The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatalities:
Name: Jerry Thompson
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 55
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 10
Date of Incident: 01/14/2010
Time of Incident: 1315hrs
Date of Death: 01/14/2010
Fire Department: Linwood Volunteer Fire Department
Address: 10060 Road 248, Union, MS 39365 (USNG: 16S CB 0199 1369)
Fire Department Chief: Gerald…
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Added by Bobby Halton on January 19, 2010 at 9:30am —
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First anniversary of Miracle on the Hudson
On the first anniversary of the Miracle on the Hudson our good friend Dave Statter has some interesting insights and comparisons to flight 90 in 1982. I am grateful to Dave for all his support and friendship, click here for
Statter911
Added by Bobby Halton on January 15, 2010 at 12:01pm —
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The Virginia task force one has its boots on the ground and they are already making a difference. Our brave fellow firefighters and the other members of Virginia task force one hit the ground running and have made a rescue! We your fire engineering are so proud of all of the USAR teams. Having participated a long time ago in the early days of the USAR program I am keenly aware of how much time and energy is required of these fantastic people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women…
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Added by Bobby Halton on January 14, 2010 at 11:27am —
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The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:
Name: Leroy Kemp
Rank: Firefighter/Past Chief
Age: 85
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 60
Date of Incident: 01/13/2010
Time of Incident: 0600
Date of Death: 01/13/2010
Fire Department: Tioga Center Fire Department
Address: 60 Fifth AVE, Tioga Center, NY 13845
Fire Department Chief: Milton Kemp (son of…
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Added by Bobby Halton on January 13, 2010 at 3:54pm —
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From STATter911.com: There is some very clear surveillance video as a fake fire inspector makes his rounds in Bethesda, Maryland. Police say the man is using the cover to steal from businesses. Besides Montgomery County, he has hit in the District of Columbia and Fairfax County, Virginia.
here the link to…
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Added by Bobby Halton on January 10, 2010 at 12:00pm —
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Attached is a link to a great update from the Modesto California PAO Chief Hugo Patino,
our thoughts and prayers are still with firefighter Jason Clevenger for rapid recovery. Our thanks to the Modesto Bee for their excellent coverage of this event. It's refreshing to see an organization approach event with such professionalism and integrity. In all the coverage here you see very little finger-pointing or chest beating rather you see a group of dedicated professionals who understand the…
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Added by Bobby Halton on January 7, 2010 at 9:48am —
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The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the 89 th, LODD for 2009:
Name: Richard Adam Miller, Rank: Firefighter, Age: 24, Gender: Male, Status: Career
Date of Incident: 12/29/2009
Date of Death: 12/29/2009
Fire Department: Belmont Fire Department
Address: 301 Keener BLVD, Belmont, NC 28012 (USNG: 17S MU 9654 9910)
Fire Department Chief: George Altice
Incident Description: Firefighter Miller collapsed…
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Added by Bobby Halton on December 30, 2009 at 9:44am —
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Pennsylvania's York Habitat for Humanity’s “Fire Safety Build” at East Poplar Street
The fire on the 300 block of East Poplar Street was started by children playing with a lighter in a 3rd floor bedroom and quickly spread down the row of homes. By the beginning of 2010, York Habitat hopes to have funding in place to demolish the (now) condemned homes and replace them with simple, decent, affordable, energy-efficient homes for four deserving families who are actively partnering with…
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Added by Bobby Halton on December 28, 2009 at 12:14pm —
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Name: Paul D. Holmes
Rank: Firefighter/Paramedic
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Status: Career
Years of Service: 1
Date of Incident: 12/26/2009
Time of Incident: 2321hrs
Date of Death: 12/28/2009
Fire Department: Douglas County Fire Department
Address: 3901 Chapel Hill Road, Douglasville, GA 30134 (USNG: 16S GC 1164 3111)
Fire Department Chief: Scott Spencer
Incident…
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Added by Bobby Halton on December 28, 2009 at 11:30am —
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The NY Daily News today broke the story we all had been anticipating that FDNY Chief of Department Sal Cassano is the new fire commissioner. We would like to wish congratulations to our friend chief Cassano on this tremendous accomplishment. We know that he is going to continue to lead the FDNY with the same level of integrity, professionalism and dedication that have been the hallmarks of his career. There are few officers today with his level of expertise, passion and love for the job. Read…
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Added by Bobby Halton on December 21, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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Every now and then the politicians get it right! The city of Syracuse New York was smart enough to choose Mark McLees, as their new chief. Mark has been with Syracuse now for 24 years and is currently one of their district chiefs. Mark contributes every year as a regular at FDIC and has been a long-standing friend of Fire Engineering and the fire service training community in general. We know Mark will make a tremendous chief because he has the right skills at every level of our profession and…
