Two of the highest-ranking chiefs in the Milwaukee Fire Department have the same last name.
That’s because Sharon and Dewayne Smoots are husband and wife, WISN reported.
Dewayne is the deputy chief of operations while Sharon is assistant chief of support.
The deputy chief joined the fire department 35 years ago after a career with the state’s justice department. “When I came on, we didn’t have any Black teams at all…”
He noted that he’s proud that the three assistant chiefs are African-Americans. And, that his wife is one of them makes it sweeter.
Sharon has been moving up through the ranks over the past 20 years. She had no aspirations of being a firefighter but took the test anyway to see where it would lead.
“It let me know and show others that this is possible,” she said, adding that the community has improved over the years.
Dewayne says the couple tries to leave their work in the firehouse.
Feb. 15—Sewickley officials have finalized a new fire protection services contract with Glen Osborne.
Council voted 8-0 at a meeting Feb. 14 to adopt an ordinance for a five-year agreement with the neighboring borough. Councilman Brian Bozzo was absent.
Cochran Hose Co., Sewickley’s fire department, has provided Glen Osborne service for years with annual contracts.
The new deal is effective Jan. 1 and runs through Dec. 31, 2027.
Glen Osborne will pay Sewickley $35,000 for the first year of the deal, and 2.5% more in subsequent years.
Sewickley Council President Cynthia Mullins said the volunteer fire department provides excellent coverage, and the agreement is a win-win for both communities.
“We love Glen Osborne,” Mullins said. “We’re happy to be providing this service for them. It’s mutually beneficial. They need the service. We have the department. Obviously, we’re going to answer any of the calls in the area.
“To have it be (part of) a written contract shows they’re willing to invest in us and we’re willing to invest in them.”
Sewickley budgeted $460,000 for fire protection. The borough covers Cochran Hose expenses such as fire truck payments, utility bills and insurances.
Glen Osborne officials approved their end of the deal in January.
Barbara Carrier, Glen Osborne’s mayor and president of Quaker Valley Council of Governments, complimented both negotiation teams and firefighters.
” Glen Osborne has used Sewickley for fire protection for years and is quite satisfied with their service,” said Carrier prior to contract approval. “It was time to negotiate a new agreement with Sewickley that is beneficial to both communities.”
Cochran Hose has 32 active members. The department responds to between 700 and 800 calls per year.
They responded to 23 calls in Glen Osborne last year, 38 calls in 2021, 42 in 2020 and 72 calls in 2019.
Appointments
Sewickley Council approved appointments to various boards and commissions at this month’s meeting.
—Dennis Ciccone was appointed to the planning commission for a three-year term expiring Dec. 31, 2025.
—Andrew Flowers and Ty Musser were appointed to the Sewickley Water Authority to terms expiring Dec. 31, 2026.
—Frank Bennett and Jennifer Snee were appointed to the water authority to terms expiring Dec. 31, 2025.
—Oliver Poppenberg Jr. was appointed to the water authority for a term expiring Dec. 31, 2024.
—Kirby Walker was appointed to the water authority for a term expiring Dec. 31, 2023.
—Malachy Whalen was appointed to the water authority for a term expiring Dec. 31, 2027.
Mark your calendar
—Locust Street from Beaver Street to Centennial Avenue will be closed April 15 for a safety event hosted by Cochran Hose and the Sewickley Police Department in conjunction with Starbucks.
—The 2023 3 Cafe Racer event will be at War Memorial Park from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 13.
—Broad Street from Beaver to Thorn Street and from Thorn Street to Chestnut Street will be closed Sept. 9 from 5-6 p.m. for the Sewickley Kiwanis Club and the Rotary Club of Quaker Valley’s Harvest Festival.
—The Rotary Club of Quaker Valley will have its Halloween parade on Oct. 28 and a Santa parade Dec. 2.
A man accused of killing a city EMT under the wheels of her own vehicle claimed to cops he had taken the ambulance to drive himself to the hospital — and outrageously called himself a “hero,” to boot.
Prosecutors at Jose Gonzalez’s long-awaited trial in the Bronx used his 2017 interview with cops after Yadira Arroyo’s grisly death as his testimony on Wednesday.
“All I remember is getting onto the ambulance and driving to the hospital,” Gonzalez tells cops in the recording, insisting he had broken his hand and was seeking medical help.
“All of a sudden the m——-f——— police crashed into the ambulance.”
