Raleigh/Wake Firefighting Blog  -

Discussion topic for the day, inspired by the latest comments in the Apex Fire & EMS thread. We've heard from EMS readers that they appreciate a patient status as soon as possible from first-arriving fire units. Among other things, they can cut back to a cold response. Does the reverse apply from firefighters, for EMS units first-arriving at structure fires? Is even a minimal size-up helpful, for incoming companies and chief officers? Obviously, all agency operating procedures apply in this discussion. What say you?

That's the title of a white paper released by the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association, which is a century-old organization serving members in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The contents of the 17-page paper identifies "social, cultural, and ethical issues impacting the fire service nationwide that demand increased awareness," to quote their news release. That is, bad behaviors by firefighters that damn not only them, but their departments, their communities, and the entire fire service.

Cheating, fire-setting, theft and misappropriation of funds, use and misuse of information technology, misuse of facilities, alcohol and substance abuse, and harassment and discrimination. And in the Internet age, when mass communication can happen in minutes, "actions of a small minority of bad actors can have grievous widespread consequences," they write. What are the action steps? The paper urges the development, dissementation, and enforcement of a Code of Ethics by all fire service leaders.

Read the white paper , copies of which are available at www.cvvfa.org. Also watch in coming weeks for the launch of firefighterbehavior.com, which will serve to raise further awareness of the issues.

See also Firehouse.com and Statter911.

Engine, engine, ladder in late afternoon. Central Station in downtown Raleigh. Click to enlarge:
 

Ten acres of brush burned in Cary today, after an unattended fire at a homeless camp spread to surrounding woods north and west from Cary Town Boulevard and Trinity Road Extension. Reported around 3:15 p.m., the wind-fed flames spread in the direction of houses on Maynard Road, and apartments on Village Greenway. Crews were deployed on three (four?) sides, and contained the blaze within about an hour. All personnel were subsequently sent to rehab, with mutual aid engines called to the scene for relief.

Cary Battalion 2 was command on Trinity Road Extension. Medical monitoring and rehab were at the same location, and two firefighters were transported with minor injuries. Staging was Cary Towne Boulevard. The Forest Service responded, and deployed a plow, along with back-burning. Units on scene included: Cary E1, E2, E4, L1 (riding reserve service truck?), T7, Brush 9, B1, B2; Western Wake P191; Swift Creek Brush_, Tanker 6, Morrisville P1, Fairview E1, two Forestry units and plow; EMS 51, EMS 55, EMS 4, EMS 8; District 5, Truck 1. Pictures by Legeros later. Click to enlarge:
 

A reader observes both an updated patch on the Apex Fire Department web site (compare with the older patch), and an open position on the town web site for a full-time Shift Supervisor Paramedic for the "Fire and EMS Department." Guess that means the merger is official. Congrats to the newly combined departments. Next question, red over white ambulances coming?
 

Photograph of photographer taking photograph of photographer. From yesterday's live burn with Falls and other fire departments. Click to see the original by Lee. Or view the whole set.
 

Lee Wilson photo

Statter911 surfaces this provoking video from Firefighter Close Calls. Read Dave Statter's commentary on same. Is it really possible that the driver didn't hear the horn and siren, nor see the large red object appearing closer in his rear view mirror? Or are simply seeing an [anal opening] in action?
 
 

Here's your Oscar warm-up, the jaw-dropping opening to the 1989 Academy Awards ceremony. Like the proverbial train wreck, you don't dare turn away. As many may know, Mr. Blogger was once Mr. Movie Reviewer. He "retired" from that vocation in 2001, after about 1,100 reviews posted on USENET and the web. Phew, there were some bad movies in that bunch.
 

Here are some of the public safety teams that participated in head shaving for St. Baldrick's at Napper Tandy's yesterday. Have a group photo to add? Send and we'll add! Left to right, top to bottom: Firefighters for Kids, Garner FD, Durham Highway FD, Stony Hill FD. Click to enlarge:
 

More fun with clippers at Napper Tandy's yesterday. Fathers and sons, fire and police, and great support from everyone. First and foremost the spouses! No cameras were harmed during the making of this montage. Read about the St. Baldrick's Foundation. See a list of the public safety teams. Click once or twice for super-size, super-scary version:
  

What are those morse code-sounding beeps we've been hearing on Headquarters for the last week or two? Seems like they started after the CAD upgrade, though I am sure I have heard them before? Those in the know, please dash off an answer!

A number of fire departments and firefighters trimmed their tops today for children's cancer at Napper Tandy's. Here's an optical illusion from eastern Wake County. Watch for more charitable fun at folk's expense. Large time had by all. Click to enlarge:
 

Where to begin, where to begin? Well, first and foremost, the hazing discussion and subsequent survey prompted a personal reaction. For several days, memories of my first few (and only few) years in the fire department flooded back. The looking glass brought retroactive understanding, both intellectual and emotional, about that formative period.

Career firefighter in Raleigh in 1989. Was I razzed? Some. Was I hazed? No. Was the station family challenging to understand and integrate into? You betcha. Yours Truly had zero awareness of the fire service back-end, and the subtle (and overt) nuances of the station family was a brave new world.

That's also a perspective seen in survey and blog comments. More people are entering the profession from outside occupations, noted one survey respondent. Does that make them less-suited for station life? Or maybe just a learning curve that's a little steeper?

