Feb. 22, 2023 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews found multiple vehicles on fire.

By David J. Neal, Grethel Aguila Source Miami Herald (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

An explosion and fire at a Medley yard used by several businesses took the lives of two people Tuesday morning and injured three others, according to Miami-Dade authorities.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said of the five patients, two people were taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, one by land, one by air. One person was treated on the scene.

The 8:47 a.m. call came from 11350 NW South River Dr. as an explosion, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said. Crews arrived to find “multiple vehicles on fire.” The fire was contained by 10:15 a.m.

The address is shared by Alex Trucks Weld & General Repair; Laurie’s General Welding; and Eagle Commercial Truck Cleaning Services.

“Units deployed multiple hose lines to get the fire under control all the while navigating downed power lines and a very hazardous scene,” Deputy Fire Chief Danny Cardeso told Miami Herald news partner CBS Miami Tuesday.

It’s still unknown what caused the fire, but Cardeso said “there was some work being conducted” before the blast.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and Miami-Dade police homicide and arson detectives are investigating the tragedy.

Feb. 22, 2023 Three people were killed in the crash after the engine driven by Kansas City Firefighter Dominic Biscari ran a red light.

By Katie Moore, Glenn E. Rice Source The Kansas City Star (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A Kansas City firefighter who pleaded guilty to three counts of involuntary manslaughter reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, allowing him to be sentenced to three years of probation.

Dominic Biscari, 22, was charged Tuesday in a 2021 crash that claimed the lives of three Kansas Citians.

According to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, Biscari was placed on probation for three years. He is prohibited from carrying a firearm and must complete 40 hours of community service.

Judge Janette Rodecap approved the plea agreement during a court hearing Tuesday.

Biscari did not make a statement, but confirmed to Rodecap that there was enough evidence for him to be convicted at a trial. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

None of the relatives of the three victims attended the hearing. Deputy chief prosecutor Dion Sankar said the prosecutor’s office had been in contact with them and they did not have objections to the plea agreement.

The fire department said Biscari had been placed on unpaid leave and that they were seeking termination.

Biscari was driving a Kansas City Fire Department truck on Dec. 15, 2021 when it struck a Honda CRV at the intersection of Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard. The force of the crash propelled the vehicles northwest, causing them to hit a pedestrian before slamming into a building.

According to charging documents, Biscari was traveling at 51 mph in a 35 mph zone, and had a red light at the time of the crash.

Jennifer San Nicolas and Michael Elwood, who were in the Honda, and Tami Knight, the pedestrian, were killed. San Nicolas and Elwood worked at the restaurant Ragazza and Knight was a Kansas City Public Schools employee.

“Though this plea will not restore their lives or heal their grief, it demonstrates a level of accountability for the actions of the firefighter who carried a public duty,” Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said. “We also hope this motivates further review of the best and the safest practices for operating public vehicles. Our community requires more care.”

A three-page statement, sent by Biscari’s attorney Kevin Regan, said Biscari had “expressed his regret, sorry, sympathy, and concern to the victims’ families privately.”

The statement said he “made a mistake in judgment,” but also defended Biscari by saying he had no prior criminal history or traffic violations, was not under the influence or texting at the time of the crash and cooperated with the police investigation.

“Other drivers in the area heard the fire truck sirens and pulled over to stop safely,” the statement added.

It continued by placing blame on the city.

Biscari’s attorneys said the city has the technology to install receivers at traffic light intersections that prompt the lights to change so emergency vehicles can get a green light. They also said the city has known for years that the Westport intersection is dangerous and that the department failed to provide adequate training on driving a pumper truck.

Additionally, Biscari’s attorneys said he was not made aware of a prior complaint about his driving. In September 2021, a medic told supervisors that she feared for her life after being in an ambulance with Biscari while he sped.

“Dominic was never made aware of that report, or given a chance to give his side of the story,” the statement said. “Moreover, prior to the accident, neither the City nor Fire Department conducted an investigation or undertook corrective or remedial actions.”

Jackson County prosecutors ultimately charged Biscari with three counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter, all low-level felonies. Under Missouri law, each count carried a maximum penalty of four years of incarceration in a state prison plus a $10,000 fine.

Several lawsuits were filed in the aftermath of the crash and last month, Kansas City agreed to pay more than $1.3 million to the family members of the victims.

Feb. 22, 2023 Orange County Fire Authority firefighters say it’s important to be there for the team.

Source Firehouse.com News

Orange County Fire Authority crews went the extra mile to help a member of the community.

Firefighters noticed one of the occupants of a truck involved in a crash was wearing a basketball uniform.

That’s when they came up with an emergency plan — to get Abby Walters, 11, to the championship game at Yorba Linda High School, ABC7 reported.

“Being there for your team and being there for your community. Two things we take to heart,” the OCFA firefighters wrote on the department’s Facebook page.

Abby showed up at the fire station to thank them and jumped at the chance to shoot hoops with her heroes.  

Feb. 21, 2023 Clearwater Fire Chief Schott Ehlers apologized: “These two did not perform to the standard of care that our citizens expect and deserve.”

Source firehouse.com News

Two Clearwater paramedics are off the street after a man they pronounced dead last week was breathing.

They were suspended by the department and the Pinellas County EMS Medical Director’s Office, WFLA reported.

The man they declared deceased is recovering in the intensive care unit and working with a speech therapist.

“His lips were blue and he was cold but I was doing CPR, and my friend was there and she was doing chest compressions. His chest was going up and down and he was making noises, so his lungs were working.” Phebe Maxwell told reporters. 

She said the medics checked her dad’s wrist and told her he was gone.

“I’m like ‘He’s still breathing!’” Phebe told the reporter. “He’s like ‘No ma’am, he’s gone, those are just his body releasing gases.’”

