relieve pressure on her brain. She remained unconscious and unresponsive. Fire Chief Mario Trevino says Ohler signaled an "all clear" to the driver of the engine, indicating she was seated with her seat belt fastened. Moments later, as the engine gained speed, Ohler fell. Her seat belt was found unfastened. Trevino said it is not clear how the belt came undone. He says it's the first accident of its kind in city history.

GA Firefighter Killed In Crash
HEATHER CASPI
Firefighters in Donalsonville, Georgia are mourning the loss of Firefighter Lattie F. Collins the Third, who was killed in a car crash while responding to another emergency. Collins became a volunteer firefighter for Seminole County just three months ago and served under Chief Travis Brooks at the Donalsonville Fire Department. "He was dependable, interested in learning, and loved to help people," Brooks said. Collins was en route to the fire station to respond to a motor vehicle accident when he came to an intersection at a four lane highway. After he stopped he proceeded across the intersection and was struck by another vehicle, Brooks said. Fellow firefighters arrived on the scene and discovered it was Collins when they extricated him from the wreck. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the local hospital. Collins, 36, is survived by his wife Shelly and his seven-month-old baby daughter Hannah. Collins was the pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Donalsonville, was president of the local ministerial association, and served as chaplain for the local police and sheriffs' departments, Brooks said. He also worked on disaster relief to help flood victims in September 2002. "He was an inspiration to all of us," Brooks said. "Wherever he was needed is where he went, whether it was another church, another denomination, or just a family in need." Brooks said this is the first line of duty death in the department, which has eight career firefighters and works with about 14 volunteers to protect a population of 3,500 in the southwest corner of Georgia. "He was just a good all around fella that just enjoyed life and always had a smile and always had a joke to tell," the chief said of Collins. Funeral services will take place Saturday, January 11 at 2 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church in Donalsonville. The burial will be in Mobile, Alabama.

'Nothin' fire' turned explosive; Aurora firefighters escape major injury
By Sheba R. Wheeler
AURORA - From the looks of this "nothin' fire," it would not be long before the fire crew was back at the station finishing their cups of coffee, Aurora Fire Engineer Randy Rester thought to himself Tuesday night.  What was thought to be a weed fire burning near a construction site between Gun Club and Tower roads off Hampden Avenue had turned out to be a towering, bright yellow earth scraper with fire devouring its passenger seat, transmission and engine. From his bird's eye view standing atop the fire truck's pump panel, Rester could see that the fire was almost out less than a minute after Capt. Doug Neisen, paramedic Mike Stanley and firefighter Todd Baker attacked it. He turned his back to adjust the gauges, kicking up the level of foam being sprayed on an overheated engine when the routine suddenly became terrifying. An 8-foot-high, 2-ton tire exploded from the heat, mere inches away from the firefighters. The blast impact sent Neisen and Stanley hurtling in the air before they crashed into a tractor and dropped heavily to the ground. Rester jerked around and watched the impossibly heavy tire shoot into the night air, flip end over end, fall to the ground and launch back into flight, heading straight for him less than 20 feet away. "I just knew we were going to die," Neisen said Thursday, remembering the accident. Three miles away at Aurora's Fire Station No. 10, Battalion Chief Richard Jones heard a muffled "whoosh," and felt the building shake. He ran toward the kitchen, thinking the oven had exploded. Ten seconds later another explosion rocked the station, much louder this time. He jumped in his car and was speeding toward the fire minutes before he got the call asking for help. Rester dropped down behind the cab of the fire truck, expecting the first tire to come crashing down on him. But nothing happened. Slowly standing up, he saw the tire had missed him and his colleagues after the impact wedged it between two other tractors. But a wall of fire and debris had engulfed the men below, hiding them from Rester's view. "I couldn't see them, but I knew they were there," Rester said. "All I could think was to just keep pumping the water, keep the fire off them. Then I saw three people come around the side - to people were dragging one. Doug and Todd were carrying Mike." Neisen and Stanley escaped the blaze with second-degree burns and concussions while Rester and Baker were treated for minor injuries and smoke inhalation. They were released that same night. Rester's first day back at work was Thursday, while it could take two to three weeks for the other men to return. "All I can do is look at the fact that we are all still here and wonder about what it was that kept us alive," Stanley said. "I know he would never be happy not being a firefighter," said Sandy Stanley, Mike's wife. "So I truly put my faith in God and prayed for him to watch over him and his men." The fire is still under investigation, but it seems clear that it was accidental, Jones said. "I tell my men to take care of each other and don't ever underestimate an alarm," Jones said. "There is no such thing as a routine call."

