Interesting Article over at FF close Calls

Building Owner Sues FD For "Not Doing Enough" (The Secret List) www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 Hey, 
The owner of a former furniture factory that was destroyed by a fire in early December, has now sued the Union City (PA) Fire Department, claiming that "proper efforts" weren't made to save the 210,000-square-foot structure. Hmmmmmm.
In the suit, which was filed last Friday, Carl Boone claims that firefighters did not "act with a sense of urgency" in fighting the Dec. 2 fire at the former Cherry Hill Division of Ethan Allen Interiors Inc.
Boone said that a fire-suppression system in the building, which the Union City VFD was made aware of during a tour in November, was not charged and operated by firefighters who responded to the fire. His lawsuit also claims the fire department's command also directed other responding departments to not provide "adequate fire protection services-despite their willingness to fight the fire".
"There was a pre-determined decision by the Union City FD that if the building ever caught on fire, Union City Firefighters would not attempt to extinguish the fire but would instead operate as a 'controlled burn structure fire,'" the suit claims. That isn't all that unusual - since many FD's are not provided with adequate resources to protect what they are expected to protect...amongst other issues....including FD leadership being able to explain what is needed, well before the building is on fire.
25 fire departments from throughout the area were called in to fight the fire, which is indicitive that command DID try to control the fire, which was reported at about 1140 hours on Dec. 2. Union City Fire Chief Robert Wolf said on the day of the fire that it had gotten such a head start by the time the first firefighters arrived that when crews made their first entry into the building, they encountered heavy flames and were pulled out. The massive fire was predictably fueled in part by decades of sawdust that packed itself into walls and between floors.
The fire burned for most of the day, leveling the building and producing heat that damaged some homes on a street along the south exposure of the 1.95-acre property.
The suit also alleges that the fire was set off by two people who were cutting metal with a blowtorch on the second floor of the building. The unnamed individuals were "not authorized" to be in the building, and it is believed that they were stealing metal to sell as scrap, according to the suit.
However, fire investigators said after the fire that workers using torches accidentally set off the fire. Much more on this latest fire related lawsuit to follow.
More now at www.TheRepublic.com
Take Care-Be Careful,
BillyG
The Secret List 10-25-11 / 0930 hours
www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com