And, they left.

Later, a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputy who went to the home to investigate Thomas Maxwell’s death saw that he was still breathing. But, Clearwater medics were not called to return.

A Largo ambulance crew rushed Maxwell to the hospital.

Maxwell is worried about the time lapse — 28 minutes from the initial call until Largo medics arrived. 

“I’m frustrated, hurt and mad. I don’t know what this is going to do to my dad. I don’t know what kind of life he’s going to have now,” she said. 

Clearwater Fire Chief Scott Ehlers told reporters: “Upon notification of this incident, we immediately removed both fire medics from their normal duties and discontinued their abilities to provide patient care, in conjunction with the county’s medical director.” 

His statement continued: “On behalf of the city, I apologize for the actions and the inactions of our crew during this incident. We have strict policies and procedures in place that were not followed, according to our preliminary review. These two did not perform to the standard of care that our citizens expect and deserve.”

Feb. 20, 2023 Fireworks ignited the ceiling, sparking a blaze that claimed the lives of 100 patrons.

By Susan Nicol Source firehouse.com News

Twenty years ago today, people crowded into a Rhode Island night club enjoying a rock band with friends when things went terribly wrong.

Fireworks ignited the sound-proofing foam on the walls, causing the Station Night Club to erupt into an inferno. Panic set in as the crowd scrambled in the dark, choking from the thick toxic smoke to find a way out.

Although there were other exits, many headed toward the door they entered. It was a deadly mistake for many.

In the end, 100 didn’t make it out. More than 200 others were hurt in the fourth deadliest night club blaze in U.S. history.

Before the ashes cooled, NFPA called an emergency meeting for authorities to review life and safety codes including ones dealing with sprinklers and occupancy, Gregory Harrington, principal engineer, told Firehouse.com.

Just days before the Station Night Club tragedy, a stampede at an overcrowded nightclub in Chicago claimed 21 lives. 

In that incident, 1,100 people had crowded in nightclub, which was only capable of holding 240. The exit leading from the second floor to the outside was too narrow, authorities said. 

The Chicago incident was overshadowed by the Station Nightclub fire, officials say.

Studies show that the majority of people who enter a building will use the same exit to leave even though there are others, Harrington said.

Among the codes developed or modified after the nightclub tragedies require oversized doors at entrances and exits.

Harrington said trained crowd managers also are required to be on duty to direct people to exits in the event of an emergency. “The number of staff increases with the occupancy level,” he explained.

Survivors and families of the victims will never forget and have worked over the past two decades for changes.

NFPA officials also established guidelines for automatic sprinklers in nightclubs. They are required in new venues with a capacity of 50 or more as well as in existing establishments with 100 or more.

The biggest change was the elimination of ‘grandfathering’ buildings to allow existing nightclubs to forgo the sprinkler requirement. 

Individual jurisdictions have to adopt NFPA life safety codes.

On the night of the fire, a local TV station crew was filming inside the club and captured the fireworks igniting the foam ceiling as well as the panic that ensued. 

Arriving firefighters encountered throngs of injured people.

In 13 seconds, the video shows flames extending eight to 10 feet out the entryway as a line is stretched — through fleeing occupants, over injured persons on the ground and around parked cars and the tour bus. Nine seconds later, flames were out all front windows. 

NIST fire engineers conducted an extensive investigation into the Station Nightclub fire. 

“Measurements in a fire test conducted on a mockup of a portion of The Station nightclub platform and dance floor produced—within 90 seconds—temperatures, heat fluxes and combustion gases well in excess of accepted survivability limits.

A computer simulation of the full nightclub fire suggests that conditions around the dance floor, sunroom and dart room would have led to severe incapacitation or death within about 90 seconds after ignition of the foam for anyone remaining standing in those areas – and not much longer even for those close to the nightclub floor,” according to their investigative report. 

Feb. 20, 2023 Oakland Battalion Chief James Bowron said two children in the car suffered minor injuries.

By Carolyn Said Source San Francisco Chronicle (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Feb. 18—An out-of-control car slammed into an Oakland garage on Saturday evening, shearing a gas main and igniting a major blaze that drew 30 firefighters.

The fire was under control at 7:48 p.m — more than two hours after the crash was reported, said Michael Hunt, a spokesperson for the Oakland Fire Department.

Until that time, firefighters were still controlling the blaze while Pacific Gas and Electric Co. was using an excavator to dig up the sidewalk to access the main line and shut off the gas, he said.

The gas-fed fire could not be capped because it had the potential to cause an explosion.

“We do leave the gas burning,” Oakland Fire Department Battalion Chief James Bowron said in a news conference on Twitter before the gas was shut off. “We’re holding the fire in check. Having the gas burn is the safest for everyone, it consumes all the fuel.”

The car’s five occupants — two parents and their three preteen children — all extricated themselves safely from the vehicle and were sitting on the curb when first responders arrived, Hunt said. Two of the children were transported to Children’s Hospital “as a precautionary measure,” Hunt said, but none had significant injuries.

It appeared that mechanical failure was the cause, Hunt said.

The house associated with the garage was unoccupied at the time. A neighboring garage and house, which appeared to be under construction, also caught fire and sustained minor damage, Hunt said.

The car was traveling on Campus Drive below Merritt College. It crossed Redwood Road at a high rate of speed and came onto Sereno Circle, where it hit a curb and traveled an additional 40 yards or so into the detached garage where it hit the residential gas main, Hunt said. No other vehicles were in the garage.

No neighbors had to be evacuated, and there was no danger to the rest of the neighborhood, Hunt said.

“It was a great job by crews to contain the fire to the primary structure of origin and to keep the fire away from the rest of the home,” he said.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Jordan Parker contributed to this report.