Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Top Stories of 2008
While it might not be good news for some folks, we certainly enjoyed ourselves at their expense! Take a look at the most entertaining news stories of 2008 from Firelink.com.
Firefighters Break Down Wrong Door
FF Stops For Burger on Way to Call
FF Resuscitates Cat by Mouth-to-Mouth
Topless FF Busted for Flashing Badge
Top Stories
LODD
A longtime New York firefighter collapsed Tuesday while assisting at a crash scene, according to the USFA. The victim was identified as Fire Police Capt. Norm Koch with the East Pembroke Fire Department.
New York Firefighter Collapses, Dies
53 Die in Bangkok Night Club Fire
A fire in a club celebrating the new year has left 53 dead and over 100 injured. The toll could climb as workers finish going through the club.
The fire grew quickly, trapping and killing many who arrived to celebrate the start of 2009.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7806658.stm
Murder Charges Filed in Delaware Firefighter's Death
A man allegedly involved in a hit-and-run crash last week that injured a motorcyclist and killed a Delaware City firefighter was charged with murder today.
Eight Brooklyn FF’s Injured
A 3-ALARM FIRE IN THE BENSONHURST SECTION of Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday injured eight firefighers including one seriously when he “rode down” with a collapsing rear wall from the 3rd floor. The firefighter, a member of Ladder 148 who has been with the FDNY for three years, was taken to the hospital for serious, but nonlife-threatening injuries, fire officials said.
Initial investigation into the cause is not showing anything suspicious.
WCBS-TV has the STORY
Campaign to Contain Blagojevich Hits Roadblocks
The case against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich grows more complicated as events demonstrate that he can't be cowed as easily as U.S. senators and the U.S. attorney prosecuting the case would like.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/31/fast-campaign-weaken-blagojevich-hits-roadblocks/
Report: Somali pirates hold 300 mariners
MOSCOW (UPI) -- A new assessment of pirate activity off the coast of Somalia has found that more than 300 mariners are being held hostage, a Russian publication says. Click to Continue...
Monday, December 29, 2008
New refrigerant
Using HCR-188c require only one-quarter of the usual amount of refrigerant, the danger from fires and leaks is extremely low. Independent testing also has shown that appliances with HCR-188c use less energy.
Richard Maruya designed his HCR-188c hydrocarbon blend as a replacement for refrigerants that deplete the Earth's ozone layer and/or contribute "greenhouse" gases to the atmosphere. His precise mixture of ethane, propane, isobutene, normal butane and other naturally occurring compounds has zero ozone-depleting potential and very low global warming potential.
Full article here: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081228/NEWS01/812280337/-1/RSS02?source=rss_localnews
NIOSH has recently released the following Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Reports:
F2007-38
Nov 21, 2007
Fire fighter suffers sudden cardiac death after responding to two calls - Kansas
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200738.html
F2008-06
Feb 29, 2008
Volunteer fire fighter and trapped resident die and a volunteer lieutenant is injured following a duplex fire – Pennsylvania http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200806.html
F2007-09
Feb 09, 2007
Career probationary fire fighter dies while participating in a live-fire training evolution at an acquired structure – Maryland http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200709.html
F2008-17
Jun 14, 2008
Volunteer assistant chief killed when struck by tractor-trailer while operating at a motor vehicle crash - North Carolina http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200817.html
F2008-27
Jul 23, 2008
Volunteer fire chief dies from injuries received when privately owned vehicle crashes into bay door pinning him against fire tanker – Wisconsin http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200827.html
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Indiana Fire Engine Slides off Road
The engine went into a slide and left the roadway where it struck a tree. The engine was heavily damaged and the four firefighters on board all suffered minor injuries. They were transported to the hospital for treatment and released later Friday evening.
WTHR-TV Ch. 13 has the full story and two more videos HERE.
New WISER
WebWISER http://webwiser.nlm.nih.gov/
Highlights of this version include:* In WISER for Windows, a substance's protective distance data can now be overlaid on an interactive map: view a substance and press the Map Protective Distances button (Internet connectivity is required. Please see the User's Guide for more details on this feature).
* Transportation criteria (DOT placard, rail car, road trailer) have been added to unknown chemical identification: enter the Help Identify Unknown feature and select the Transport option (not included in WISER for Palm OS).