Cops say Gonzalez was high on PCP on March 16, 2017, when he allegedly jumped on Arroyo’s rear bumper in Soundview.
When she stepped out of the ambulance to investigate, Gonzalez slid behind the wheel and took off, according to police.
But Gonzalez, in the video, gave police a different account. He claimed he was invited into the vehicle by Arroyo’s partner.
“She opened it. She said ‘get in,’ ” said the defendant, who switched between saying he entered the ambulance from the back and the front driver’s side.
“While I’m holding on I opened it, jumped through, and there was no one on the passenger seat. There was no one driving. She said, ‘Yo, you bleeding.’”
Gonzalez said he “saved the ambulance,”
“I’m a good guy, I’ll protect you,” he said in the video. “I’m a hero. I want to go home, I’m tired.”
Then cops tell him about the EMT under the ambulance.
“Did you notice there was somebody underneath the vehicle?” asked one of the detectives.
“No, there was no one there,” said Gonzalez. “What you mean? That’s a lie.”
“Ambulances don’t drive themselves,” the detective responded. “They go out in crews of two. She was trying to get back in when you were driving.”
Gonzalez still protested.
“I speak to God, and I hear voices in my head,” Gonzalez said. “You’re trying to use reverse psychology because I didn’t do anything wrong.
“I’m a hero, I saved that lady,” he said of Arroyo’s partner.
Arroyo, a 14-year FDNY veteran, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Florence firefighter is asking for people to donate to their local volunteer fire departments after losing his home to a fire this past weekend.
The community have donated over $3,600 to Darby and his family, WHNT reported.
While he is grateful, he also asks that people consider donating to their local fire department instead.
“If you have the means to donate to those guys and ladies, I would really like to see that that was done as much as possible. They’re underappreciated, and I can’t stress enough how much they depend on on the community.”
Volunteer fire departments are dependent on grants and donations to operate.
“These guys and ladies, they’re not paid. They show up on your worst hour. They all have livelihoods. They all have families. They come in and put in the work, take time away from their families. They take a chance on getting injured.”
Feb. 15, 2023 Even though there were 10 cars carrying toxic chemicals, it was not considered a high hazardous material train so states weren’t notified, officials said.
Feb. 14—The tiny village of East Palestine in Ohio is still reeling from the aftermath of a train derailment earlier this month that has prompted concerns over hazardous material, and local and state officials working to manage the impacts.
On Tuesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called on Congress to take action. At a news conference, he said he was told the train was not considered a high hazardous material train, so it was not required to notify the state it was passing through.
“Frankly, if this is true, and I’m told it’s true, this is absurd and we need to look at this and Congress needs to take a look at how these things are handled,” Mr. DeWine said. “We should know when there are trains carrying hazardous material going through the state of Ohio.”
Mr. DeWine’s update came a day before a town hall is scheduled at East Palestine High School. Since the Feb. 3, accident, at least five lawsuits have been filed against the transit company Norfolk Southern. Gov. Josh Shapiro also sent a letter to Norfolk Southern saying he had “serious concerns” about the company’s management of the incident.
Meanwhile, a letter sent by the Environmental Protection Agency to Norfolk Southern shows additional contaminants have, or may be, released into the environment than previously reported. The agency continues daily air testing in the area, detecting no levels of concern yet.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg weighed in on the issue Monday night in a series of tweets.
“I continue to be concerned about the impacts of the Feb 3 train derailment near East Palestine, OH, and the effects on families in the ten days since their lives were upended through no fault of their own,” Mr. Buttigieg wrote.
I continue to be concerned about the impacts of the Feb 3 train derailment near East Palestine, OH, and the effects on families in the ten days since their lives were upended through no fault of their own. It’s important that families have access to useful & accurate information:
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) February 14, 2023
He also emphasized the importance of access to accurate information, adding that the Department of Transportation has supported an investigation led by The National Transportation Safety Board. The results of that investigation will be used to “ensure accountability,” he said.
About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed Feb. 3, which investigators said was caused by a broken axle. Security camera footage from businesses in Salem, Ohio, recently revealed that Norfolk Southern train had traveled at least 20 miles with a malfunctioning axle before derailing.
The incident prompted an evacuation of thousands of residents for nearly a week.
Three days after the accident, authorities released and burned the toxic vinyl chloride inside five tanker cars, fearing a “catastrophic” explosion may be imminent. Officials warned it would send hydrogen chloride and phosgene, a highly toxic material previously used as a choking agent in World War I, into the air.
