March 23, 2023 But San Jose Chief Robert Sapien won’t say if the firefighters involved in ‘Poodlegate’ were disciplined.

By Gabriel Greschler Source Bay Area News Group (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A five-month investigation into why a San Jose firetruck dropped off a bikini-clad woman at a strip club has concluded, but officials have yet to answer many questions about the scandalous incident caught on video, including which firefighters were outside the Pink Poodle and what discipline — if any — they face.

In a letter sent to city councilmembers earlier this month, San Jose Fire Chief Robert Sapien wrote the department “extends a sincere apology” to the community. But he said the identities of the firefighters seen at the strip club won’t be released.

“The actions portrayed in the video were received with disappointment and concern, as they appeared seriously misaligned with the Department’s mission and values and were highly detrimental to the confidence and trust of our community and our workforce,” Sapien wrote in the 343-word letter dated March 10. It was the first time that he apologized for the incident.

Sapien said the city would not elaborate on the incident as “employees’ personnel information is confidential,” but that the firefighters have been notified that “appropriate action” will be taken. He also promised that standards of conduct will be reinforced among its wider workforce.

“I tried to be as generous as possible with the memo sent to council,” Sapien said in an interview. “I don’t have any additional comments at this time.”

The city manager’s office also declined to provide any further details on the firefighters’ October visit to the Pink Poodle, which drew swift condemnation from then-Mayor Sam Liccardo. “If the investigation concludes that this video is as bad as it looks, then heads must roll,” Liccardo said in the statement at the time.

The “World Famous” Pink Poodle, established in 1963, is the city’s only “all-nude club”. It survived a 1984 decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that cities had the right to zone away adult businesses, but made an exception for the Pink Poodle, according to the strip club’s website.

The firefighter scandal first came to light on Oct. 6 when a video was posted to the Instagram account San Jose Foos showing an Engine 4 fire truck outside the strip club on South Bascom Avenue, and a scantily clad woman exiting the vehicle, closing its door and then walking toward the Pink Poodle’s entrance. The video was captioned, “Only in San Jose do you see a stripper come out of a firetruck.”

Dispatch records later revealed no calls for service were made at the address. A public records request made by Bay Area News Group revealed that the Pink Poodle wasn’t the only adult entertainment establishment visited by Engine 4 that night. GPS data shows that the firetruck also traveled to AJ’s Bar, a bikini bar on Lincoln Avenue 2 miles away from the Pink Poodle. The GPS data was first reported on by NBC Bay Area.

The investigation that was launched in October by the city manager’s office was officially closed in February with no information about its findings revealed.

The entire situation has perplexed retired San Jose Fire Captain Richard Santos, who said in an interview that the investigation took much longer than usual and the incident was addressed too late by the chief.

“I’m kind of puzzled. The lingering on it is not good,” Santos, currently a director at Santa Clara Valley Water District, said in an interview. “What was really done?”

Before the official investigation was closed, additional public records requests made by this news organization were denied by the city. Those requests included documents related to any disciplinary actions taken against the firefighters seen in the Oct. 6 video and internal fire department communications regarding the incident, as well as any related reports.

Staff writer Austin Turner contributed reporting to this article.

March 23, 2023 Seattle firefighters said the foam used is environmentally safe and biodegradable.

By Vonnai Phair Source The Seattle Times (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Mar. 22—White smoke rose from the shores of Portage Bay up to the Ship Canal Bridge Wednesday morning as a massive fire at a Seattle Boat Company storage facility on Lake Union damaged dozens of boats.

Crews went to the 700 block of Northeast Northlake Way around 2 a.m., according to the Seattle Fire Department. There were 30 boats stacked in the dry storage facility involved in the fire, according to the department, and a company official said there were “about 85 or so” boats on site.

An arson bomb squad detective found a man hiding in a boat docked near the fire, according to Seattle police. The 32-year-old was taken to Harborview Medical Center. He was arrested and was expected to be booked into King County Jail once medically cleared, police said.

Firefighters found an adjacent warehouse was burning, found no one inside and used ladder pipes — aerial ladders with pre-piped waterways — to flow water on the building, the department said.