* Signs/symptoms imagery added to biological agents: view a biological agent and select Medical-->Imagery from the data menu (not included in WISER for Palm OS).
* General data updates and several new substances.
* Printing support added to the ERG tool (WISER for Windows).
* Many more miscellaneous enhancements; see the release notes on the download pages of the web site.Please note that the dependency WISER for Windows has on the Microsoft .
NET Framework has changed from .NET 2.0 to .NET 3.5 Service Pack 1. Additional details are on the download page of the web site. We apologize for any inconvenience this additional install implies, but this enhances our ability to provide you with new features like the protective distance mapping.See the News <http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov/news.html> page of the WISER web site for our future plans. If you have other suggestions or want to influence priorities, please let us know; your feedback is crucial to the future direction of WISER!
Please use the Contact Us <http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov/feedback.html> page of the web site to submit your feedback and ideas or anything else related to WISER.Thank you!
The WISER Team
Friday, December 26, 2008
Another Kennedy, do we realy need one?
KATHLEEN PARKER
Commentary
WASHINGTON - But of course Caroline Kennedy will become the next senator from New York. Does she deserve it? Not really. Does that matter? Probably not. Kennedy's likely appointment to fill the seat being vacated should Hillary Clinton be confirmed as secretary of state is the sort of fait accompli Americans claim to hate, yet seem to find irresistible. It almost goes without saying that no one would pay Kennedy any attention were she not the beneficiary of a famous name - and the daughter of a martyred president. We don't do birthright in this country - except when we do. John Quincy Adams and George W. Bush come to mind. We don't elect people on the basis of a recognizable name - except when we do.
Full text of article here: http://www.postwritersgroup.com/archives/park081217.html
Texas Ambulance Involved in Triple Fatality Crash
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Got Foam?
Got clean underwear for the police officer? Still think they need to have some sort of fire awareness for police as they are usually there first. Al least enough for them to know when to back off and keep bystanders away. This is an oled video but new to me.
In case you missed it on the news, this is one big water main to have break!
Just in case you missed this on the news - CABIN JOHN, Md. - Swift water rescue crews used a helicopter, a boat and ropes to rescue motorists trapped when a 66-inch water main ruptured just before 8 a.m., sending a four-foot wall of water down River Road near Fenway Drive.
Raw fire Video
Raw video of a house fire in South Bend on Saturday. Read details.
Watch your apparatus placement, watch for overhead wires?
Couldn't Pass Up Passing this Along
Photo by Walter Passarella/Metroland, from newsdurhamregion.com
It sounds like something from a Tom and Jerry cartoon and it is making headlines around the world.
Earlier in the week there was a tragic fire at the Durham Region Humane Society's animal shelter in Oshawa, Ontario, that killed about 100 cats, three dogs and a few rabbits. Preliminarily, one theory on the fire is that it was sparked by mice chewing through electrical wires in the ceiling. And that is good enough for me and hundreds of other reporters around the world and the web.
News for December 23, 2008
WASHINGTON — Even before taking office, Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking to build a more powerful State Department, with a bigger budget, high-profile special envoys to trouble spots and an expanded role in dealing with global economic issues at a time of crisis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/us/politics/23diplo.html
Rod Blagojevich Today
Aggressive courtship of state contractors allowed Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois to raise far more than his predecessors, according to testimony by a political reform group.
Obama Is to Report on Blagojevich Contacts
Al Franken Ahead In Minnesota? Yep the paper Sunday had him ahead of Norm, still won't be decided until after the first o the year. What are we going to do with out a senator? The gov. is thinking of appointing a temp in that spot.
This is great news. Al Franken has pulled ahead of Norm Coleman. Nice!
After last week’s flame-broiled blatant marketing ploy by Burger King, PETA has come up with their own: a meat-scented perfume that smells like rotting flesh. PETA clearly saw the success of Burger King’s campaign and wanted in on the action.
http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/12/22/peta-one-ups-burger-king-releases-gore-scented-body-spray/
Monday, December 22, 2008
Key Blagojevich figure seeks deal
This Just In - Key Blagojevich figure seeks deal
CHICAGO (UPI) -- A key player in the corruption scandal surrounding Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is seeking immunity for his cooperation in the investigation, officials said.Area businessman and fundraiser Raghuveer P. Nayak was identified as "Individual D" in a federal complaint filed nearly two weeks ago in which Blagojevich was accused of, among other things, trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.
