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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 23 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       Click here to read the most recent issue of The Secret List. EMSCloseCalls.com.....   News and related Updates (Also check the most current issue of THE SECRET LIST for related News and Updates-Click Here) Ambulance catches fire with patient inside - San Diego  Thursday, April 9, 2015   SAN DIEGO – An ambulance caught fire in Pacific Beach while taking a woman to the hospital Wednesday morning, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Two emergency medical technicians were driving on Mission Bay Drive near Garnett Avenue just before 2 a.m. when they heard a loud sound come from under the hood. When they pulled  over, the engine caught fire, prompting them to evacuate the patient from the ambulance and wheel her across the street to a nearby McDonald’s parking lot. Another ambulance arrived about 25 minutes later and took the woman to the hospital. She was safely moved out of the ambulance well before the fire escalated. Several loud explosions occurred as the ambulance’s engine continued to burn and an oxygen tank exploded. The ambulance became fully engulfed  in flames just before 2 a.m.  and was a total loss. No one was hurt and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.           Dog catches ambulance thief - Atlanta  Thursday, April 9, 2015   ATLANTA -- The search for a stolen American Medical Response ambulance ended with a crash in southeast Atlanta. The driver ran off in to the early morning darkness to hide in the bushes, until a police dog sniffed him out. The ambulance, which operates out of DeKalb County, was parked at Grady Memorial Hospital when it was taken just before 3 a.m. Tuesday. Police said an EMS driver was cleaning the rear of the running vehicle when a suspect, 38-year-old Jermaine McCommons, jumped inside and drove away. Grady Memorial Hospital officials used a GPS device inside the ambulance to track it and relay its location to police. Atlanta Police Capt. Terrell Griffin said McCommons drove the ambulance from Atlanta to Cobb County. Investigators followed, but canceled the chase when the speed became excessive. McCommons eventually returned to southeast Atlanta, then drove the ambulance into a light pole in the 300 block of Kelly Street, causing minor damage. He jumped out of the vehicle and ran, stripping off his clothing as he escaped. Griffin said Arass, a 3-year-old "hero" K-9, picked up a scent from the discarded clothing and tracked McCommons to a drainage sewer near Interstate 20. McCommons was taken into custody about 30 minutes after crashing the ambulance. He was charged with auto theft and several other traffic-related counts. "We found one of his shirts, so we knew we were somewhat on the right track. And then we found his shoe," said Atlanta Police Officer Robert Godwin, the dog's partner. Arass followed the scent in an area that is difficult for even search helicopters and ground patrols to search in the dark. "At the beginning of Capital Avenue, she jumped the wall went around the corner of the sound barrier. There he was laying in the bushes," Godwin said. Godwin was quick to share credit for the capture with the ground team that secured the perimeter and tracked the ambulance by GPS. Suspect McCommons waived his first scheduled court appeared Wednesday morning.            Truck driver likely to be cited in ambulance crash - North Dakota  Tuesday, April 7, 2015   By Lauren Donovan A crash involving a loaded ambulance at a busy intersection in the oil patch remains under investigation. The crash occurred late Friday afternoon when the ambulance was pulling off of Highway 68 onto Highway 85 toward Williston and was struck by an oncoming eastbound pickup, according to North Dakota Highway Patrol Lt. Jamie Huschka. Watford City ambulance personnel LeRoy DeFoe, Jim Johnsrud and Yvonne Johnsrud and the ambulance occupants, mother Ashley Amato, 19, and her infant, were treated and released at a Williston hospital, according to Huschka. A second ambulance from Alexander was called in after the Watford City one was hit and sustained severe damage to the front end. Huschka said the driver of the striking vehicle, Paul Graham, 45, of Watford City may be cited pending the outcome of the investigation. He said the driver refused medical assistance. “There is a lot going on here,” he said of the incident investigation. Huschka said it appears that alcohol was not a factor in the crash, though it’s unclear why the driver didn’t slow or stop to give the ambulance right-of-way when other oncoming vehicles had. The original ambulance call was made for the baby who apparently fell from an unsecured car seat at the Wild Bison Truck Stop at the highway intersection. The baby and its mother were being transported in the ambulance when the crash occurred. The Department of Transportation has plans to slow traffic through the intersection to 55 mph and install signal lighting. The extra safety features are part of the department’s efforts to improve conditions on what is reported to be one of the busiest and deadliest highways in North Dakota.         