Category: Rescue

  • SC Firefighters Rescue Woman After 15-Foot Fall

    SC Firefighters Rescue Woman After 15-Foot Fall

    Colleton County Fire-Rescue treated the woman who had plunged about 15 feet from a deer stand, leaving her with “multiple traumatic injuries.”

    By Simone Jasper Source The Charlotte Observer (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

    A woman plunged about 15 feet from a deer stand, leaving her with “multiple traumatic injuries,” South Carolina officials said.

    The woman had to be carried from the woods and flown to a trauma center after falling from the hunting stand on Saturday, Nov. 26, according to Colleton County Fire-Rescue.

    Officials said the incident happened just before 6 p.m. near Pine Grove Road, roughly 60 miles west of Charleston. About a quarter-mile into the woods, crews found the injured woman on the ground.

    A second woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries after her off-road vehicle flipped. She had been trying to reach the woman who fell off the deer stand, Colleton County Fire-Rescue wrote in a news release.

    Another recent fall led South Carolina firefighters to urge people to use safety equipment in tree stands. People also are encouraged to let others know where and when they plan to hunt, McClatchy News reported in September.

    9-year-old boy rescued after 20-foot plunge into well, South Carolina officials say

    63-year-old dies after plunging up to 100 feet into ship’s smokestack, SC cops say

  • FDNY Policy Bans Civilians on Fire Boats after Visiting FF Killed in Crash

    FDNY Policy Bans Civilians on Fire Boats after Visiting FF Killed in Crash

    The policy comes after Belgium firefighter Sgt. Johnny Beernaert sustained fatal injuries while riding an FDNY boat that collided with another boat.

    By Janon Fisher and Thomas Tracy – Source New York Daily News

    NEW YORK — No civilians will be allowed to ride on New York City Fire Department fireboats unless the trip is approved by the department’s chief of fire operations, the FDNY said Friday — five months after a rogue fire boat trip ended in the death of a visiting Belgian firefighter.

    The codified rules come as the estate of Sgt. Johnny Beernaert prepares to sue the city over the fatal June 17 East River crash, the Daily News has learned.

    In a notice of claim filed with the city Comptroller’s office, attorneys for Beernaert’s estate say the department was “negligent in inviting and/or permitting civilians to ride as passengers” on Marine 1 Bravo, a 31-foot-long fireboat that docks in the Hudson River.

    The still unfiled wrongful death lawsuit will be seeking damages for his wife Heidi Vermandel and their two children, the notice of claim, which was filed in September, states.

    Beernaert and his wife were taking a ride across the East River at 11 p.m. when Marine 1 Bravo collided with the charter boat the Honcho near Pier 11. The Belgian suffered a head injury in the crash and died at Bellevue Hospital. Vermandel was not harmed.

    At least two other civilians, identified as a retired FDNY firefighter and his wife, were also on the boat, but not injured.

    The clarified FDNY policy, which was distributed to its members Friday, makes it clear that all “harbor familiarization tours not authorized by the Chief of Operations (or designee) are strictly prohibited.”

    The city’s Department of Investigation recommended that the FDNY clarify its rules about civilian boat rides to make sure everyone is aware of the policy, an FDNY source said.

    “Officers shall not permit passengers on FDNY marine vessels for non-emergencies, unless (they) are members of the department or are assisting in the performance of official department business or operations, or the officers have received approval through the chain of command,” the policy indicates.

    Non-fire personnel are usually not allowed to ride on marine boats without permission, but in the past the approval came from officers at the Marine Unit, not by higher ups at headquarters, an FDNY source said.

    “It’s not like the pilot of the boat can say, ‘Come on let’s go for a ride!’” the source said.

    The policy goes on to say that any requests for civilians to ride on an FDNY fireboat must be submitted to the Chief of Marine Operations, who will then forward the request to the Chief of Operations office.

    It also indicates that no less than one officer and two firefighters must be on any approved familiarization tours and conduct a safety briefing for all passengers who are approved to ride on the boat.

    During the June 17 crash, an on-duty firefighter was driving the boat, but he was the sole Marine Unit member on board, a department source said.

