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Thursday, March 27, 2014

USFA LODD – Two Boston Firefighter Fatalities 03.26.2014




























On March 16, 2014 at 1450hrs, while operating in the basement of a burning multiple unit residential structure, Lieutenant Edward J. Walsh, 43, and Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy, 33, died from injuries sustained when they became trapped by fire conditions. Investigation into the fatal incident, which also injured many other firefighters and several police officers, continues by local authorities.
  
Our condolences to the Walsh Family, the Kennedy Family, Friends, the Boston Fire Department, and to all affected by the passing of Lieutenant Edward J. Walsh and Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy 
   
To date, 32 and 33 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 



(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Six-Alarm Fire: Historic Rexmere Hotel, Stamford, NY - 03.25.2014

















Stamford, NY (WBNG Binghamton) A six-alarm fire destroys the historic seven-story Rexmere Hotel building with multiple fire departments across three counties responding.

Read more of the story here http://ow.ly/uYR33 








Stamford, NY -- Fire ripped through a historic building on Tuesday. 

The fire engulfed the 100-year-old wooden building once known as 'The Queen of the Catskills' in less than half an hour.

Not much is left of the old Rexmere Hotel at 159 Main Street in Stamford after the fire. Authorities say more than 100 firefighters battled the flames.

Investigators say they don't believe the building was still in use. They say flames were spotted on the first floor and spread very quickly. The Fire Chief says the whole structure went up in flames in about 10 minutes. 

Authorities have not yet spoken about a possible cause.

At least 10 departments responded with more than 300 firefighters on scene.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is likely to take days according to the Stamford Fire Chief.




(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 


Monday, March 24, 2014

USFA LODD – Pennsylvania Firefighter Fatality Notification 03.22.2014












On March 22, 2014 at 1746 hrs, while participating in a search operation along railroad tracks for a missing woman, Firefighter Edwin "Lance" J. Wentzel, 57, was struck and killed by a train. Investigation by authorities continues into the fatal incident that happen at North Versailles under the Westinghouse Bridge.

Edwin "Lance" J. Wentzel is survived by his wife, Judith (Immel) Vestrand Wentzel; two sons, Jeffrey Jeremiah Wentzel, of Youngwood, and Christopher William Wentzel and wife, Nicole, of Grapevalle;  two stepsons, Justin Martin Vestrand, of Jennette, and Jason Mac Vestrand, of Youngwood; three grandchildren, Oscar Thomas, Nevaeh and Urijah Wentzel; a brother, Philip A. Wentzel, of Youngwood; four sisters, Judith C. Wagner and husband, Don, of Carolina Shores, N.C., Connie L. Watson and husband, Mike, of Tampa, Fla., Bonnie L. Kucenic and husband, George, of Greensburg, and Doris M. Santone and husband, Tony, of Youngwood; and a number of nieces and nephews. Edwin "Lance" J. Wentzel was preceded in death by a brother, Howard Scott Wentzel; and a sister-in-law, Elaine Wentzel.
  
Our condolences to the Wentzel Family & Friends, the Youngwood Volunteer Fire Company and to all affected by Firefighter Edwin "Lance" J. Wentzel's passing.
  
To date, 31 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 



(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Firefighters Battle Huge Fire Ovid, New York - 03.18.2014

















OVID, SENECA CO. , New York (CNY) -- Seneca County Sheriff's Deputies and fire investigators are back on the scene Wednesday morning looking for the cause a large fire in Ovid Tuesday evening.

Witnesses say the fire started in a restaurant on Main Street around 5:40 p.m., which spread to apartment buildings near the restaurant.

Authorities say the fire destroyed four or five buildings. They have been condemned and will have to be torn down.

New Dragon Chinese Restaurant is a two-story brick building wedged in a row of a half-dozen businesses on South Main Street. Community Thrift Shop is immediately beside the restaurant and Giuseppe's Pizza is on the corner. The Joint Assessment Group building was also affected. There are apartments above some of the businesses.

Attorney Steven Getman's office is across the street from the fire.

"I was working late, and all of a sudden I heard a loud noise and that was the fire companies rolling up," Getman said Tuesday evening. "From where I am right now I can see fire trucks everywhere - all the way up and down Main Street."

Read more of the story here http://ow.ly/uMpRP 


Ovid, N.Y. -- Fire destroyed four buildings in a Seneca County community Tuesday night.

Firefighters found heavy black smoke coming from the back of the buildings on Main Street in Ovid just before 6 p.m. 

Ovid's fire chief said as many as 25 fire departments helped battle flames. 

All of the buildings damaged in the fire will have to be demolished, according to Ovid's fire chief. 

Blanche Belliveau, who lives in a nearby apartment, said she was alerted to a problem after a noise that sounded like an explosion. 