Firefighter pulled from fiery rubble
By Lora Bernard Texas City Sun
Curtis Barber never realized he was sitting in a bed of fire. “I don’t remember that,” the firefighter said as he sat on a grassy knoll while other firefighters finished battling a blaze that left him injured Thursday afternoon. “I just remember that it hurt and I couldn’t get out.” The La Marque firefighter said he believed he had a sprained ankle after he became trapped when the Tiki Island condominium he was fighting to save crumbled around him. The fire began at 3:15 p.m. Thursday. By the time it was under control, three units were destroyed. When part of the condo collapsed a flaming wall crashed on top of Barber and he was knocked to the ground. His ankle was caught in rubble and he was trapped. A few feet away, a retired policeman from Ohio and his friend from Tennessee were hauling hoses for the volunteer firefighters. They came to help after they saw the fire from their business. Darrel Pelfrey and Chris Williams said they saw Barber sitting in a bed of flames and realized he was alone and trapped. “He needed help,” Pelfrey said. “That’s all I thought
about. He needed help. So, I just ran.” As they ran, they yelled for help and even as the words, “Man down,” reverberated through the crowd, Pelfrey and Williams - who were not wearing protective gear - were inside the burning building frantically trying to free the trapped man. The fire licked the men’s shoes and melted a portion of Pelfrey’s pants before another firefighter appeared to help them. “We picked him up and got him out,” Pelfrey said. Afterwards, the men sat quietly near Barber as he rested and emergency workers taped his ankle. They didn’t leave his side until he was taken away on a gurney. “He needs to see a doctor,” Williams said as the man disappeared among emergency workers and fellow firefighters who whisked him to the hospital. “He took a two-by-four on the head and he was engulfed in fire.” Barber never knew the men’s names. He introduced them to people on scene by saying, “These men helped pull me out.”

Suspect Killed, SWAT Officer Shot During Standoff; Deputies Try To Serve Arrest Warrant, Lawman OK
Posted: 8:27 a.m. CST January 8, 2003
SAN ANTONIO -- A man was killed and a Bexar County SWAT team officer was shot following a four-hour standoff in north Bexar County early Wednesday. Bexar County Sheriff Department officials said the standoff started when deputies tried to serve an arrest warrant on the suspect at the Sun Canyon Apartments at 2170 Thousand Oaks at 11 p.m. Sheriff's officials said when the lawmen went to the door, the man displayed a handgun and then barricaded himself in a back bedroom. After negotiators were called in, the suspect apparently came out, displayed his weapon and barricaded himself again, officials said. A SWAT team was later dispatched and they stormed into the apartment at 3 a.m. when shots were exchanged. "When the SWAT team made entry, the subject opened fire with an unknown caliber handgun," said Chief Deputy Ruben Garcia, of the Bexar Co. Sheriff's Dept. Garcia said officers returned fire and fatally wounded the suspect, who was wanted on three warrants, two of them on felony charges. A SWAT officer was hit in his bullet-proof vest. He was transported to University Hospital where he was treated and released. The suspect has not been identified until next of kin is notified.

Firefighters hurt in blast
By Will Ryan and Jim Kehl Special to The Denver Post 
Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - Four Aurora firefighters were injured when a massive tractor tire exploded Tuesday night during a fire at a construction site in southeast Aurora. Crews were dispatched at 6:31 p.m. on reports of a brush fire at a housing development construction site near the Plains Conservation Center at 21901 E. Hampden Ave. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered an engine fire in an earthmoving tractor. As crews started spraying water on the flames, one of the machine's 8-foot-diameter front tires exploded and flew at the four firefighters, authorities said. "The tire traveled 72 feet," Aurora fire spokesman Lt. Kevin Hammons said. The injured firefighters were treated at the scene and taken by ambulance to the Medical Center of Aurora South. "We don't have any major injuries associated with this explosion. Everybody will probably be released tonight," hospital spokeswoman Beverly Petrie said Tuesday night. Hammons said the tractor's other front tire exploded shortly after the first but did not injure anyone. He said pieces of the tractor and tires flew distances as far as 150 feet as a result of the explosions. About a mile away, Lawson Kendall was playing with his daughter in his home when he heard something that "shook the whole house." "I thought my wife had fell out of the bed," Kendall said. Shortly after the explosions, additional fire crews arrived at the scene and attacked the blaze. "Once we got a crew in safely, we were able to put it out rather quickly," Hammons said. The earthmover was not in use when the fire started and was parked alongside about 15 similar machines at the construction site, Hammons said. There were no indications that the fire was intentionally set, but the cause was under investigation, Hammons said. "Engine fires after a rig is shut down are not totally uncommon," Hammons said.

