Water Trucks and Water Tenders

Pennsylvania: Tanker lands in ditch

2012-01-10T11:23:00.000-08:00

MEHOOPANY - A fresh water tanker headed for a gas well site being fracked in Wyoming County was involved in a one-vehicle crash around 1:30 Monday afternoon.

Richard Lane, 51, of Sayre, was traveling east on John Sheehans Road in Mehoopany Twp. when the Peterbilt vacuum water truck he was driving was facing a tanker usually used for hauling sand in the opposite lane.

According to Meshoppen Police Chief John Krieg, Mr. Lane pulled his water tanker over the road's shoulder to allow the other vehicle room.

But, Chief Krieg said that in doing so, Mr. Lane overestimated the amount of shoulder available and the tanker went into a ravine, partially tipping the truck on its side.

Mr. Lane was driving for Clarendon firm Thomas Trucking, and was headed to Chesapeake's Wooten gas well pad which is currently being fracked less than a mile from where the accident occurred.

Chief Krieg said the driver was taken away by ambulance but he did not know to which hospital nor did he have an update on his condition. He said Mr. Lane would be cited.

Chief Krieg said that because the truck landed in a ravine with about a foot of water he called for Wyoming County EMA review which gave the all-clear for the tanker to be towed from the scene.

The road was fully reopened after about two hours.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/tanker-lands-in-ditch-1.1255555#ixzz1j5JkQtGU

Arizona: Fatal Water truck crash

2010-03-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

1 killed after semi lands on water truck in Peoria

Slideshow

PEORIA, AZ – One person was reportedly killed in a wreck at a construction site in Peoria this morning.

Police and fire crews responded to the accident near Lake Pleasant and the CAP canal around 7:30 a.m.

A semi truck reportedly drove off a dirt road, over an embankment, and landed on a water truck.

One person was killed, but it is unclear whether that person was in the semi or the water truck.

Stay with ABC15.com for updates.

Afghanistan: Water station Bomb kills Six

2009-11-24T17:47:00.000-08:00

Bomb kills 6 from same family, including 4 children, in eastern Afghanistan

Initial reports indicated the bomb had been beneath a water truck, but officials later clarified it was planted beneath a water tank in the water station

11/24/09 4:20 AM PST

KABUL — A remote-controlled bomb planted in a water station exploded in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing six members of a family, including four children, authorities and a relative said.

The victims were caught in the blast as they traveled in a car on a shopping trip ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid this weekend, relative Qimat Khan told Associated Press Television at the scene in the eastern province of Khost.

Taher Khan Sabari, deputy provincial governor, said the dead included a 1-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl. The other children were older, he said.

The Interior Ministry initially said two children and a man had been killed and another three people, including two children, wounded in the Tuesday morning attack in the Matun area of Khost city. Khan, the relative, said the wounded later died.

Police official Amir Hassan said the water station was built by the rural rehabilitation ministry to distribute water to local homes.

Wazir Pacha, a spokesman for the provincial police chief of Khost, said authorities were investigating what the target might have been.

Taliban violence against U.S. and NATO soldiers and Afghan civilians continues to rise.

A U.S. service member was killed Monday in an insurgent attack in the south of the country, NATO said Tuesday. The death comes a day after NATO announced four U.S. service members died in separate attacks — three Sunday and one Monday.

The latest death brings to 16 the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan this month. October was the deadliest month for the U.S. military in the eight-year war with 58 service members killed.

Military officials and others expect President Barack Obama to make a decision soon to deploy 32,000 to 35,000 more U.S. forces. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has asked for about 40,000 extra U.S. troops to be sent to Afghanistan, in addition to the roughly 68,000 already in the country.

Separately, the Interior Ministry said police seized a weapons cache with 174 mortar rounds in the far northeastern province of Badakshan.

The Defense Ministry said 21 suspected insurgents were arrested by the Afghan army and international forces in separate operations in Khost and the southern province of Kandahar in the past 24 hours.

