The City is doing away with documenting crimes and fires in specific quadrants of the City. Apparently, the City Manager feels that it “could fuel negative racial and socioeconomic perceptions about certain areas of the city.”

Honestly, I don’t really care anymore about this. The City has been using tactics like this to spread out certain statistics. The Fire Department sees this all the time when territories are changed to make an engine, ladder, or medic truck seem less busy in order to prove a point.

However, if they removed the NW, SW, SE, and NE designations from CAD, this could cause a big problem. How many streets do we have that share the same name? Including the same block.

Yesterday, there were two fires…one in SW and one in NW.

Below is from the Roanoke Times (Read the entire story here)

Roanoke residents who want to know if crime is happening in their neighborhood could have a harder time getting complete information from the city’s Web site.

City police earlier this fall removed a list of crime incidents from their Web site. They re-posted it last week, but without the quadrant designations — Southeast, Southwest, Northeast and Northwest — that had specified where the crimes happened.

It is the latest example of a reluctance by some city officials to provide the most precise information about where crimes are occurring. And it could cause confusion in a city where numerous streets cross quadrants and where one street may have two 600 blocks.

Under a directive from City Manager Darlene Burcham, officials are not allowed to provide quadrant designations in news releases reporting crimes or fires.

Scott (pictured to the right) is going home from the hospital today after suffering cardiac arrest at a house fire on December 3rd. We wish him the best in his recovery. The cause of the fire has been determined. You can read more about it here. Scott, pictured to the right, The picture to the right is Scott from Todd Reighleys blog. It is the only one I could find and is about a year old.

Structure fire in Roanoke

Elsewhere, Northwest Roanoke Firefighters had a structure fire the other day. Click on the picture to the left to view more pictures and read more about the fire.
The cause is still unknown.


I put the story and some more pictures up on VAFireNews.com. Click the picture for the article. Also note that Firefighters around the Country are interested in Scott’s story and hope that he is resting comfortably and recovering. I understand that the family would not like visitors to Scott’s room, however they can visit with the family on the 7th floor of RMH.

Listen to Jay Lowry’s Podcast on FirefighterHourly.com where he talks about the incident.

Firefighter Scott Hetherington was injured today while working at a structure fire with a report of occupants trapped. Firefighter Hetherington went down while in the structure and a mayday was called.

He was transported to the hospital and is awake and talking. His family is by his side.

Scott works on Quint 7 and has been a firefighter for 9 years.

Update:

Here is the story from what I have gathered talking to those on scene:

Engine/Ladder 7 was toned out to a fire at 1101 Ferdinand for a structure fire with other units. Engine 7 arrived and began interior suppression with a crew of three – Captain Rorrer, FF Zimmerman, and FF Hetherington (I do not know who was driving). Lt. Simmons met the crew at the front door to begin positive pressure ventilation by placing a fan at the front door. Upon entry by the crew of three, Simmons started PPV. The crew had a report of occupants inside. Shortly after the crew entered, Captain Rorrer came back to the door and signified to Lt. Simmons that something was wrong. Lt. Simmons retrieved FF Hetherington from just inside the door where he had collapsed. Hetherington was dragged to the front yard where firefighters began a fight to save his life. Apparently, Hetherington had suffered a cardiac emergency. Deputy Chief Altman, FF/PM Pfister, and FF/PM Murphy (all Paramedics) transported Hetherington to the hospital and were able to revive him. Shorty after, Hetherington was awake and oriented in the hospital.

Great job by all involved. I find it hard to believe that this was short of a miracle. If the situation were just the tiniest bit different, the outcome might not have been the same.

According to the comments:
Book keeping note: Although Altman did run the resuscitation at the scene, Dave Pope rode in and maintained Scooter’s airway througout. Brady McDonald drove M4.Gator, who was right in the middle of it, pulled the truck closer to Scooter. Chief Bishop was right there too. Fine job done by all!

Here are links to the story:

Updated: Firefighter, family OK, but dog dies in Roanoke fire

House Fire in Roanoke

On November 3, 2007, at 17:53, Engine 9, Engine 5, Ladder 13, Medic 2, Medic 101, Battalion Chief 2, and RS1 received a call for a structure fire at 605 Milton Street Northwest. Engine 9 arrived at 17:56 hours to find heavy smoke showing from all sides of the dwelling.

