Firefighter Close Calls

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Submit Your Close Call / Near Miss Navigation Home Close Calls 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 Calendar LODD STATS Yearly Totals Year Totals 2015 57 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) FIREFIGHTERS LOST. DISORIENTED IN TIRE WAREHOUSE FIRE Sunday, August 30, 2015   Deep inside the smoky and pitch-black third floor Of the Sandone Tire warehouse on Wyoming Avenue in Scanton (PA), shortly before the smoldering building would become a fireball that would shine like a torch Wednesday night, Scranton firefighter Lt. Kelly Hopkins and three others ran dangerously low on air. They were lost. Visibility was zero. Stacks of tires, soon to ignite and continue to smolder through Friday night, flanked them. Their hose line, which firefighters are trained to follow out when they can’t see, was wrapped and tangled around the tires. The four firefighters were disoriented and lost more air with each breath they took. Lt. Hopkins, a well-respected 29-year veteran with the city fire department, called “mayday” at 7:16 p.m. “The hairs on the back of our necks went up,” Scranton Fire Chauffeur James Rivers said. “He’s been through everything. You know when he calls a mayday it’s serious.” Mr. Rive... [ more ]         DEPUTY CHIEF DRIVES FIRE TANKER THROUGH DOOR AT FIREHOUSE FIRE WNEP.com Video Sunday, August 30, 2015  Of all the places to catch fire, a fire station might be at the bottom of the list. But that’s exactly what happened three weeks ago in Wayne County.The Lakeville Volunteer Fire Company held its annual barbecue fundraiser, which only took an hour and 45 minutes to sell out. The station was badly damaged after a faulty engine in a paramedic unit started the fire. About $1 million in damage will be covered by insurance but the little things still need replacing. “It really had put us to the test,” explained Chief Robert Boogertman. “But you know what, we’re going to be back better than ever.” “People support the people in the community,” said Jeanne McDevitt of Paupack Township. “It’s very important thing for that coordination for people who live here and those who provide the services.” What people at the barbecue fundraiser might not know is if it weren’t for the quick thinking of one of the firefighters during the ... [ more ]         CRASH TRUCK ROLLOVER IN MILWAUKEE Saturday, August 29, 2015   Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport briefly stopped flights Friday morning after an incident during a training exercise.Airport officials said incoming and outgoing flights were halted for about 30 minutes after an emergency services truck overturned. WISN 12 News crews observed what appeared to be a fire truck turned over on its side near runway 19. The accident was reported around 8:30 a.m. Friday. All plane movements on the runways and tarmac were halted briefly as emergency personnel responded to the scene. Airport crews said the truck was the only vehicle involved in the incident, and a member of the airport's fire department was taken to a medical facility for evaluation. Regular flight operations resumed around 9:30 a.m         Cleveland firefighters will test air sensors developed by Case Western Reserve University and NASA Saturday, August 29, 2015  Case Western Reserve University and NASA Glenn Research Center researchers will work with firefighters from Cleveland and elsewhere to design and test sensors to protect firefighters from respiratory damage and illnesses.The group was awarded a $1.5 million Assistance to Firefighters/Fire Prevention and Safety Grant from the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency to make prototypes. The sensors will alert firefighters who battle fires in structures and in the wild of hazards in the air after they've entered the phase called "fire overhauling or mop up." At that stage, the main fire in buildings, forests or open land has been extinguished and firefighters are cleaning up and detecting and preventing secondary fires. Firefighters often remove their self-contained breathing apparatus at that time, based on readings from their carbon monoxide detectors. But recent studies found firefighters may be exposing themselves to part... [ more ]         TRIPLE LODD UPDATE: After Wildland Firefighters died, 911 calls detail emotion and resolve Saturday, August 29, 2015   Just-released 911 calls from Okanogan County reveal difficult conversations from dispatchers as a fire raced near Twisp and three firefighters lay dead.“We got three dead forest service firefighters, OK, so you need to notify the coroner,” said Sheriff Frank Rogers, with Okanogan County, to a dispatcher on Aug. 19. Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac, and Tom Zbyszewski, U.S. Forest Service firefighters, were dead after fighting a fire near Twisp. “There’s three dead ones, multiple burned ones, says a voice over dispatch in recordings obtained by KIRO 7 from the Okanogan County Sheriff. Frantic residents were also calling about the fire moving toward their homes. “I just looked up the hill and the fire is coming up right towards my house,” said one woman to a dispatcher as she pleaded for help to arrive. The fast-moving fire also left four firefighters injured as they tried to escape by foot. One call betw... [ more ]         Family of injured Wildland Firefighter: 'He's getting better' Saturday, August 29, 2015  Daniel Lyon's father said his son is improving after suffering severe burns while fighting a wildfire near Twisp. "We aren't out of the woods, but we're coming down the path and I like it," said Dan Lyon. Daniel Lyon, 25, remains in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Lyon is a reserve police officer in Milton. He suffered burns to over 60 percent of his body while fighting a quickly growing wildfire in Twisp last week. Tom Zbyszewski, 20, Richard Wheeler, 31, and Andrew Zajac, 26, died August 19 when their truck crashed as they tried to escape the fast-growing wildfire and flames consumed their vehicle. Three other firefighters were treated for injuries and released from the hospital. Supporters held a fundraiser for Lyon Friday afternoon at the Milton Haggen. Donations neared $20,000 at the end of the day. "I'm beyond impressed, I'm so proud of our hometown!" said organizer Krissie Carl. more ]         INTOXICATED MAN SHOVES FF Saturday, August 29, 2015  An intoxicated Stafford County man was charged with a felony Thursday after shoving a firefighter who was giving him medical attention in the England Run area, police said.Stafford Sheriff’s Office spokesman Bill Kennedy said deputies went to Shasta Place about 2:45 a.m. in response to a reported disturbance. They found the suspect shirtless and bleeding profusely from a cut on his wrist. Other residents were outside trying to calm him down. Kennedy said police later learned that the man had been drinking heavily and had punched a double-pane glass window after becoming angry about an argument another couple was having. Kennedy said the bleeding man repeatedly pulled away from deputies, called them names and yelled for them to get out of his face. He also aggressively shoved a Fire Department sergeant who was applying pressure to his wrist in an effort to stop the bleeding. Deputies finally got the man strapped down on a stretcher and calmed him be... [ more ]         12 FFs INJURED AT CHEMICAL FIRE IN WA STATE Thursday, August 27, 2015  Nearly a day after a chemical fire broke out in a third-floor chemistry lab at Western Washington University, crews were still waiting to enter the building to figure out what happened.No one was injured when the fire erupted around 5:15 Tuesday evening, Aug. 25, but a dozen firefighters who were the first to enter the building were sent to the hospital that night after breathing in an unknown gas, said Rob Kintzele, assistant chief with Bellingham Fire Department. When they arrived, they entered the building, and seeing no smoke, started walking down a hallway. Within a moment, they took a few breaths of a foul-tasting invisible gas and immediately turned around to get protective breathing equipment, Kintzele said. “They thought they were well within a safe zone and found in just a quick moment that they were not” Kintzele said. “When the door got cracked, they noticed a foul taste and smell.” The large number of chemicals inside the chemist... [ more ]         APPARATUS CRASH IN TX Wednesday, August 26, 2015  A Lamesa woman sustained what were believed to be minor injuries and a city fire truck was damaged in a collision Monday afternoon a few miles south of Lamesa on State Highway 349. Nora Hernandez, age 27, was taken by ambulance to Medical Arts Hospital following the collision which occurred about 12:26 p.m., according to Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Billy Crow. “As far as I know she was treated and released (at the hospital),” Trooper Crow said Wednesday morning, noting that Hernandez was undergoing x-rays when he checked on her at the hospital shortly after the accident. “She said she felt fine but she had a headache.” Charles Weaver, the 24-year-old driver of the Lamesa Fire Rescue pumper truck, and another firefighter in the truck both were uninjured. The accident happened while the fire truck was en route to a fire in a vent at an oilfield tank battery near FM 2051 about seven miles west of the Friendship Community in sout... [ more ]         2 CHICAGO FFs INJURED AT MULTI-ALARM FIRE Wednesday, August 26, 2015  Two Chicago firefighters were injured while battling an intense three-alarm fire that was sparked in a restaurant kitchen in Old Town. At least one other person suffered injuries from the thick black smoke that billowed near Wells Street and North Avenue, according to fire media. Both firefighters were listed in stable condition. The fire started in a storefront at 1612 N. Wells just south of The Second City comedy club. Adobo Grill restaurant occupies the first floor of the three-story building while apartments occupy the remaining two floors. At one point the out-of-control flames were