Monday news
DENVER --
Firefighters said Sunday it was a miracle that no one was killed when an airliner veered sharply off a runway during takeoff, burst into flames and nearly broke apart.
There was no official word on the possible cause of the crash of Continental Flight 1404 at Denver International Airport. Federal aviation investigators arrived at the airport Sunday afternoon.
The entire right side of the Boeing 737 was burned in the Saturday evening accident and melted plastic from overhead compartments dripped onto the seats. http://cms.firehouse.com/web/online/News/Firefighter--Miracle-Outcome-in-Denver-Plane-Crash/46$62037
Montana Firefighter struck at the scene
A Montana firefighter's truck was stuck scene of an accident, killing him on Dec. 17, according to the USFA.
Firefighter Jerry Parrick of the West End Volunteer Fire Department in Haugan, Mont. was driving his personal vehicle when he spotted the crash.
He began warning motorists with his truck's emergency lighting as he stopped on a curved section of roadway near the scene.
A 6-UNIT SHOPPING PLAZA IN PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, was completely destroyed Sunday morning. A fire was reported at 3 am and it quickly spread through the building’s common attic. Virginian-Pilot / Crow photo The mini-mall’s location along a creek bed complicated the firefighting efforts by restricting the operations to one side of the building. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause. The ATF has automatically responded also because one of the business was a gun shop. The 25-yr.-old shopping center is a family-owned operation and the owners are already saying that they will replace building.Fire Destroys Virginia Strip Mall
Saturday, December 20, 2008
The Helmet again
Firefighter Richard Busa, an Iraq war veteran, had been wearing the spray-painted helmet for more than three years when his superiors objected. Facing a possible suspension, Busa decided it would be best to don another helmet, lest he jeopardize his career.
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=62033§ionId=46
Friday, December 19, 2008
Internet News
News from around the internet
A tasty little present for men - Burger King body spray
The mass purveyor of grilled meat is offering, for a limited time, something even better than their usual piles of beef patties. This week, American men were given the chance to smell like their favorite meat snack with the launch of Flame, Burger King's contribution to the perfume market. Link to the Guardian - Burger-king-perfume
BWCA fire suspect kills himself, lawyer says
The
If I was in the fire engine-building business, I’d be dusting off the patterns and bringing out the stamping molds for the good ol’ basic fire wagon.
Unrealistic Response Times Expected A WOMAN IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, GOT HER CAR stuck on a railroad track Tuesday. Instead of getting out of her car, however, she called 9-1-1 and asked the dispatcher to send help.
While the dispatcher was advising her to first get out of the car, the connection suddenly went dead. The 9-1-1 operator said that he could hear a man trying to help the woman and was begging her to get out of the car. After the train hit the car, the bystander pulled her out. She died later in the hospital. KRON-TV has the full STORY.
Report: Emanuel Spoke Directly With Blagojevich About Senate Seat
New administration
Thursday, December 18, 2008
A Chicago Sun-Times article
And so it goes on and on
To read the full story, click here:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1337824,2_1_AU18_BLAGO_S1.article
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1337563,2_1_AU18_PETERSON_S1.article
Ongoing case & soap
Anguished Dad to Drew: Don't marry my daughter :: Beacon News :: Local News Category: News and Politics
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news...
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Painting a Helmet and the Flag
I have to go with the Chief on this one. Painting a flag on a Helmet violates the proper display of the US flag. I would go with a Flag Sticker!
NEWTON, Mass. -- A local firefighter has spent three years fighting fires. Before that he was in Iraq fighting for our country. Now Richard Busa is in a battle with the Newton Fire Department.
Busa's fight was first brought to light in a column in the Newton Tab. He is being told that he has to remove the American flag design that is painted on his fire helmet, because the chief says it goes against uniform standards.
However, Busa says he won't do it and the threat of disciplinary action won't change his mind. He says if the majority of firefighters thought it was offensive or a safety issue, he would take it off. But that has not happened.
Chief Joseph LaCroix is a Vietnam war veteran. He says the request to remove the flag has nothing to do with patriotism or not wanting the flag, but a uniform is just that -- a uniform. If he allows one firefighter to paint his entire helmet, what is to stop others from choosing designs of their own.