The fire was under control by 3:30 a.m., according to the department.

The foam the Fire Department used to fight the blaze is environmentally safe and biodegradable, said David Cuerpo, a department spokesperson.

The Department of Ecology and the U.S. Coast Guard were also on scene Wednesday. Coast Guard crews surveyed the water and reported no sheen from oil. Small amounts of foam remained in the water and will disperse naturally, the Coast Guard said.

The agencies deployed buoys to stop more hazardous chemicals from leaking from the boats into Portage Bay and Lake Union, Cuerpo said.

Elizabeth Bohling, the Seattle Boat Company’s assistant general manager, said the facility has security measures in place.

“We’ve got locked gates, we have a lot of camera footage, and we’ve got security systems inside the building as well,” she said, adding that the security footage has been provided to the detectives for evidence.

Sikey Vlahos, the owner of Voula’s Offshore Cafe, and his brother got to the restaurant across the street from the boat facility around 5:45 a.m. At that point, fire crews were “at the point where they were just trying to put it out,” Vlahos said.

“We encountered a fire across the street at Seattle Boat,” Vlahos said. “It was at the point where they were just trying to put it out.”

Sergio Soto, an employee at nearby Ivar’s Salmon House, traveled on Interstate 5 before arriving at work around 6 a.m. and he said he “started smelling something was burning.”

Shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday, white smoke was billowing from the burning boats as high as the Ship Canal Bridge above. Cars on Northeast Northlake Way drove over white foam on the street.

By 10 a.m., smoke was no longer seen rising.

Northeast Northlake Way and Northeast Pacific Street remain blocked in both directions between Sixth Avenue Northeast and Seventh Avenue Northeast, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

March 23, 2023 Although New Haven Lt. Samod “Nuke” Rankins has been cleared by his doctor, the city won’t let him return to duty.

By Lisa Backus Source New Haven Register, Conn. (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Mar. 22—NEW HAVEN — Fire Lt. Samod “Nuke” Rankins watched his friend and fellow firefighter Ricardo Torres Jr. die as they fought a blaze on Valley Street that trapped two residents in May 2021.

Rankins was found unconscious and spent 10 days in critical condition at the Bridgeport Hospital Burn Unit and months recovering. He’s ready to return to work, according to his attorney Patricia Cofrancesco who said her client has received the proper documentation from his health care providers.

But city is still denying him a return to his job and the promotion she said he deserves.

“He’s been to hell and back,” Cofrancesco said. “He was severely injured fighting a fire, witnessed the death of a firefighter who was with him and enduring the long road to recovery and this is how the city treats him.”

Rankins is suing the city and the Board of Fire Commissioners on claims he’s been denied a promotion and a return to work because of retaliation and discrimination, court documents said.

He is known as a larger-than-life figure in the New Haven community, not only as a firefighter but as an activist for the rights of members of the department and a local volunteer.

Rankins joined the fire department in February 2018. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant about two months before the Valley Street fire.

He was critically injured while battling the blaze on Valley Street that killed Torres when the two men became disoriented and trapped on May 12, 2021. Rankins and Torres Jr. were pulled from the fire after each made “mayday” calls, indicating distress, officials said at the time.

In the days after the fire, Mayor Justin Elicker called Rankins “a fighter” and said he had the support of the city.

“I’m optimistic and hopeful and here to support his family in this difficult time,” Elicker said.

After a “long road to recovery physically and mentally,” Rankins was cleared by his health care providers to return to work, he said in an email announcing the lawsuit, which was filed this week in state Superior Court.

However, Rankins claims city officials are denying him a return to work and they have passed him over for a promotion to the rank of captain even though he scored the fourth-highest on the list, according to the lawsuit.

He was passed over twice, Cofrancesco said, while nine other candidates, some of whom didn’t score as high as Rankins were given the promotion. If the list expires before Rankins gets promoted, he may have to take the test again, she said.

He contends the denial of his return to work and the promotion are retaliation for filing for workers’ compensation benefits due to his injuries and his previous lawsuits challenging the fire department’s promotional and hiring practices.