Firefighter Jerry Franks started a primary search and found a victim in the hallway just outside the bedroom where the fire was located. This patient was found unconscious and barely breathing. Firefighter Franks with the assistance of Captain Kevin Weeks removed the patient from the heavily smoked structure to the front yard where the patients care was transferred to Firefighter Duane Noell. At this time, the appropriate care was rendered to the victim until the arrival of Medic 101. The patient suffered moderate smoke inhalation with burns to one leg. The patient is expected to make a full recovery.

After removal of the patient, crews from Engine 9 remade entry into the structure with members from Engine 5 to extinguish the fire. The fire was quickly knocked down and under control by the units on scene at 18:07 hours.

Quick actions and decisive decision making by the first arriving company not only prevented further injury to the patient, but was most certainly the decision that saved the patients life. On top of saving the patient, the crew also played a big role in stopping the damage that the fire would have caused if not attended to in such a timely manner.

A congratulations is in order to the members of Engine 9 for the roles that they played in the rescue and extinguishing of the fire.

The account above was written by Firefighter Duane Noell. The interpretation exemplifies how teamwork accomplished the save and further extinguished the fire. I commend all units on scene for the job they did. While I have been on numerous fires, I have not been a part of a viable rescue from a fire.

I apologize for not getting to this story earlier. However, the press release that was given did not talk about the rescue, and I only learned about this a couple of days ago. In the future, if you guys have a story/incident to share, be sure to let me know about it.

Good job guys/gals. Below is the press release from the fire.

On November 3, 2007, Roanoke Fire-EMS responded to a fire at 605 Milton St. The call came into the E-911 Center at approximately 5:53 p.m. The response of 3 engines, 1 ladder truck, 3 medic units, the EMS Captain, the Investigation Unit and a Battalion Chief for a total of 21 personnel responded to the scene. The fire was under control by 6:07 p.m.

When crews arrived they found heavy smoke coming from all sides of the building. One of the occupants stated someone was still inside. Crews gained entrance and assisted an occupant from the home. The fire was quickly extinguished.

There were 2 people in the house when the fire started. They were helped out of the house by Fire-EMS personnel and transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for smoke inhalation. There were no injuries to Fire-EMS personnel.

The fire started in a bedroom and was contained to the house. The house sustained some heavy smoke damage. The cause of the fire was due to a match being accidentally dropped on the bed. Damage estimates are approximately $18,000.

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded to a structure fire on August 30, 2007 at 4734 Casper Dr.

The call was received through the 9-1-1 Center at approximately 9:16 a.m. The response of three Engines, one Ladder truck, two Medic Units, the EMS Captain, the Investigation Unit and a Battalion Chief for a total of 18 personnel responded to the scene.

When crews arrived they found smoke coming from the home. They quickly entered the structure and extinguished the fire.

There was one person in the house when the fire started. They escaped without injuries. There were no injuries to Fire-EMS personnel or civilians.

The fire started in a bedroom and was contained to the bedroom. The house sustained smoke damage. The fire has been ruled accidental but the exact cause is still under investigation at this time. Damage estimates are not available at this time.

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded to a structure fire on August 22, 2007 at 3700 Woodcrest Rd.

The call was received through the 9-1-1 Center at approximately 3:30p.m. The response of three Engines, one Ladder truck, two Medic Units, the EMS Captain and a Battalion Chief for a total of 18 personnel responded to the scene. The fire was ruled under control at 3:40 p.m.

When crews arrived they found a fire inside of the home that had burned through the floor. Crews quickly extinguished the fire and checked to make sure no one was trapped inside.

No one was in the house when the fire started. It was vacant at this time. There were no injuries to Fire-EMS personnel or civilians.

The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation at this time. Damage estimates are approximately $50,000.


Watch the Video and read the story here: WDBJ7.com

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded to a structure fire on August 14, 2007 at 510 6th St.

The call was received through the 9-1-1 Center at approximately 5:23 p.m. The response of four Engines, two Ladder trucks, two Medic Units, the EMS Captain, two Battalion Chiefs, the Fire Marshal and the Investigation Unit for a total of 31 personnel responded to the scene.

When crews arrived they found heavy smoke and fire coming from all sides of the two story, wood frame structure. Crews immediately began to search the home for anyone trapped inside. The primary and secondary searches were ruled all clear. Firefighters attacked the blaze until the structure became unsafe. Everyone was then evacuated from the building and crews began a defensive attack from the outside of the structure.