"We heard a noise, and then a big pop, and then I ran out of the building," she said. Belliveau said she first spotted flames in a restaurant inside the building.
No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.




(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

USFA LODD – Indiana Assistant Fire Chief Fatality Notification 03.17.2014









On March 17, 2014 several hours after returning home from a emergency response call the fire department, Assistant Fire Chief Tom D. Stevens Sr., 59, suffered an apparent heart attack. Responders from the Bright Volunteer Fire Company were summoned and treated Assistant Chief Stevens Sr. The transported him to Mercy Harrison Center (Harrison OH), where despite all efforts he succumbed to his injury.

Tom D. Stevens Sr. is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Deborah Stevens; his mother, Alma Christen; 2sons, Tom (wife Melissa) Stevens of Bright, IN; Michael (wife Tama) Stevens of Bright, IN; 2 sisters, Brenda (husband Don) Loschiavo of Harrison, OH, Robin (husband Chip) Loper of Bright, IN; 4 grandchildred, Brandon, Nathan, Juliette, Gabriella; and lots of Nieces and Nephews.
  
Our condolences to the Stevens Family & Friends, the Bright Volunteer Fire Company and to all affected by Assistant Fire Chief Tom D. Stevens Sr.'s passing.  
 
To date, 30 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 




(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

USFA LODD – Alabama Captain/EMT Fatality Notification 03.16.2014












Within 24 hours of responding to a motor vehicle accident with the South Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Department, Captain Wayne O'Neal Jeffers, 64,  passed away on March 16, 2014 from a nature and cause of fatal injury still to be reported.
     
Wayne O'Neal Jeffers is survived by his Wife Lisa Jeffers, daughters Cynthia (Joe) Hodges, Peggy (Jesse) Oglesby, Natasha (Shane) Petty, his sons John (Jaimie) Padget, Christopher Jeffers, his grandchildren Alex Hodges, Gus Hodges, Anne-Ware Knochemus, Patrick Knochemus, Destiny, Hannah, Judah and Micah Petty, Blake, Brittany and Bailey Padget, his father-in-law Johnny Nobles, brothers Mike (Wanda) Jeffers, Chuck (Lori) Jeffers, a sister Vivian (Dennis) Harrison 
  
Our condolences to the Jeffers Family & Friends, the South Mongomery County Volunteer Fire Department and to all affected by Captain Wayne O'Neal Jeffers' passing.  
  
To date, 29 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 



(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 


USFA LODD – New Jersey Ex-Fire Chief & Firefighter Fatality Notification 03.13.2014











Firefighter and ex-fire chief Joseph E. Bove, III, 53, on March 13, 2014 responded with his fire department to a report of a smell of gas at a home in a multi-unit residential housing complex. After shutting off the gas and clearing the incident, Firefighter Bove went home and shortly thereafter collapsed from a cause of injury still to be reported. Joseph E. Bove, III was treated and transported to the Old Bridge Regional Hospital where he succumbed to his injury.
     
Joseph E. Bove, III was predeceased by parents, Jean and Joseph Bove and his brother, Thomas Bove. Surviving are his wife of 31 years, Renata Elizabeth Bove, who was his high school sweetheart, and their children, Jacqueline Bove, Joseph Edward Bove, IV and Anthony Bove and his high school sweetheart, Tara, all of Spotswood; his brother, Michael (Colleen) Bove of South River; two sisters, Donna Bove of Monroe Township and Lynn Reid of Milltown; his mother-in-law, Stella Gut, and brother-in-law, James Gut, both of Freehold; four sisters-in-law, Cher Bove of South River, Donna (Robert) Mitzelman and Terri (Sebastian) Mincer, all of Freehold and Barbara (Laszlo) Nyitrai of South Brunswick, and fourteen nieces and nephews, Christopher, T.J., Bobby, Rachel, Matthew, Nicole, Olivia, Sebastian, Michael, Samantha, Gabriella, Michaela, Isabella and Thomas. 
  
Our condolences to the Bove Family & Friends, the Spotswood Fire Department and to all affected by Firefighter Joseph Edward Bove's passing.  
  
To date, 28 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 



(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 

Friday, March 14, 2014

Nose Gear Tire Blows, Takeoff Aborted At Philadelphia International Airport - 03.13.2014























PHILADELPHIA (CBS News) - A US Airways plane blew a tire as it was taking off from Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday evening and the nose gear collapsed as the plane made an emergency landing, the airline said.

The 149 passengers and five crew members aboard Flight 1702 were evacuated via emergency chutes, an airline spokeswoman and the Federal Aviation Administration said. 