Bronx furniture store fire injures 27
NEW YORK -- Dozens of firefighters were injured, none seriously, in an hours-long battle against a blaze that engulfed half a city block before it was brought under control early Monday, officials said. The five-alarm fire spread from a furniture store to a neighboring liquor store. It may have begun in a sparking electrical fuse box in the furniture shop basement, fire officials said. The furniture store had a electrical blackout shortly before the fire, employees told fire investigators. Workers went to check on the store fuse box, which was glowing red and putting out sparks and smoke, assistant chief fire marshal Richard McCahey said Monday. Fire marshals were examining the remains of the fuse box and the surrounding area Monday morning, he said. A 77-year-old woman who suffers from asthma and uses a wheelchair was treated for smoke inhalation, relatives said. Twenty-six firefighters were treated for injuries such as smoke inhalation and bumps and bruises, said Dave Billig, a fire department spokesman. None required hospitalization, Billig said. The five-alarm fire broke out around 2 p.m. Sunday and spread from the furniture store, the size of half a city block, to a neighboring liquor store, fire department officials said. The liquor store exploded, some witnesses said. Three nearby apartment buildings were evacuated. Subway service was disrupted on the Nos. 2 and 5 lines. About 225 firefighters battled the blaze, which was brought under control just before 1:40 a.m. They said furniture and packing materials fed the flames, which engulfed the one-story stores and another small shop, possibly a furniture store annex. Several employees and customers escaped without injuries, said fire department Chief Frank Cruthers, who was at the scene. The liquor store was empty when the fire spread.

CHP officer hurt in I-80 car accident E-Mail a Friend
By Staff report
A California Highway Patrol officer was in fair condition Monday, as his agency looked for the reason his patrol car lost control and overturned on Interstate 80 Sunday night. Officer Eric Ackermann was being treated for his injuries at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. The accident occurred around 5:38 p.m. on I-80 east of American Canyon Road between Vallejo and Cordelia, according to a CHP news release. Ackermann was driving his patrol car in the far right lane, when the car veered to the left and he lost control. The car traveled across all four lanes into the center median. It continued up a dirt embankment and overturned on its top. Rescue workers pulled Ackermann from his car, and he was airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Fire Burns Firehouse; Lack Of Hydrants Hampers Firefighting Efforts 
January 6, 2003
Officials are investigating a fire that burned a firehouse in New Jersey and destroyed an antique fire truck and other equipment, according to a Local 6 News report. Firefighters were able to save a couple of trucks from the Nesco Fire Company station in Mullica Township, but often found themselves held back by smoke. Firefighting efforts were also hampered because there were no hydrants in the area, and water had to be pumped from a nearby lake. A 1925 Model T antique firetruck was completely destroyed in the fire. Other Atlantic County fire companies are helping cover Nesco's territory.

Eight Firefighters Treated After Firehouse Mishap
By Associated Press Chicago Monday, January 06, 2003 9:51 AM
Fumes from a sump pump are blamed for irritated eyes suffered by several firefighters at a Chicago firehouse (at 79th and Michigan) overnight. Eight firefighters went to a hospital for treatment. Officials say ice on a roof vent apparently caused fumes to back up. The ice was chipped away and a maintenance crew is cleaning the pump this morning. Firefighters are working out of another firehouse today.

Investigation underway for overturned fire truck
1/5/03 7:00 PM By: Katrina Wright, News 14 Carolina
CORNELIUS, N.C. -- Cornelius police are investigating an accident involving an overturned fire truck on its way to a working fire. It happened Saturday night. Fortunately, all three Davidson volunteer firefighters involved in the incident, walked away with only minor injuries. But now two agencies are looking into why the incident happened in the first place, and they are trying to make sure it does not happen again. Two captains and one assistant fire chief escaped this wreck with some scrapes, bruises and soarness. Now that the three men from the Davidson Volunteer Fire Department have been released from the hospital police are looking for answers. "To determine if speed was a factor or whatever," said Fire Chief David Boyd. "We'll do our own internal investigation." The investigation will try to determine just how fast firefighters may have been driving. The speed limit on this road and around this curve is 35 miles an hour. "Whatever the posted speed limit is, you're given ten miles over on that call," said Boyd. For now the three men involved are on leave. "It's not a suspension," said Boyd. "But more of a leave until all this is worked out." The firefighters on the overturned truck never made it to a working fire. Fortunately, Davidson's 29 volunteer firefighters have the backup of the Cornelius Fire Department on every single call. "From what I gather, they did a heck of a job saving what they saved, but I don't think us not showing up had a detrimental effect," said Boyd. The Davidson Volunteer Fire Department also lost the use of its half-million dollar ladder truck which the department hopes it can salvage. Until then it will rely on Cornelius and Huntersville for the use of their ladder trucks. The chief said he feels very lucky no one was seriously injured and that there is a backup system in place for fires but said he will carefully investigate. "Hopefully this is the worst we ever have," said Boyd. "We want to do an investigation and find out exactly what happened and, if there was wrongdoing, it won't happen again." The investigation about the overturned fire truck, should take about a week. If investigators find that speed or reckless driving was a factor in the crash, Chief Boyd said the firefighters may get probation, and more instruction about operating oversized vehicles.

