Raleigh/Wake Firefighting Blog  -

This might be the same video that Dave Statter has linked in his video round-up, just longer and with audio. Three minutes of riding the rails, then an open switch sends the coal train plowing into freight cars on a spur track. Occurred in Cactus, TX, on October 9, 2006.Two crewmen injured, 26 cars and 2 locomotives derailed, and damages greater than a million dollars. As the saying goes, it's hard to turn away from watching a train wreck.
 

One of the first events for the new Raleigh Convention Center is the 2008 World Burn Congress, scheduled for the first four days of October. Conducted by the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors and hosted by the UNC Jaycee Burn Center and the OSFM, the annual international conference brings together more than 650 burn survivors, their families, caregivers, burn care professionals, and firefighters. The event is a forum for sharing stories, healing together, and learning about the latest developments in burn care. For more information, see the event web site.

Higher doors have been installed in the bays at Station 17 on Pleasant Valley Road. The doors were raised to allow future accomodation of an aerial apparatus.
 

Here's an image from last week's house movings on North Blount Street, as shot by myself. More pics coming. See Lee's photos. Or read the N&O story. Click to enlarge:
 

Let’s talk about a big topic. Let’s talk about big bellies. Gather enough firemen in a single spot and you’ll observe expanded waistlines. I’ve seen it in Baltimore. I saw it in Winston-Salem. I see it when I look in the mirror. Big belly. Forget weight, forget cholesterol. The latest word is waist size. That’s what they say is the single best indicator of "at risk." Riding without a seat belt? That’s at risk. Standing in traffic without a vest? That’s at risk. Working a fire without PPE? That’s at risk.

If you, or your bud, or your team member, or your family member has a big belly, they’re at risk. Plain, simple, maybe brutal, maybe embarrassing. Many factors conspire to aid the expansion of waistlines. From our genes to our appetites, there are many reasons for girth growth. Regrettably, there’s rarely a quick fix. It’s lifestyle changes, maybe drastic, maybe small steps. But all pointing in the direction of better health.

Where should we go with this topic? Don’t know. Seems worthy to raise. Firefighter, rescue thyself. Mike, get healthier. I’m interested in lengthening the likelihood of my time on this planet. Hope you are too.
 

Thinking cap time. Research for a future FireNews article and probably web site, as dreaded up between Jeff H and myself at his NCSFA booth. What departments in North Carolina have closed, or renamed due to mergers?  Names, year started, year closed, station locations, and any other info. is great. Quick names, off the top of our heads:

Here's an interesting blog from the Triad area, found while browsing for something else. Called the Troublemaker. Looks like a combination police beat and local government watchdog. Postings back to 2006.

The City of Raleigh Fire Department is placing a bronze plaque on the Smokehouse at the Keeter Training Center. The plaque commemorates the history of the Smokehouse, the oldest facility on the grounds of the training center.The plaque will be formally unveiled on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. The Keeter Training Center is located at 105 Keeter Center Drive, just south of downtown. Read entire press release. Or learn more about the history of the smokehouse.

Firefox 3 has been released. The web browser upgrades the location bar with a different look and feel. To restore the Firefox 2 location bar that you know and love, install this add-on. Other good add-ons, while we're on the subject? Yours Truly uses NoScript to block JavaScript by default. Thus no annoying actions on page loading. Since most pages also use JavaScript for navigation, it adds an extra step or two for first-time visits to site. Another good add-on is Ad Block Plus, which does what it says. Blocks ads. Then weigh the ethical issue, since blocking ads can prevent your favorite web sites from making money, which may fund the very web site you're viewing!
 

Found on the Carolinas Fire Page mailing list, here's an interesting article about digital radio communications on the fireground. The gist is that tests suggest that firefighters need better training on operating radios in high-noise environments. That is, before discounting the technology outright. Read the article.

Question: How do you operate a steam fire engine? Answer: Very carefully. Have you been looking for a copy of Stephen Roper's Handbook of Modern Steam Fire Engines, published in 1889? The 400-page guide to the running, care, and management of steam engines and fire pumps? Yeah, common request, that one. The book is available on CD, along with two other vintage volumes at SharingHistory.com. Pretty cool service, and a pretty cool CD for history buffs. Nothing like old drawings! And if you're curious how many steamers served in North Carolina, here's an excellent resource. Raleigh had a couple.
 