Source: SFExaminer.com - Article link

Colorado News: Denver: Evergreen Fire Rescue - Sweet 1969 Pontiac Firebird versus 48,000-pound Water Tender

2009-06-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Denver: Evergreen Fire Rescue - Sweet 1969 Pontiac Firebird versus 48,000-pound Water Tender

40 year relationship is over
When Shelbi Vickery went out to her father's driveway outside Evergreen, the vintage car could barely be seen. (Vicky Gits, Canyon Courier)

Driving home, fighting off the shock, Bill Vickery tried to imagine what his sweet 1969 Pontiac Firebird would look like with a 48,000-pound firetruck sitting on top of it.

Then he pulled into the driveway next to his mountainside home outside Evergreen, and it looked just about exactly as he imagined it would.

Bent. Twisted. Crumpled.

"It's gone everywhere with me since I was 16," Vickery said Wednesday afternoon, staring at the remains of his pride and joy. "It's basically spent two-thirds of my life with me."

The relationship, however, is over.

Full story at: CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: Denver: Evergreen Fire Rescue - Sweet 1969 Pontiac Firebird versus 48,000-pound Water Tender: .

Original Source: Denver Post - Link

1963 reo 1,200 gallon water truck for trade

2009-05-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

1963 reo 1,200 gallon water truck trades:

1963 reo 1,200 gallon water truck it runs and drives good it has a strait six gas motor
and a 10,000 pound winch eveything works im open for some trading call 406 214-6748 thank you
Things i would trade for:
ford cop car
chevy hot rod
motorcycle
teeth
cash and trade

Location: stevensville
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 1174656746

California: North Tree Fire Water Tender rollover

2009-05-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: North Tree Fire Water Tender rollover

NTI WATER TENDER ROLLOVER CRASH:

A North Tree Fire water tender was involved in a rollover crash on I-5 and Lambert Road in South Sacramento County while returning from the Jesusita fire in Santa Barbara County.

The North Tree Water Tender rolled several times down an embankment at the over crossing coming to rest on his wheels.

The driver was the only occupant and he was able to self-extricate prior to the FD arrival. A Strike Team of Type 3's from AEU came up on the incident and assisted local responders in getting the driver up the embankment and securing the scene.

The operator suffered moderate injuries, He is at Sacramento Medical Center.
The water tender is a total loss.

First lesson learned: Driver was wearing a seat belt and survived....

Sources: firefighterclosecalls.com - Link
Wildlandfire.com Hotlist- Link
Photo credit: Capt Jim
Photo credit: Capt Jim"

West Virginia Firefighter Hurt After Fire Truck Plunges 75 Feet over Hill

2009-04-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Thursday, March 12, 2009

- WAYNEVILLE, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A 20-year veteran firefighter is recovering after he was hurt in a fire truck rollover accident early this week in Webster County.

It happened at about 5:32 p.m. Monday on Erbacon Road near Wayneville.

According to a news release from Richard Rose, OES Director for Webster County, 53-year-old Daniel Tharp was driving a 2,000 gallon tanker alone when it somehow went over a hill, landing 75-feet below on railroad tracks.

Tharp was thrown from the truck as it rolled over. He was flown via HealthNet to CAMC General in Charleston, where he's currently listed in stable condition.

Tharp is a member of the Erbacon Fire Department.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Webster County Sheriff's Department.

Crews from the Erbacon Volunteer Fire Department, Cowen Volunteer Fire Department, Webster Springs Volunteer Fire Department, Webster Memorial EMS, West Virginia State Police, West Virginia Fire Marshal's office, and Webster County Sheriff's Department all responded to the scene.

Source: www.iafcsafety.org/ - Link

Water Tankers, Water Tender, Ford F-700 used fire equipment

2009-04-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

In this forum Heavy Equipment & Pavement Lawn and landscape business owners discuss heavy equipment used by Green Industry professionals such as dump trucks, bull dozers, tractors and various other machinery
Water Tankers?