    The FDNY dry-docked three Marine 1 fire officers — a lieutenant, a captain and a battalion chief — following the crash, pulling them from their regular duties and assigned to administrative jobs within the Marine Unit.

    Neither the firefighter on the boat, who passed all drug and alcohol tests following the crash, nor his superiors have been hit with criminal or disciplinary charges as the Coast Guard continues it’s investigation. An email to the Coast Guard was not immediately returned.

    Multiple efforts to reach the owner of the Honcho have been unsuccessful.

    Lawyers representing the Beernaerts’ estate did not return calls for comment.

    ———

    ©2022 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune C

  • Tractor-Trailer Hits, Flips DE Fire Apparatus

    Tractor-Trailer Hits, Flips DE Fire Apparatus

    The Minquadale fire apparatus was responding to a crash scene when it was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer, causing the rig to overturn.

    Three Minquadale firefighters were injured after the fire apparatus they were responding with was struck by a tractor-trailer Thursday evening.

    The apparatus was responding to a vehicle accident around 7 p.m. when the tractor-trailer struck the rear of the pumper on Interstate 295 in New Castle County.

    Officials told 6ABC.com that the force of the crash caused the apparatus operator to loose control of the apparatus, which hit a guardrail, causing it to flip on its side.

    Extrication was required to free the injured firefighters.

    They were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. It is not known if the driver of the tractor-trailer was injured.

  • Photos: Wind-Driven Fire in Cleveland Destroys Five Homes

    Photos: Wind-Driven Fire in Cleveland Destroys Five Homes

    Cleveland fire officials said five homes, two garages and 12 vehicles were destroyed in the wind-driven fire Thursday afternoon.

    By Cliff Pinckard Source cleveland.com

    CLEVELAND, Ohio — A wind-driven fire tore through a neighborhood Thursday evening on the East Side, destroying or damaging five homes and multiple vehicles.

    Seventeen fire companies and 80 firefighters battled the four-alarm blaze on Mannering Road, just south of Euclid Avenue in the Euclid- Green neighborhood, according to a news release from the Cleveland Division of Fire. The fire first was reported at about 5 p.m. in a home on the road but it quickly spread to nearby homes because of strong winds.

    Along with five houses, two garages and 12 vehicles were damaged or destroyed in the fire, officials say. No cause of the fire has been reported.

    There were no injuries reported, but 14 adults and two children were displaced by the fire. Firefighters were able to save two dogs and a cat.

  • Two VA Fires Send 11 Children to Hospital

    Two VA Fires Send 11 Children to Hospital

    Four children were critically injured after fires at a Portsmouth day care center and Suffolk apartment building where crews rescued several kids.

    By Caitlyn Burchett Source The Virginian-Pilot

    Four young children are in the intensive care unit and six others are still being treated at the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters following residential fires in Portsmouth and Suffolk.

    A spokesperson for CHKD confirmed 10 fire victims, ages 2 to 9 years old, were transported to the area hospital’s emergency department Wednesday afternoon after fires broke out at a townhouse in Portsmouth and an apartment in Suffolk.

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    “As of noon today (Thursday), four of the 10 fire victims were in the intensive care unit of CHKD,” Elizabeth Simpson Earley said.

    The other six children, Earley added, are being treated in the general care unit. Additional details, including the nature of the children’s injuries and which fire the four in ICU were victims of, were not available.

    A total of 11 children escaped multi-family structure fires Wednesday — with nine being rescued from 4516 Greenwood Drive in Portsmouth and two others from the 400 block of Smith Street in Suffolk.

    The Portsmouth and Chesapeake fire departments responded at approximately 1 p.m. to a reported fire with victims inside the Greenwood Drive townhome. A public record search confirmed that Indoor/Outdoor Reach LLC, a child care service, operated at that location. Attempts to reach Portsmouth’s Office of Economic Development to verify the business were not returned.

    Two children were trapped on the second story of the burning building, said Julian Williamson, deputy chief of the Portsmouth Fire Department. The pair were rescued by Portsmouth fire crews and transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

    Seven other children escaped the blaze on their own. However, five of the seven were transported to a hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The remaining two children were evaluated and stayed at the scene.

    The Portsmouth Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the circumstances, Williamson said.

