FF Close Calls

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Submit Your Close Call / Near Miss Navigation Home Secret List Gallery EMS CloseCalls Drills Firefighter Staffing Personal Survival Safety and survival SOGs Links Modern Fire Behavior About Us Never Forget Fire Communications Pass it On LODD STATS Yearly Totals Year Totals 2015 2 2014 87 2013 101 2012 83 2011 81 2010 87 2009 93 2008 118 2007 118 2006 107 "In Memory Of" Click this patch   Custom Search  Contact Info  Email BillyG info@ firefighterclosecalls.com  Email Weekly Drill Suggestions to Drills@firefighter closecalls.com Click Here for The 9/11 Widows' and Victims' Families Association Click Here: Skyscraper Safety Campaign       Also check the most current issue of THE SECRET LIST for related News and Updates-(Click Here)  DOUBLE LODD APPARATUS CRASH IN CHILE  Thursday, January 15, 2015   Two firefighters died Monday after rolling over the fire apparatus they were traveling in the commune of Collipulli, Araucanía region. According to the president of the Regional Council, Luis Carmach, those killed were a woman and a man belonging to the Second Company. The accident occurred in Lower Malleco, when volunteers were heading to a forest incident that threatened to spread to populated areas. According to preliminary information, due to the accident, six volunteers were injured to varying degrees. Two of them would be serious. The information was also confirmed by the Interior Minister Rodrigo Peñailillo, who lamented "deeply" what happened and delivered on behalf of the Government's condolences to the families of the victims.         2 CA FFs RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER MAYDAY  KCRA Video  Wednesday, January 14, 2015   Two of the three firefighters who were injured while battling a house fire in Sacramento were released from UC Davis Medical Center.The Sacramento City Fire Department identified the firefighters as Capt. Gary Pimentel, Adam McKahan and Alex Galang. On Tuesday, Pimentel and McKahan were released from the medical center and will continue their rehabilitation at home. The fire gutted a two-story home on the 5200 block of 22nd Avenue in Sacramento's Colonial Heights neighborhood. Neighbor Clyde Childers said he heard a loud boom, then saw flames shooting from underneath the house. "The fire started from the basement, down in that first hole down there," said Childers as he pointed to a basement window. "And as you can see, it took the whole house."         3 FFs INJURED IN NC APPARATUS DOWN EMBANKMENT  Wednesday, January 14, 2015   Three Firefighters have been injured when a fire engine went down an embankment in Mountain Home, NC this morning due to icy roads.  Here are some photos of the incident.  More posted as available   ORNAGE RURAL FD, NC - APPARATUS OVERTURNED  Wednesday, January 14, 2015   Another apparatus crash this morning in NC - this one is from the Orange Rural FD.  Once again icy roads were at play and members where injured.   SAN JOSE FF INJURED AT HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT FIRE BY BOOBY TRAP  NBCBayArea.com  Wednesday, January 14, 2015   A firefighter putting out a blaze at a San Jose homeless encampment fell into what authorities say was a dangerous booby trap lined with spikes.The firefighter was not hurt when he fell Sunday morning at the camp just east of Communications Hill, but authorities say the apparent trap was dangerous and could have injured someone. Officials also say the trap was not aimed at firefighters. "Our guess is it had been there for sometime," San Jose Fire Capt. Mike Van Elgort says. "Maybe as a means of defense of on encampment to another." And that's exactly what a homeless man named Johnny, who lives not far from Communications Hill, told NBC Bay Area on Tuesday. 19 Sick With Measles After Visiting Disneyland Parks "It's a trap, they fall down," he said. "You hurt them before they hurt you." The booby trap, a 2-foot-by-2-foot hole with wooden spikes sticking out of the bottom, was covered by a burlap sack and dirt, so the firefighter had no idea what ... [ more ]         SOURCES: RADIOS DID NOT WORK IN DC METRO FATAL FIRE  DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG MyFoxDC.com  Wednesday, January 14, 2015   Two sources with knowledge of Monday's smoke incident on Metro tell FOX 5 that firefighter radios did not work inside the smoky tunnel near the L'Enfant Plaza station. Those sources tell FOX 5 antennas inside tunnel were not working and had not been for several days. Because of that outage, they say firefighters used line of sight communication in the tunnel and cell phones to get information out. Sources also say the first-arriving firefighters said exhaust fans inside the L'Enfant Plaza station were not immediately operational.         