The local Fire Department is updating and getting rid of a water tanker, with the hydroseeder now being able to carry more water is big. Not sure I really want another old truck but do like the idea of 2200 gallons in one shot. Has anyone ever priced water tankers out? They are crazy expensive. I did like the one tanker I found, it was an old front discharge redi mix truck with an 6000 gallon water tank on it. I think my slide in tank for a big dump would be better or having a hook. Here's pictures of the old girl. What do you think it's worth? It has a 427 gas with a 5 and a 2.

Attached Images

Nice Ford F-700 Water Tender
__________________
Source: www.lawnsite.com - Link

Construction Water truck: Rollover

2009-03-31T21:22:00.000-07:00

Water truck in lucky escape after rolling down hill

Well, my job site, out in the middle of nowhere, saw the most action it’s ever seen today, when a water truck was trying to turn around on top of a large hill, with a 3:1 incline.

Unfortunately for the driver, his judgment was a little off and he drove off the edge of the hill, sending him sliding down the hill. To make matters worse, he turned the wheel, sent himself into a spin and started rolling the truck down the hill.

The incredible part is that there is a small, flat ledge about half way down the hill and he landed with his tyres on the ground at this point and the truck decided not to make another roll and send him down the second half of the hill.

The truck suffered a few dents, scuffs and cracks and the driver is apparently doing OK.

Now all that remains to be seen is how they’re going to get it off the hill…

Skid/ roll marks

Earth damage and truck

Damaged truck

Source: http://www.thewanderingbrit.com/2009/03/31/water-truck-in-lucky-escape-after-rolling-down-hill/

Engineers try to redirect water

2009-03-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Fiji News: Water trucks will be sent out once the exact areas affected are confirmed while engineers are trying to redirect water from the Tamavua system to the greater Suva area.

This is the message from Works Department Central/Eastern spokesperson Maika Nagalu who said the water disruptions are due to a burst main at Laqere Bridge.

There is an audio file attached to this story. Please login to listen.

Nagalu said they do not know how long it will take to fix the problem.

Also, the Education Ministry said they have had no notice from schools or the Water Department on the water situation and cannot confirm whether schools that fall in the affected areas will be closed today.

Meanwhile, Interim Works Minister Timoci Natuva said old pipes must be replaced to ensure water disruptions are a thing of the past.

Natuva said most of the pipes still being used have been in place since World War Two and that is why consumers will continue to receive water disruptions adding the replacement of pipes will take a couple more years.
Source: http://www.fijivillage.com - Link

Illinois: Empress Casino fire

2009-03-21T00:08:00.000-07:00

Empress Casino fire spreads; roof collapses

March 20, 2009
By KIM SMITH ksmith@scn1.com

JOLIET — Some 6,000 to 8,000 gallons of water per minute have not been enough to stop the Empress Casino blaze that has spread from the former ballroom east to the entryway.

Water trucks from other area departments are circling in and out of the area, but the fire that started Friday morning has continued to spread. Additional water has been trucked in from as far as two miles away.

Firefighters from Joliet and other departments battling the large fire at the Empress Casino. The fire apparently broke out in part of the casino that is under construction
(John Patsch/Staff Photographer)

Smoke rises from the Empress Casino in Joliet, where a fire started in an area under construction Friday morning.
(Liz Wilkinson Allen/Staff Photographer)

• Casino fire will impact local economy
• Casino in middle of renovation

Fire Chief Joe Formhals said firefighters are concentrating on containing the fire that broke out around 10 a.m. in an area under renovation. Firefighters have four ladder trucks spraying directly into the building, but the smoke keeps pouring out.

General Manager Frank Quigley said it is too soon to tell the extent of the damage and how long it will take to get back the jobs of the 900 casino workers.

The Empress brings in $14 million and $15 million a month.

"This is very disappointing, we were all very excited about our $50 million renovation," Quigley said.

Plans were to add a new French restaurant and a coffee shop.

Joliet City Councilman Tom Giarrante said the fire damage to the Empress Casino is unbelievable and the timing is brutal.