Yours Truly will be wandering around Winston-Salem on Friday and Saturday at the State Fireman's Convention, or as it's known now, the South Atlantic Fire Expo. 'Tis the second year for the convention in the Twin City, then they're coming to Raleigh! We'll have to treat 'em right in 2009. Look for Hawaiian Shirt Guy on the exhibit floor as usual, or scaring people away from the FireNews.net booth. When was the first annual convention? That one's easy, in 1889 in Raleigh. When was the first gathering of firemen from around the state? In the late 1860s and early 1870s, fire companies visited one another. In 1870, the State Fair included contests for steam and hand engines. Unknown if other towns than Raleigh participated. In 1873, a convention of colored firefighters was held in Raleigh. Companies came from Fayetteville, New Bern, and Wilmington.
 

Noticed by a reader, here's Google's view of Fire Station 2 on Pecan Road. The satellite captured Engine 2 backing into the station. The Street View shows them in quarters, expectedly.

Updated again. Fully loaded gas tanker overturned on inner loop of Beltline just before Rock Quarry Road. Exiting from I-40, rig reportedly lost control, rolled, and caught fire. Driver ejected, then pulled to safety by passers-by. Transported to WakeMed, then transferred to UNC burn center. Garner initially dispatched, then Raleigh E10. Also dispatched as house fire at the end of Rose Lane. Alarm time about 12:34 a.m. Engine 10 first on scene. Units included Raleigh E10, E12, E2, E7 (off Rose Lane), B2, C5, Garner E1, T_, B1, plus tankers from Eastern Wake, New Hope, Swift Creek, and Western Wake. Tanker shuttle operated from water point on Rock Quarry Road. Beltline closed as fire burned itself out. EMS with two units, supervisor, and Truck 1. Crews cleared by 5:35 a.m., and lanes opened at that time. Earlier tanker fires on Beltline include December 18, 1998 (driver killed after striking abandoned car on shoulder at Capital Boulevard) and August 6, 1977 (tanker rolls on ramp at New Bern Avenue). Photos from Lee Wilson forthcoming.
 

As today's News & Observer notes, the DOT is fulfilling their promise to pull the "Inner Beltline" and "Outline Beltine" signs they say have bothered people for too long. The southern 8 miles, from Exit 293 (US 1/US 64) to Exit 301 (the I-40 split) will be known exclusively as I-40. The northern 16 miles, passing Crabtree, North Hills, and New Bern Avenue, will be known only as I-440. The inner lanes called East, the outer lanes called West. Got it? For those still confused, Yours Truly has a navigation aid at the ready. This guide to Getting Around Raleigh was drawn around 1990. Eh, it works.
 

The Wake-New Hope Fire Department has the following items for sale:

(14) SCOTT AP-50 SCBAs. Meet 1997 NFPA Standard. All packs contain integrated PASS. Included with each SCBA will be (2) 60 minute 4500 psi Carbon Fiber Bottles, (2) AV-2000 Facemasks w/voice amp clip, and (1) SCOTT Voice amplifier. The equipment is in good working order and full maintainance records will be included in sale. Every pack flow tested annually. READ MORE

Jesse Creech, a supervisor in the Raleigh-Wake County Emergency Communications Center, has been selected as one of the first inductees into the Hall of Fame of the North Carolina chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). Read the entire press release. Congratulations, Jesse!

Here's what a Los Angeles Fire Department mail alert looks like, as forwarded from a reader:

From: LAFD_ALERT@googlegroups.com [mailto:LAFD_ALERT@googlegroups.com] On
Behalf Of [LAFD ALERT]
Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2008 11:35
To: lafdlistmaster@lacity.org
Subject: [LAFD ALERT] Structure Fire 8/23/2008
 
 
*Structure Fire* 17834 W. Tarzana St.; MAP 561-B3; FS 83; Fire in attached
garage of a SFD.  No injuires reported @ this time.; Ch:8,17 @ -d'Lisa
Davies###
 
 
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
LAFD_ALERT messages are *not* official instructions or authorization to take
action. We do not guarantee the timeliness or accuracy of LAFD_ALERTs.
 
Do not reply to this message. After-action reports of significant incidents
can be found at:  http://lafd.org/blog
 
For further information - or to join LAFD_ALERT:  http://lafd.org/alert
 
To unsubscribe from LAFD_ALERT, send email to:
LAFD_ALERT-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

Read enough e-mail or discussion board postings and you'll soon encounter the Grammar Police. Or perhaps you've been a member. It's a tempting compulsion, calling attention to bad words and wrong sentences. Taken to the extreme and you can really get in trouble. This CNN story reports on a pair of "self-styled vigilantes on typos" who defaced a 60 year-old, hand-painted sign at the Grand Canyon National Park. They were sentenced to probation, banned from national parks for a year, and ordered to pay a fine.