Two minor injuries were reported but no one was seriously hurt. . .
Read more of the story here http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nose-gear-collapses-when-us-airways-plane-aborts-takeoff-at-philadelphia/



(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 

Monday, March 10, 2014

USFA LODD – Michigan Fire Chief Fatality Notification 03.05.2014













On March 4, 2014 while participating in pumper training at the fire department, Fire Chief Jamie A. Peite began to not feel well but thought it was not serious. While attending classes at the University of Wisconsin-Superior the following morning, on March 5, 2014, Fire Chief Peite suffered a heart attack. Fire Chief Peite was treated and transported to the hospital but succumbed to his injury.     

Jamie A. Peite is survived by his daughter, Samantha Peite, and parents, Dennis and Barbara Peite, all of Ironwood; a brother, Shane (Tiffani Fontecchio), Hurley, Wis.; three sisters, Tamara DeFelice (Ron Lipske), Ironwood, Stephanie (Ron) Rhenlund, Kimball, Wis., and Lara Peite, Ironwood; nieces and nephews, Cody, Dylan, Nicholas, Cassandra, Colton, Kali, Justin, Jarret and Katelyn; great-niece, Maddie; special friend, Barb, of Ironwood; and a host of friends.
  
Our condolences to the Peite Family & Friends, the Anchorage Fire Department and to all affected by Fire Chief Jamie A. Peite's passing.  
  
To date, 27 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 



(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 

USFA LODD – Alaska Firefighter Senior Captain Fatality Notification 03.07.2014










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Senior Captain Jeffery Bayless, 51, on March 7, 2014 at 1148hrs, collapsed during Rules Of Air Management (ROAM) training. Crews on scene began immediate treatment and Senior Captain Bayless was transported to Alaska Regional Hospital where he later passed away from a nature of fatal injury still to be reported.
  
Our condolences to the Bayless Family & Friends, the Anchorage Fire Department and to all affected by Senior Captain Jeffery Bayless' passing.  
  
To date, 26 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 



(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 


USFA LODD – Arizona Fire Lieutenant Fatality Notification 03.08.2014












FOX 10 News | myfoxphoenix.com

On March 8, 2014, while performing a Wildland Pack Test, Lieutenant Bobby Mollere, 61, collapsed on the Payson High School track. Fellow firefighters on scene initiated a medical assessment and found Lieutenant Mollere in cardiac arrest.  The EMTs and Paramedics began advanced life support immediately on scene.  Lieutenant Mollere was transported to the Payson Regional Medical Center where resuscitative efforts continued until he passed away.
  
Our condolences to the Mollere Family & Friends, the Hellsgate Fire Department and to all affected by Firefighter Lieutenant Bobby Mollere's passing.  

To date, 25 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 






(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Watchdog Report Exposes Safety Issues. . .


















Editorial: Volunteer firefighting needs better state regulation

 (Pressconnects) - Some of our nation’s greatest heroes are firefighters. They selflessly toil to save our lives and our property in the worst of conditions.

They also die in the line of duty.

What is stunning is how many of the lost are volunteers — those whose only compensation for their time and sacrifice is the satisfaction of knowing they are serving their communities.

In the 10 years through 2013, volunteers accounted for about one of every two firefighters who died in connection with performing those duties, according to data from the U.S. Fire Administration, a government agency. That’s 548 volunteer heroes, or 42 last year alone.

Matthew Porcari was one of those heroes.

The 17-year member of the Owego Fire Department died in January 2013 after the floor of a burning home in Newark Valley collapsed under him and he plunged into the basement. Porcari’s father and grandfather also served the Owego volunteer force, which was founded in 1828. This fire wasn’t even in Owego, but the department was providing aid to another department, as departments do everywhere.

What makes Porcari’s death an even deeper tragedy is that it could have been prevented, according to facts disclosed in a state investigative report recently obtained by Press & Sun-Bulletin reporter David Robinson under a Freedom of Information Law request.

Robinson’s article on today’s front page quotes the Labor Department report as stating: “In this case, the accountability system experienced a complete breakdown.” Several commonly accepted standards for firefighting, including adequate training, weren’t observed by those fighting the fire, which posed no threat to a resident’s life, according to our story today.

Read more of the story here http://ow.ly/uogw5 




Watchdog Report: What went wrong in Newark Valley fatal fire

Records shed light on events leading up to Porcari's death

 (Pressconnects) - Volunteer firefighter Matthew Porcari spent more than 17 years serving the community he loved before losing his life battling a house fire.

The 34-year-old father to five children was a third-generation legacy in the Owego Fire Department. His funeral last year drew more than 1,000 people, including friends and fellow firefighters who gathered to mourn his tragic death.

But state records show Porcari, who was described as a selfless hero by those who knew him best, should have never been inside that burning Newark Valley home during an emergency response on a frigid night in January 2013.

Nearly two years earlier, a medical evaluation determined Porcari was unfit for interior firefighting duty, and the fire department failed to remove him from service in 2011, records show.