LaCroix said small amounts of paint and stickers are okay on helmets, but Busa's design, he said, crosses the line.
Firefighter leaves the "Job"
When a firefighter leaves the "job" and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased and yet others, who may have already retired, wonder. We wonder if he knows what they are leaving behind, because we already know. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times. We know in a firefighters life there is a fellowship which lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet. We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life. We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.
These are the burdens of the job. You will see what others do not see or choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the fire service world with a respect for what they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing. Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life. You are only escaping the "job" and merely being allowed to leave "active" duty.
So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment that "Blessed are the firefighters for they shall be called children of God," and you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.
Civilian Friends vs. Firefighter friends:
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you're too busy to talk to them for a week.
FIREFIGHTER FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on the same conversation you were having the last time you met.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
FIREFIGHTER FRIENDS: Have cried with you.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
FIREFIGHTER FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.
FIREFI GHTER FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
FIREFIGHTER FRIENDS: Will kick the crowds' ass that left you behind.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are for a while.
FIREFIGHTER FRIENDS: Are for life.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have shared a few experiences...
FIREFIGHTER FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences no citizen could ever dream of.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.
FIREFIGHTER FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say,"You better drink the rest of that before you spill it!" Then carry you home safely and put you to bed.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk crap to the person who talks crap about you.
FIREFIGHTER FRIENDS: Will knock them the hell out for using your name in vain.
CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will ignore this.
FIREFIGHTER FRIENDS: Will forward this.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Management cited bt state OSHCD
The Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management has been cited by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry's Occupational Safety and Health Compliance division for violation of workplace safety standards. The violation notice stems from a May 25 house fire in which seven crewmembers were injured.
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=46&id=61965
Road Trip
I was in Illinois just when Blagjovich was arrested. http://www.arcamax.com/newsheadlines/s-461938-561423 I always knew he would get it. Just did not think it would take this long for him to do something like what he was arrested for. You will see me following that story for a while.
Only saw one line of duty death:
Wisconsin Fire Official Dies after Training
Lt. Rick H. Borkin, a 16-year veteran of the Thiensville Volunteer Fire Department, died Monday evening after experiencing respiratory problems during a training exercise at the Milwaukee Area Technical College campus in Oak Creek, Ozaukee County Coroner John Holicek said this morning.
"He had a history of respiratory problems but wanted to participate in the exercise anyway," Holicek said.
All for now
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Fire Truck Rolls In Indiana
Investigating officer deputy Richard Gosser of the Rush County Sheriff's Department said volunteer firefighter Adam Schwering, 24, of Rushville, was behind the wheel when the accident occurred.
"The driver said that after pulling out of the station and as he was making a right hand turn on CR 400N he apparently got too far off the south shoulder of the road and the truck simply rolled onto its side," Gosser said.
Schwering was uninjured in the accident. The 1991 GMC tanker sustained only minor damage.
In order to right the vehicle nearly 3,000 gallons of water had to be removed from the truck.
Other units dispatched to the scene of the fire were able to quickly extinguish what turned out to be a small blaze.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Remember when Mom said to wash your hands, watch this video
While taking a second look at Rosemary Alvarez's MRIs, doctors found something troubling. The shadowed area was something they became very concerned about.
Neurosurgeon, Dr. Peter Nakaji said, “It's something down in her brain stem which is as deep in the brain as you can be.”
Alvarez was prepared for surgery, and Dr. Nakaji and his colleagues went into the operating room, expecting to remove a tumor. What they found, however, was a worm.(alive)
graphic video at link.
Warning Not for the faint at heart!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Recession Effects on Emergency Services
The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned from National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that the adverse effects of the recession have become problematic for the operations and safety of ESS organizations for the following reasons in addition to other causes:
· More homeless people have surreptitiously occupied vacant structures.
· The structural integrity of empty buildings has often been compromised by squatters.
· Abandoned houses have increasingly been the source of criminal activities including arson.
· Destitute individuals have moved in with family or friends causing perilous overcrowding conditions.
· More basements and attics have been occupied and heated with unsafe appliances.