Now let's apply that to the survey. What do the questions and answers look like to an outsider? For someone who wants to be a firefighter, they might be taken in stride. What about the rest of the world? What's a city manager, county official, newspaper editor, civic leader, or regular citizen to think, should they read those questions and comments? 

Yet, in the confined space of a fire station, hard play happens. People pick. Bonds form. Families become.

Another issue is the law, which we haven't discussed. Which of those behaviors in our survey are illegal? As one comment notes, restrained and unwanted physical contact is assault. (And which about 90% of respondents labeled as hazing.) For those chiefs and/or human resources officers reading, what's your (or your department's) tolerance for illegal behavior? Is the aforementioned behavior grounds for demotion or dismissal?

Here are the results on our suvey on hazing.

Here's the original discussion.

Analysis and commentary at a later time.

Total of 104 responses, with 24 comments.

Thanks for participating.

Group hug.

Meanwhile yesterday afternoon, a city bus suffered a sagging butt on Millbrook Road, due to a sinkhole created by a water main break. As this WRAL story reports, seven passengers and the driver were aboard when they started feeling that sinking feeling. Police detoured traffic around the site, between Auburn Road and Ivy Lane. Repairs were completed some time later. Unknown if the displaced passengers called disbelieving friends to tell of their hole problem, and were told "you're all wet." Thank you, and good night.
 

WRAL photo

Three alarms at 4903 Arcadian Court. Engine 19 arriving with heavy fire showing from the second story and roof in the rear of a two-story, wood-frame apartment building with 10,356 square-feet. Built 1985. Declared major working fire on arrival. Quickly spread across roof, with wind conditions contributing. Heavy smoke surrounding front of structure also obscured operations. Crews withdrawn and defensive attack started very soon. Battalion 1 with command. Ladder 2 plus Engine 15 deck gun deployed in front of structure; Ladder 5 deployed in rear of structure. Command post, medical monitoring and rehab on Arcadian Court. Staging on Wallingford Drive. Dispatched 3:12 p.m. Controlled at 4:16 p.m.

Five hydrants utilized, on Arcadian Court to Engine 19, on Wallingford Drive to Engine 21, on Pebble Beach Drive to Ladder 5, Tapers Drive to New Hope Engine 1, and fifth location TBD. First alarm: E19, E15, E11, L2, R1, B2, New Hope E1. Working fire: E27, C10, C20, A1. Second alarm: E21, E22, E28, L5, R2, B4. Third alarm (manpower): E9, L1. Car 2, Car 4, Car 71, New Hope Car 1 also on scene. Medical: EMS 16, EMS 2, EMS 10, EMS 11, EMS 121, D3, D2, M93, T1. Coverage included E14 at Station 19, E23 at Station 15, E13 at Station 9. Others? Overnight companies included E20, E24. No injuries. Eight units destroyed, seven families and 19 people displaced. Cause determined as accidental, from disposal of fireplace ashes on a back deck. Wind spread same and started fire. "A" shift working. See pictures by Legeros, who arrived 32 minutes later. Both WRAL and WTVD also posted aerial photos. The latter includes a couple dozen smoky shots early into the incident.
 

Prelminary photos posted for this afternoon's major working fire on Arcadia Court. Photographer (moi) arrived after containment, alas.
 

From a reader, the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) is conducting a photo project and contest to collect and feature pictures of the public safety community on its website. They're particularly interested in using “action” photos of firefighters, police officers, and EMS personnel performing public safety duties. PSHSB will feature selected photos on its web site. Read about the contest, and rules and conditions therein. Deadline is December 31!

Two shelters have been added at Keeter Center Training. The topside structure protects a pair of reserve pumpers, shown below. The second shelter was added on the lower level, on the USAR grounds and will cover shoring materials.
 

Firefighter Bradley Franklin Roberts, 26, died Tuesday, March 2, after falling from a tree, while cutting limbs for a tree service. The accident occurred in the 1100 block of Woodburn Drive. He was transported to Duke University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Roberts joined the Durham Fire Department on March 7, 2005, and was assigned to Station 1. Sources: WRAL, WTVD, Durham Herald-Sun.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Clements Funeral Service. Visitation is today, Thursday, March 4, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Clements Funeral Service, 1105 Broad Street, Durham. The funeral is Friday, March 5, at 11:00 a.m., at New Horizons Church, 100 Horizon Place, Durham. Read his obituary. Note that an incorrect funeral date is listed at the top of the obituary web page.
  

Today's News & Observer reports that Holly Springs is losing its county subsidy for the salaries of three paramedics. The annual expenditure is $177,850, which the county is asking the town the assume. Since 1998, Wake County EMS has provided a paramedic to ride a Holly Springs ambulance at cost to the town. Holly Springs had a rolling, annual agreement with the county since that time.

Revenue also figures into the equation. In 1998, the Holly Springs EMS unit generated about $45,000. Today, the same revenue is $326,929. Not surprisingly, the county wants a piece of the pie, to help cover its own cost in these times of shrinking budgets. Wake County EMS has presented the town with two options: the county pays all costs for a paramedic ambulance, and receives all revenue; or, Holly Springs reimburses the county for the salaries of the paramedics. Neither option changes the EMS deployment model, however. Read the entire story.