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Monday, February 08, 2010 THE LATEST: MON FEB 8 |
In this Edition: Around Montana No one injured in Great Falls house fire; cat dies in blaze Butte schools launch emergency management project on Monday Fire chars Great Falls apartment building Man, 25, dies in Ekalaka house fire Great Falls refinery employee injured in fire, treated for burns Billings Heights fire guts pickup cab 150 honor 3 Billings firefighters, bid farewell in retirement Small fire damages Billings South Side home Garage fire in Great Falls quickly extinguished, no injuries Great Falls Fire Rescue trains on confined-space rescues Montana Fire Alliance Conference Ravalli County says some addresses wrong Fed grant pays for new hose in Livingston STICO training in Missoula To Trunk or not to Trunk? Parenteau retires from Havre Fire Department Around the Nation Ohio Fire Officer Critical Five Killed in Conn. Blast PROPOSES CUTS TO ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT PROGRAM CPSC Investigating Car Chargers after Chambersburg Fire
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Around Montana
No one injured in Great Falls house fire; cat dies in blaze By KRISTEN CATES http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100208/NEWS01/2080302/1002/rss
Firefighters were kept busy on Sunday with another structure fire — this time a house fire — reported on the east side of town early in the afternoon. No one was home at the time the fire broke out shortly before 1 p.m., but a family cat died in the blaze at 3601 2nd Ave. S. Great Falls Fire/Rescue Batallion Chief Chuck Rovreit said crews responded to see smoke showing from the attic vent of the house and pocketing around the windows. By the time crews got inside the house, Rovreit said the fire had cut off its supply of oxygen and put itself out on its own. According to Fire Marshal Doug Bennyhoff, the fire started in one of the basement bedrooms where a candle was left burning. He estimated the damage being somewhere between $18,000 to $25,000. The home was insured. The fire was contained to the basement, stairwell, and the kitchen of the house, but there was extensive smoke damage throughout the rest of the house, according to Rovreit. A family of four was renting the house, and they will be temporarily displaced. Rovreit said the American Red Cross would be assisting them, but they were still busy helping those displaced by the fire that occurred late Saturday night at the apartment complex located at 612 2nd Ave. S. Bennyhoff said a man from the apartment building who was sent to Benefis Health System unconscious was believed to have been released from the hospital on Sunday. Firefighters reported difficulty fighting the flames because some residents were unwilling to evacuate. The fire started in one of the second-story apartments, but Bennyhoff said he has yet to determine an ignition source or point of origin. The fire was mostly contained to the one apartment, but firefighters had to tear down the ceilings of a couple apartments adjacent to the apartment on fire. "I still have some research to do," he said. The apartment building was uninsured and faces approximately $40,000 in damage. The American Red Cross was working with approximately 10 individuals from that fire to find them temporary housing. "Thank goodness they are there," Bennyhoff said. =========== Butte schools launch emergency management project on Monday By The Montana Standard Staff http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2010/02/07/area/hjijjhjdhgejec.txt A 14-month program to improve emergency management in public and private schools in Butte begins with its first full-day of training Monday at East Middle School. Funded through a $250,000 grant from the Department of Education, the Butte-Silver Bow School Emergency Preparedness Project will bring together public safety and education agencies, according to a news release. "Safer schools mean safer kids," said Cathy Maloney, county superintendent of schools in Butte. "We want to make sure that when parents see their kids off in the morning for school, they'll know they're in safe hands." From now until March of 2011, school staff and administrators will receive training in the four phases of emergency management, including the Incident Command System and in the all-hazards approach. They also will participate in a series of table-top simulations, full-scale emergency drills and collaborative trainings with local fire, police, health and emergency professionals. Butte's is the only school system in Montana to receive this grant this year, according to the release. Besides Butte public schools, Butte Central High and Elementary and two Head Start programs also are participating. =========== Fire chars Great Falls apartment building By RYAN HALL http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100207/NEWS01/2070301/1002/rss Great Falls firefighters rescued three people from a burning downtown apartment building Saturday night. One of those rescued, an unconscious male whose name was not released, was transported