Four San Antonio police officers injured, man killed during gunfight at restaurant
2003-01-03
SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Four police officers were wounded - two critically - after a man grabbed guns from two of them while they tried to break up a fight at a restaurant early Friday, authorities said. One of the officers fatally shot the man, identified by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as Jamie Lichtenwalter, 26. Officers were called to a Denny's restaurant in the northeast section of the city about 3:30 a.m. after Lichtenwalter confronted a man who had gone out with Lichtenwalter's girlfriend, said Sgt. Gabe Trevino, a San Antonio Police Department spokesman. The girlfriend told a restaurant worker to call police because Lichtenwalter had a shotgun in his car and had threatened to kill her, Trevino said. When police arrived, Lichtenwalter punched Detective John Bocko, grabbed his gun, and eventually fired all 16 rounds in the clip, Trevino said. He then took a gun from Officer David Evans and was firing that weapon when Officer Michael Muniz shot him to death, Trevino said. Evans, 51, and Muniz, 22, were in critical condition after emergency surgery Friday. Police said Evans, who was shot in the abdomen and chest, is a 25-year veteran, while Muniz, shot in the neck and chest, has been a policeman five months. Less seriously injured were Officer Nathan Murray, 33, who was shot in the face, and Bocko, 34, who suffered a bullet-graze wound to his back. Lichtenwalter, who had worked as a bouncer at area strip clubs, was released from prison in July 2001 after serving seven years for attempted murder. Lichtenwalter was convicted of a 1992 shooting in a San Antonio suburb that left a teenager brain-damaged and paralyzed. 

Trooper kills man at pullout
STERLING HIGHWAY: Man shot while threatening officer with vehicle, troopers say. 
By Zaz Hollander Anchorage Daily News 
A state trooper shot and killed a man outside Soldotna early Saturday after the man refused to get out of his car and then accelerated toward another trooper, the agency said. The man, 30-year-old Casey G. Porter of Nikiski, died at the scene, a roadside pullout on the Sterling Highway. Neither trooper was injured. Both were placed on three days of administrative leave with pay. Their names won't be released until today. Troopers would not say Saturday whether there was a weapon in the car or whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the shooting. Porter was no stranger to authorities on the Kenai Peninsula, said Rose Moseley, a friend. Troopers said there was a current warrant out for Porter's arrest for violation of the conditions of release. State records show he has a long list of criminal offenses ranging from a minor in possession of alcohol to resisting arrest. Moseley said she met Porter 12 years ago when he started dating her best friend's daughter. Porter and the woman split up but have a 3-year-ol d daughter. The big redhead wasn't the kind to "pull a gun on a cop," Moseley said. "So why'd they shoot him?" Porter was recovering from a car wreck last year and was just starting to walk with a cane, she added. According to troopers, the incident began at 1:49 a.m., when a state Department of Transportation employee called the troopers in Soldotna to reported a suspicious blue sedan parked at a pullout on the Sterling Highway at Kenai Keys Road. A lone man sat inside the car, the DOT worker told troopers. Sometimes an interior light flashed on, then went off. At 2:07 a.m., two troopers in separate cars arrived at the scene, basically a wide place in the road known to locals as a party spot near some dirt roads but no houses. Here's what happened next, according to Greg Wilkinson, troopers spokesman: One trooper parked in front of Porter's car, his headlights and searchlights lighting up Porter's sedan. That trooper opened his door and stood behind it. The other trooper approached the car and walked to the driver's window. "I'm not sure exactly how the conversation started, . . . with 'license, registration' or 'Hey, are you OK?' but I'm sure there was something about the situation that made the trooper nervous," Wilkinson said. The troopers said Porter refused to keep both his hands visible on the steering wheel, despite repeated requests from the trooper standing next to his car. He kept fidgeting, doing something around his feet, slouching over, putting his hands down. The trooper told Porter to get out of the car a number of times. He continued to refuse. Then the trooper told Porter he'd spray him with pepper spray unless he left the car. When Porter still didn't move, the trooper sprayed him. "At that point he put his hands on the steering wheel and hit the accelerator," heading for the other officer, Wilkinson said. The trooper beside the car, fearing for his colleague's safety, yelled at Porter to stop, Wilkinson said. When he didn't, the trooper drew his 9 mm Glock sidearm and fired into the car, hitting Porter. Wilkinson could not say how many times the trooper fired or how many times Porter was hit. The car rolled to a stop against the patrol car, damaging the push bar and the grille protecting the headlights. The troopers called for medical assistance. Two investigators from the Criminal Investigation Bureau in Anchorage and two crime scene specialists in the state's mobile crime scene van arrived at the scene about 10 a.m. Saturday. The suspect's car was taken to the impound lot in Anchorage for further investigation. The trooper who fired the shots had his weapon confiscated and turned over to investigators. He was issued another weapon. 