He’s also claiming discrimination, saying he’s the only Black candidate out of the 10 lieutenants who took the captain’s test, Rankins said.

He is seeking a return to work, the promotion to captain, the difference in pay during the period between when he was denied the promotion and now, a restoration of his seniority, an adjustment to his pension, attorney fees and costs and punitive damages of more than $15,000.

City officials said they are looking forward to Rankins’ return, but declined to say why he was being denied the promotion and the job.

“Given the pending litigation, the City of New Haven cannot comment on the substance of the lawsuit at this time, but Lt. Rankins’ service as a New Haven firefighter is to be commended and the fire department looks forward to him returning to work at the appropriate time,” Patricia King, the city’s corporation counsel, said in a statement.

The lawsuit contends he suffered injuries to his lungs, back, eyes, throat and internal organs and is now from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from battling the fatal blaze.

The city stopped making workers’ compensation payments in January, Cofrancesco said. She said her client has since been using accrued sick and vacation time to get paid.

March 23, 2023 “I saw my mom’s friend that works on the ambulance, Victoria, and then I knew I was going to be in trouble,” Declan Gannon said.

Source Firehouse.com News

Technical rescue personnel from the FDNY conducted a confined space operation to rescue five boys who got stuck in the Staten Island sewer system.

CBS relayed some of the boy’s 9-1-1 call for help.

 “What’s the address on Staten Island?”

“We don’t know,” the caller says.

“You don’t know?” the operator says.

“We’re stuck in the sewers,” the caller says.

Declan Gannon, told a reporter: “Me and my friends just went in ’cause we were exploring, and then we went really far in, and then we just forgot where we were. It was scary, but, um, we called 911.”

Dispatch spent more than 30 minutes on the phone with the boys, trying to pinpoint their location in the cold, damp underground tube.

Firefighter John Loennecker with Ladder 79 said Rescue 5 went into the tunnel to operate in a confined space. Attached to a safety line and geared up with confined space masks at the ready, two firefighters traveled underground as the tube tightened to roughly 30 inches around as others lifted manhole covers overhead along the route.

He finally spotted them 40 feet in the tube, crawled in and led them out.

While he was happy to breathe fresh air, Declan’s relief quickly changed.

“They came and pulled us out, and I saw my mom’s friend that works on the ambulance, Victoria, and then I knew I was going to be in trouble.” 

Danielle Farley told the reporter about the call from her friend: ‘We have Declan. I was relieved and also… I was relieved but upset, obviously, that he decided to crawl into a storm drain.”

Declan is now grounded.

March 23, 2023 The explosion shook buildings in Pasadena and sent a massive fireball into the air.

By Matt deGrood Source Houston Chronicle (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Mar. 23—Wednesday’s explosion at the INEOS Phenol plant in Pasadena that injured one happened when a hose disconnected between a tank trailer and the facility, releasing flammable vapors, according to the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office’s initial investigation.

Investigators with the office have ruled the explosion an accident, saying it was caused by the unintentional release of liquid petroleum gas from the trailer, officials said.

The explosion shook buildings in Pasadena and sent a massive fireball into the air over parts of east Harris County. A truck driver was taken to a local hospital in fair condition.

The explosion and ensuing fire engulfed the tank trailer and two other trailers at the facility, according to the fire marshal’s office.

Operations at the facility will continue without the use of the damaged trailers, officials said.

March 22, 2023 Officials at BWI say new safety measures were implemented immediately.

Source Firehouse.com News

A near miss between an ambulance and jet at BWI Airport has resulted in new safety measures.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the Jan. 12 incident, according to WJZ.

a close call at BWI Thurgood Marshall airport between a Southwest jet and an ambulance.

The Southwest jet was taking off for Chicago and came within 173 feet from colliding with an ambulance on runway 15, according to an FAA report obtained by the station. 

The plane was traveling the equivalent of 168 miles an hour, and the medic vehicle was allowed to cross one runway and told to wait for the plane. But the driver didn’t.

“The airport fully cooperated and shared information with the FAA regarding the incident.” BWI officials wrote in a statement adding that procedures were put into place immediately to prevent a similar incident.