to Benefis Health System, said Great Falls Fire/Rescue Acting Battalion Chief Bob Shupe. An update on his condition was not available Saturday. Fifteen firefighters initially responded to the blaze at 612 2nd Ave. S. at about 9:06 p.m., Fire Marshal Doug Bennyhoff said. When crews arrived, flames were visible through the eastern-most front window on the second floor of the building. "There was fire blowing out the front window," Shupe said. He said firefighting efforts were complicated by the fact many of the residents didn't want to leave their apartments. "It was quite a problem because the occupants didn't want to evacuate," he said. After firefighters rescued the three individuals, the remaining 10 or so voluntarily evacuated, Shupe said. Though the extent of the damage was unclear late Saturday, Bennyhoff said the residents were expected to be displaced. A Great Falls Transit District bus was called to provide a warm place for residents to sit while American Red Cross personnel arranged for hotel rooms and other necessities. Bennyhoff said the investigation into the cause of the fire had not yet begun as of 10:15 p.m. Saturday because crews were still knocking down hot spots. He did say he believes the fire started on the top floor of the two-story building. =========== Man, 25, dies in Ekalaka house fire The Associated Press http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2010/02/06/state/hjijjhjejjjhie.txt BILLINGS (AP) — Authorities say a 25-year-old man is dead after a house fire in the southeastern Montana town of Ekalaka. Carter County Sheriff Rusty Jardee says Kyle Boland's body was recovered from the wreckage of the fire, which was reported at about 6:30 a.m. Friday. It took firefighters about four hours to get a handle on the blaze. Investigators say a wood fire inside the home probably spread and ignited the rest of the structure. Jardee says the house "was pretty well totaled," although an exact damage estimate wasn't available Friday evening. =========== Great Falls refinery employee injured in fire, treated for burns By Tribune Staff http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20100206/NEWS01/2060307/1002/rss A fire at the Montana Refining Co. on Thursday injured one of the Great Falls refinery's employees, according to Fire Marshall Doug Bennyhoff. The fire was contained to an area between two propane tanks. The plant's manager, Dana Leach, said it was quickly extinguished. The injured man, who Leach said is a refinery operator, was treated Friday for first- and second-degree burns at Benefis Health Systems. His name has not been released, and no updates were available on his condition Friday. Leach said damage from the fire was minimal and operations at the refinery have returned to normal. Bennyhoff said the cause of the fire is under investigation and that it could be "quite some time" before a cause is found. =========== Billings Heights fire guts pickup cab The Gazette Staff Police are investigating a fire that gutted the cab of a pickup Sunday night in the Heights. The fire, which erupted about 9 p.m. in the 700 block of Nottingham Circle, consumed the interior of a black and yellow 1994 Chevrolet 2500 extended cab pickup. Damages were estimated at $3,000, according to the Bill Tatum, Billings Fire Department assistant marshal. No one was in the truck when the fire occurred. No one was injured. The fire investigation, which appeared to have been started by an incendiary device on the passenger-side floorboard, was turned over to police. =========== 150 honor 3 Billings firefighters, bid farewell in retirement By ZACH BENOIT Of The Gazette Staff http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_9b242cde-13b9-11df-9886-001cc4c03286.html A trio of Billings fire captains with nearly a century of experience among them received a warm send-off Saturday night from their former colleagues. Billings Fire Department Captains Robert Dunn, Ron Snelling and Steve Wilson all retired on Dec. 31 and combined have 92 years with the department. About 150 people gathered at The Depot to honor and thank them for their service. “These guys have worked hard for a long time for the community and for the Fire Department,” said Dan Cotrell, president of the firefighters union Local 521, which organized the party. “You’ve got 90-plus years of experience that walked out the door.” All three of the retirees said, in one way or another, that the thing they’d miss most was the camaraderie and friendships that come from spending so much time with other firefighters, especially during dangerous situations. “This department is a big family,” said Snelling, who became a firefighter in 1977. “There’s a camaraderie there that nobody else can understand. That’s what’s kept us afloat all this time.” Wilson, who joined the department in 1984, described being a firefighter numerous times as “a great job.” None of the men said he had set long-term plans with a newly found abundance of free time, although Snelling said he planned to take his wife and kids to Disneyland in April. Dunn, who also became a firefighter in 1977, has