On the morning of Friday, November 27, 2020, Firefighter/EMT Alan Basso, 59, responded to two medical emergency calls, the last one dispatched at 0848hrs. Later that day, at 1355hrs, Basso was driving in the downtown area of Kalama when his vehicle collided with several parked vehicles. He was unconscious and not breathing, suffering a cardiac arrest. Citizen CPR was immediately initiated by a nearby off-duty Portland firefighter, 911 was summonsed, and Cowlitz County Fire District 5 resources arrived on-scene. Immediate advance life support measures were administered, and Basso was then transported to PeaceHealth St. Johns Medical Center where, despite all efforts, he was pronounced deceased.
Our condolences to the Basso Family & Friends, Cowlitz County Fire District 5 and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Alan Basso's passing.
At 1900hrs on Sunday, November 22, 2020, Firefighter/EMT Robert Cree, 72, responded to a medical emergency at a residence. Upon returning home, at approximately 2010hrs, Firefighter/EMT Cree collapsed from an apparent heart attack. Crews arrived at his home and immediately performed CPR. Despite all efforts, he could not be resuscitated and passed away.
Our condolences to the Cree Family & Friends, Harrison Township Volunteer Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Robert Cree's passing.
In the early morning hours of September 23, 2020, Firefighter/EMT Charles Woods, 58, responded to a residential fire in Marion, VA, with the Adwolfe Volunteer Fire Department. Upon arrival, the occupant of the residence was secured and fire suppression activities began. During operations, Firefighter/EMT Woods was found unresponsive in a tanker after having filled it from a nearby fire hydrant and completing several other on-scene duties. Crews at the scene immediately provided lifesaving efforts and transported Firefighter/EMT Woods to Smyth County Community Hospital. All attempts to revive Firefighter/EMT Woods, however, were not successful.
Our condolences to the Woods Family & Friends, Adwolfe Volunteer Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Charles Woods' passing.
On March 24, 2020, Firefighter/EMT Michael Field, 59, responded to a medical emergency at a residence where a patient had a known case of COVID-19. He subsequently contracted the virus and passed away on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.
Our condolences to the Field Family & Friends, Valley Stream Volunteer Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Michael Field's passing.
On the morning of Sunday, February 23, 2020, after returning home from a grass fire, Firefighter/EMT Donald “Donny” Lepper, 46, collapsed. He was immediately taken to the Community Hospital of McCook, where he was pronounced deceased.
Our condolences to the Lepper Family & Friends, Indianola Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Donald “Donny” Lepper's passing.
On June 17, 2019, Firefighter/EMT Coleman Loadholt, 51, was on-duty at the Jasper County Fire Rescue Department in Ridgeland, SC. At approximately 0815hrs, he complained to his co-worker that he wasn’t feeling well and suffered a medical emergency. Firefighter/EMT Loadholt was treated by his co-worker and was immediately transported to the Coastal Carolina Hospital where he was stabilized. The same day he was then transported to the Hilton Head Hospital, and was ultimately transported to the MUSC Hospital in Charleston, SC, where he passed away on June 21, 2019.
Our condolences to the Loadholt Family & Friends, Jasper County Fire Rescue, and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Coleman Loadholt’s passing.
On June 24, 2018 Firefighter/EMT Joe Patterson, 33, was working with compressed air cylinders at the Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District Station 22 when he was critically injured by one of the cylinders. He was airlifted to the Kettering Medical Center where he passed away from injuries sustained in the accident.
Our condolences to the PattersonFamily & Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District, and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Joe Patterson's passing.
On November 11, 2017 several hours after working on the scene of a three-alarm commercial structure fire at an auto body and glass company, Firefighter/EMT Scott A. Compton, 55, fell ill at home and died from a nature and cause of fatal injury still to be determined.
Our condolences to the Compton Family & Friends, Greenfield Fire Territory, and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Scott A. Compton’s passing. To date, 78 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2017. 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.)