Woman remains in critical condition after ambulance crash - Michigan  Tuesday, April 7, 2015   One person remains in critical condition after a crash with an ambulance Wednesday. Michael Reaves, director of the Port Huron Department of Public Safety, said it’s too early to say whether any citations will be given in the crash. Once police conclude their investigation, the results will be sent to the prosecutor’s office, Reaves said. The crash happened about 9:10 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Pine Grove Avenue and Harker Street, according to a statement from police. A Tri-Hospital EMS ambulance was traveling in an “emergency capacity” south of Pine Grove Avenue with a 71-year-old patient. The ambulance driver, according to the statement, went through a red light at Harker and hit the driver’s side of a vehicle exiting the Interstate 94/I-69 connector onto Harker Street. Reaves said investigators found the ambulance was using lights and sirens at the time of the crash. The ambulance driver, a medic and a firefighter on board the ambulance were taken to hospitals and later released. The patient was transferred to another ambulance and taken to the hospital. The 26-year-old woman driving the car and the 20-year-old China Township man who was a passenger were taken to McLaren Port Huron and later transferred to McLaren Macomb. The woman remains in critical condition, Reaves said. He said the man is in stable condition with a broken jaw.            Police: Man stole ambulance, crashed it after chase through Cobb - Georgia  Tuesday, April 7, 2015   By Mike Morris A suspect was in custody early Tuesday after allegedly stealing an ambulance from outside Grady Memorial Hospital and leading police on a chase through Cobb County before ditching the emergency vehicle in southeast Atlanta. Channel 2 Action news reported that the ambulance was stolen as a paramedic cleaned out the back of the vehicle. The keys were in the ignition, police said. The ambulance, which is owned by American Medical Response and operates primarily out of DeKalb County, had a tracking device. Police tracked the stolen ambulance into Cobb County, where officers backed off a chase when speeds got dangerously fast, according to Channel 2. The suspect later wrecked the ambulance along Kelly Street in southeast Atlanta and took off on foot, but after about 30 minutes, an Atlanta police K9 unit tracked him to where he was hiding in a nearby drainage sewer. Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones said Jermaine McCommons, 38, was arrested and charged with theft by taking auto and “a host of other traffic-related charges.” The ambulance sustained minor damage when the suspect struck a pole, police said.         No fatalities reported in ambulance crash - North Dakota  Sunday, April 5, 2015   An ambulance crashed this weekend at the intersection of N.D. Highway 68 and U.S. Highway 85 in McKenzie County. The ambulance was carrying a mother and her baby, according to the North Dakota State Highway Patrol. Another ambulance was dispatched. A 2014 crash report for major North Dakota highways, prepared by the state Department of Transportation, reveals that U.S. Highway 85 — the main drag through the state’s prolific oil production zone — leads in all categories of fatal accidents, injury accidents and property damage accidents. DOT spokeswoman Jamie Olson said, in February, the department will be slowing speeds to 55 mph, installing a traffic signal, lighting and delineator reflectors on U.S. Highway 85 where it intersects with N.D. Highway 68. This story is developing.           Driver going wrong way on expressway hits ambulance - Pennsylvania  Sunday, April 5, 2015   SCRANTON — A Commonwealth Health ambulance was involved in a two-vehicle wreck on the Central Scranton Expressway near the Harrison Avenue bridge Friday afternoon. The wreck occurred when a car drove the wrong way on the expressway. No patients were on board, and three hospital employees were uninjured, spokeswoman Renita Fennick said.           Fire Chief: 'Hung up' wheel may have caused EMS accident  Friday, April 3, 2015   The Village of Northfield fire chief tells WKYC Channel 3's Hilary Golston a wheel that got stuck on an ambulance gurney may have caused the accident that left an 81-year-old man with a head injury. The elderly man later died at the hospital.Around 8 a.m. on March 26, crews responded to a home on Cambridge Drive. Charles Borton was reportedly having breathing trouble. In a statement, the Mayor of the Village of Northfield, Jesse Nehez wrote "while moving the patient from the house to the back of the ambulance in difficult weather and surface conditions, the loaded ambulance cot inadvertently tipped over." Fire Chief Jason Buss said, "This accident from what it looks like occurred... as this cot was moving... one of the wheels became hung up... when the wheel became hung up...the cot has a quick tendency to tip." Buss says the road was wet and uneven in the area Borton was being transported in when the cot tipped. The patient was taken to the hospital after the accident. Borton died three days later after being treated at Hillcrest Hospital. Mayor Nehez and Chief Buss conducted investigations. Both of their internal inquiries reportedly uncovered the incident was an accident. Chief Buss said: "Several items were reviewed, including the incident statements of the paramedics involved and the patient's family, the service records for the equipment, and the injury information received from the hospital. That