There was no one in the home when the fire started. There were no injuries to civilians or Fire-EMS personnel.

The origin and cause of the fire are under investigation. This home appeared to be vacant.

I recently got a hold of these pictures of a fire which occurred in 1972. Captain Clonnie Yearout got them to me and I do not know who took them, so I cannot give any credit. Clonnie was not on the fire, being that he was hired in 1973. That leaves only one other guy in the department who was here at the time. Maybe Chief Slayton knows a little more about the fire. I do know the building is the Gainsboro Apartments.

I thought the series of pictures was neat and I decided to share them with you all. Some of the things I noted were the use of the ladder with tormentor poles. The fact that every floor was laddered, although one of the ladders moved between the first and second floors. I imagine that there were several rescues made at this fire. It also “seems as though” the fire was pushed through the building from side 2 to side 4 moving up floors as it went until it vented itself out the roof. Obviously, it would have been ideal to attack the fire from the inside and push the fire out of side 2. But we may never know what issues the firefighters had to deal with when they showed up, or the strategy and tactics of command.

I will have to look up the fire to see if anyone was injured or killed in this fire.

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded to a report of a structure fire on July 8, 2007 at 1460 Varnell Ave.

The call was received through the 9-1-1 Center at approximately 5:33 p.m. The response of two Engines, one Ladder truck, one Medic Unit, the EMS Captain and a Battalion Chief for a total of 13 personnel responded to the scene. The fire was out when crews arrived.

When crews arrived they found smoke on the second floor of the home. Upon further investigation, crews found an ashtray sitting on the edge of a bathroom vanity that had caused a fire in a trash can located beside the vanity. The trash can burned and caught the side of the vanity on fire. This melted the water line to the sink which extinguished the fire.

There were 2 people in the home when the fire started. They escaped without any injuries. There were no injuries to Fire-EMS personnel.

The fire started in the trash can located in the bathroom and was contained to the bathroom. The upstairs of the house sustained smoke and water damage and the ceiling and floor of the kitchen downstairs received water damage. The fire was caused by smoking materials.Damage estimates are approximately $11,000.

The picture above is from Roanoke Fire EMS. Click the picture for the whole story and many photos hosted on VAFireNews.com. I included links to the story on WSLS, WDBJ7, and the Roanoke Times. Also be sure to check out RoanokeFirefighters.com for Michael Overacker’s pictures.

Units on scene include: L1, L2, L7, E1, E5, E6, E7, E8, E9, E11, E13, M9, M1, M7, HTR 6, Chief 1, Chief 2, BC 1, BC2, RS1, Investigator 1, Fire Marshal, PIO, Emergency Manager, Service Truck 2, Roanoke County Air Unit, REMS Squad 1 and M101. Sorry if I missed anybody.

FF Adam Fleming was interviewed the other day for his crews rescue of a patient from the back of an ambulance.

Watch the video and read more here

If you aren’t familiar with the entire story there is more information here:
Ambulance fire injures attendant outside Roanoke Memorial’s ER

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded to a residential structure fire on June 12, 2007 at 1614 Chapman Ave.

The call was received through the 9-1-1 Center at approximately 8:51 p.m. The response of three Engines, two Ladder trucks, one Medic Unit, the EMS Captain, a Battalion Chief, and the Investigation Unit for a total of 21 personnel responded to the scene.

When crews arrived they found smoke coming from the rear of the structure and they heard a smoke alarm sounding. They quickly gained entrance and found a fire in an upstairs bedroom. Crews quickly extinguished the fire and checked for anyone trapped inside. The search was ruled all clear.

This was a vacant home and there was no one inside when the fire started. There were no injuries to Fire-EMS crews or civilians.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded to a residential structure fire on June 10, 2007 at 1101 Staunton Ave.

The call was received through the 9-1-1 Center at approximately 4:30 a.m. The response of three Engines, one Ladder truck, two Medic Units, the EMS Captain, the Battalion Chief and the Investigation Unit for a total of 19 personnel responded to the scene. The fire was under control at approximately 6:04 a.m.

When crews arrived they found a fully involved structure fire. Crews quickly gained entrance to the residence and extinguished the fire. They also did a primary search which was ruled all clear. Crews also worked to keep the fire from spreading to nearby homes.