watched the department grow quite a bit — mirroring the growth in Billings — from his days as a rookie. He said there is now more of an emphasis on firefighter safety to go along with what he described as an aggressive approach to fighting fires. That aggressive approach may have contributed to Dunn still adjusting to the retired life. “I’m still trying to catch up on a few things, but it’s nice to get away from the stress of the job,” he said. “But it’s still hard to just sit down and relax.” It’s impossible to simply transfer the knowledge and understanding gained from the years the three have put in at the department, but Cotrelle said that’s OK. “You don’t replace that experience,” he said. “But you do build on the experience that’s still there.” But the party wasn’t just about the retired captains. Established in the early 2000s, it is an annual event that honors all retirees from the department and gives them the chance to catch up. Cotrell said he’d spoken with people in attendance who had retired as far back as the late 1960s. “These guys can spend one-third or more of their working career, sometimes more than 30 years, at a fire station,” he said. “The city has no format to recognize that, and we see the value in recognizing them.” Also recognized were Phil White, Vinny Christinson and Ed Thompson, who were promoted to captains; Yuri Hanson and Brad Smith, who were promoted to engineers; and newly hired firefighters Taig O'Donnell, Lee Weis and Mathew Schieno. =========== Small fire damages Billings South Side home Gazette Staff http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_8944a130-12ea-11df-921a-001cc4c002e0.html It didn’t take Billings firefighters long to extinguish a small fire that broke out in a South Side home Friday evening. The fire was reported at 615 S. 36th St. at about 5:30 p.m. when a neighbor reported smoke coming out of the home’s front door. Terry Larson, a battalion chief with the Billings Fire Department, said firefighters arrived to find a small fire in the back of the small one-story home, and its main floor filled with smoke. They had the fire out within 15 minutes. The fire caused minor heat damage to a back bedroom and moderate smoke damage throughout the rest of the main level of the house, according to a release from Assistant Fire Marshal Bill Tatum. No one was home at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. Four pets that were inside the house got out safely, Tatum said. The fire was classified as accidental. A malfunctioning extension cord ignited nearby combustibles in the bedroom, Tatum’s release said. The home is insured. Three engines and a ladder truck responded from the Billings Fire Department, along with a Billings Police officer. =========== Garage fire in Great Falls quickly extinguished, no injuries By David Sherman/KRTV http://www.krtv.com/news/garage-fire-in-great-falls-quickly-extinguished-no-injuries/ A small garage fire in the Riverview neighborhood of Great Falls was quickly extinguished on Saturday. Great Falls firefighters responded to a home on 29th Avenue NW on Saturday, just a block west of Division Road. A fire official told KRTV that the small blaze was caused by an electrical short. No one was injured in the fire, and authorities believe damage estimates are minimal. =========== Great Falls Fire Rescue trains on confined-space rescues By Kay Rossi/KRTV http://www.krtv.com/news/great-falls-fire-rescue-trains-on-confined-space-rescues/ According to Great Falls Fire Rescue, confined-space rescues are not very common, but when they occur, it's critical that they are prepared for the challenge. Protocol says nine firefighters must be present to perform the operation, and one of the major challenges facing them when entering a confined space is packaging the victim properly if they're injured or unconscious. Training instructor Jamie Jackson explained, "There may not be anything wrong with them other than a medical condition like a broken leg or a broken arm, so it's important to package the victim so he can make it out of the space safely without further injuring him." Other challenges include less oxygen, and even gases that could be trapped in a confined space. Jackson says two-thirds of all deaths that happen in these rescues are the rescuers themselves, so it's very important that every member of his team knows how to properly execute these types of rescues. He noted, "The scene is not the time to try to learn something." =========== 2010 Fire Alliance Conference Agenda Hope to see you there! Sincerely, The Montana State Fire Chiefs Association =========== Ravalli County says some addresses wrong By JEFF SCHMERKER - Ravalli Republic http://ravallirepublic.com/articles/2010/02/08/news/news58.txt When ambulances, police and fire trucks head out on an emergency call, they use sophisticated mapping software to lead them to the exact spot where they are needed. A lot of Ravalli County residents, though, might have to wait a little extra for help to arrive because their home numbers are, for lack of a better term, wrong. The county next week will send out about 