FIREFIGHTERS SAVE THE LIFE OF ONE OF THEIR OWN-THE DRIVER OF THEIR APPARATUS  Saginaw Fire Department Lt. Christopher       McGowan, left, and firefighter Brandon       Hausbeck saved the life of a fellow       firefighter last week when they were       returning from the scene of a fire. The       driver of their truck had a heart attack       and they were able to park the truck,       remove the driver from the cab, perform       CPR and shock him with a defibrillator       before a police officer transported him       to Covenant Healthcare hospital a few       blocks away. (Jeff Schrier | MLive.com)  Monday, January 12, 2015   While riding back to the station after fighting a suspected arson on the city's East Side, two Saginaw firefighters noticed something wrong. Their fire engine, stopped at a red light, began to roll forward before the light had changed. That's when Lt. Christopher McGowan, 37, and firefighter Brandon Hausbeck, 24, realized their driver was unconscious. The two men sprang into action, stopping the truck and saving their fellow firefighter, who was suffering a cardiac emergency. The incident happened on the morning of Thursday, Jan. 8, at the intersection of Genesee and Michigan, as the fire engine was returning to station No. 2 on Gratiot. The engine was dispatched to help battle a blaze at 1328 Essling. McGowan pulled the emergency brake and got the driver out and onto the ground, checking for a pulse and removed the driver's shirt. The firefighters — both trained EMTs — hooked an Automated External Defibrillator (AED... [ more ]         UPDATE: FIREFIGHTERS BURNED/INJURED IN SACRAMENTO MAYDAY  Monday, January 12, 2015    Three firefighters were injured in a fire that broke out early this morning at a home in South Sacramento. FD spokesman Roberto Padilla said three firefighters were transported to the hospital – one for smoke inhalation and two with burns suffered while battling a basement fire at a residence in the 5200 block of 22nd Avenue. The department identified the firefighters as Capt. Gary Pimentel, firefighter Adam McKahan and probationary firefighter Alex Galang. It is believed that McKahan and Galang were the most seriously injured. “We did have a May Day (call) go out,” said Padilla of the 6:23 a.m. Monday fire in the Colonial Heights neighborhood. Fire still burned an hour after the blaze was first reported in the two-story residence. When crews arrived to the burning building, smoke was pouring from the basement of the home. Firefighters began to attack the blaze and shortly after that the 6:34 a.m. May Day announcement was made, signifying ... [ more ]        YouTube Video    FIREFIGHTERS INJURED-SERIOUS-IN CALIFORNIA  Monday, January 12, 2015    At least one firefighter became trapped in the basement of a home on fire in South Sacramento Monday morning. In total, three firefighters were injured while battling this blaze.Around 6:30 in the morning, neighbors called after seeing smoke coming from a home along 22nd Avenue. Multiple crews of Sacramento City firefighters responded to the home, which quickly became engulfed in flames. The homeowners were not there at the time of the fire. Two of the injured firefighters were taken to the hospital for treatment, at least one has serious injuries.   FIREFIGHTER ACCIDENTLY SHOOTS HIMSELF IN THE FIRE HOUSE  Monday, January 12, 2015    A Cambridge fire captain was hospitalized this week and is now on sick leave after he accidentally shot himself in a fire station, officials said.The captain, whose name was not released, was in a stairwell of the East Cambridge fire station at 175 Cambridge St. on an administrative task Tuesday when he was removing a personal firearm and holster from his jacket pocket in an attempt to attach it to his belt, according to Assistant Chief Gerard E. Mahoney. The gun, which he was licensed to carry, accidentally fired, hitting the captain in his hip area. The incident is under investigation by the Cambridge police and the Cambridge Personnel Department, he said. “He should not have had it in the firehouse,” Mahoney said, adding that the incident was an accident. The captain, who has been on the force for close to 30 years, has not been disciplined for the incident, according to the assistant chief. He is using sick days for recovery, and was hospital... [ more ]         4 COPS (TYPICAL BLUE CANARIES) AND A FF OVERCOME BY CO IN LA  Sunday, January 11, 2015   Four Los Angeles police officers and a firefighter were overcome by carbon monoxide early Friday when they rescued a man who was attempting suicide inside a boutique car dealership.A relative of the man called police about 4 a.m. and alerted them that he might try and take his own life, officials said. Officers and firefighters rushed to Exclusive Motorcars in the 10500 block of West Pico Boulevard on the Westside, where the man had apparently started at least three cars in the showroom to fill it with exhaust fumes, CBS2 reported. The man was passed out on the floor when officers arrived, the station reported. Police were able to rescue the man before he could succumb but four officers and one firefighter were overcome by the fumes in the process, officials said. The four officers were treated at a hospital and released, said Sgt. Peter Kim. The firefighter was also treated and is in fair condition, said LAFD spokesman Erik Scott. The man who was re... [ more ]