    Asked about initial reports that said only children were in the home at the time, Williamson said investigators have “not received any information that says anything different.”

    Around the same time, at approximately 1:20 p.m., Suffolk Fire & Rescue responded to an apartment fire with victims trapped inside a building in the 400 block of Smith Street.

    Suffolk fire crews pulled two children from a unit.

    “Both were evaluated at the scene for possible smoke inhalation and were transported to an area hospital,” said Tim Kelley, spokesperson for the city of Suffolk, in a news release.

    Kelley confirmed that one of the children was in critical condition.

    The blaze, which was not marked under control until 3:15 p.m., nearly two hours after the initial call came in, also resulted in the hospitalization of three firefighters for heat exhaustion. One firefighter had been released from the hospital as of Thursday, while the other two remained. They were listed in stable condition.

    The Smith Street fire in Suffolk displaced 11 people, including five adults and six children, according to Kelley.

    The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

    The American Red Cross will be assisting the victims of both fires.

    Caitlyn Burchett, 727-267-6059, [email protected]

    Staff writer Ali Sullivan contributed to this report.

    ©2022 The Virginian-Pilot. Visit pilotonline.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

  • Death Toll Reaches Three in ME Explosion, Fire

    Death Toll Reaches Three in ME Explosion, Fire

    Officials say a leak in a propane-powered appliance sparked an explosion at a Montville log cabin that claimed three lives.

    Source Bangor Daily News, Maine

    Apr. 14—MONTVILLE, Maine — Three men have died after a gas explosion and fire Wednesday afternoon leveled a residence on Darci Lane in Montville.

    First responders found Rocco Taddeo, 88, of Montville, dead inside the home. Homeowner Stuart Nichols, 74, and a relative of his, 78-year-old Robert Gorham of Buxton, were found outside the house, where they’d been thrown with the force of the explosion into some nearby trees, according to the Maine State Police. Both Nichols and Gorham were taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland to be treated for their injuries, but later died at the hospital.

    Early results of the investigation have established that one of Nichols’ propane-powered appliances had a gas leak, Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said. A recently acquired used propane-powered cooking stove in the kitchen was among several propane-powered appliances in the small log cabin.

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    When the explosion and fire happened at about 3:30 p.m., Taddeo had been trying to light the stove, Moss said.

    The disaster took place at the end of a quiet dirt road in center Montville, an area where the neighbors seemed to all know each other. Nichols, a Vietnam-era veteran, lived in the log cabin and had a large garage on the end of Darci Lane. But both buildings were leveled Wednesday and vehicles parked in the yard were rendered charred metal heaps. Scorched trees surrounded where the homestead had stood.

    A Darci Lane neighbor who was one of the first on the scene said that the fire was like nothing he had ever seen before or could have imagined.

    “It wasn’t like a Bruce Willis action movie. It was beyond that,” the neighbor, who gave his name as Jimmy Edward, said. “It was an absolute inferno.”

    On Thursday morning, investigators with the Maine Fuel Board and the state fire marshal’s office took photos of the charred rubble that remained. Family members of one of the victims stood under an umbrella in the chilly rain, speaking quietly with investigators and looking at the scene of destruction around them.

    According to the Montville tax maps, Nichols owned 4-acre property that the town assessed at $47,500 in 2021.

    Edward’s home is separated from where Nichols’ house stood by a small group of trees. He was on his way home when he noticed smoke coming from somewhere in the vicinity of Darci Lane.

    “Right away, you knew it wasn’t someone burning leaves,” he said. “It was a structure.”

    He rushed towards his neighbor’s burning house. As he approached, he saw another man he thought was a volunteer firefighter also come running to help. He remembers the man was driving a Maine Energy truck, although an employee of Maine Energy said later Thursday that the company didn’t know of anything like that happening.

    “He’s running towards the inferno, which looked like a rocket ship upside down,” Edward said. “It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. When it went off, it went off.”

    The Montville Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from Liberty, Searsmont, Freedom, Morrill, Troy, Unity, Brooks, Washington and Palermo. Ambulance services from Liberty, Searsmont and Unity provided medical assistance.

    Edward said that it’s a shame that municipalities are having a hard time finding enough volunteer firefighters to staff their fire departments.

    “You don’t think you’ll need them, until it’s your house,” he said.