Firefighter-EMT Matthew Mark Deicher was paralyzed from a July 31, 2003, ambulance crash while located in the patient compartment of the vehicle. On September 23, 2017, Firefighter-EMT Deicher passed away from complications due to his injuries and related medical condition.
Our condolences to the Deicher Family & Friends, Mosinee Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter-EMT Matthew Mark Deicher’s passing. To date, 69 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2017. 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.)
On January 23, 2017 Firefighter/EMT Richard Kaplan, 80, passed away at home from a nature and cause of fatal injury still to be reported. Firefighter Kaplan responded to four emergency incidents with his fire department during the 24 hours preceding his death.
Our condolences to the Kaplan Family & Friends, Jericho Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Richard Kaplan’s passing.
On June 14, 2016, fewer than 24 hours following participation in motor vehicle extrication and rescue training at the fire department, Firefighter-AEMT Douglas A. Clement, 43, experienced a medical emergency at his residence. Firefighter-AEMT Clement was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to a reported heart attack.
Our condolences to the Clement Family & Friends, New Hampton Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter-AEMT Douglas A. Clements passing.
On September 24, 2015, Firefighter/EMT Stuart Hardy, 31, passed away from a nature and cause of injury still to be determined after suffering a medical emergency while working at the scene of a motor vehicle accident on September 13th, 2015.
Our condolences to the Hardy Family & Friends, Burton Fire Department, and to all affected by Firefighter/EMT Stuart Hardy’s passing.
WACO (CBSDFW.COM) - A fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, north of Waco, has injured hundreds and as many as 70 people are feared dead. However, no official numbers have been released.
Meanwhile, the residents of the town of 2,700 are being asked to evacuate due to ammonia fumes after the explosion of West Fertilizer. The plant is located at 1471 Jerry Mashek Drive, just off Interstate-35. School buses and ambulances are being used to evacuate residents from the area.
"It was a like a nuclear bomb went off," the mayor, Tommy Muska, told reporters. "Big old mushroom cloud. There are a lot of people that got hurt. There are a lot of people that will not be here tomorrow."
CNN reported two emergency workers killed, a death toll which authorities feared will rise sharply. More than 150 people were treated for injuries at the local hospital as well as at Waco, 18 miles away, and Dallas, 80 miles away.
Units from 30 fire departments brought the blaze at the West Fertilizer Company plant under control by midnight. Fears that a second fertiliser tank might explode receded but authorities continued to evacuate residents amid concern about toxic fumes.
David Argueta, vice-president of operations at Waco's Hillcrest Baptist medical centre, said staff had treated lacerations and orthopaedic-type injuries. "We are being told that we have seen most of the patients, and it's now turned into a search-and-rescue operation on scene."
A spokesman for the Texas department of public safety, DL Wilson, told a press conference the blast had probably caused hundreds of wounded and some deaths. "We do have confirmed fatalities. The number is not current yet. It could go up by the minute. We're in there searching the area right now and making sure that it's safe."
Two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon have resulted in injuries.
Two bombs exploded near the crowded finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three people and injuring more than 140 others in a terrifying scene of broken glass, smoke and severed limbs, authorities said.
Police initially said a third explosion occurred later at John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, but later said it was related to a fire. No one was injured at the library, police said. UPDATE (04.16.2013):
"Any Responsible Individuals, Any Responsible Groups Will Feel The Full Weight Of Justice"
(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.)
SUWANEE, Ga. (AP) — A gunman who held four firefighters for hours in a suburban Atlanta home was shot dead by SWAT members and all the hostages are slightly injured but should be OK, authorities said Wednesday.
Minutes before the police announcement, one big explosion followed by several smaller ones or gunshots were heard in the Suwanee neighborhood about 35 miles northeast of Atlanta. A SWAT officer was shot in the hand or arm, but should be fine, said Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Edwin Ritter.
The firefighters mainly suffered cuts and bruises in the explosion that authorities used to distract the suspect before they rushed the house, said fire department Capt. Tommy Rutledge.
Ritter said the gunman, who has not been identified, demanded his power and cable be turned back on. According to public records, the home is in foreclosure and has been bank-owned since mid-November.