investigation has revealed that the incident was the result of an extremely unfortunate and unintentional accident..." Chief Buss echoes the Mayor's findings. He said the incident had been really hard on him and his crews. "It has been very difficult as a department... as an organization... me personally and the paramedics involved," Buss told Golston. "When a freak accident like this happens... it's almost devastating to the people involved." Chief Buss says he's reviewing protocol to see if improvements can be made to standard procedure. http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/local/summit-county/2015/04/02/northfield-village-gurney-accident-hung-up-wheel/70867050/         Paramedic stabbed in Christian County - Michigan  Friday, April 3, 2015   By: Amelia Wigton, editor ameliaw@ccheadliner.com Officials confirmed that a CoxHealth paramedic was stabbed just before 10 p.m. March 31 at the Highlandville/Spokane Ambulance District, on 160 Highway. Kasha Driskill, Christian County Ambulance District executive administrator, said the paramedic, who is employed by CoxHealth and contracted by CCAD, reported an “attack of an unknown subject.” The paramedic was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Christian County Sheriff’s Department determined through an ongoing investigation that this is an isolated incident, according to a press release. "Detectives say the paramedic who was injured at the ambulance base is cooperating with the investigation, and has provided a detailed statement about what happened," the release says. "Sheriff’s investigators state this is an open and ongoing investigation, and that there are several more interviews that need to be conducted before the matter can be brought to a successful conclusion."         2 remain hospitalized after crash with ambulance - Michigan  Friday, April 3, 2015   Beth LeBlanc, Times Herald Two people remain hospitalized after a crash with an ambulance Wednesday night, according to a statement from the Port Huron Police Department. The crash happened about 9:10 p.m. at the intersection of Pine Grove Avenue and Harker Street. A Tri-Hospital EMS ambulance was traveling south on Pine Grove Avenue with a 71-year-old patient. The ambulance was headed to McLaren Port Huron hospital in an emergency capacity. The ambulance driver allegedly went through a red light at Harker and hit the driver side of a vehicle exiting the Interstate 94/I-69 connector onto Harker Street, according to the statement. Port Huron firefighters extricated both people in the personal vehicle. The 29-year-old Washington Township resident driving the ambulance and a Port Huron firefighter assisting with the patient were taken to McLaren Port Huron hospital and later released. Another medic in the ambulance, a 27-year-old Algonac resident, was taken to McLaren Port Huron and transferred to McLaren Macomb. He later was released. The 26-year-old St. Clair resident driving the car and a 20-year-old China Township passenger were taken to McLaren Port Huron and later transferred to McLaren Macomb. Their conditions have not been released. Ken Cummings, chief executive officer for Tri-Hospital EMS, said the patient in the ambulance was turned over to another ambulance crew and taken to the hospital. "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in this unfortunate situation," Cummings said, in an email. "We are working closely with the police department as the investigation continues." The crash remains under investigation, according to police. According to the Michigan Vehicle Code, emergency vehicles can pass through a red light or stop sign, but must slow down before the intersection. Contact Beth LeBlanc at (810) 989-6259 or eleblanc@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @THBethLeBlanc.         Assault at ambulance base injures paramedic - Missouri  Friday, April 3, 2015   Gene Hartley, digital content editor/producer, ghartley@schurz.com SPOKANE, Mo. - Christian County sheriff's deputies are investigating an assault of a paramedic on Tuesday.   An ambulance took the CoxHealth paramedic to a hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. Sheriff Joey Kyle says detectives determined the assault is an isolated incident.  He says there is no reason to believe anybody else is in danger.  The assault occurred at the ambulance base in Spokane. No one would discuss the assault on the record with a reporter on Wednesday.  In a news release on Thursday, Kyle said the injured paramedic is cooperating with detectives and provided a detailed statement about what happened. Kyle says detectives need to do several more interviews before wrapping up the investigation.         