March 22, 2023 The driver who entered the work zone along I-695 was seriously injured in the crash.

By Lilly Price Source The Baltimore Sun (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BALTIMORE — Six construction workers were killed and a driver was hospitalized Wednesday afternoon in a collision on the west side of Interstate 695 that closed the beltway both ways for hours and snarled traffic, according to Maryland State Police.

A gray Acura entered a construction zone in the inner loop in Woodlawn, struck workers and overturned, police said. The driver of the Acura was taken by ambulance to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for treatment. The driver’s condition and identity were not available Wednesday evening, police said.

The identities of the six construction workers who died won’t be released until next of kin are notified, police said.

Police said the Acura drove through temporary jersey barriers and into the construction zone around 12:40 p.m. on I-695 just north of I-70 and Security Boulevard and south of Liberty Road.

Maryland State Police say investigators believe a second vehicle may have been involved in the crash. A spokesperson declined to say how the second vehicle could have been involved, and noted they are still investigating the matter.

The collision on the inner loop led police to close both directions of the Baltimore Beltway between Liberty Road and Security Boulevard for several hours, causing significant traffic backups. The beltway was fully reopened by 6:45 p.m.

The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration declined to comment on what construction work was being done Wednesday.

The state has begun work in the area on what it calls the Triple Bridges Project to address traffic congestion where the beltway, or I-695, meets I-70. Built in the 1960s, the interchange handles far more traffic than it was designed for, according to a state Web page on the project.

Another project that started in 2021 aims to address congestion along I-695 from I-70 to Maryland 43 in White Marsh. Designed to optimize the highway’s capacity and reduce congestion, that project includes convert portions of the existing median shoulder to a travel lane during the morning and evening rush hours, according to that project’s state web page.

Calling the incident “horrific,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. offered “sincere condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in today’s tragic crash.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore tweeted that his “heart goes out to the victims and the families affected by the tragic crash on the 695 beltway this afternoon.”

The collision affected school dismissal. The Baltimore County Public School System said it prepared for significant traffic delays.

“We will work as quickly as possible to transport students safely this afternoon,” the school system tweeted.

State police asked anyone with information on the accident to call 410-780-2700.

March 22, 2023 The crash on I-695 in Baltimore County also injured the driver who entered the work zone.

Source Firehouse.com News

Six people have been killed and at least one person was very critical condition following a crash in a construction zone along the Baltimore beltway.

An SUV reportedly entered the work area and struck numerous people, according to Capt. Roy Taylor, the pilot of WBAL helicopter who was flying above the incident. 

Some of the workers were tossed into the opposite lanes of the highway.

The vehicle ended up on its top and the driver was pinned. 

March 22, 2023 The security system in Halfway Vol. Fire Company captured the entry and escape after the brief visit.

By Susan Nicol Source firehouse.com News

HALFWAY, MD — A thousand things went through Halfway Fire Chief Jamie Drawbaugh’s mind when he got a call about his station being broken into.

“When one of the guys called me Sunday night, I just couldn’t imagine. Why? Who? Drawbaugh said in a phone interview Tuesday evening.

An ambulance crew returning from a call saw the damage to the glass door beside the bay doors.

Three deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded with guns drawn and started searching for the culprit or culprits.

“I walked around back and saw all the glass on the apron by the bay door window. Then, I saw the fur around the frame. I just couldn’t believe it.”

The station’s security system captured the culprit’s entry and dramatic escape. It also showed the suspect was alone in the firehouse dash as no other suspects were observed

“It came running across the street from in between two houses and crashed right through the glass doors. We’re guessing it ran straight through to the back and saw the windows,” the chief said with a laugh. “It was the only way out. It was a pretty good-sized deer too.”I didn’t see any blood, just fur.”

It’s fortunate no one was in the bay and the ambulance wasn’t in its usual spot or the outcome may have been different.

He’s glad the station is equipped with a security camera as they’ll be showing it to the insurance company.

“Yeah, it was pretty crazy…”

When he took over as chief in January after 36 years with the department, Drawbaugh said he knew to be ready for the unexpected.