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Added by Bobby Halton on December 18, 2009 at 11:36am —
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Today we received an important press release regarding the use of SAFER. Earlier this year, the President authorized Janet Napolitano, the director of Homeland Security, to grant waivers to cities that have experienced extreme economic hardship and are unable to fulfill the requirements of the SAFER grant as it was stated. These waivers are available; however, economic hardship must be proven and must have affected other public safety entities as well as the fire…
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Added by Bobby Halton on December 17, 2009 at 9:40am —
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I received this note from my good friend John Sulka and wanted to remind you all once again what an important project that this is and what a fantastic gift it is for any firefighter to receive this Christmas holiday. I urge you to get one for yourself and for someone you love. Below is John's note

G********,
After much planning and effort a September 11th Commemorative Coin has been struck to coincide with the 10 year anniversary of the…
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Added by Bobby Halton on December 16, 2009 at 12:30pm —
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Whenever I read about potential technological advances for our use I am reminded of the movie Batman Begins when Morgan Freeman is showing Batman the costume he designed for the Army and Batman asks why our soldiers do not have it yet and he says because soldier’s lives aren't worth $10,000 or something to that effect.... Well in this piece the folks developing the technology have already figured that money thing out. This is good use of grant money, not bunny bridges or bike umbrellas; this is…
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Added by Bobby Halton on November 30, 2009 at 3:00pm —
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The following is from my friend John Salka, it is an opportunity to help. Bobby
After much planning and effort a September 11th Commemorative Coin has been struck to coincide with the 10 year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. This coin is a fundraising project undertaken by FDNY Battalion Chief John Salka and a committee of other firefighters and their friends to fund and support several charitable organizations…
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Added by Bobby Halton on November 29, 2009 at 11:46am —
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Early yesterday we were notified by our good friend and founding FOOL John a.k.a. "Bart" Simpson that in Australia a blogger writing about a sex offender firefighter arrested in Australia was using a photograph of a deceased firefighter killed in the line of duty, John Curry that was posted on fireengineering website. The blogger was using firefighter Curry's photo as a generic photo of a firefighter. Two things are highly offensive regarding this man's actions. First there is nothing generic…
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Added by Bobby Halton on November 13, 2009 at 10:30am —
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We are actively soliciting your participation in helping us select the next Ray Downey Courage and Valor award winner for FDIC 2010. The medal along with a check for $35,000 will be presented to the winner during the Main program at FDIC 2010 to send a nomination follow the link here and download a nomination form from the site.
http://courageandvalor.com/
Added by Bobby Halton on November 12, 2009 at 4:08pm —
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The following is an important release from the IAFF
Take Action on Health Care Reform
Tell Congress Not to Tax Your Benefits
The IAFF is joining the AFL-CIO for a National Week of Action on health care reform. The activities kick off November 5 with an ad campaign focusing on finding a fair way to pay for health care reform. The ads will appear in Politico, Roll Call, The Hill and The Washington Post and highlight the U.S. House health care bill as a model for…
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Added by Bobby Halton on November 5, 2009 at 10:48am —
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NIST Quantifies Low Levels of ‘Heart Attack Risk’ Protein
Computer-generated image of the structure for C-reactive protein
Credit: S. Kolstoe, Center for Amyloidosis, University College, London, UK
Searching for a needle in a haystack may seem futile, but it’s worth it if the needle is a hard-to-detect protein that may identify a person at high risk of a heart attack circulating within a haystack of human serum (liquid component of…
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Added by Bobby Halton on November 3, 2009 at 3:34pm —
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Well it seems a lot has been happening in OUR country lately with American Flag displays in some apartment complex in Albany Oregon or a decal in a Pa FD not being allowed! In all my years in the Fire Service not much has been held more sacred than Patriotism and displaying the American flag and all that it stands for! We have all given our own personal sacrifices in one way or another and an insurmountable number have given their lives for OUR FLAG and COUNTRY to allow her to forever wave!…
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Added by Brad Hoff on October 19, 2009 at 11:30am —
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