A 19 November Fire Rescue article discussed a strategy that can be implemented to mitigate the foreclosure problem. The article suggested ESS departments should partner with lending institutions as well as housing and community organizations to develop methods to prevent home foreclosures and the abandonment of homes. “It’s about working with organizations, letting them know the concerns of the fire department and how foreclosures and vacant homes generally may affect fire and arson rates,” said the NFPA director of high-risk outreach programs.
Additionally, the chief of the Columbus Fire Department in Ohio recommended categorizing buildings certified as abandoned and vacant, and arranging for them to be tagged with appropriate signage. “This action should help to eliminate the risk of injury to responders unless they have reason to believe a rescue is necessary.”
The complete Fire Rescue article can be seen at the following link:
http://www.fireresc ue1.com/Firefigh ter-Training/ articles/ 439214-Foreclusu res-challenge.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Safety: Are We Doing Enough?
I personally believe (safety) is a three pronged approach. First and foremost, it starts at the top. The Chief of each and every fire department in this country must make a time and resource commitment to good safety programs and practices. I'm sure there's not a chief out there who would argue with "safety" but it's time to put up or shut up.
One clip from the Everyone Goes Home - Courage to Be Safe (EGH-CTBS) program shows Chief Dave Daniels (Washington State) discussing that the chief's job is to insure that everyone goes home every day. "That's your job," Chief Daniels reiterates on the video. There is no specific reference to career or volunteer.
Prong number 2 is first line supervision. The guy or gal in the front seat on the right side of the cab is responsible for insuring that we get to the call and back in one piece. "Arrive alive and don't kill anyone on the way." (Not a bad motto to hang on the inside of the apparatus bay doors along with "buckle up every time.") The company officer must set the example for the rest of the crew. Chief Dennis Rubin (Washington, D.C. Fire/EMS) is quoted on the EGH-CTBS program video as saying "if the company officer buckles his seatbelt, the rest of the members will absolutely buckle their seatbelts." I believe he's right. Safety policies and procedures must be enforced at the line level. Again, there is no reference to career or volunteer.
Prong 3 is personal accountability. No one will "deliver safety" on a silver tray to our firefighters each time the bell rings. They need to bring safety to the game on their own. It's part of putting on a uniform or donning PPE. Personnel must be trained and engrained with the safety culture and told they must be responsible and accountable for their actions and that bad or "stupid, goofy acts will not be tolerated." (Chief Ronny Coleman, California).
Read More »
http://blog.usfa.dhs.gov/2008/12/safety-are-we-doing-enough.html
More Questions
Listen and you decide
Ok now, He is still proposing cabinet members that were his adversaries, and saying that they are the best qualified for the job, IS He?
????
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Homeland Security Grant Program
DHS Releases New Grant GuidanceThe Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides a comprehensive suite of grant programs to enhance jurisdictions’ abilities to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from all hazards. In conjunction with the release of FEMA's FY 2009 grant guidance, LLIS.gov has updated its Homeland Security Grant Program Resource Center. The resource page includes the FY 2009 Homeland Security Grant Program Overview, a list of changes enforced in FY 2009, A Compendium of Promising Grants Management Practices Across the United States, and downloadable resource materials. Please log onto LLIS.gov and click on Homeland Security Grant Program under LLIS.GOV PARTNERS.
Pumper Crash in Illinois
photo by Larry Shapiro
The minivan ran into the pumper at an uncontrolled intersection. The driver of the van was not wearing a seat belt and was injured when she was thrown into the passenger side of the vehicle.
photo by Larry Shapiro
The three FF’s on the engine were all belted in and did not report any injuries. No statement from the police yet about the cause or fault of the accident.
The pictures are courtesy Larry Shapiro. He has a gallery of 56 pictures taken at the scene and you can view them on his photography website HERE.
Homeland Security
By Spencer S. Hsu and Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, December 1, 2008; A01
The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials. The long-planned shift in the Defense Department's role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said. There are critics of the change, in the military and among civil liberties groups and libertarians who express concern that the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military's role in domestic law enforcement.But the Bush administration and some in Congress have pushed for a heightened homeland military role since the middle of this decade,saying the greatest domestic threat is terrorists exploiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, dedicating 20,000 troops to domestic response -- a nearly sevenfold increase in five years --"would have been extraordinary to the point of unbelievable," Paul McHale, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense, said in remarks last month at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But the realization that civilian authorities may be overwhelmed in a catastrophe prompted "a fundamental change in military culture," he said.