4 hurt in Port Huron ambulance crash - Michigan  Friday, April 3, 2015   PORT HURON, Mich. - Authorities say four people were hurt Wednesday night in a crash involving an ambulance in Port Huron. The crash happened around 9 p.m. at Harker Street and Pine Grove Avenue when a Tri-Hospital EMS ambulance was traveling in an emergency capacity southbound on Pine Grove towards Mclaren Hospital. A 71 year old patient inside the ambulance was having medical attention administered. Police said it appears the driver of the EMS ambulance ran through a red light at Harker, striking the driver side of a car exiting the I-94/I-69 connector onto Harker. Both occupants in the car were trapped inside the vehicle and had to be freed by Port Huron Fire Division personnel. The driver of the ambulance, a 29-year-old Washington Twp. resident, and a Port Huron Firefighter assisting with the patient in the back of the ambulance were treated at Mclaren Port Huron hospital and released. A second medic in the ambulance, a 27-year-old Algonac resident, was taken to Mclaren Port Huron and transferred to Mclaren Macomb hospital. He has also since been released. The driver of the car, a 26-year-old St. Clair resident, and passenger of the car, a 20-year-old China Twp. resident, were taken to Port Huron Mclaren Hospital and later transferred to McLaren Macomb, due to the severity of their injuries. Their current conditions are not being released at this time by McLaren Macomb hospital.           Maumelle police release video of crash with MEMS - Arkansas  Wednesday, April 1, 2015   MAUMELLE (KATV) - Maumelle Police Department released a video Thursday of an accident from December involving a Maumelle police officer and MEMS first responders. The accident landed a paramedic in intensive care at the hospital.Captain Jim Hansard with the Maumelle Police Department said the department has been working to regain the video since the crash. “We actually deinstalled the machine of the car and sent it in to the manufacturer and they were able to get the video out. That's why it took so long to get it,” Hansard said. MEMS Operations Director, Greg Thompson, said the paramedic who was in the back of the ambulance suffered serious injuries. "He was in ICU for a few days. I mean he was...very significant injuries to his upper torso,” Thompson said. “He went forward and hit that refrigerator and if we could have slowed him down it would have made a difference. If he had have had a helmet it would have made a difference There's a lot of little things that if it would have been in place it would have made a difference." Hansard said the officers have continued to go through safety training when it comes to driving the vehicles. “We put them through simulator training for one thing over at the municipal league. They each go through a class that takes them through different scenarios on how to perform behind the wheel and that sort of thing. We try to keep on top of training,” Hansard said. For the first time since the accident, the injured paramedic is back to work as of this week. "He recovered very well. He just got back on the truck this week. He's going through kind of a reorientation phase to be back fully functioning in a month,” Thompson said. According to Hansard, the officer driving the vehicle was reprimanded. "He got less than 'days off' but it was substantial enough to show on his record that in case something else were to happen it would impact him pretty severely,” Hansard said. “Spotless record other than this, it was just an unfortunate accident. What can we say? It was clearly our fault. We will try to avoid this kind of thing in the future.” Thompson said MEMS is focusing on making its ambulances safer for first responders. “We've added this netting all of the trucks now are getting. We are sending the trucks down one at a time. We are putting these straps inside. These red straps aren't just there to secure the person. The red straps are there to secure equipment,” Thompson said. MEMS first responders and MPD officers do a lot of driving, which Hansard and Thompson said makes situations like December's accident harder to deal with. "We run two shifts a day. 7a to 7p, and 7p to 7a...so 24 hours a day these guys are on the street and they average about a hundred miles per car per shift. That's 400 miles hours per shift, 800 miles per day, that's a lot of driving in a city this size,” Hansard said. "We looked at that accident to figure out what we can do to make it safer. We drive a million miles more a year and so these accidents are very rare, so what can we do to make it safer for our crews,” Thompson said. Both agencies told Channel 7 they understood it was a true accident and are focusing on safety.           Police: 12 hurt in school bus crash; ambulance driver had suspended license - Indiana  Wednesday, April 1, 2015   John Scheibel john.scheibel@nwi.com, (219) 548-4358 UNION TOWNSHIP | Twelve students were injured in a crash Tuesday morning involving a Valparaiso Community Schools bus and a Superior Ambulance Service ambulance. Police said the driver of the ambulance was driving with a suspended license. Two Superior Ambulance employees and a patient in the ambulance were taken to local hospitals. Porter County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Larry LaFlower said the collision was reported just before 8:45 a.m. on Ind. 130 at County Road 625 West. LaFlower said of the 12 students injured, one was taken to Porter Regional Hospital, five were taken to Porter's Portage Hospital Campus, and six were treated and released at the scene of the crash. LaFlower said all of the injuries to the students were minor. LaFlower said school officials had notified parents of the children involved. Officials at the scene reported 59 fifth-grade students from Memorial Elementary School and three adults were headed to the Challenger Learning Center at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond on a field trip. Police said the initial investigation shows the school bus was westbound on Ind. 130 and the ambulance was southbound on County Road 625 West. LaFlower said the driver of the ambulance, failed to yield the right of way to the bus. He said the license of the driver, a 23-year-old Griffith man, was suspended/infraction. LaFlower said anyone with a suspended license should not be operating a motor vehicle in Indiana. He said the driver faces multiple citations. Driving with a suspended/infraction status is not an arrestable offense, LaFlower said. Witnesses told police the ambulance had no emergency lights or sirens operating at the time of the crash. LaFlower did not know the nature of the ambulance run at the time of the crash. Calls on Tuesday to Superior Ambulance and Valparaiso Community Schools were not returned.           