Neat article from PC World about the Los Angeles Fire Department and how it uses Twitter to post information about fires and other incidents. The resources for the service? Their PIO and another FD spokesperson work 12-hour shifts updating the blog, sending twitters, and doing other duties. Dream job, eh? Thanks to the Missus for finding this one.

From a reader, this is last weeks' Conshohocken fire before the exposures got going. Eight alarms at a condo complex outside Philly. 300+ firefighters and over 5.5 hours to control. Could it happen here? Last year's conflagration off Capital Boulevard-- multiple structures, versus one mammoth building-- was affected by a number of unique circumstances. Wind, fuel, exposures, etc. What conditions could lead to a "big one" like this one, albeit probably once in a lifetime.
 

WPVI-TV Photo

From CNN, here's stunning footage of a historic firehouse collapse. The 1890 structure in Peeksill, NY, was being moved from its location under a metal bridge. The building had been vacant for 20+ years, and the plans were to move and convert the structure into a museum. Here's an earlier New York Times article about the building. For extra credit, name the 1979 comedy film that features the "wet taco" phrase?
 

New York Times Photo

FireNews has details on the death of a forest service firefighter who died Thursday after a fall from a waterfall near Saluda in Polk County. Curtis Jessen, 32, was critically injured after falling from Big Bradley Falls. He died a short time later. The site was the location of a quarter-acre wildfire. The accident occurred about 11 a.m. The retrieval of Jessen from the bottom of the falls and out of the wooded area took over five hours. Several agencies participated in the rescue attempt, including Saluda Fire and Rescue, Polk County EMS, Polk Rescue, the N.C. Forestry Division, Green River Fire and Rescue, Henderson County Rescue Squad, and the Valley Hill Fire Department.

Surfaced by Dave Statter, here's the Jericho Fire Department in Nassau County on Long Island. Love those old educational films. Watch all five parts on Dave's site.

The Wake County Board of Commissioners on Monday night filled a second vacant citizen seat on the Wake County Fire Commission. They appointed Robert Stagg, a Raleigh resident with experience in security, business continuity, management relations, and conflict resolution. (To quote his resume.) You can watch this appointment process on the web. Starting watching the August 18 meeting at 3:27:51. Mr. Stagg is appointed over two other nominations. Supplementary documents are available on the agenda item page. And, as last time, there's quite a bit of laughter during the thing.

Here are pics of our Twin Cities airport fire station tour. Built in 2001, the immense facility has a number of nifty features, such as telephone rooms for private conversations. You know that kind of phone call. There's a captain's office and working area that overlooks the runway. There's a hose tower that doubles as an all-weather training tower. And some interesting public-facing space, including a waiting area and a conference/presentation room. What are some of your favorite features appearing in new stations these days?

New vehicle for Holly Springs Car 2, as photographed by Lee Wilson at Station 3. Click to enlarge:
 

Lee Wilson photo

Lee Wilson has photographed both Holly Springs Station 3 at 4112 Friendship Road (note corrected address) and Wake Forest Station 3 at 1412 Forestville Road. Both are temporary facilities. View the photos.

Lee Wilson photos

Firegeezer and Dave Statter are reporting on a Roanoke firefighting blog that's been banned from city computers. 'Geezer describes the site as a "city-wide coffee table where all things RFD are discussed" [such as] "recent fires, recreational activities, members’ welfare and scuttlebutt." Some days ago, FossilMedic on Firegeezer blogged about a blogger and a bombing blog. Specifically, the cautionary tale featured a volunteer firefighter, his personal expression on the Internet, and the collision course he appeared to be on, with his fire department. If you've seen the site, you know how it ends. Two stories, two blogs. It's a great thing, the freedom to speak our minds. But the people listening are people. They have feelings. They respond and react. They make decisions and take actions. And, at times, against the speaker(s). What's your take on free speech, and consequences therein?

As you've likely noticed if listening, the Wake Forest Fire Department has adopted a new numbering scheme for their units. This replaces the 600 series scheme in fall 2007. Listed below are old unit and new unit numbers. Dead horse watchers, commence precautionary alerts...

Here are the answers to 10 questions posted by WRAL to Cary EMS Chief Steve Cohen. The questions range from billing to hiring to the prospects of consolidation. Neat feature. Maybe we'll see some fire chiefs some time.

