Plowed up from the internet–Monday June 27th 2011

Firefighter hurt during one of several recent fires
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
About 3 pm, firefighters were called to 31 Petrel Street for a garage fire. The initial fire spread to two adjacent garages, destroying the first and causing heavy damage to the others, Deputy Chief Martin McMillan said. The cause was determined to be ...

Fire towers noticeable, but not in use
Jacksonville Daily News
Dotting the forests of North Carolina like relics of a forgotten civilization, fire towers still catch the eye, but do little in spotting fires nowadays. “We don't man them any longer,” said NC Forestry Service spokesman Brian Haines. ...

Home-based pot growers face burning issue
The Detroit News
Firefighters found marijuana plants and a grow operation in the home's basement. Township Fire Chief Robert Phillips said the cause of the fire was faulty wiring. Last year, 145 out of 14918 fires in Michigan were determined to have been caused by an ...

Reporter gears up for a real-world look at being a firefighter
Chicago Sun-Times
By Matt Hanley mhanley@stmedianetwork.com June 25, 2011 8:56PM On Saturday June 11th Beacon News reporter Matt Hanley learned what it takes to be a member of Aurora's fire department's Truck Company. Taught the skills, first hand, of how to execute ...

Op-ed: Fire chief was an innovator
Fayetteville Observer
All Fayetteville firefighters are also emergency medical technicians. That's because firefighters respond to seven to 10 times more medical emergencies than they do fires. Managing a city department of more than 330 men and women working out of 16 fire ...

USFA Releases Large Loss Building Fires Report

USFA Releases Large Loss Building Fires Report

Emmitsburg, MD — The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) United States Fire Administration (USFA) issued a special report today examining the characteristics and causes of Large Loss Building Fires (PDF, 834 Kb). The report, developed by USFA's National Fire Data Center, is based on 2007 to 2009 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).

This topical fire report examines the characteristics and causes of the estimated 900 large loss building fires that occur each year in the United States.

Large Loss Building Fires (PDF, 834 Kb) is part of the Topical Fire Report Series. Topical reports explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as depicted through data collected in NFIRS. Each topical report briefly addresses the nature of the specific fire or fire-related topic, highlights important findings from the data, and may suggest other resources to consider for further information. Also included are recent examples of fire incidents that demonstrate some of the issues addressed in the report or that put the report topic in context.

Four LODD’s to post

Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Lake City, FL

Brett Fulton of the Suwannee Forestry Center, Florida Division of Forestry in Lake City, FL has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2011-06-20

Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Lake City, FL

Josh Burch of the Suwannee Forestry Center, Florida Division of Forestry in Lake City, FL has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2011-06-20 :

Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Du Quoin, IL

Corey Shaw of the Du Quoin Fire Department in Du Quoin, IL has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2011-06-17

Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Muncie, IN

Scott Davis of the Muncie Fire Department in Muncie, IN has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2011-06-15

This and That

Newest thing in removing warts a shotgun

Sean Murphy was so desperate to get rid of a wart he decided to use a shotgun, blasting off half his finger and almost ending up in prison in the process.

The 38-year-old had tried a variety of creams and ointments in an effort to rid himself of the painful blemish, but when the stubborn wart refused to budge he decided some drastic action was required. Fed up with the wart, after a few beers Murphy took his shotgun and blasted off the wart, along with most of his finger at the same time. His unusual cure grabbed the attention of police, and Murphy also found himself up on firearms charges for illegally possessing the shotgun. Murphy admitted in court that he hadn't expected to lose his finger when he used the shotgun, but didn't regret his rather drastic course of action. He said: 'The best thing is that the wart has gone. It was giving me lot of trouble.'

Firefox 5 Now Available with 1,000 Small Improvements, Better Tab Closing [In Brief]

Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android: Mozilla has released Firefox 5, the first update for its new rapid-release three-month development cycle. Firefox 5's new features include support for CSS animations, do-not-track on Android, and faster canvas graphics. Perhaps our favorite Firefox 5 feature: You won't have to jump around so much with your mouse next time you start closing tabs. Firefox has adopted Chrome-like tab closing, in which tabs stay the same size while you're closing them. More »

Lakeland man digs a pool finds trash dump in back yard

Brian Dyer was tired of taking his wife and kids to water parks in Orlando. He thought it would be much easier to dig a pool in his backyard. When the pool company started excavating, it began bringing up load after load of trash. Metal, plastic, bottles, and who knows what else. It turns out that somewhere along the line someone had used their lot as an illegal dump site.
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It is unclear how big the problem is. The junk could be buried under the Dyer's home in the Oak Run subdivision in North Lakeland. It may even extend to other parts of their neighborhood. One of the biggest issues is: who is going to pay to clean up the mess? The company that developed the land is out of business. The builder and Polk County say they are not liable. That leaves Dyer holding the trash bag.

Uncle Jay

Jay is taking June and maybe July off for those who didn't see his tweet the other day but he's coming back!! http://www.youtube.com/user/UncleJayExplains?ob=5

Too good not to pass on

I don't write them... just pass them along

Men Teaching Classes for Women at

THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER
REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED
By Mon, June 30th, 2011
NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL
OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM .
Class 1
Up in Winter, Down in Summer - How to Adjust a Thermostat
Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hrs beginning at 7:00 PM..
Class 2
Which Takes More Energy - Putting the Toilet Seat Down, or Bitching About It for 3 Hours?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.
Class 3
Is It Possible To Drive Past a Wal-Mart Without Stopping?--Group Debate.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between a Purse and a Suitcase-- Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.
Class 5
Curling Irons--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Bathroom Cabinet?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning
At 7:00 PM
Class 6
How to Ask Questions During Commercials and Be Quiet During the Program
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM
Class 7
Can a Bath Be Taken Without 14 Different Kinds of Soaps and Shampoos?
Open Forum ..
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.
Class 8
Health Watch--They Make Medicine for PMS - USE IT!
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.
Class 9
I Was Wrong and He Was Right!--Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined.
Class 10
How to Parallel Park In Less Than 20 Minutes Without an Insurance Claim.
Driving Simulations.
4 w eeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours.

Class 11
Learning to Live--How to Apply Brakes Without Throwing Passengers Through the Windshield .
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined
Class 12
How to Shop by Yourself.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Send this to all your guy friends for the best chuckle of their day...
And to all your gal friends who have a sense of humor!

Not the way to install a pool

A Shoreview homeowner was having a giant hot tub placed in his backyard. They weren't able to go around the house with it, so a company with a crane helped place it over the house. The crane toppled right on top of the roof over the garage.

myFOX Twin Cities News: Crane Topples onto Shoreview Home Jun 11, 2011 ... A Shoreview homeowner was having a giant hot tub placed in his backyard. They weren't able to go around the house with it, so a company with ...

Short version Video

Long version video happens at 2:03