"It's an unfortunate circumstance we did not want this to end this way," Ritter said. "But with the decisions this guy was making, this was his demise."
Five firefighters responded to what seemed like a routine medical call and were eventually takenhostage by an unidentified suspect inside the house, Ritter said. The gunman released one of the firefighters to move a fire truck.
The gunman's motive was unclear to police and fire officials. SWAT team members had surrounded the home and a hostage negotiator had been in contact with the suspect.
Rutledge said the medical call seemed routine and firefighters did not believe there was any danger. One engine and one ambulance responded.
"Our firefighters responded to a call they respond to hundreds of times, and that's a medical emergency," he said.
The explosion rocked the neighborhood of mostly two-story homes and well-kept lawns and set off car alarms all over.
Two ambulances could be seen leaving.
(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.)
The Tupolev-204 is a twin-engine medium-range jet with a capacity of 210 passengers. The Russian Red Wings Airlines flight was arriving to Vnukovo International Airport from the Czech Republic when it crashed through a fence, Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said. It is thought the plane was on its second attempt at landing when the crash happened, at around 4.35pm local time (12.35GMT).
A Russian airliner split into pieces after it slid off the runway and crashed onto a highway outside Moscow on Saturday, killing at least four of the 8 crew members and with no passenger on board. The Tupolev-204 aircraft broke into pieces and caught fire after crashing, leaving smoking chunks of fuselage on the icy road.
Exclusive footage of the Tu-204 crash above. The exclusive footage shows the initial accident of the Tu-204 at Vnukovo airport. Footage filmed by witness whose car caught the plane rolled out to Kiev highway. The crash took place during high winds and a snowstorm, but the cause of the accident is not yet clear. Preliminary reports say the jet rolled out from the runway into Kievskoye Highway, fell into pieces and caught fire. Russian investigators said preliminary findings pointed to pilot error as the cause of the crash. The plane's nose, including the cockpit area, appeared to have been sheared off.
Investigators are examining flight recorders and other evidence to try to determine the cause of a plane crash in Moscow that left four people dead. Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's main investigative agency, was quoted by Russian news agencies today as saying the data recorders were being examined, along with fuel samples.
In addition, he said flight documents for the plane have been taken from the airline for examination. The four survivors were reported in critical or serious condition in Moscow hospitals.
(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.)
(YNN) JEFFERSON COUNTY, N.Y. -- A firefighter from Jefferson County is recovering after he was hit at an accident scene. Rescue crews and sheriff's deputies responded to a call of a two car accident at the intersection of Routes 411 and 37 in the Town of Theresa Friday night. Officials said Lance Willix, 67, was directing traffic when he was hit by a deputy's patrol car when the deputy tried to drive around one of the fire trucks.
He was flown to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse with leg injuries. Willix is listed in fair condition.
Sheriff John Burns said the patrol car was moving at a crawl, and that neither the driver nor the firefighter saw each other due to congestion at the scene.
While directing traffic at a motor vehicle accident, a fire police officer was hit by a sheriff deputy's SUV responding to the same crash. Firefighter Lance Willix was air lifted to University Hospital in Syracuse with a broken femur.
“We were involved in traffic control and at that time, one of my fire police on scene was actually struck by a vehicle,” said Theresa Fire Chief Mark Savage.
Mr. Savage said he was only a few feet away from Mr. Willix, 67, Theresa, when he was hit. “I heard the impact,” Mr. Savage said. “I turned around and there he was. All I could do was try to keep him still.”
Mr. Willix was taken by helicopter to Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, where a nursing supervisor said he was listed in fair condition late Friday.
(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.)
Navy jet crashes in Virginia Beach, wiping out part of apartment complex
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire that erupted after an F/A-18D fighter jet after it crashed into a a Virginia Beach apartment complex, tearing the roof off at least one building that was engulfed in flames. The crash happened in the Hampton Roads area, which has a large concentration of military bases, including Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world. Both pilots ejected from the jet
Media reports say a Navy jet crashed in Virginia Beach and the two aviators aboard are believed to have ejected before the impact.