WRAL photo

One of our (meaning my) favorite vacation activities is finding former firehouses in whatever city we're in. During 24 hours in Duluth, MN, these historic structures were found and photographed. Most are retired. Chief sources were phone calls to fire stations, and a DFD history book browsed at Station 1. (Thanks for the help, guys! Thanks also to the Minnesota Fire/EMS/Safety Center library.) Left to right are Old 1 on E. 2nd Street (1871), Old 2 on W. 1st Street (1889), Old 1/Old 3 on E. 3rd Street (1890), Old 7 on 7th Avenue E. (1913), Old 8 on Central Avenue (1894), Old 8 #2 on Central Avenue (1916), Hall 5 on Minnesota Avenue (1931), Hall 6 on 51st Avenue E. (1911), Hall 10 on Commenwealth Avenue (1928), and Hall 11 on Woodland Road (1922). Oh, and the North Shore scenery was great, too.

Here's something you don't see every day. Monday morning we watched my cousin Nick, a sculptor, pour bronze. The metal is heated to around 1,600 degrees, then poured into plaster molds resting in a sand pit. Though (probably) a day in the park for seasoned pros, 'twas a high pucker factor for Yours Truly. Just being in the same room was tough. High UV output as well.
 

Still on vacation. Family reunion. FireNews has great coverage on Moore County's major fire. Ten-plus alarms, or their equivalent. Five counties worth of resources. Harnett County sent a slew of personnel and apparatus last night, notes a reader comment. Dave Statter's been following F-bombs in Texas, with this curious and occasionally pun-filled story. Here's a great book on the f-word, BTW. Saturday's benefit ride for Jacob Pearce was comprehensively photographed by Lee Wilson. Nice job there. Two articles on photography and photographs recently appeared in the New York Times, an interesting, inexpensive bulk-scanning service and a look at trends in photo alterations. And watch for a photo tour of MAC Fire Station 1, an impressive, immense facility at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. Neat place.
 

This week's Wake Weekly has a nice feature on the 50th anniversary ceremony conducted last week at Stony Hill Fire Department. The ceremony recognized charter members, retired and current personnel, junior firefighters, and auxiliary members. Speakers included Fire Chiefs A.C. Rich, Bill Bailey, and Novlen Perry, and Board President Wayne Woodlief. Congratulations Stony Hill, for a half-century of valued service. See photos from Legeros and Wilson.
 

But then there's this building, located beside the Goodhue County Museum on Oak Street, in Red Wing, MN. At first glance, it looks like an early 1900s town hall structure, with a fire station and bell tower on the left side. The neighbors say its associated with the city's first hospital, however. Perhaps it had its own fire brigade? Checking the RWFD history page, they note "The Champion Extinguisher Company #1 had quarters on the campus of the Red Wing Seminary on College Hill. The company [...] provided fire protection for the campus." Oak Street is on College Hill, it seems. Does that make it a match? Who knows. Maybe a future Googler will enlighten this blogger suffering from engine houses on the brain. Click to enlarge:
 

Research enough fire departments and every other old building begins looking like a former fire station. We happened upon three such structures while touring Red Wing, MN. The top two pictured below are located in residential areas. The white building is a confirmed former fire station, built in the 1880s. The brick structure is probably one as well. The City Hall building, built 1909, was also easy to identify, with former bay doors on the east side of the structure. The final image is the present fire station, built 1983. Click to enlarge. Or read more about the history of the Red Wing Fire Department.
  

Seen south of the Twin Cities on Highway 52, how's this for a future fire apparatus color? Or maybe just on chevrons? Call it... hot Pepto-Bismol pink. Guaranteed to get attention. Click to enlarge after donning protective eyewear¹.

¹To protect our underage readers, the exact nature of this establishment has been concealed. Let's just say it's a custom service for lightening the wallets of passing male travelers.

Found this in yesterday's Star-Tribune¹, about a University of Minnesota Medical Center chest pain hot line. Not sure if you should call 911? Call the hot line and talk to a nurse. They're there 24/7. Launched on July 1, the concept is questioned by experts. Will it cause delays in treatment, diluting the "hard-won public health message" to dial 911 in such situations? Is it just a marketing tool? There are also a couple dozen reader comments at the above link. Is this a window into the future of emergency response? A sort of consultative, pre-response? Can't imagine this hasn't been tried before.