ER patient arrested after high speed chase in stolen ambulance - Texas  Tuesday, March 31, 2015   KAUFMAN, Texas — An ambulance was stolen Tuesday from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Kaufman and the suspect led police on a chase. Police said the suspect was a patient, identified as Jennifer Lee Luke, 34, who left the hospital's emergency room and sped away with the ambulance. The 10-minute pursuit — first by Kaufman city police and then by county units — ended near Kemp, southeast of Kaufman, after deputies were able to get ahead of the fleeing vehicle to put down "spike strips" that deflated the tires and brought the ambulance to a halt on County Road 148. Luke hit two cars and nearly ran over several pedestrians, Kaufman police said. "The lady that took the ambulance... we'll never know why she did it," said Kaufman police Chief Dana Whitaker. "She was a patient over at the hospital, as far as we know, went out and got in it and took off... struck a car over there. As far as we know, nobody was hurt." Whitaker added that in his 37 years of law enforcement, he's never seen anything quite like this case. Luke was taken into custody and booked at the Kaufman County Jail under a $180,000 bond. She has been charged with Theft of Property over $100K, Evading Arrest or Detention With A Vehicle, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and Duty on Striking Unattended Vehicle.           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        95        96        97        98        99        100        101        102        103        104        105        106        107        108        109        110        111        112        113        114        115        116        117        118        119        120        121        122        123        124        125        126        127        128        129        130        131        132        133        134        135        136        137        138        139        140        141        142        143        144        145        146        147        148        149        150        151        152        153        154        155        156        157        158        159        160        161        162        163        164        165        166        167        168        169        170        171        172        173        174        175        176        177        178        179        180        181        182        183        184        185        186        187        188        189        190        191        192        193        194        195        196        197        198        199        200        201        202        203        204        205        206        207        208        209        210        211        212        213        214        215        216        217        218        219        220        221        222        223        224        225        226        227        228        229        230        231        232        233        234        235        236        237        238        239        240        241        242        243        244        245        246        247        248        249        250        251        252        253        254        255        256        257        258        259        260        261        262        263        264        265        266        267        268        269        270        271        272        273        274        275        276        277        278        279        280        281        282        283        284        285        286        287        288        289        290        291        292        293        294        295        296        297        298        299        300        301        302        303        304        305        306        307        308        309        310        311        312        313        314        315        316        317        318        319        320        321        322        323        324        325        326        327        328        329        330        331       Page 1 of 331 [ Total items: 4956]    Search for news stories : Select Year      Select Year     2015     2014     2013     2012     2011     2010     2009     2008     2007     2006     2005     2004     2003     2002     2001     2000     1997     1972     1940     1938  Select Month      Select Month     Jan     Feb     Mar     Apr     May     Jun     Jul     Aug     Sep     Oct     Nov     Dec  Select Category      Select Category     News Firefighter Close Calls     Pass It On     The Secret List     News Ems Close Calls     Close Calls - 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