    (c)2022 the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine)

    Visit the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine) at www.bangordailynews.com

    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

  • MD Fireboat Sinks During Training Exercise

    MD Fireboat Sinks During Training Exercise

    March 29, 2022An Anne Arundel County Fire Department boat sank while crew members were conducting training evolutions.

    By Dan Belson – Source The Capital, Annapolis, Md. (TNS)

    An Anne Arundel County Fire Department boat sunk Monday afternoon off the coast of Gibson Island. The four people onboard have been rescued and are not injured.

    The county’s Fireboat 41, based out of Shady Side, started taking on water after 3 p.m. Monday amid heavy winds along the Chesapeake, and sunk shortly after, according to a fire department spokesperson.

    The boat was being used by the county’s Fireboat 19 team, based out of Cape St. Claire, for training Monday afternoon. Two of the firefighters on the boat were training for their boat certification, according to fire department Lieutenant Jennifer Macallair.

    The fire department’s fleet of fireboats typically respond to marine emergencies, such as water rescues. She said training operations for marine emergency personnel continue through hazardous weather conditions.

    Department of Natural Resources Police were able to bring the four occupants of the boat back to shore at Sandy Point State Park, said Lauren Moses, a spokesperson for that agency.

    (c)2022 The Capital (Annapolis, Md.)

    Visit The Capital (Annapolis, Md.) at www.hometownannapolis.com

    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

  • One Person Critically Injured in KS Apartment Fire

    One Person Critically Injured in KS Apartment Fire

    A two-alarm apartment fire in Wichita has left four units damage and one person in critical condition at a local hospital.

    November 27, 2021 – By Michael Stavola – Source The Wichita Eagle

    Nov. 27—One person was unresponsive after an apartment fire Friday night in north Wichita, officials said.

    The fire was reported at 5:57 p.m. in the 2100 block of North Broadmoor, near 21st and Rock. The fire was severe enough that firefighters called for extra personnel. One person was unresponsive, according to a 911 emergency communications supervisor.

    Around 6:40 p.m., a first responder said EMS still was working on the person, according to scanner traffic.

    Photos from the Wichita Fire Department Twitter page show both stories of the building blackened from the flames.

    (c)2021 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kansas Visit The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.) at www.kansas.com’

    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

  • Firefighters Rescue Woman from NJ House Fire

    Firefighters Rescue Woman from NJ House Fire

    November 26, 2021 – By Amanda Oglesby – Source Asbury Park Press

    NEPTUNE CITY — Firefighters rescued a woman on Thanksgiving night who was trapped in a burning home on Adams Way, according to Neptune City Police.

    Police arrived to the home, located on the 1200 block of Adams Way, around 7:40 p.m. and found a woman who said her sister was upstairs and unable to get out, Police Chief Matthew Quagliato said.

    The first arriving officers extinguished a portion of the fire, but due to heavy smoke, were unable to see to reach the trapped woman, he said.

    ” The Neptune City Fire Department arrived on location and was able to locate the female on the second floor and escorted her safely from the residence,” the chief said in an email.

    The Neptune City Fire Department extinguished the fire with assistance from the Asbury Park, Avon, Wall and Wanamassa fire departments, he said.

    “The two residents were treated by the Neptune City First Aid Squad for smoke inhalation and burns,” Quagliato said.

    Both the Monmouth County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Neptune City Fire Marshal are investigating.

    Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, [email protected] or 732-557-5701.

    ©2021 www.app.com. Visit app.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

  • Fire Ravages NY Apartments Requiring 4-Alarm Response

    Fire Ravages NY Apartments Requiring 4-Alarm Response

    November 26, 2021 –

    New York City firefighters battled a four-alarm fire in Williamsburg, Brooklyn leaving twelve residents homeless.

    FDNY crews fought late night blaze on Thanksgiving in a Brooklyn apartment building in the Williamsburg neighborhood.

    Firefighters arrived to find a three-story apartment building with heavy fire pushing from the upper floor windows of the building.

    The fire heavily damaged four units leaving a dozen residents homeless. 

    This incident required over two hours and 170 firefighters to bring it under control. 

    Six firefighters suffered injuries, fire officials said.