¹Read the physical edition, no less, while enduring the cacophonous din of diners at a restaurant in Bloomington, MN. Nothing like a Saturday morning trip to Perkins to stimulate the senses. For added effect, be seated beside the restroom door.

Reporting from the Land of Lakes. One year after the catastrophic collapse of the St. Anthony Falls bridge in Minneapolis, here's what the site looks like one year later. Click to enlarge. Some facts: 15 months from start to finish; 100 years minimum expected life; 504 foot length of main span; 650 people building the thing; 1,000 miles of post-tensioning steel holding concrete segements together; 1,223 foot length of finished bridge; 48,700 cubic yards of ready-mix concrete; 141,000 cars crossed old bridge daily; 17 million pounds of reinforcing steel, roughly equivalent fo one KIDD-Class Navy destroyer. Read more about the bridge from the Wikipedia page.
 

Night watch was discontinued in the Raleigh Fire Department on September 5, 1944 at 6:00 p.m., as ordered by Chief Butts. That is, "overnight" night watch was discontinued. The new schedule for keeping watch was 7:55 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. each day, with one person on the engine room floor at all times between 7:55 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. During that same year, one person was assigned boiler duty per day during winter months. At Station 5, for example, the boiler was operated from October 30, 1944 to March 17, 1945. Also during these years, personnel were detailed to entertainment events to perform fire watch. Such as State College to work a basketball game on February 18, 1947. Or for assorted events at Memorial Auditorium. Some of the service calls answered during the decade included replacing light bulbs. In 1949, for example, Truck 6 was sent to State College as well as at a church or two. The logs from that year also note that Engine 6 had a windshield installed on October 26, 1949. The work was done at the shop at Station 2, at Memorial Auditorium. They operated a 1926 American LaFrance Type 75 pumper.

What do firefighters look like around the world, both past and present? Del Prado produced a collection of lead firefighter figures a few years ago, and I've compiled pictures of most of them into a pair of PDF documents. One is sorted by country, the other by issue number. One is for buffs, the other for collectors. There are probably web sites with photos (and drawings) of real people, but this is pretty cool comparative survey. The photos are from a DP product site found some months back. There are a few images missing, alas.
 

Holly Springs has opened a temporary Station 3. They've leased a house at 41014112 Friendship Road, and placed Engine 3 in service there. Operational as of August 1, the station has a metal shelter for storing the apparatus. It's protecting new annexation areas until a permanent facility is erected just down the road on Friendship Road. (Updated 8/20)

Wake Forest is also operating a temporary Station 3. Located at a house at 1412 Forestville Road, the station has housed a day-time engine since some time last year. The town plans to construct a permanent facility on that site in the future.

What other temporary stations have been used around Wake County, in years or eras past?

Bright colors, you seek? Try shooting in direct sunlight. Though the shadows may be harsh, the colors will be rich, as evident in this photo from today on Lumley Road, with Engine 24, EMS 123, and EMS 1280. Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, 1/200 shutter, F10 aperature, 100 ISO, 32mm focal length, auto white balance, RAW format, landscape picture style in post-processing. Of course, having colorful objects in front of the camera helps too! Click to enlarge:
 

Found on Firegeezer, here's a stunning shot from the propane facility explosion in Toronto that's killed one firefighter. The identity of the 25-year veteran has yet to be released. Joseph Rowland took the photo that's surfaced on the Channel 24 site. There's a full story at that same link. What's the size of that fireball? Holy cow.

New for New Hope, as photographed by Lee last week. Click to enlarge:
 

Lee Wilson photo

This ornamental fire hydrant is in front of Holly Springs Station 2. There's another in front of Station 1. Very cute.

Today's News & Observer has a couple stories about Cold War-era sites around the Triangle, including a bunker beneath 401 Oberlin Road and the facility in Chatham County on Big Hole Road. Seems the latter has been vacated by AT&T. As the story goes, says the article, a department stor-size bunker was built and buried in the 1960s. The communications facility was designed to survive a nearby nuclear explosion. The Cameron Village facility, notes the N&O, would have housed local federal officials in the event of an atomic attack, and was equipped with comm gear, a giant generator, a big decon shower, and the requisite stores of food and water. What other relics are around here?

Haven't read the book, but have read the New York Times book review. Sounds like a must read, Traffic, Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us), by Tom Vanderbilt. Click that link to Amazon to also read an interview the author. Mary Roach's book review quotes a number of fascinating observations by Vanderbilt. Modern collisions are caused-- well, one of the reasons-- because people judge their driving skills bas