Firefighter struck by car 
By Charlie Breitrose Saturday, January 4, 2003
WELLESLEY -- A firefighter was taken to Newton-Wellesley Hospital with minor injuries last night after being struck by a slow-moving car. Wellesley police and fire departments did not release the name of the fire fighter, but Police Lt. Jack Pilecki said the firefighter was quickly released from the hospital with no serious injuries. The accident occurred at 9:05 p.m. on slushy roads on Weston Road at Norfolk Terrace, Pilecki said. "The firefighter was in the street helping the fire truck back up," he said. "A car was coming down Weston Road and didn't see the guy in the street." The driver was not charged with any traffic violations, Pilecki said. 

Two Metro Officers Involved in Separate Car Accidents
Two Metro Officers are recovering after two seperate accidents that happened just hours apart. When you hear about something like this, the first thing you wonder is "How did it happen?". It's a question that not only are police investigators trying to answer, but so are the many witnesses who saw these accidents. NORTH NASHVILLE:Daylight came with a lot of question for April Arrington, "I was kind of angry cause nobody knocked on my door and let me know what was going on." She's still trying to figure out what happened in her front yard last night. While she was sleeping, two vehicles collided in front of her home and one of them was a police car. Witness, Syretti Pillow-Majors, "I was inside the house laying across the bed watching TV. Then I heard something like a scraping sound and then I heard a boom." The five people in the first car weren't seriously hurt. As for the police officer, Jimi Davis of east sector, managed to make it out of the accident with non-life threatening injuries. His cruiser slid across Arrington's yard and stopped at the corner of the house next door. Nashville Fire Deptartment Chief Robert Jones, "I understand he had maybe some neck and back pain. Possibly a slight head injury." For April Arrington, the trail of trash left behind is all she has to go on. But, she says she's satisfied that whatever took place didn't happen any closer to her home. Police are also still investigating who's at fault and trying to locate a passenger they say fled the scene. SOUTH NASHVILLE:That accident... Came less than five hours after another crash in south nashville at nolensville & paragon mills involving metro police officer,tiffany head who was carried away on a stretcher. Witnesses say the police cruiser spun several times after colliding with a red pickup truck. "It was pretty bad. We were sitting almost directly behind it when it happened." They tell different stories about who's at fault, but investigators already have an idea what played a role in this crash. "There's evidence here at the scthat alcohol was involved on the part of the truck driver." News 2 has learned that DUI charges are pending against the truck driver. The officer involved and a passenger in the truck were hospitalized and treated for their non-critical injuries.

Officer Saves Hurt Train Conductor
Web Editor: Tracey Christensen
A Fulton County police officer is being credited with saving the life of a train conductor whose legs were severed in an accident early Thursday. The CSX train carrying materials to the Ralston-Purina Plant at the Fairburn Industrial Park south of Atlanta hit a box car about 3 a.m. Seven cars of the train derailed and two fell onto their side. The 21-year-old conductor, Shane White, hopped from the train and somehow became entrapped under the wheels of one of the cars. When Officer Robert Blalock arrived at the scene, he saw White bleeding on the ground. Blalock pulled off his belt and the victim's belt to create a tourniquet to help slow the bleeding. "First of all, our direct and immediate concerns are with the family of the gentleman who's been injured. We certainly want to do everything we can to make sure that his family is comfortable and that they are being taken care of," said Craig Camuso with CSX Atlanta. Paramedics transported White to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he remained in critical condition following surgery late Thursday.

Character Actor Dies in House Fire; Two Firefighter Also Injured
SHERMAN OAKS — Two Los Angeles firefighters were scheduled to undergo surgery today following a Hollywood Hills house fire reported to have claimed the life of actor Royce Applegate. The blaze at the three-story hillside home at 2616 N. Hollyridge Drive broke out around 8 a.m. yesterday, said Jim Wells of the Los Angeles City Fire Department. It took 40 firefighters roughly an hour to douse the flames. Two firefighters suffered second- and third-degree burns while battling the fire, fire officials said. Firefighter Dave Rogers, 46, sustained burns over roughly 8 percent of his body, mostly to his hands and legs, said Lisa Berry, a spokeswoman for the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital. Firefighter Rio Hernandez, 26, crashed through the burning roof of the stricken home and suffered burns over about 20 percent of his body, mostly to his arms and legs, Berry said. Both men were listed in stable condition. Once they doused the flames, firefighters entered the home and discovered the body of a man. Authorities did not immediately release the victim's name, but ABC7 Eyewitness News learned that he was actor Royce Applegate. The Oklahoma-born Applegate appeared in the films "The Rookie," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" "Splash," "Rain Man," "Driving Miss Daisy" and other productions, including in 1999 in the TV film "Inherit the Wind." He also appeared in the role of Gen. James Kemper in the Civil War film "Gods and Generals," slated for release in February. An autopsy was pending this morning.