Two hero pilots have been praised for preventing scores of potential deaths by dumping plane fuel as their doomed F-18 Navy fighter jet plummeted to the ground in Virginia Beach, Virginia - decisive action that authorities saved the craft from sparking a 'massive, massive fireball'.
Although the plane crashed into an apartment building, ripping the roofs off condos, town houses, and a retirement community, the two crew members safely ejected from the craft. There are no known deaths - but fears remain over three elderly people who are unaccounted for.
The two pilots managed to eject just before impact, suffering minor injuries along with five others on the ground. Several residents described hearing a loud explosion and looking out their windows to see the red and orange blaze. In the confusion that followed, two men helped one of the bloodied pilots from the two-seat F18 Hornet move to safety.
The plane had dumped loads of fuel before crashing, though it wasn't clear if that was because of a malfunction or an intentional maneuver by the pilots, said Capt. Mark Weisgerber with U.S. Fleet Forces Command. The jet went down less than 10 miles from Oceana.
Five civilians, as well as the two pilots, who were a student and an instructor, were taken to hospital to be treated, but their injuries were not serious and all but one, a pilot, had been released by Friday evening.
Rescuers continued to search the wreckage of the Mayfair Mews apartment complex for victims on Friday night; the whereabouts of three residents who live in the block are unknown, Reuters reported.
(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.)
Colby, Wisconsin Firefighter Laid to Rest Kampmeyer worked as a deputy for Marathon County and was a volunteer firefighter.
COLBY (WAOW) - Thousands gathered in Colby to bid a final farewell to a fallen firefighter. People across the state have come to know Jamison Kampmeyer and the legacy he leaves behind. Kampmeyer died while battling a blaze at the historic Abby Theatre in Abbotsford on Sunday. He worked as a volunteer firefighter in Colby. And was also a deputy for the Marathon County Sheriff's department.
Oklahoma City Firefighter Faces New Challenge Oklahoma City firefighter battles fires and Parkinson’s disease
OKLAHOMA CITY (News9) - A metro firefighter is fighting more than fires. Right now, he's in a battle to overcome something that could transform his life. But he's still on the job every day. "When he came to me and told me about his condition, I was really rather shocked," Maj. Mike Coker said. Kidd was scared that his calling might be in jeopardy when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 29.
Haverhill firefighter apologizes after saying mayor should be charged with murder.
The Eagle Tribune- Haverhill firefighter Todd Guertin apologizes to Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini for his comments after a deadly fire on Washington Street March 7, 2012.
Worcester Community Honors Fallen Firefighter and Surviving Partner Worcester Firefighter Brian Carroll honored by community remembering deadly fire.
WORCESTER, Mass. (WHDH) - Firefighter Brian Carroll was honored for his bravery in Worcester on Wednesday after he was seriously injured in a December fire that took the life of his friend and fellow firefighter.“The first five minutes was absolute hell,” said Carroll, speaking out for the first time since the deadly fire.
(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.)
Waverly firefighters, the Sayre Fire Department and Greater Valley Emergency Medical Services from Sayre, Pennsylvania, responded to an early morning fire 2:30 Friday morning at 7 Ithaca Street, Waverly NY in Tioga County. Waverly-Barton Fire Officials said when they arrived at the scene; smoke and fire were spewing out of the home. "On arrival, we found the house fully involved in fire," said Jeff Wheeler, first assistant fire chief of the Waverly Barton Fire Department.
There were two other people in the upstairs apartment that had to jump to safety before we were on the scene" said Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Waverly. Firefighters pulled one person out of the downstairs apartment. A Waverly man that was taken to Robert Packer Hospita is dead after the fire that took place in Tioga County, New York. The two other persons taken to the hospital had non-life threatening injuries.
After about an hour of firefighting the fire was knocked down and brought under control, with firefighting crews staying on the fireground scene till 10 a.m. to ensure no rekindle of fire would happen.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Tioga County Fire Investigators and Waverly Village Police are conducting the 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.)
