IN Firefighter Seriously Injured During Training Exercise

A Salem, Indiana firefighter suffered a severe head injury during a training exercise on Saturday. The firefighter remained in intensive care unit at a local hospital throughout the day on Sunday. The firefighter's name has not been released according to reports from Fox41.com.

Fire department officials confirmed that more information would be released in the coming days and according to the report, that it has been "an extremely difficult time" for the department.

Read more information about the incident and see video coverage HERE

TX Mobile Home Fire Kills 3 Children, 1 Adult

A mobile home fire in Conroe, Texas killed three children and one adult at approximately 2:41 a.m. Sunday morning. Five engines and a ladder company responded to the incident finding the mobile home totally engulfed in fire. The first firefighters to respond to the scene were approached by three injured people outside and advised that more people were inside the mobile home, according to reports from CNN.

The report continued to explain details of the incident:

"Two children between the ages of 3 and 8 were pulled out of a bedroom that was not involved in the fire but had heavy smoke. They could not be revived, Kreger said. Firefighters found another child between 3 and 8 and a woman, believed to be about 27years old, dead in another area."

Read the whole CNN report HERE.

Fire in IL Apartment Complex Kills 6

A fire at a small apartment complex in Aurora, Illinois, killed 6 people and injured approximately 12 at 4:06 a.m. Sunday morning. The fire began on the first floor and moved to the floors above. The apartment building was consumed by flames by the time firefighters arrived at the scene as heavy smoke covered the surrounding area. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. The complex housed approximately 30 residents according to reports from Chicagoist.com.

Fire department officials reported that two of the fatalities occurred when residents opened their apartment doors during the fire, which caused it to spread into their residence.

Read the whole story HERE

LODD: Texas Firefighter Elias Jaquez, Dead at 49

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has reported the death of Volunteer Firefighter Elias Jaquez, 49, of the Cactus Volunteer Fire Department of Cactus, Texas. Jaquez died as a result of serious burns on Wednesday, April 20, 2011.

The USFA notice states:

"Firefighter Jaquez, and three other firefighters were injured after a Dumas and Cactus, TX, fire truck became stuck in the rough terrain while operating on a wildland firefight. Jaquez suffered 3rd degree burns over 60% of his body and was rushed for treatment to the Lubbock Burn Center where he remained in critical condition until his passing."

The USFA notice continues to advise that funeral arrangements are pending and that a benefit fund has been established in honor of Firefighter Elias Jaquez at the Happy State Bank at https://www.happybank.com/.

A tribute is also being paid to Firefighter Elias Jaquez at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

The USFA reports that to date, 31 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2011.

Wildfires: Good Information About Tools for Prediction and Mitigation

Many regions across our nation have seen months of dry weather conditions and high winds which have created a perfect recipe for one of natures most powerful hazards. Wildfires, like tornados, hurricanes, and floods are one of natures most feared and hazardous forces. The strength and speed of a wildfire incident can destroy hundreds of acres in a matter of hours and thousands of acres in days. Property, lives and time fall victim to this force which can exhaust even the best human efforts and skill. Recently, Dr. Ahmed Abukhater, Esri Global Industry Manager for Community Development, authored the article "GIS-Based Community Risk Assessment: Tools for wildfire prediction and mitigation" which profiles how regional planners and individuals responsible for establishing policy, need tools and technology to make accurate decisions regarding use of land and assets to avoid hazards such as wildfires in regions most vulerable to natural disasters and earth changing human-created accidents. Abukhater leads ESRI's global marketing strategies in planning and economic development and works as a visionary of enterprise GIS. In this article, Abukhater states: "GIS is an invaluable tool for conducting this analysis to produce actionable knowledge and intelligence. By integrating data, geoprocessing tools, ModelBuilder, and visualization tools, the impact of human activities on the natural and built environment can be evaluated. State-of-the-art GIS visualization and analytic tools help officials understand and analyze the spatial and temporal characteristics of wildfire." Dr. Abukhater explains further: "GIS can provide these effective planning tools and insights to prepare for natural and manmade disasters and mitigate their impact. Both policy makers and the community at large can plan for pre- and postdisaster response and mitigation efforts." He outlines that making improvements in those areas most vunerable to wildfires and their dangers based on information produced by data process through technologies can spare human lives and our natural resources. "Given the importance of forest-urban interface fire prediction and mitigation, this article describes how to conduct a community risk assessment from a planning point of view and proposes a GIS-based multiple-criteria evaluation (MCE) framework for analyzing, predicting, and ultimately mitigating the impact of wildfires" Abukhater says. Read More of Dr. Abukhater's article HERE