The Pentagon's plan calls for three rapid-reaction forces to be ready for emergency response by September 2011. The first 4,700-person unit,built around an active-duty combat brigade based at Fort Stewart, Ga. ,was available as of Oct. 1, said Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., commander of the U.S. Northern Command. If funding continues, two additional teams will join nearly 80 smaller National Guard and reserve units made up of about 6,000 troops in supporting local and state officials nationwide. All would be trained to respond to a domestic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield explosive attack, or CBRNE event, as the military calls it. Military preparations for a domestic weapon-of-mass-destruction attack have been underway since at least 1996, when the Marine Corps activated a 350-member chemical and biological incident response force and later based it in Indian Head, Md., a Washington suburb. Such efforts accelerated after the Sept. 11 attacks, and at the time Iraq was invaded in 2003, a Pentagon joint task force drew on 3,000 civil support personnel across the United States.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Communications Guide
Voice Radio Communications Guide for the Fire Service ReleasedEmmitsburg, MD. –
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has completed a project with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) to study what important areas of safety and technology discussed in the USFA manual Fire Department Communications Manual - A Basic Guide to System Concepts and Equipment (FA-160) needed to be updated or revised, as well as what topics and technology related to fire department communications not discussed in the manual needed to be added since its development in 1996.
This joint USFA and IAFF study was conducted with support from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) SAFECOM Program Office. "The need for an understanding of today's modern communications concepts and technology for firefighter and citizen life safety and operational effectiveness remains as valid, if not more so today, than it did when this USFA document was first produced in 1996,” said U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade. "USFA was pleased to work with DHS SAFECOM and the IAFF on this study to provide critical information to the fire service."
The new manual, Voice Radio Communications Guide for the Fire Service (PDF, 3.8 Mb), provides updated information on communications technology and discusses critical homeland security issues and concepts, such as SAFECOM, that did not exist when the original manual was first published. It also provides a wide fire service audience with a minimum level of familiarity with basic communications issues such as hardware, policy and procedures, and human interface." The safety of both firefighters and citizens depends on reliable, functional communication tools that work in the harshest and most hostile of environments," said IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. "The IAFF was pleased to work with USFA on this important project." Further information about this partnership effort may be found under the Research section of the USFA Web site.
Card Check
Card Check legislation will also do away with secret ballots and instead employees would have to voice their vote in front of union organizers.
The Democrat-led Congress worked tirelessly over the past two years to deliver paybacks to Big Labor bosses who helped get Democrats elected. Now, it comes as no surprise that Democrat Leader Steny Hoyer said they would work on the card-check bill “early on” in the next Congress to strip union workers of their right to a secret ballot in union elections.
To view Hoyer’s statements on the priority of card check legislation, click here now.
We elect our President, Congressmen, Governors, State Legislators, Mayors, School Board Members, and even our local Dog Catchers through secret ballots. So why do unions want to do away with it for their elections?Why would they want to open up the election process to intimidation and coercion?With the decline in union membership continuing, we know the real answer to why big unions want to change the election process. Make no mistake, big unions will spend millions of dollars trying to pass Card Check legislation in order to increase their “membership.” During these tough economic times the last thing our country needs to worry about is a union boss pushing his agenda on the American worker.
Hillary did It!
(CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama on Monday announced Sen. Hillary Clinton as his pick for secretary of state, calling her an "American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence."
President-elect Barack Obama announced his nomination of Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.
"Hillary's appointment is a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy and restore our alliances," Obama said at a news conference in Chicago, Illinois. "I have no doubt that Hillary Clinton is the right person to lead our State Department and to work with me in tackling this ambitious foreign policy agenda."
Obama also confirmed that he is keeping Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his current post.
Rounding out his Monday announcements, Obama named retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones as his national security adviser, Eric Holder as attorney general, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations.
"I am confident that this team is what we need to make a new beginning for American national security," Obama said.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Yesterdays trivia answers
Whats a two four?
This refers to a case of beer having 24 cans, or two four
Whats a hoser?
