FF Close Calls

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Submit Your Close Call / Near Miss Navigation Home Secret List Gallery EMS CloseCalls Drills Firefighter Staffing Personal Survival Safety and survival SOGs Links Modern Fire Behavior About Us Never Forget Fire Communications Pass it On LODD STATS Yearly Totals Year Totals 2014 80 2013 101 2012 83 2011 81 2010 87 2009 93 2008 118 2007 118 2006 107 2005 115 "In Memory Of" Click this patch   Custom Search Contact Info Email BillyG info@ firefighterclosecalls.com Email Weekly Drill Suggestions to Drills@firefighter closecalls.com Click Here for The 9/11 Widows' and Victims' Families Association Click Here: Skyscraper Safety Campaign       Also check the most current issue of THE SECRET LIST for related News and Updates-(Click Here) Tweets by @alertpage OTTAWA FF IN FALL THROUGH FLOOR Sunday, November 30, 2014  One firefighter was injured after he fell through a floor as crews battled a fire at a small commercial building in Kanata early Saturday afternoon. Marc Messier of the Ottawa Fire Service tweeted that the officer was injured as he fell through the floor into the basement of 10 Bridgestone Dr., the offices and meeting centre for Lao Village Housing Co-Op, close to Eagleson Road. No one was in the building at the time, Messier added. The fire, which began at about 12:30 p.m., appeared to be located in the basement. Numerous 911 calls from the neighbourhood reporting smoke alerted officials to the blaze. Messier later said the firefighter managed to pull himself out. Fire Chief John deHooge added via more ]     Tweet   SEATTLE FF SUFFERS FACIAL BURNS AT APT. FIRE Sunday, November 30, 2014  A firefighter was injured while battling a two alarm apartment fire in West Seattle Saturday afternoon. According to Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean, the fire at 3855 Beach Drive SW was fueled by heavy winds which caused smoke to fill the entire building. Seven residents who were home at the time of the fire were able to self-evacuate the building before firefighters arrived. It took firefighters 40 minutes to knock out the fire due to heavy winds. Chief Dean said the injured firefighter suffered minor burns to his face and was transported to Harborview Medical Center. The fire caused $180, 000 in damage to the building and displaced residents from three basement apartments. No one else was injured and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.     Tweet   WA FF STRUCK AT ICY CRASH SCENE Sunday, November 30, 2014  , was hit by a vehicle and taken to the hospital after another car spun out into the accident area. "It was just a combination of bad luck tonight,” said Marty Grisham with the Tukwila Fire Department. Around 6 p.m., the firefighter was responding to the crash near Southcenter Mall along I-5 northbound when someone lost control of their vehicle and injured the firefighter. The firefighter was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. "There was a loss of control of the vehicle, to the point that he hit the first vehicle, and that's what struck our firefighter,” said Grisham. Ice may have caused the spinout. "There's patchy ice -- there's black ice all over the region,” said Grisham. In Poulsbo, firefighters told KIRO 7 earlier in the evening that they were concerned for their safety as they responded to ice-related crashes. "There could be other ve... [ more ]     Tweet   MAYDAY IN BERWICK MAINE YouTube Video Saturday, November 29, 2014  Video from AJ St. Hilaire (ajsthilaire) taken last (Friday night) night at a two-alarm house fire in Berwick, Maine. Hilaire reports “Mayday called for a firefighter down from an exterior deck collapse.”     Tweet   INDIANA MAN FIGHTS WITH FFs AT FIRE Saturday, November 29, 2014  Police said they arrested an Evansville man early Friday morning after he tried to fight firefighters responding to a call on the Southeast Side. According to an Evansville Police Department affidavit, 26-year-old Bobby Deondre Goodman interfered with firefighters at 2125 Rheinhardt Ave three times before officers arrested him. Police said Goodman, who listed the address as his residence, was trying to go back inside the residence during the fire. Goodman refused orders from the Evansville Fire Department to step away from the residence, which according to Arson Unit Supervisor Richard Howard, caught fire around midnight due to an overloaded circuit in the attic space. The Red Cross is providing assistance to occupants who were displaced. The house sustained smoke and water damage. Police believe seven people were living in the house. Officers arrived at the address