1,400 letters to the owners of these wrongly-numbered properties, asking them to contact the county clerk and get a new number, or in some cases, a new street name. County officials aren’t under any illusions about how unhappy a lot of people are going to be to get that letter. “It’s a big problem,” said Regina Plettenberg, the county clerk. “We know some people are going to be upset.” Several years ago the county began a detailed look at structures in the county and how they are labelled or numbered. Officials drove all county roads, noted structures and marked addresses, and fed it all into new geographic information system software - the software tied to 911 response. In the process, Ken Miller, the county’s GIS director, found a lot of discrepancies - about 1,400, which means that roughly 7 percent of the county’s 20,000 known addresses are incorrectly numbered. “It was a lot more than I thought,” Miller said. Specifically, the county found: • 128 addresses on unnamed roads; • 263 addresses out of sequence with neighboring properties; • 207 addresses assigned to an incorrect road; • 144 addresses numbered on the wrong side of the road; • 111 addresses given numbers beyond the range of the road; • 62 properties with duplicate addresses: • and 319 structures without a known address. A further 160 or so properties are in neighborhoods so badly numbered that the entire neighborhood needs to be renamed and renumbered and are being treated as a separate project. Miller notes that this request to renumber properties or rename streets is not mandatory. “We are asking people to come in on a voluntary basis,” he said. “The county is not in a position to force an address down anyone’s throat.” A lot of problems stemmed from people picking their own address numbers, or turning driveways into streets and making the new street a mailing address. Some people apparently chose numbers for their homes, Miller said, simply because they liked the number, not that it corresponded to anything on the ground. The letter being sent to residents reads, in part: “Imagine if you or someone close to you is in need of emergency services and the emergency personnel who are responding to your call are unable to locate your residence or business. What will you do? Ravalli County is in the process of updating our Emergency 911 dispatch system to a computer-assisted enhanced-911 system. This will aid our dispatchers and emergency responders in locating residents in the event of an emergency. In order for the system to function properly, physical address numbers must comply with certain requirements. These include properly named streets and logically ordered address numbers. We are sending you this letter because your physical address does not comply with Emergency-911 requirements and must therefore be changed.” The letter concludes: “Please be assured that we must make this change to enhance your welfare and safety.” That welfare and safety is the bottom line, Miller said. “We are giving them the warning that there is the possibility that they may not be found by emergency services responders and basically we are pleading with them to get their numbers changed,” he said. Officials are hoping that affected property owners will contact the county in person or by phone by March 26. If they do, the county will waive the normal $10 address renumbering charge and the $125 street naming fee. Plettenberg said the numbering problems does not cause headaches just for ambulance and fire truck drivers. It’s also a pain for title companies, real estate agents, banks and surveyors. Miller is hoping people take the letter seriously. “We don’t know if people will call or if they will start flooding in or if they will start throwing things away,” he said. “We don’t have a clue, but the experiences we have had in the past say that most people will just do nothing.” The new 911 system will go into operation in April or May. Contact the recorder’s office at 375-6555. =========== Fed grant pays for new hose in Livingston By Enterprise Staff http://www.livingstonenterprise.com/news/index.php?PHPSESSID=1a8c61daf3af6134af96df35e8afa66c#3263 The Livingston Fire Department will soon have more than $20,000 worth of new hose, thanks to a federal grant. The department last week received a call from Congressman Denny Rehberg’s office, informing city staff that Livingston was awarded an Assistance to Firefighters grant, LFD Chief Alan Davis said Wednesday. The grant, awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, gives the department $20,615 with which to purchase new hose for the city’s two fire trucks, Davis said. The city will put in about an extra $1,000, which FEMA required as a local match. The new equipment will replace the department’s current hose, which is roughly 25 years old. “We’re at a critical stage,” Davis said of the need to replace the hose. The grant will pay for several thousand feet of hose that will be split between the department’s two fire trucks with some left over for reserves. =========== Weekend NFA Class successful in Missoula =========== To Trunk or not to Trunk?