Like the very similar term hosehead, the term may have referred to farmers of the Canadian prairies, who would siphon gas from farming vehicles with a hose during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The expression has since been converted to the verb 'to hose' as in to trick, deceive, or steal - for example:
Hosed has an additional meaning of becoming drunk - for example: "Let's go out and get hosed."
On The lighter side now
A little Trivia now that the Christmas songs are on the radio.
In Bob & Doug McKenzie's 12 Days of Christmas that does the term two, four refer to?
I bet some you hosers know.
Then again, What's a hoser?
Answers tomorrow.
To play the song Click the link
below.
http://bobanddoug.com/old/GreatWhiteNorth/Bob_and_Doug_McKenzie_-_15_-_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas.mp3
Video of May 25 fire at 43238 Meadowood Court
Click here to download the Meadowood Court video
Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue & Emergency Management has been swamped with requests for the video that accompanies the report looking at the May 25 fire at 43238 Meadowood Court. That fire critically burned Lt. John Earley and injured six others.
Since the department doesn't have the mechanism for duplicating the large number of videos they have set up a way for you to download it from the Loudoun County Public Library website.
Click here to read the report.
More on Black Friday
From the AP:
A worker was killed in the crush Friday after a throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains burst through the doors at a suburban Wal-Mart, authorities said.
At least four other people were injured, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island was closed.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.
"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," co-worker Jimmy Overby, 43, told the Daily News. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too. ... I literally had to fight people off my back."
A police statement said shortly after the store's 5 a.m. opening time, shoppers "physically broke down the doors, knocking (the worker) to the ground."
A metal portion of the door was crumpled like an accordion.
Witnesses told the Daily News that before the store was closed, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the worker's life.
A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital for observation, and she and the unborn baby were both reported to be OK, said Sgt. Anthony Repalone, a Nassau County police spokesman. Four or five other people suffered minor injuries, he said.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
New use for an Old Tool!
You know, those home-made bazooka’s that shoot potatoes
(usually at firefighters from other departments at Monroe Fire Schools) now propelled by compressed air in a cylinder.
Well, the potato gun has been kicked up another notch. A couple of fellows named Ted Goessling and Zach Gens have figured out how to use a potato gun to make french fries, all in one shot. This is also a new take, at least to me on the construction and operations of this item.
Click on the video player for a demonstration:
Uber Tuber on MAKE: television from make magazine on Vimeo.
This covers just about everthing for now
Thanks to you, I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel.
I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the channels.
I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.
I can't enjoy lemon slices in my tea or on my seafood anymore because lemon peels have been found to contain all kinds of nasty germs including feces.
I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking your nose.
Eating a chocolate sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.
I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public toilet.
I must send my special thanks to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing. Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.
I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.
I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program .
I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St.Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.
I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.
I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.
Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.
Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.
I no longer can buy petrol without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling the tank.
I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.
I no longer use Gladwrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.
And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face, disfiguring me for life.
I no longer check the coin return on public phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.
I no longer go to shopping centers because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.
I no longer receive packages from Australia Post or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.
I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our Australian troops or the Salvation Army.
I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for or which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica ,Uganda , Singapore and Uzbekistan .
Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.
And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a rapist waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.
If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's hairdresser...
Ahbama (I like his new name) Something to think about?
Finally, I understand why the "Birth Certificate" that Obama has produced is not sufficient to prove he is a natural born citizen. The original certificate of life birth is necessary to prove he was born in Hawaii (hence, a natural born citizen), rather than that his birth was merely REGISTERED in Hawaii.
The video with his Kenyan Grandmother claiming he was born in Kenya is a pretty compelling reason to demand that Obama fork over the definitive proof or we will be making a mockery of our constitution and are election certification processes.
It's also been reported by NBC, BET, and Drudge. This latest suit by Alan Keyes and Libertarian candidates for the Presidency is the best one yet. All of the other suits have been dismissed on the grounds that the person requesting the information did not have "standing" before the court. Although I think any citizen has standing to want expect that the constitutional requirements for the presidency be enforced and that candidates be thoroughly, particularly when there is a controversy about eligibility, there is no question that another presidential candidate has perhaps the best standing one could ever hope for before the court.
I can't figure out why liberals are not leaning on Obama to provide this evidence. It makes him look VERY bad, in the sense that it appears he doesn't give a rip about the constitution. If he was born in Hawaii, a smarter tactic would be to provide the long form birth certificate. OTOH, if he was born in Kenya...