Residents were told they could return home last Wednesday. But locals have remained concerned about the toxic materials that could still be lingering in their homes and businesses.
They’ll have their chance to speak in a question-and-answer session during an informational town hall meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Environmental impacts
A letter from the EPA sent to Norfolk Southern on Friday outlined various hazardous substances that may be released in the environment, including three that were not previously reported.
The EPA listed ethylhexyl acrylate, which may cause irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. It also listed isobutylene, which can cause headache, dizziness, lightheadedness and fatigue, and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, which can irritate the eyes, skin and respiratory tract.
EPA also found materials released during the incident were “observed and detected in samples” from Sulphur Run, Leslie Run, Bull Creek, North Fork Little Beaver Creek, Little Beaver Creek and the Ohio River. The letter stated that materials were seen entering storm drains.
The agency also wrote that contaminated soil and liquids were “observed and potentially covered and/or filled” during the reconstruction of the rail line, including “portions of the trench/burn pit” that was used for the burn off of vinyl chloride.
The EPA notified the company that it may be financially liable for cleanup costs for contamination from the incident.
According to a Feb.13 update by the EPA, community air monitoring in East Palestine is continuing. The EPA reported that no detections of vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride have been identified in the screened homes.
As of Feb. 12, 291 homes had been screened. Local schools and the library were screened that day as well, the EPA stated.
EPA’s air monitoring stations throughout the area did not “detect anything above the action level” as of Monday, according to the agency.
As the EPA’s Friday letter confirmed, several waterways have seen contamination since the incident. On Feb. 10, EPA said it took water samples in Sulphur Run and planned to collect more samples of surface water at several points of nearby water streams.
Norfolk Southern contractors installed a dam and a water bypass at Sulphur Run to prevent further contamination of downstream waters, the EPA reported.
As testing continues, locals are growing increasingly worried about the health of local wildlife. East Palestine residents have reported sick and dead animals in the area, including fish, chickens and foxes.
This week, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimated about 3,500 fish have died in the derailment’s aftermath.
Lawsuits
At least five lawsuits across state and federal courts have been filed by residents affected by the derailment. The suits, which could later be consolidated, allege negligence by Norfolk Southern.
Some residents argue that the company owes at least $5 million and lifetime medical expenses.
One lawsuit calls for the rail operator to set up health monitoring for residents in Ohio and Pennsylvania. It also asks the company to pay for medical screenings and care for anyone living within a 30-mile radius of the derailment to determine who was affected by toxic substances.
A fifth suit alleges that people within 30 miles of the derailment should be permitted to join the legal action, while others suggested those within a one to two mile radius.
A mother’s love to honor her hero son was on display at Boylston Street’s Engine 33 and Ladder 15 station.
That’s where Kathy Crosby-Bell fulfilled a promise.
“When Michael died, I was told his hose never got water in that awful fire,” Crosby-Bell said at the station Tuesday recalling one of the worst fires the Back Bay had seen. “At Michael’s gravesite, I swore to him I would fix it.”
She was on hand to help introduce the “Snap Tite Warrior Fire Hose” that was funded by a donation from the Last Call Foundation. Mayor Michelle Wu dedicated the hose to Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy, 33, and Fire Lt. Edward J. Walsh Jr., 43.
Both jakes died fighting a wind-whipped blaze at 298 Beacon St. on March 26, 2014. Boston Fire Department Commissioner Paul Burke said this new hose will be able to better withstand the heat from such a blaze — and save those who come to the rescue.
Four firefighters with Jacksonville Fire Department are now taking paramedic classes in an effort to alleviate shortages in their area.
With Texas facing staffing issues since the pandemic, state legislators allocate $21.7M, according to KLTV.
Firefighters Blake Wilson, Carson Ezell, Kooper Hand, and Sam Stiles started the program a few weeks ago after the department obtained a $31,800 state grant.
“As much as firefighters don’t want to admit it, fires are probably two percent of the job, EMS is 98 percent of it. So it takes a load off of some of these guys if we can run double medic trucks because that takes a load off the paramedic running all the calls by himself.” said Kooper Hand.
EMS coordinator, Alicia Whetsell says Jacksonville is a fire-based EMS department that employs firefighter/EMTs. Medics are allowed to provide a higher level of care.
“That gives the provider more advanced things for our patients that are having strokes, heart attacks, things like that. So by going to paramedic, that enables us in the community to provide much higher level of care for all of our citizens that we care for.” said Whetsell.