Firefighter injured after gutter falls 
A Cincinnati firefighter suffered a minor injury after being struck by a falling gutter at a house fire in Bond Hill Sunday. District Four Fire Lt. Ron Wilkins, a 10-year veteran, was wearing his helmet and is expected to recover, Cincinnati fire officials said. He was treated and released at University Hospital. When Lt. Wilkins and about 25 other firefighters responded to a one-alarm fire at 5415 Newfield Ave. about 6:12 a.m., flames were shooting from a window of the one-story brick house. No one was home at the time. Damages were set at $50,000. The fire started in the basement, and arson was suspected. 

Driver hits fire truck, is killed 
Firefighters were responding to call
By J.J. STAMBAUGH, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
A head-on collision with a fire truck claimed the life of a 35-year-old Anderson County man Saturday afternoon, authorities said. Fredrick L. Rosenbalm of Andersonville died while going around a curve on Park Road in his 1994 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. His truck met with a Paulette Volunteer Fire Department truck going in the opposite direction, and the two vehicles collided. "The call (the firefighters) were going on was a chimney fire," said Chris Upton, a dispatcher with the Union County Sheriff's Department. The Paulette fire department is in Union County, but part of its coverage area can only be reached by driving through Anderson County, Upton said. According to a report filed by THP Trooper Anthony Lay, the fire truck involved in Saturday's accident was driven by 32-year-old Billy Raley of Maynardville. The fire truck was traveling with its lights and siren activated when Rosenbalm apparently veered into its path while going around a curve at 3:58 p.m., Lay reported. It was unknown if either driver had been using illegal drugs or alcohol, and blood tests were performed on both men, Lay said. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts. None of the four volunteer firefighters riding in the 1992 Mack fire truck was injured, according to the report. Last June a Paulette volunteer firefighter suffered back and shoulder injuries when a fire truck overturned on a brush fire call. The accident cost the department one of its firefighting vehicles and created a severe equipment shortage. 

Firetruck Totaled In Accident; Two Firefighters In Hospital; Truck Crashes While Responding To Call
December 26, 2002 Story by wral 
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Two Wake Forest firefighters were in the hospital Thursday, recovering from injuries they received on Christmas Day. They weren't hurt battling a fire. They were hurt getting to one. "We heard a big explosion," witness Lori Powers said. "We opened the door and saw that the firetruck had flipped." Two firefighters suffered broken legs when their truck ran off the road while responding to a call and flipped over. They are expected to remain in the hospital for the next two to three days. A third firefighter was treated at the scene and released. "My husband and son-in-law ran across the street to see if they were O.K.," Powers said, "and pull them out of the truck." All three firefighters were on the truck when the truck rounded a curve, and the driver lost control. According to fire department officials, the truck met a car as it came around the curve. Truck driver Shawn Thomas moved off onto the right shoulder to make room for the car. The ground was soft on the shoulder, and the engine started sinking, then hit a concrete drain pipe and overturned. Thomas suffered a broken femur, which was repaired in surgery Wednesday night. Thomas Howell, who was sitting in front passenger seat, had surgery Wednesday night to repair a broken femur, broken forearm and broken wrist. Wake Forest Fire chief Jimmy Keith said the truck was traveling at a normal rate of speed. He added that the outcome of the accident could have been much worse. "Everyone is thankful that we still have everyone with us," Keith said. "The neighbors were out in full force helping with the rescue." Fire officials said the truck is a total loss. Its estimated cost was $350,000. 