Ahbama is nothing more than the House Boy for the Clinton Machine and the proof is starting to show.
Think Obama voters are educated on the issues?
Think the media had no bias in this election?
(Worth watching though to the end)
And on a Final Note I found this interesting, it's from earlier in November?
Man who pleaded guilty on drug charge gets to vote
The Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. — A man facing prison time on a drug charge has gotten a break from a judge — so that he can vote.
Twenty-four-year-old Javontez Lavel Ross pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing several bags of suspected heroin with intent to sell. But he asked Ramsey County District Judge Margaret Marrinan to postpone his sentencing so he could vote in the Nov. 4 election. Ross, who said he recently moved to the Twin Cities from Chicago, would have been barred from voting if he had been sentenced before Election Day. The judge granted his request, calling the contest a "historic election." She set his sentencing for Nov. 12. Asked which candidate would get his vote for president, Ross said he hadn't decided.
People convicted of felonies are banned from voting until they finish their jail or prison time and probation.———
This borders on the ridiculous and criminal. Every election "could be'" historic. This judge needs to be removed promptly.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Aurora Fire Museum
Aurora Fire Museum
For anyone that doesn't know about this local Gem In Aurora, Illinois, I am sending out this notice that I got from them. I used to take my high school classes up here once a year about this time or year, but they hadn't done this before.
Aurora Regional Fire Museum's holiday exhibit opening Sat. Nov. 29th 1-4pm
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thru' the old firehouse, Not a creature was stirring, ‘cept “Cinders” the firefighting mouse. His boots were placed by the firefighter’s bunks with care, In hopes that Santa the Fire Chief, soon would be there…
A family of festive holiday mice have invaded the Aurora Regional Fire Museum. The museum’s north bunkroom -- home to Aurora’s real “north pole” (the brass fire pole that served the north-side of the old Central Fire Station) -- has been transformed with the holiday exhibit, “All I want for Christmas… is a Fire Engine under the Tree”. This temporary holiday exhibit includes more than five hundred (all different) firefighting Christmas ornaments, from the collection of John and Barbara Nolan, displayed on three nine-foot tall Christmas trees. Some ornaments are whimsical -- featuring cartoon characters -- while others are more realistic and boast working sirens and flashing lights. There are more than one hundred versions of Santa dressed in firefighting gear, at least fifty firefighting snowmen, and another one hundred fire engines of every size and shape. Placed beneath the trees are firefighting toys -- including a cast-iron ladder truck from the nineteenth century, a popular Tonka fire pumper from the 1960s, a contemporary Fisher-Price fire engine, and even a firefighting Barbie doll.
After Cinders and his firehouse friends put the finishing touches on the tree decorations upstairs, the firefighting mice took up residence in the museum’s ground-floor interactive exhibit "Getting There, Getting Water, Getting Rescued."
Holiday visitors to the museum are encouraged to find Cinders as he sleeps in the steam fire engine’s boiler, his friend Sparks as he tries to ring the fire bell, and their best friend Ashes as he decorates a 1948 fire engine.
Please join us from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday November 29th for the FREE holiday exhibit opening and celebration. There will be a visit from Santa the Fire Chief, storytelling, a holiday mouse hunt, and more. This holiday exhibit will run though the end of January, visit the museum website for details. The Aurora Regional Fire Museum features five pieces of fire apparatus and an award winning interactive exhibit in a fully restored vintage firehouse.
The museum is located at the corner of New York (Rt 25) and Broadway in downtown Aurora, IL.
Free parking in the lot behind the museum.
Holiday Hours
The museum will be open our regular hours
(Thursday, Friday,and Saturday, from 1 to 4pm) though the holidays.
Join us on Saturday November 29th for a special FREE day. Bring your entire family to see the Santa the Fire Chief, the holiday mice, story tellers, and more, as well as our special holiday exhibition " All I Want for Christmas.... is a Fire Engine Under the Tree"
We will be CLOSED on the weekend of December 25-27th so our staff might enjoy the holidays with our family
For more information, hours, and directions, visit the website: http://www.auroraregionalfiremuseum.org/
Best wishes,
Debby Deborah Davis
Executive Director