Hand told the reporter: “In the fire service, they always say the day you stop learning is the day you need to hang up you bunker coat and retire. So you know there’s always room for improvement. There’s always room to learn.”
A house in Hays County, a few hundred feet away from Fire Station 13, was destroyed by fire this past weekend.
The station in San Marcos was empty when the fire broke out, KXAN reported.
South Hays Fire Chief Robert Simonson said the station is unmanned because of a staffing issue. It is transitioning from being solely volunteer to now incorporating paid positions.
“We need to hire 18 people. We’re competing with all the other cities San Marcos, Kyle, North Hays, Austin, San Antonio,” the chief told a reporter.
Simonson said they’ll start adding more part time staff while they try to get those full time positions filled.
A local business owner is hoping to see firefighters in the station sooner rather than later.
“If there was a fire that came through, you know, that would pretty much completely wipe us out,” Michael Lambert said.
A man was saved after a hit-and-run when an off-duty firefighter saw someone lying in the road and stopped, Georgia police and news outlets say.
At around 5:45 a.m. on Feb. 10, 21-year-old Bryson Moore was walking to his job at Publix, according to a GoFundMe created by his family. When he was crossing an intersection, he was hit by a vehicle.
Then, Gwinnett County Fire Department Captain Chris Bilik saw him on his way to work.
“Normally, I don’t go to work that early,” Bilik told WSB-TV. “I positioned my vehicle in a way to stop traffic from being able to hit him. And after that, I got out and called 911.”
Soon after, another firefighter, Kevin Chandler, pulled up to the fire captain, and the two helped Moore until emergency services could arrive, according to 11Alive reporter Kaitlyn Ross.
Officers who arrived at the intersection found the firefighters attending to Moore.
An officer said he asked Moore “if he could tell me what happened, and he said that he wasn’t sure.” The officer then asked Moore if he thought he was hit by a car, and Moore responded that he didn’t think so, according to a Braselton Police Department report.
Officers said they could tell he had been hit because the vehicle had left behind debris close to where Moore was found.
Moore was transported to a hospital. Police said they checked the surrounding businesses to see if there were any cameras that caught footage of the crash, but they haven’t been able to find anything that could help identify the vehicle or driver.
Moore’s family took to social media to share what happened to him.
His family also put up signs at the intersection asking for help from the community in finding the driver who hit Moore, Facebook posts from his aunt show.
“Looking for the driver of a pedestrian hit and run at this intersection,” the sign said.
Moore’s aunt posted a TikTok video of Moore that said he was saving up to fix his car, and that was why he was walking to work. She said in a GoFundMe she created for him that his family offered to pay for Uber rides, but Moore said he didn’t mind walking.
Moore’s aunt said he’s “just an old soul, a really good human and a responsible kid that did not deserve this.”
Police are still looking for the driver of the car, but Moore has been able to come home while he continues recovering , according to his family.
His aunt posted on Facebook thanking the firefighters who helped save him.
“On my family’s behalf and mine, I would like to express our gratitude to the men who saved my nephew’s life yesterday,” she wrote. “We don’t think Bryson Moore would still be here without these men.”
One Philadelphia Eagles fan apparently took the team’s Super Bowl loss so badly that he ended up in a Florida jail on accusations of throwing a meat cleaver at firefighters, officials say.
He missed.
That attack happened as the Philadelphia man was burglarizing a fire station in Stuart, Florida, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
No firefighters were hurt in the melee.
The Eagles lost the Super Bowl shortly after 10:15 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, and that’s about the time the suspect “broke into” Martin County Fire Rescue Station 14 on Hutchinson Island, officials said.
Once inside, he “ransacked the bunk rooms, urinated on the carpet and stole $126.00, a uniform hat and some knives,” the sheriff’s office says. “When firefighters confronted him, he threw a meat cleaver at them. Firefighters were able to contain him until sheriff’s deputies arrived.”
The suspect was wearing a Philadelphia Eagles shirt and sporting a black eye when his mugshot was taken. Investigators did not report how he got the black eye.
He was charged with armed burglary, aggravated assault on a firefighter and theft, officials said, and was held on a $120,000 bond.
Investigators did not say why the man was in the area after the Super Bowl, but the fire station is surrounded by hotels and an oceanfront resort.
The incident happened around the same time angry crowds flooded the streets of Philadelphia, engaged in vandalism and clashed with police, news outlets reported. Eleven people were arrested on disorderly conduct charges, NBC Philadelphia reported.