shooting through the top of the building's nearly collapsed roof. Upon further investigation, the Office of Fire Investigation identified an accident in Adobo Grill's first-floor kitchen as the cause of the fire. The flames then quickly traveled upwards through the restaurant's vents. After trying to fight the flames for more than an hour, crews were still unable ... [ more ]         TRIPLE FIREFIGHTER LODD MEMORIAL SERVICE DETAILS Wednesday, August 26, 2015   The memorial service for those three Firefighters who died in the Line of Duty while operating at the Okanogan Complex of wildfires will be held on Sunday in Wenatchee, Washington. The service will begin at 1 p.m. at Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee. Once family members and agency personnel have been seated, the public will be seated as space allows Firefighters Tom Zbyszewski, 20, Richard Wheeler, 31, and Andrew Zajac, 26, died in the Line of Duty Wednesday when their fire apparatus crashed as they tried to escape the fast-growing wildfire and flames consumed their vehicle. Firefighter Dan Lyon remains in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center with burns over 60 percent of his body. Three other Firefighters were treated and released from the hospital.         ST. LOUIS FF FALLS THROUGH FLOOR AT FIRE - WATCH THIS VIDEO! STLFD Video Wednesday, August 26, 2015  A firefighter was injured while fighting a house fire in the 4900 block of Nagel Avenue Monday. The firefighter fell through the floor into the basement, according to the fire department. He was was treated at the scene and was not seriously injured. The fire broke out in the basement of the home at about 11 a.m. It was a one-alarm fire.         Lone Survivor Holds Clues to Wash. Fatal Fire Truck Wreck Tuesday, August 25, 2015   U.S. Forest Service officials said Sunday they don't yet know why three firefighters were killed and a fourth critically injured last week after they were involved in a vehicle accident while battling a blaze on a hillside near Twisp in Okanogan County.John Phipps, a Forest Service official leading the agency's investigation, said officials began conducting interviews about the incident Saturday and were planning to complete most of them Sunday. Officials have said the vehicle accident may have prevented the firefighters from fleeing when the fast-moving wildfire turned on them near Woods Canyon Road. The four men were in a small fire engine that Mike Williams, forest supervisor for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, described as a flatbed truck equipped with a water tank and hoses. Speaking to reporters at a news conference in Wenatchee on Sunday afternoon, Phipps said there were no immediate witnesses to the vehicle leaving the road othe... [ more ]         COOL VIDEO ON SOMETHING THAT IS A THING OF THE PAST IN MOST CITIES The Protectives! Tuesday, August 25, 2015   While not a close call, every so often we chose to share something that we find cool.  This video is one of them.  It is of a volunteer salvage company in Rochester, NY called the PROTECTIVES - Check it out!         LONG ISLAND NY FF LODD Monday, August 24, 2015   We regret to pass on that a volunteer Firefighter died in the Line of Duty Saturday an hour after responding on a commercial structure fire. Former Chief/Active Firefighter Lawrence Sesso, 40, with the Sayville (Suffolk Co, L.I.N.Y.) Fire Department, suffered cardiac arrested on his way home from responding to a structure fire and participating in a fire department parade. He was transported to a hospital but later succumbed to his injuries. Sesso was Chief of Department from 2009-2011. It's the department's first line of duty death in 23 years. Services will be at Raynor & D'Andrea in Sayville on Aug. 25 from 7-9:30 p.m. and on Aug. 26 from 2-4:30 p.m. and 7-9:30 p.m. Burial will be on Aug. 27 at 10:30 a.m. at Raynor & D'Andrea. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Sayville Fire Department made out to "In Memory of Lawrence G. Sesso." Our condolences to all those affected. more ]           Prev1234Next        1        2        3        4        5        6        7        8        9        10        11        12        13        14        15        16        17        18        19        20        21        22        23        24        25        26        27        28        29        30        31        32        33        34        35        36        37        38        39        40        41        42        43        44        45        46        47        48        49        50        51        52        53        54        55        56        57        58        59        60        61        62        63        64        65        66        67        68        69        70        71        72        73        74        75        76        77        78        79        80        81        82        83        84        85        86        87        88        89        90        91        92        93        94  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