A Salesman’s Job Is To first Create A Need And Then Fill That Need With His Product. When a reasonable individual analyses a potential purchase to enhance his operations, price is normally a most significant factor. (And, as our economy continues to have difficulty, this problem becomes more and more significant.) What is the initial cost and what will it actually buy? What is the true continuing cost for maintenance and necessary upgrades? What is the demonstrated life expectancy of the hardware/software? What is the demonstrated mean time between failure (MTBF) of individual components? What will the replacement cost be when you must replace an item at the end of its life expectancy? Once the various costs are accurately determined, the potential buyer can then weigh the cost against the benefit: What specific, significant, demonstrated and recurring needs do we now have that this system will be able to fulfill? What other needs do we have that will not be fulfilled if we use our cash to purchase this system? What certainty do we have ( …such as a money-back guarantee) that this system will actually work reliably to fulfill our identified needs if we purchase the very expensive radios necessary to become part of the system? Is there a guarantee that the price will not increase over time? Is this guarantee bonded? Who will train us? At what cost? Is this system so complex that we must constantly do refresher training so our people can use these additional benefits when called out at 3:00 AM? (10,000 volunteers as opposed to the 450 or so full time firefighters?) Will this system actually reduce interoperability for the fire service as Dr. Cady describes in his analysis? What alternative systems might serve us better for the cost involved? (What will this system do that a Blackberry or iPhone will not do better?) Since we have none of the above answers, we are not in a position to advocate this system. We should state as clearly as possible that this information has not been produced though many have repeatedly asked over the past several years since the system was first proposed. The information we received from the gentleman this past Wednesday during our teleconference is in conflict with Dr. Cady’s reasoned, detailed, documented analysis published in the Latest. The only detailed analysis relating to the fire service I have seen is the following letter by Fred Cady, PhD. EE, Chair, Gallatin County Fire Council Communications Committee. Dr. Cady has clearly documented the problems with both the IM system in Montana and its cheerleaders as it relates to those of us in the fire service. (Thank you Dr. Cady!) Bruce Charles, Chief West End Volunteer Fire District =========== Parenteau retires from Havre Fire Department Congratulation to Joe Parenteau in his retirement from the Havre Fire Department. Joe has served on some FSTS advisory groups during his tenure at Havre Fire. ===========
Around the Nation
Ohio Fire Officer Critical Thanks Billy G from The Secret List @ www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com Late Saturday night, Columbus Firefighters were operating at a basement fire in a dwelling on the city's northeast side, when a CFD Lieutenant in the basement collapsed. Firefighters immediately removed the fire officer from the basement and initiated life-saving measures at the scene and was taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital, where he is in critical, but stable condition. The 60-year-old Lieutenant from Station 16, is a 35-year veteran of the department who suffered cardiac arrest at the fire scene. The Lieutenant's station was first on the scene of the fire and he was supervising a crew in the basement of the dwelling. One of the members operating at the fire turned around and saw that the Lieutenant had collapsed. We'll post updates on our home page. =========== Five Killed in Conn. Blast Associated Press http://www.firehouse.com/topics/top-headlines/five-killed-conn-blast MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- An explosion blew apart a power plant under construction as workers purged natural gas lines Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring a dozen or more in a blast that shook homes for miles, officials said. Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said at a late-afternoon news conference that five people were known dead and at least 12 injured. Deputy Fire Marshal Al Santostefano told The Associated Press before a news conference Sunday evening that crews were still searching for survivors in the rubble at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown, about 20 miles south of Hartford. Santostefano earlier said about 50 people were in the area around 11:17 a.m., when the explosion occurred. The mayor said at the news conference it was difficult to tell how many people were at the plant because multiple contractors were working on it with their own employee lists. "They're trying to figure out who was on the job today, and where are they now?" Giuliano said. The 620-megawatt plant was being built to produce energy primarily using natural gas. Santostefano said workers for the construction company, O&G Industries, were purging the gas lines, a procedure