Kentland, Md. Tower Likely Totalled in Crash; No One Seriously Injured; Fire Possibly Involved Home Drug Lab 
Courtesy nbc4.com via IBS HEATHER L. CASPI Firehouse.com News
A Kentland, Maryland tower-ladder tipped over and sustained major damage Monday morning while en route to an explosion at a townhouse, officials said. A full box alarm was dispatched at 11:30 a.m. to New Oak Lane in Bowie after an explosion blew out the walls and windows of one townhome's second floor, said Prince Georges County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady. "It appears to be a drug lab gone bad," he said. Kentland VFD Station 33 was responding as second-due ladder. As the tower-ladder approached the scene of the explosion, it made a left turn just two blocks from the incident. As it turned the vehicle tipped over and impacted with a utility pole. Brady said the cause of the accident is under investigation, and did not know the speed the vehicle was traveling. "That's all part of the investigation and it's ongoing," the spokesman said. "It's much too early to speculate on the cause of the accident." Photos of the accident taken by NBC4 News show skidmarks where the tower-ladder rounded the corner. There were five firefighters on board. "They were obvioulsy shaken up," Brady said. "None appear to have suffered any type of injury, which in itself is amazing." Brady said a few of the firefighters were transported to Prince Georges Hospital Center for evaluation, even though the firefighters felt it was unnecessary. "We're very fortunate everybody was able to walk away without sustaining some type of injury," Brady said. He said it is also fortunate that at such a busy intersection, no other vehicles or pedestrians were involved in the incident. The vehicle, a 1994 tower-ladder FWD, sustained significant damage and is most likely totaled, Brady said. The replacement cost will be in the range of $600,000 to $700,000. Monday afternoon, firefighters were working with BG&E to figure out how to safely remove the vehicle from the scene, because the utility pole had snapped in half and was resting on top of the truck. Brady said the vehicle accident did not have any effect on the townhouse fire. Bowie firefighters knocked the fire down in 20 minutes with about 30 firefighters and paramedics on scene from four engine companies, two ladder trucks, a rescue truck and a Battalion Chief. Brady said the explosion caused about $100,000 of damage but did not destroy the homes on either side. The incident is under investigation by fire and narcotics officials. Brady said the loss of the tower-ladder will impact the area until it is replaced, because the Kentland VFD Station 33 is one of the top responding fire stations in the county. Brady said the incident exemplifies the dangers of the job. "It really does touch a nerve with the firefighters to have an accident like this occur," he said. 

Three Critically Injured in Long Beach, Calif. Aerial Accident; Unit Was Responding to Crash; Second Accident Near Scene Traps Woman 
JOE SEGURA
LONG BEACH, Calif -- A fire truck responding to a traffic accident early Sunday morning became involved in one itself when it collided with a car, critically injuring three passengers, an official said. Moments after the firefighters used Jaws of Life equipment to free four people, they rushed on foot to rescue a woman pinned under another car in a separate incident at a nearby fast-food restaurant, according to Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Wayne Chaney. The five firefighters were responding to a 1:27 a.m. call about an injury traffic accident at Seventh Street and Studebaker Road, Chaney said. The ladder truck was heading south on Pacific Coast Highway at Seventh Street when it collided with a northbound car, Chaney said. Another fire truck was dispatched to the crash at Studebaker; the firefighters at Seventh freed the four passengers, including a 17-year-old female, and then conducted triage at the scene. The three adults were identified as Nicholas Ferranding, 20, residence unknown, and Marcel Curtis, 22, and Patrick McClinton, 23, both of Signal Hill. McClinton, the driver, was given a blood test at the hospital, partly because open containers were found in the car, Chaney said. Test results were not immediately available. The car was totaled; the right front of the fire truck was damaged. As paramedics were attending to the injured, the firefighters heard a loud thud and screams from a Jack-in-the-Box parking lot at the northeast corner of the intersection. A 47-year-old woman had been hit and pinned underneath a car. Firefighters used high-pressure airbags designed to lift thousands of pounds to free her. Angela Paul of Lemoore was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, where she was treated and released. She had been visiting a son at Cal State Long Beach, Chaney said. The female driver in that case, not identified, was arrested for allegedly driving under the influ ence of alcohol, Chaney said. "It was very fortunate it was a five-member ladder truck,' Chaney said, because it carried the crew and equipment needed in both accidents. The firefighters, shaken by the collision, were treated by a stress management team. 

Truck Skids, Injures Officer on LIE
By Keiko Morris STAFF WRITER December 27, 2002
A Nassau County police officer was seriously injured yesterday on the Long Island Expressway when a tractor trailer went out of control on the icy roadway and slammed into the back of his patrol car, police said. Darwyn Byer, 43, and another officer had been called to investigate a two-car accident near eastbound Exit 41, the off-ramp to Routes 106 and 107, at about 4:40 a.m., said Sgt. Leo Brandino of the Nassau Highway Patrol Bureau. The drivers of those cars were taken to North Shore University Hospital at Syosset. Meanwhile, Byer, whose Ford Crown Victoria was in the right lane with its emergency lights on, helped the sister of one of the victims remove a TV from the back of her relative's car while waiting for a tow truck, Brandino said. Byer was lighting flares when the truck, driven by David Foster, 44, of Northampton, Pa., skidded into the back of his car. Police said that Foster was going too fast for the icy road conditions and that he applied his brakes abruptly when traffic in front of him slowed suddenly. The trailer of the truck began to fishtail into the right lane where Byer was parked, Brandino said. The cab of the semi cleared the police car, but the trailer struck the cruiser. It's not clear, police said, whether the trailer hit Byer or whether it sent the police car into him. Emergency workers arrived shortly afterward and found Byer semiconscious on the side of the road. He was taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where he was listed in stable condition in the intensive care unit. Police said that Byer, who has worked for the department for almost eight years, had cuts on his head and numerous bruises. Byer was lucky, said a much-relieved Brandino, who said the car had been crumpled in half. Police issued Foster six summonses. Only one - using speed not prudent for road conditions - was related to the accident. The others were for equipment violations, including no inspection on the tractor and the trailer and not keeping a log book. 