VFD in Oklahoma Needs Donations to Buy Fuel

The Keystone Volunteer Fire Department of Sand Springs, Oklahoma is in need of donations to buy fuel. Their usual surplus has been exhausted due to the current wildfire issues that affect their area and many counties in the state of Oklahoma. The amount of fuel that usually sustains this department for two months has been depleted in only two weeks according to reports from Fox 23 News in Tulsa. The Keystone Fire Department and its volunteer crew have been working continuously to fight the wildfires in their area and been available to support their fellow departments as these threats spread. Dry conditions and high winds make things difficult, but lack of fuel for their trucks and other departments could cause more problems if not addressed. The department receives an operational grant once a year and also depends on donations to survive. To donate funds and show support for this department, please call the Keystone Fire Department at 1-918-363-8261.

Chemical Plant Fire in KY Kills 2

A fire and two explosions at a Louisville, KY chemical plant resulted in two deaths according to reports from WLKY in Kentucky:

"A second person died Tuesday after two explosions and a fire at a chemical plant Monday in Louisville's Rubbertown neighborhood. He has been identified as 56-year-old Jorge Medina. He resided on Jenlee Lane in Louisville...Fifty-nine-year-old Steven Nichols of Charlestown, Indiana died around 6:45 p.m. on March 21 at University Hospital, less than two hours after the first explosion ripped through the plant sometime after 5 p.m. No word yet on funeral arrangements for Nichols. Medina was one of three people who were taken to University Hospital, where he died from his injuries early Tuesday."

Read More HERE

CT Firefighters, Police Search for Missing Girl

Firefighters and police continue to search for a partially deaf 12-year-old girl who has been missing since 8:00 a.m. Sunday according to reports from WTNH ABC 8 in New Haven.



Reports from WTNH state:

"State Police K-9s, Police, Fire, and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) have been out in the area actively searching. Nearby Temple Emanuel has been setup as their staging area. Officials tell News 8 that the FBI has now been called in."

Read More Here

Bus Accident in WI: 1 Dead, 4 Injured

Another Tour Bus and Semi Truck Collide



A semi truck and tour bus collided in the town of Herman, Wisconsin at approximately 7 p.m. on Saturday evening causing the bus to flip twice, according to a report from WTMJ Radio and WISN News. This marks the second reported accident involving a tour bus and truck in the past 24 hours.

Read more HERE.

Video: Nuclear Plant Explodes in Japan

Today's explosion at a nuclear power plant in Japan which was damaged during Friday's earthquake has raised some concerns to the safety of the region. One Report outlines the incident:

CNN Reports, "An explosion at an earthquake-damaged nuclear plant was not caused by damage to the nuclear reactor but by a pumping system that failed as crews tried to bring the reactor's temperature down, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Saturday.

The next step for workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant will be to flood the reactor containment structure with sea water to bring the reactor's temperature down to safe levels, he said. The effort is expected to take two days."

Read More HERE

3 San Antonio Firefighters Suspended After Apparatus Wreck

This article from The Houston Chronicle describes how one chief is sending a message to his department regarding safe traveling speeds and seat belt use.

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio's fire chief has suspended three firefighters for traveling too fast and not buckling up while racing to a fire.

The firefighters were involved in a wreck last year that injured one of the four men on a ladder truck and destroyed the $600,000 vehicle.

Read the entire story at: The Houston Chronicle

Also, read : Amazing we still have to have this conversation and join the discussion about seat belt use at the Fire Engineering Community.