he called a "blow-down," when the explosion occurred. Lynn Hawley, 54, of Hartland, Conn., told the AP that her son, Brian Hawley, 36, is a pipefitter at the plant. He called her from his cell phone to say he was being rushed to Middlesex Hospital. "He really couldn't say what happened to him," she said. "He was in a lot of pain, and they got him into surgery as quickly as possible." She said he had a broken leg and was expected to survive. Officials had not released the conditions of the other injured people by late Sunday afternoon, but hospitals reported some seriously injured patients. The thundering blast shook houses for miles. "I felt the house shake, I thought a tree fell on the house," said Middletown resident Steve Clark. Barrett Robbins-Pianka, who lives about a mile away and has monitored the project for years, said she was running outside and heard what she called "a tremendous boom." "I thought it might be some test or something, but it was really loud, a definite explosion," she said. Kleen Energy Systems LLC began construction on the power plant in February 2008. It had signed a capacity deal with Connecticut Light and Power for the electricity produced by the plant. Construction was scheduled to be completed by mid-2010. The company is run by president and former Middletown City Council member William Corvo. A message left at Corvo's home was not immediately returned. Calls to Gordon Holk, general manager of Power Plant Management Services, which has a contract to manage the plant, weren't immediately returned. Plants powered by natural gas are taking on a much larger role in generating electricity for the U.S. Gas emits about half the greenhouse gases of coal-fired plants and new technology has allowed natural gas companies to begin to unlock gas supplies that could total more than 100 years at current usage levels. Natural gas is used to make about a fifth of the nation's electricity. Gov. M. Jodi Rell was on her way Sunday afternoon to the site after speaking with Middletown Mayor Sebastian Giuliano, and called out a specialized search and rescue team to help firefighters. The state's Emergency Operations Center in Hartford also was activated, and the Department of Public Health was called to provide tents at the scene for shelter and medical triage. Rell said the emergency teams were expected to work through the night and into Monday. Daniel Horowitz, a spokesman with the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, said the agency is mobilizing an investigation team from Colorado and hopes to have the workers on the scene Monday. Safety board investigators have done extensive work on the issue of gas line purging since an explosion last year at a Slim Jim factory in North Carolina killed four people. They've identified other explosions caused by workers who were unsafely venting gas lines inside buildings. The board voted last week to recommend that national and international code writers strengthen their guidelines to require outdoor venting of gas lines or an approved safety plan to do it indoors. In February 2009, an explosion at a We Energies coal-fired power plant near Milwaukee burned six workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is still investigating. In the past few years, an explosion at a Dominion Virginia Power coal-fired plant in Massachusetts killed three workers in November 2007, while one worker and nine others were injured at an American Electric Power plant of the same type in Beverly, Ohio, in January 2007. =========== ADMINISTRATION RELEASES FISCAL YEAR 2011 BUDGET; PROPOSES CUTS TO ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT PROGRAM On Monday, February 1st, the Obama Administration released its Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal, detailing requested funding levels for programs and offices in the federal budget. The approximately $3.8 trillion budget includes $45.6 billion for homeland security spending. Although the proposal increases funding in some areas, it contains significant cuts to firefighter grant programs. The budget includes $305 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. Although an increase from the $170 million contained in last year's budget proposal, the figure falls short of the $390 million appropriated by Congress for the current fiscal year. The grant program, which received approximately $3.1 billion in requests in Fiscal Year 2009, provides funding for critical equipment, training, and apparatus directly to local fire departments. It also provides grants for fire prevention and safety programs and firefighter health and safety research. The Administration also proposes $305 million for the SAFER grant program, a sharp decrease from the $420 million appropriated in FY2010. SAFER provides grants for hiring firefighters to help fire departments combat staffing shortages. The grants also enable volunteer fire departments to assist with recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighting personnel. The Administration has proposed funding the State Homeland Security Grant Program at $1.05 billion, an increase of $100 million over FY2010. The budget request also contains an increase of $223 million for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), bringing that program to a proposed funding level of $1.1 billion. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) receives a modest increase of approximately $342,000 over Fiscal Year 2010. While the Administration's budget proposal is meant to serve as a guideline for federal spending, it is important to note that Congress will ultimately determine funding levels for these programs. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees will now begin work on crafting Fiscal Year 2011 spending bills. CFSI will continue to work with members of Congress on funding for these important programs and will continue to provide updates as the appropriations process moves forward. The Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Proposal can be obtained from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). =========== CPSC Investigating Car Chargers after Chambersburg Fire http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0110/701143.html Police have a warning for drivers who leave electronic devices plugged into their vehicle's power outlets after investigating an SUV fire in Franklin County. Tpr. Jeff Sarver, a state police fire marshal, says he had a feeling what sparked the fire in Chambersburg on Saturday night as soon as heard about it. “I asked the homeowner if he had anything plugged into the vehicle and he said yes, he had an iPod,” Sarver said. Sarver snapped pictures of what was left inside the car after the fire burned out. “I saw the windshield was shattered and the entire inside of the vehicle was covered in thick, black soot,” he said. But underneath all that soot was crystal clear evidence of what happened. “There was a definite V-pattern that had been burnt into the dashboard and the point of the V came right down to where the lighter was,” Sarver said. Sarver said in this case, the family was lucky the fire didn't spread. “The temperature had rose very high inside the vehicle, but since the windows were closed all the oxygen was depleted inside the vehicle,” he said. The the physical evidence preserved, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating with the help of Sarver's photos. “They're really excited because this is the first time they can sink their teeth into and show there may be a potential problem here,” he said. In the meantime, state police have a warning of their own. “We're requesting that you don't leave anything plugged in to any power outlets in your vehicle; GPS systems, cell phones, even cell phones that are not plugged in. Just the cord alone in that outlet is producing heat,” Sarver said. Fire officials say chargers apparently don’t pose much of a risk during driving because air flowing into and out of the car will cool any heat that is generated. Thanks RobertG =========== Entry Level Positions (**Denotes new posting) Firefighter/CEP and FF/EMT – Tucson, AZ More Info: http://www.azchiefs.org/default.asp?pageid=32&deptid=1 Closes: Open until filled (FSTS Posted 1/11) Lateral Firefighter/Paramedics – Bonney Lake, WA Closes: 3/12/2010 (FSTS Posted 1/25) ===========
The Garrison (MT) volunteer fire department is looking for a good used (preferably cheap) 12 volt hose reel for 1" fire hose. Information about one can be sent to hausschillo@juno.com or call 406-846-2158. Gore Hill Fire is looking for a reliable used Command rig. Call 788-0222 The Rocker Volunteer Fire Department is looking for a siren if anyone has one out there. Rocker’s was hit by a truck and knocked off the pole and can not be repaired. If anyone can help it would be appreciated Contact Tom Morell at telkhorn@aol.com or Mike Doto at sbfc@in-tch.com
Belt Rural Fire District is selling a 1982 Seagrave "J" Cab Type 1 Engine Detroit Diesel, 5 Speed, On Spot chains, 1000 gal tank, 1000 gal pump, Onan on board generator, scene lights. Complete with ladders, deck gun, fan, some hose, some tools, 6 high pressure SCBA with spare facepieces. Refurbished in 1992 by Liberty Rd. Cannot be sold to an emergency service. $15,000. Contact Gene Cantley at 406-788-0752 or Travis Johnson at 406-788-5202
East Valley Fire District is selling a 1982 International 4x4 type 4 wildland engine. The engine has 1000 gallons of water, 2 reel hoses, hale hp75 pump, pressure side foam, and a front monitor. Any questions contact Bill Wegner at 431-2451
This will be a sealed bid process and will close February 14, 2010, notified on February 24, 2010. Bids starting at $2500.00. Pictures available. Contact Chief Brower 406-212-3389 or 406-854-2828 or jbrower@marionruralfiredept.org 1979 International Load Star, wildland tender/pumper, V-8 gas engine ( low miles on recent long-block), 5 –speed w/2 speed axle, 1200 gallon tank, 2BE Darley pump with 20 horsepower Honda, Sidewinder front monitor with joystick control, two hose reels, tool, hose & equipment storage, and much more. Asking $18,500. For more information please contact. Steve Harada 211 E. Indian St. Wolf Point, MT 59201 406-868-1178 cell, 406-653-1463 home or 406-768-5476 office |
MSFCA is a member of the Western Fire Chiefs Association, a division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs
www.firerescue-gpo.com
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