Well, what do ya know? After our first blog post and subsequent follow-ups asking that the photo on the front of Dallas Fire-Rescue’s website be changed – it finally happened. The original full size photo showing a firefighter not wearing any respiratory protection while surrounded in smoke with a link to their Respiratory Protection Program has been replaced with rainbows … and the removal of the respiratory program link. Coincidence? We think not! (more…)
Archives for training
After a long, hard fought battle, former Austin Firefighter Alejandro Garza lost his battle to keep his job after being accused of posing nude in AFD gear on a dating website. The accusations came forth from the husband of the woman with whom Alejandro had an affair with. An arbitrator sided with the Austin Fire Department yesterday which led to the official firing. (more…)
Turns out that you can’t fondle yourself in a Walgreen’s parking lot and ask a woman (with an infant) to touch your genitals for money. It’s against the law. Just ask FF Joseph Phillips of the Collingdale (PA) Fire Department. The incident occurred in the lot on Chester Pike near MacDade Boulevard in Darby outside of Philadelphia. Phillips allegedly told the woman that she aroused him and that he was unhappily married. (more…)
Kingsport Tennessee firefighters were dispatched to a woman stranded on the roof of her car in the middle of the Holston River. Witnesses state the driver drove down a hill and into the river without ever slowing down. Our guess is that she was updating her status on Facebook. The entire rescue was caught on video by the Times News Online. Our favorite part of the video can be viewed at 1:01 of Troy Hall – a man with a huge bluetooth in his ear and no tooth in his mouth. He made us chuckle. Check out the video below … (more…)
Lt. Kevin Brady of Station 22, Cleveland Fire Department is featured today in a news story on WEWS-TV. In it, Kevin details how after a fire he felt, “a pain like I’ve never felt before” in his chest. Instead of ignoring it he told a paramedic in the station who hooked him up to the monitor to discover he was having a heart attack. Heart attacks are the #1 killer of firefighters in the United States. (more…)
SideCharlie.com has obtained a copy of the debut flyer that was provided inside the gift bags at the 2011 World Police & Fire Games fundraiser last week. The 8.5″ x 11″ handout depicts Firefighter Robert Keiley stricken with ailments as a 9/11 FDNY rescuer when in actuality he wasn’t employed until 2004.
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Fire Chief Charles Hood of the San Antonio Fire Department suspended three firefighters for traveling at an unsafe speed and not buckling up while racing to a fire on the Northwest Side last year. Firefighter Robert Arranaga, 30, was trapped and hospitalized with a broken neck and remains on medical leave. The crash destroyed Ladder 35 priced at $600,000. (more…)
[fblike]PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 15, 2011) – Damage Controlman Fireman Justin Barton uses a naval firefighter’s thermal imager to lead a hose team through smoke to fight a simulated class alpha fire during a flying squad drill aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG 106). Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy. Send us your shots to pics@sidecharlie.com
Firefighter Mark Falkenhan, 43, was killed last night after becoming trapped and calling a mayday during an apartmentment fire where he suffered massive burns. He leaves behind his wife and 2 children. He was a member of the Lutherville Volunteer Fire Company. Radio traffic audio available after the jump (more…)
We got caught up in watching YouTube videos (yeah, we were bored) of firefighters doing the Quick Dress Drill. Basically, it’s putting on your protective gear CORRECTLY, no skin showing and breathing air from the SCBA. There are many videos of these races, but this video impressed us the most. This guy did it in :43 seconds. We like the techniques used to achieve that time. Check it out … (more…)
These videos were posted over the weekend by regular, everyday citizens and their Android phones. It shows two COMPLETELY different methods of delivery the safety message to kids at school. The beauty of these videos is that they show what is really going on out there, get new ideas and change the way we do business. The ugly part of the videos is that you just got posted on SideCharlie.com! Watch the vids after the jump … (more…)
[UPDATE: Video has been pulled from YouTube]Thanks to the availability of video recording devices in the hands of everyday citizens we get to witness some amazing feats that were only legendary stories before. Watch with amazement (understatement) of a man in Smallville Uvalde, Texas armed only in white gloves attack the fire beast head-on with his trusty 1 3/4″ handline! Video after the jump (more…)
YouTuber TheFirehouse66 posted this seven minute video of a suggested firefighter obstacle course as a workout. The course uses fire department equipment that any station would have on hand. Check out the video demo after the jump. (more…)
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Our friends over at Brotherhood Instructors posted a new, very quick :44 second video demonstrating how to properly use the Rex Tool as a method of ‘through the lock’ forcible entry. Their YouTube channel (BrotherhoodInstrctrs) should be subscribed to due to the excellent quality of their videos. What’s so great about the vids? They get directly to the point in under 60 seconds without a lot of BS! Watch this video after the jump to see what we mean … (more…)
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We came across this new video posted on YouTube (by DoworkLT) this morning by a company (owned by a firefighter) called Firefighter Tools. They have a new tool holster called the Pocket Caddy. The video says it is constructed of long lasting Kydex. The Caddy comes with the most commonly used tools (center punch and wire cutter) made by Pittsburgh Tools which are guaranteed for life through Harbor Freight. (more…)
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Dramatic video provided to KOCO-TV News of a large apartment complex fire at the Quail Ridge apartments in northwest Oklahoma City back on Jan. 11, 2011. No fire department units are on the scene. Several items to note: At 0:02 you will see the attic vent out of the gable end. At 0:25 a panic flows through the crowd as they hear someone cough and believe someone is trapped in the building. Check out the video – lots of training worthiness … (more…)
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For the record, we LIKE Dallas Fire Department. This is not meant to take a cheap shot at them whatsoever. That said, we were searching around fire department websites on another article project and came across the front page for the DFD. The main photo on the front page shows a firefighter standing in the window with no hood or respiratory protection. Reading the smoke tells us there is active fire. Why?? (more…)
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WIVB in New York is reporting this morning tat a 26-year-old Big Tree firefighter passed away last night. The firefighter became ill during what the article calls ‘routine SCBA training Monday evening at the fire hall. The firefighter was rushed by the company’s ambulance to Mercy Hospital. His condition worsened and passed away last night. His name has not yet been released to the public. (more…)
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Here is a great deal if you live in or plan on visiting the Denver metro area. Today on the MamaPedia.com website you can get 4 tickets to the Denver Firefighters Museum for just $10! That’s 58% off the regular cost of $24. While not a huge cost savings, it’s still a great deal and should encourage more to visit the museum. (more…)
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New this morning: CBS4 in Denver is reporting that the Mountain View Fire Protection District’s PIO is on administrative leave following his arrest for sexual assault. The arrest affidavit states that he had diaper fetish over the last year that possibly contributed to his actions and the loss of his marriage. As a result, his department is in the news even though none of his actions took place on-duty. (more…)
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The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says that Fire District 1 Chief Kevin Henson has been found at fault for a crash while responding to a commercial fire on Dec. 31. An electronic data recorder inside Chief Henson’s SUV state he was traveling 62 mph in a 45 mph at the time of the crash. The real kicker is that he was doing this in the opposing lanes. (more…)
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There is a new piece of exercise equipment coming to market on January 11, 2011 that may be of interest to firefighters. It’s called the SledBarrow. The SledBarrow claims that it is a three-in-one conditioning system that combines the power of a drag sled, drive sled and a training wheelbarrow all into one unique design. (more…)
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