and Goodman began shouting and cursing at them, according ... [ more ]     Tweet   ME FF AIRLIFTED AFTER WALL COLLAPSE AT FIRE SCENE Saturday, November 29, 2014  A Bath firefighter was injured responding to a blaze on Turnpike Road in the Town of Bath Friday, officials reported.The firefighter, who was not identified, was hurt when a wall inside the house collapsed on him.He was airlifted to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Bath Volunteer Fire Department spokesman John Conrad said his condition was not believed to be life threatening, but information was limited.Conrad said firefighters responded to the scene at about 3:30 p.m. after reports of the fire at 5290 Turnpike Road.The residence is occupied by Mark and Valerie Riley, according to the fire department.The two were reportedly not seriously injured.The residence was considered a total loss. Conrad said the Red Cross had been contacted to provide assistance.An investigation of the scene was ongoing as of Friday evening, being conducted by the fire department and the Steuben County Fire Investigation Team.Also responding to the fire were crews from the Bath VA, Kanona, Savona... [ more ]     Tweet   OHIO FIREFIGHTER LINE OF DUTY DEATH-SUCCUMBS TO HEART ATTACK AT FIRE SCENE LAST WEEK RIP Friday, November 28, 2014  We regret to advise you that Western Holmes Fire District-Lakeville Station (Lakeville, Ohio) Firefighter Tom Rhamey has died in the Line of Duty. He had been in the surgical cardiovascular ICU unit at Akron City Summa Hospital. FF Rhamey, who had 55 years of service, was transported by Western Holmes EMS to Wooster Community Hospital November 18th, following that house fire in Shreve. From Wooster, he was taken by helicopter to Akron City. FF Rhamey had been responding well to treatments and doctors had been able to reduce his medication. Sadly though, he passed away today. FF Rhamey was the driver of the Lakeville tanker that responded to that house fire at 849 N. Main Street in Shreve on the 18th. A Vietnam veteran, Rhamey also served in the National Guard in its fire brigade. He was a longtime insurance salesperson and beloved veteran Firefighter. VIDEO OF THE FIRE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmRmqm3N-_k&feature=youtu.be FACEBOOK P... [ more ]     Tweet   6 HURT IN MD AMBULANCE CRASH Friday, November 28, 2014  Five people were taken to Meritus Medical Center and one person was transported to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore following a collision Thursday between an ambulance and a car in Hagerstown, authorities said. After the 4:28 p.m. crash at the intersection of West Franklin and Jonathan streets, a Community Rescue Service ambulance could be seen facing west on West Franklin with damage to its front end. The heavily-damaged two-door sedan appeared to have been struck on the passenger's side, and the driver's side was pushed into a traffic-light standard on the northwest corner of the intersection. One person in the car was taken to the shock trauma center in Baltimore, a Hagerstown Police Department spokesman said later Thursday night. Two people from the ambulance and three others from the car were taken to Meritus Medical Center, police said.... [ more ]     Tweet   FIREFIGHTER COLLAPSES, STRUCK BY BACKING FIRE APPARATUS-FRACTURED LEG Friday, November 28, 2014   A Boca Raton Fire Officer is recovering after a ladder truck ran over his legs. The Captain appeared to faint and collapse at a scene early this morning.  Capt. Mike McBrien, 32, landed in the path of a firetruck which was backing up to leave the scene. He broke one leg and should be OK. The Captain was on a a fire alarm at a private residence at about 3 a.m. Thursday when the accident happened.        WPTV Video Tweet   FIREFIGHTER CLOSE CALL IN MASSACHUSETTS-DRAGGED BY HOSE LINE BEING RUN OVER BY CIVILIAN Thursday, November 27, 2014  A Chelsea firefighter is in the hospital and the cops are looking for a driver who fled the scene on Library Street after a Thanksgiving Day incident. The  CFD responded to a small oven fire in the area at about 1400. One firefighter was hooking up to a hydrant when a car drove over the hose. The hose was jammed under the car, causing it to drag the firefighter to the ground. It isn’t clear how far the firefighter was dragged. The firefighter hurt his knee and has some scrapes and bruises. He’s being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital. Firefighters did not get a good look at the vehicle and police are still looking for the driver.     