During that fateful night in 2013, the volunteer firefighters in command lacked sufficient training, records show, and they oversaw a frantic attempt to save a house from flames, while committing numerous violations of state and federal safety regulations. Residents had escaped before firefighters arrived.

In total, a November state Department of Labor investigation cited 11 safety violations, of which eight were designated as serious, in connection to the fire on Jan. 21, 2013, when Porcari fell into the basement after the one-story home’s floor collapsed. The Press & Sun-Bulletin obtained the report last week through a Freedom of Information Law request.

Local fire and law enforcement officials later determined a lighting apparatus in a small shed near the Chamberlain Road home caused the fire, which they ruled accidental.

The state investigation report and other local government records obtained through FOIL requests show firefighters, including Porcari, had been unnecessarily exposed to risks while performing an important but inherently dangerous community service.

“In this case the accountability system experienced a complete breakdown,” the state investigation report stated.

Read more of the story here http://ow.ly/uogKX 



(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)








Friday, March 7, 2014

Fatal Fire: Buffalo N.Y., 2280 Genesee St. - 03.07.2014

















BUFFALO, N.Y.  (The Buffalo News) — The owner of an East Side auto repair shop was killed this afternoon when an explosion ripped through his garage bay.

Firefighters and police were on the scene of the fire at Steve’s Auto Service, 2280 Genesee St., at East End Avenue.

A worker said the owner and he were working on a fuel pump of a car when the phone rang. The worker left the garage to answer the phone. He then heard the owner yell: “Fire!”

The garage then burst into flames. The worker apparently could not get back into the shop because of the ferocity of the fire.

Firefighters quickly arrived at the scene and managed to drag the owner, Stephen J. Pawlowski, 56, of the Town of Tonawanda out of the burning garage.

Witnesses said they put him in a snow bank to douse the flames. He was rushed to a hospital by ambulance.

A worker from the garage also was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.



Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield says firefighters responded to Steve’s Auto Service at 2280 Genesee St. near East End just after 1 p.m. Friday. Upon arrival, Whitfield says they found heavy fire conditions and two victims outside the building.

"One of them in particular had severe burns to him. He was assisted by other pedestrians and civilians. He has since been pronounced deceased at ECMC hospital," Whitfield says.

Fire Commissioner Whitfield says the cause of the incident is under investigation. He says there are reports of several explosions at the scene, reports the fire master is working to verify.




(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)


Wednesday, March 5, 2014

USFA LODD – New York Firefighter Fatality Notification 03.03.2014












On March 3, 2014 at 05:57hrs, Firefighter Kevin J. Bristol, 48, passed away at home from an apparent heart attack several hours after coming off shift during which he worked one or more emergency responses including a kitchen fire.

Kevin J. Bristol is survived by his wife, Kathi of Peekskill; mother, Joan Bristol of Peekskill; children, Brian (Dana) Summers of New York City, Katie Summers and Matthew Diterlizzi; two grandchildren; brother, Patrick (Dawn) Bristol of Franklin, Tenn.; sisters, Colleen (Jim) McCormick of Bradenton, Fla., Maureen Bristol of Franklin, Tenn., and Chrissy (Chris) Ortis of Pembroke Pines, Fla.; father-in-law, Robert (Karen) Leonard; brother-in-law, Bob (Eva) Leonard; sisters-in-law, Patti Blaich and Mary Pironti; many cousins; nieces and nephews; brother firefighters in the City of Peekskill. He was predeceased by his father, Owen Bristol.

Our condolences to the Bristol Family & Friends, the Peekskill Fire Department and to all affected by Firefighter Kevin J. Bristol 's passing.  

To date, 24 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 




(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

USFA LODD - Ohio Firefighter Fatality Notification 02.28.2014












On February 28, 2014, several hours after coming off of a shift that included four emergency responses, Firefighter Steven Joseph Knaus, 47, was discovered in his vehicle located in the driveway of his home and in cardiac arrest. Steven Joseph Knaus was treated and transported to the hospital but succumbed to his injury.
  
Our condolences to the Knaus Family & Friends, the Willowick Fire Department and to all affected by Firefighter Steven Joseph Knaus's passing.  
   
To date, 23 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 



(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 







USFA LODD - Tennessee Firefighter Fatality Notification 03.01.2014















On March 1, 2014 at 0145hrs, Firefighter Jerry Campbell, 61, while at a work center and preparing to deploy to a wildland fire incident in the Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee, fell ill from an apparent heart attack. According to reports, Jerry Campbell's condition suddenly deteriorated and he passed away from his injury while being prepared for air transport to the hospital.
  
Our condolences to the Campbell Family & Friends, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry and to all affected by Firefighter Jerry Campbell's passing.  
   
To date, 22 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2014. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online at U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Fatality Notices page. 



(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.) 





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