Fire damages apartment complex
LAWRENCE -- A fire injured two firefighters and damaged a Lawrence apartment complex late Wednesday on the city's east side. Authorities were called at 9:28 p.m. to the report of a structure fire at 213 Hanover Place. According to Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical, firefighters arrived to discover smoke and fire coming from the front of the building. A firefighter fell through the floor just inside the entry door and into the basement, authorities said. The firefighter was rescued and taken to a Lawrence hospital, where he was treated, then released. Another firefighter also suffered minor injuries. Officials said the fire caused about $85,000 in damage to the structure, which contained five apartments. No one was inside the building when the blaze started. The department's investigation unit was called to investigate the cause and origin of the fire. Authorities said 25 firefighters battled the blaze. The fire was under control at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday. 

Officer collapses from fumes during meth bust
2002-12-27
McALESTER (AP) -- A narcotics officer in McAlester was hospitalized after inhaling fumes from a container of anhydrous ammonia seized during a bust. Narcotics Task Force officer Tony Krebbs collapsed after breathing the caustic fumes and was transported to the McAlester Regional Health Center. He was treated and released, said hospital spokeswoman Susan Williams. The Thursday afternoon drug bust landed two people in jail, netted two methamphetamine labs and cleared up cases in three counties, according to police. Police seized meth-making materials from a rural home about 20 miles south of McAlester. Anhydrous ammonia, which is legally used as a fertilizer, is commonly used in methamphetamine labs, according to law enforcement officials. "That container was about three-quarters full," said Pittsburg County Sheriff Jerome Amaranto. Two people arrested at the scene are expected to be formally charged, Amaranto said. The husband and wife drove up as officers were seizing materials. Sheriff's deputies said the couple had lantern fuel and pseudophedrine in their vehicle. "It looked like they'd gone to every store in McAlester and bought the medicine," Amaranto said. Officers were called to the scene after the property owner went out to talk to the couple renting the property and spotted an extension cord running to a chicken house, Amaranto said. Another extension cord was running to a recreational vehicle believed to have been stolen from Coal County. 

City firefighter tumbles from roof, breaks back
GREGG M. MILIOTE, Herald News Staff Reporter December 29, 2002 
FALL RIVER -- A city firefighter fell off a roof while attempting to contain a fire on Milton Street early Christmas morning, fire officials say. While reports on the incidents are still sketchy, Deputy Chief William Mello did say Friday that acting Capt. Michael Silvia of Ladder Five at the Stanley Street Station fell from a roof and broke a single vertebra in his back. Mello said Silvia was immediately transported to Charlton Memorial Hospital for treatment. He said he is currently in a back brace and will most likely be out of work for the next six to eight weeks. A spokesperson from Charlton said Silvia had been discharged from the hospital sometime Friday morning. Silvia and other fire fighters had responded to a chimney fire on Milton Street at 1:30 a.m. Christmas morning when the incident occurred, Mello said. Apparently Silvia was on the roof of the home attempting to get the roof ladder off of the roof when he slipped on an icy spot and fell some 10 to 20 feet. 

Quebec Firefighter Dies on Christmas Eve Night of Anticipation Turns to Night of Loss 
LUC LAPOINTE Interim Chief of Operations Chateauguay Fire Department, Quebec
Christmas Eve is normally a time filled with holiday celebration and joyful spirits, but on this day, Thursday, December 24, Châteauguay firefighters mourned deeply, as one of their brothers died in the line of duty. Jacques Daigneault, age 52, suffered from a heart attack at a minor basement fire cause by an electrical problem. Many firefighters, polices officers and ambulance crews tried to revive the firefighter on the scene, with no success. He died a few moments after his arrival at the Anna-Laberge Hospital. Daigneault was a 20 year veteran of the Chateauguay Fire Department. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 28, 2002, at 11:00 am, at: St-Joachim Church 1 D'Youville Boulevard Châteauguay, Quebec.