Tweet   FIRE CHIEF PERSON OF INTEREST IN 1978 FATAL MOTEL FIRE IN NY WHEC Video Thursday, November 27, 2014  There are major developments in the investigation of the 1978 Holiday Inn fire in Greece. It was 36 years ago today that flames spread through the hotel, killing 10 guests. The fire was ruled an arson and today, for the first time, police are telling News10NBC they have a suspect. Chief Patrick Phelan tells our Brett Davidsen they hope to hand over their evidence to the District Attorney’s office in the next couple of months. Asked if that meant police have a suspect, Phelan said, “Yes. That would be correct.” Phelan would not identify the suspect in the case. “There’s identified investigative steps that have to be finished and that’s what they’re working on right now. And we hope to be able to do that relatively soon,” added Phelan. Police re-launched the cold case investigation just over three years ago, putting together a task force of investigators from Greece, ATF and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Since then, th... [ more ]     Tweet   VA APPARATUS STRUCK AT CRASH SCENE Thursday, November 27, 2014  Police in Wythe County respond to a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 77 involving two tractor-trailers. The crash happened around 11:25 a.m. in the southbound lanes near mile marker 27. It involved two tractor-trailers and three passenger vehicles. According to the Virginia State Police, a 13-year old girl from Pennsylvania was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Witnesses say the "vehicles failed to brake in time and sparked the chain reaction crash." The 13-year old girl was a passenger in a Volkswagen Jetta. It suffered the most damage. Police say the driver rear-ended one tractor-trailer, spun around and was hit head-on by a second big rig. Three other people were treated for minor injuries at the scene. The southbound lanes were closed to traffic for about two hours. Meanwhile in Carrol County, a Hillsville Fire Department vehicle was involved in a crash while on its way to an... [ more ]     Tweet   LA FF INJURED IN MOBILE HOME FIRE KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana KPLC Video Thursday, November 27, 2014  A firefighter was injured early Thursday morning while battling a house fire in the 2700 block of Dunne Street in Sulphur, authorities said. The Houston River Fire Department responded to a fire at a double wide mobile home around 1 a.m. The home was under renovation and no one was inside at the time of the fire. The firefighter was admitted to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries     Tweet   ME ENGINE COMPANY STRUCK LEAVING SCENE IN SNOWSTORM Thursday, November 27, 2014  A Monmouth fire truck leaving the scene of a car crash had another vehicle run into it on a snowy road on Wednesday afternoon. Engine 84 was headed north on Pond Road  in Wales when a sport utility vehicle lost control, spun around and hit the front of it, Chief Dan Roy of the Monmouth Fire Department said. The driver saw the SUV lose control and had the pumper truck near a complete stop at the time the front bumper was struck.The crash occurred near the intersection of Bobcat Road and was reported around 3 p.m., Roy said. Pond Road is also known as Route 132.United Ambulance took two people in the vehicle to a Lewiston hospital, Roy said. They had non-life-threatening injuries.A third person in the vehicle was treated at the scene, Roy said.Monmouth firefighters were in Wales for a mutual aid call in which a vehicle  rolled over and people in it were unharmed.Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to pull the dented bumper off a tire so the truck was drivable, Roy ... [ more ]     Tweet   SAN DIEGO FFs SURVIVE ROOF COLLAPSE Thursday, November 27, 2014  A two-alarm blaze at an abandoned building in El Cerrito turned into a firefighter's worst nightmare Wednesday afternoon, when the roof collapsed with firefighters inside, an official said. Fortunately, said San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Joe Amador, everyone got out unscathed. "That's one of our big fears," said San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Joe Amador of roof collapses. "And when we put people on the roof, that's one of the most dangerous duties we give firefighters." Smoke and fire were seen coming from the roof of a boarded up, two-story building on University Avenue near Chollas Parkway about 2:45 p.m., San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Lee Swanson said. It took about an hour to put out most of the flames. No injuries were reported and no other buildings were damaged, Swanson said. A stretch of University Avenue was closed while crews worked to mop up.     Tweet