March 25, 2023 Cincinnati’s city manager Fire Chief Michael Washington, saying his leadership was unwelcoming to women.

Source Firehouse.com News

Cincinnati’s city manager said Friday that Fire Chief Michael Washington was fired over concerns about the fire department’s culture. 

“I want to be clear that I do not tolerate discriminatory, hostile, or unfair working environments in any City department,” read a statement from City Manager Sheryl Long. “Cincinnatians place their trust in the Fire Department, which is tasked with keeping all of us safe. If the workplace culture within the department is unhealthy, that’s a violation of the community’s trust.”

Long told WLWT that, under Washington’s leadership, the department was unwelcoming to women. It wasn’t a new problem, adding that a recent assement of the department called it a “boys club” mentality. 

“What they said was essentially you want your leadership to walk the walk, essentially, and that is not happening in our fire department. And he undermined the effort of the Women Helping Women training,” Long said.

Assistant Chief Steven Breitfelder was named Interim Chief.

March 23, 2023 Alabama volunteers also ask for donations of water and sports drinks on social media.

Source Firehouse.com News

Volunteer fire departments in Alabama reach out on social media a few times a year asking for donations of water and sports drinks. 

That’s because a state ruling says fire district funds may only be spent on tools, equipment and salaries — not drinks, according to mynbc15. 

In 2022, the Theodore Dawes Fire Rescue crews, mainly volunteers, responded to 5,085 calls and had a budget of more than $1 million that came from a $120 annual property fee.

“It’s extremely absurd. It’s crazy,” said Theodore Dawes Fire Rescue Chief Frank Byrd adding that the law needs to be changed as he struggles to keep his crews safe. 

“Especially in South Alabama with the heat and the heat indexes that the firefighters encounter with their turnout gear on when they’re out at a fire. Hydration is extremely important.” the chief pointed out. 

State Rep. Chip Brown, R-Hollinger’s Island, agrees.  

“That’s just that’s in the realm of absurdity. And it doesn’t make sense. We’re asking these guys to go out and volunteer their time to keep our community safe. And then they’re having to bring their own water to fight a fire? I mean, that’s government gone bad,” Brown told a reporter. 

Brown has introduced a bill that would allow volunteer fire departments to buy water, food and kitchen supplies.

If passed, it would also authorize mileage reimbursement to firefighters and squad members.

March 23, 2023 Bartow County Firefighter Matthew Smith, 41, was stricken at the Bartow-Cartersville Fire Joint Training Center.

Source Firehouse.com News

A Georgia fire and rescue department is preparing to offer a final salute to a fallen brother.

Bartow County Firefighter Matthew Smith, 41, collapsed during a training exercise on March 16, according to 11 Alive.

He died Tuesday, six days after the incident at the Bartow-Cartersville Fire Joint Training Center.

During an exercise in the search maze, instructors noticed he was suffering ‘an acute medical emergency’ and removed him from the area, Resuscitative measures, including advanced life-support care, were initiated, The Calhoun Times reported.

His cardiac function was restored and he was placed on life support.  He died of complications about 5 p.m. Tuesday

Smith’s sister is grateful for the support from his fire department family.

“I have never met so many people that genuinely love someone like they do,” she wrote in a note to a reporter. “This was clearly God’s way. Everybody kept telling us it could not have been a better scenario because EMS was on scene already, since they were training.”

He is survived by a 13-year-old son and a 22-year-old he took in to stay with him. 

Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Sunday, March 26 at Owen Funeral Home, 12 Collins Dr., Cartersville, GA

The Celebration of Life service will begin at 2 p.m.

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.