There were five people in the home when the fire started. They escaped without any injuries. They are being assisted by the Red Cross. There were no injuries to Fire-EMS crews or civilians.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The fire started in a bedroom and was contained to the structure. The fire spread throughout the home and into the attic causing heavy fire, smoke and water damage. Damage estimates are approximately $130,000.

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded to a residential structure fire on June 11, 2007 at 3824 Troutland Ave.

The call was received through the 9-1-1 Center at approximately 11:39 a.m. The response of three Engines, two Ladder trucks, one Medic Unit, the EMS Captain, two Battalion Chiefs, the Education Information Specialist the Fire Marshal, the Service Truck and the Investigation Unit for a total of 26 personnel responded to the scene.

When crews arrived they found smoke coming from the structure. They quickly gained entrance and found a fire in the kitchen. Crews quickly extinguished the fire and checked for anyone trapped inside. The search was ruled all clear.

There was no one home when the fire started. There were no injuries to Fire-EMS crews or civilians.

The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental. It was started by a pot being left on the stove. Two people were displaced by this fire. The occupant and a teenager are being assisted by the Red Cross. The fire started in the kitchen and was contained to the kitchen. Damage estimates are approximately $25,000.

Fire last night at Roanoke Fruit & Produce
Click image for more information
The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded to a structure fire on May 28, 2007 at 5212 Lancelot Lane, North Ridge Apartments.

The call was received through the 9-1-1 Center at approximately 1:38 p.m. The response of four Engines, two Ladder trucks, three Medic Units, the EMS Captain, the Investigation Unit and a Battalion Chief for a total of 29 personnel responded to the scene. The fire was under control at 1:50 p.m.

When crews arrived they found heavy fire coming from the roof of one of the apartments. Fire-EMS crews immediately gained entrance to the apartment and began a primary search which was ruled all clear. They then extinguished the blaze and checked for extension. Crews then began salvage and overhaul.

There was no one inside of the apartment when the fire started. There were no injuries to civilians or Fire-EMS personnel.

The fire was caused by a lightning strike during the large storm that occured during the afternoon. The fire was contained to the attic area of the apartment. Damage estimates are approximately $35,000.

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded to a residential structure fire on May 17, 2007 at 4514 Surrey Ave.

The call was received through the 9-1-1 Center at approximately 11:33 p.m. The response of three Engines, one Ladder truck, two Medic Units, the EMS Captain, the Investigation Unit, the Service Truck and a Battalion Chief for a total of 25 personnel responded to the scene. The fire was ruled under control at 11:52 p.m.

When crews arrived they found light smoke coming from the structure. Crews entered the interior of the home and quickly extinguished the blaze. They then checked for extension and began salvage and overhaul procedures.

There were two people in the home when the fire started, but they escaped without injuries. There were no injuries to Fire-EMS personnel.

The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental. It was caused by a candle being placed too close to combustibles. The fire started in the upstairs bedroom and was contained to the room of origin. Damage estimates are approximately $25,000.

I finally got my email subscription working for fire notifications.

Firefighters rescued three dogs from a burning house in Southwest Roanoke on Thursday night, said Roanoke Fire-EMS Battalion Chief Audie Ferris.

The dogs’ owners were not at the home in the 1500 block of Roanoke Avenue when the fire started.

The dogs were given oxygen and taken to a veterinarian’s office, where they were treated for smoke inhalation, Ferris said. They are expected to recover. Read More

In case you were wondering why I haven’t posted information on the other fires recently it is due to two reasons. For some reason I have not been getting email notifications when press releases are published on the fires. I will check and make sure I am still signed up, although Administration might have stopped publishing them. The other reason is because rarely does anyone send in information on fires they run. I get a lot of questions about this. I try to do a write up on most of the fires I run on, both of them. HA. If you would like to share information like the address, what you had, and who responded, just email it to me at FireFleitz@comcast.net.

Photo by Baron Gibson
Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded for a fire at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Downtown Roanoke yesterday. Four Engine companies, Four Ladder companies, and numerous other equipment responded for a fire which caused $150,000 in damage. The crews on scene extinguished the fire quickly which had spread fast due to extreme winds in the region. Most of the damage was external and the stained glass looked unharmed during the fire. Read More and view more images
The guys/gals at Station 2 A-Shift had a fire on Pennsylvania Avenue on Easter Sunday.
Thanks to Daniel Goodwin for the photos