"We are going to have to sit down with the city manager and find out how bad this is going to be," Giarrante said. "We may need to have a special meeting. Thank God no one was hurt. That was a result of a lot of fire drills."

Giarrante had been on the fire scene since 11 a.m.

The renovations may have hampered firefighting efforts with more than one drop ceiling to chop through, which caused the blaze to spread horizontally, Formhals said.

Formhals confirmed that the lack of water has been an issue.

He said an off-duty Joliet firefighter was on the scene around 10 a.m. at the casino on Route 6 when an alarm went off.

The fire started in a kitchen area, Formhals said. Police Lt. Stephen Breen said the fire apparently was started by welders. He says a spark might have hit some grease around the ceiling area, but that it's too soon to say exactly what happened.

Scaffolding and other construction equipment was seen inside the burning wing.

A casino official said smoke more than likely damaged casino walls. Concerns have mounted that the fire might spread to the gaming floor.

Meanwhile, Quigley had told employees they were free to leave. Earlier, Quigley has asked workers to wait and see what developed.

Some employees had purses and keys locked up in the casino. Quigley said the company would provide transportation to those who need it and no one would be allowed inside.

Earlier, Formahals said the blaze was sparked by the construction in an area where new seats were being added. A lot of drywall was being stored in that area as well, he said.

Rarely does the Joliet Fire Department call for assistance but trucks from Troy, Rockdale and other departments started to roll in shortly after noon. Most appeared to be water trucks.

Quigley had spoken to employees who have been gathering under to carport of the hotel.

"All kinds of kudos to you guys for pulling off an extremely professional evacuation," Quigley said. "There were no injuries."

Michelle Bell, marketing director, said there was a $50 million renovation project in the pavilion area with new food outlets under construction.

Smoke from the blaze was visible for miles.

Bob Bennet of Joliet was in the casino around 10 a.m. when a voice came over the PA sytem.

"They told us we had to evacuate because there was a small fire," Bennet said. "Everyone got up and left. It went well, there was no one panicking, no pushing or shoving."

At first, gamblers were told they would be able to get back in after about an hour, but later were informed by security guards that the casino would be closed for the day.

Laura Carter of Orland Park had hoped to cash her $94 voucher but was told the vouchers would be good for about a year.

The 50,000 square-foot casino features 1,100 machines and 20 table games, according to its Web site.
Source: www.suburbanchicagonews.com - Link

Water trucks in Arctic Bay, Nunavut, Canada

2009-03-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

Where or where has the water truck gone?

Posted by Kennie at 3/11/2009 07:03:00 PM Wednesday, March 11, 2009

After three long (and perhaps smelly) days with no water (one of the added perks you can purchase with your Northern Adventure) the water truck finally graced us with an appearance.

I was getting to the point where I was going to start standing in the middle of the road and block its way around town until it stopped to fill up our water tank. It is not fun not being able to have my morning (although quick) shower. Nor is it very fun if Kennie doesn't have her cup of Java in the morning .. makes for a very foul mooded Kennie. All should hopefully start returning to normal ... now all I have to do is make my way through two weeks of laundry ...

WV Firefighter Critical After Tanker Accident

2009-03-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

A Webster County Volunteer Firefighter was critically injured in an accident last night (03/09/2009) approximately six (6) miles from the Erbacon VFD. He was critically injured and was sent via Healthnet to CAMC where he is in extremely critical condition with severe head trauma. The person that called me indicated that the firefighter may not survive his injuries.

According to unconfirmed reports, the 2000 gallon Commercial Fire Tanker went off the road on the right, the FF driver over corrected and crossed two (2) lanes of traffic, went through the guardrail, and then down an approximately seventy (70) foot embankment striking a railroad grade.
Source: www.firefighterclosecalls.com

Ghana: No water and firemen 'too old"

2009-02-27T17:02:00.000-08:00

From the Ghanian Journal - Link

Fifteen families were last Friday rendered homeless after fire gutted the rooms they were occupying on the upper floor of a two-storey building near the main lorry station at Assin –Fosu.

All their belongings were burnt to ashes, while the roof of the building was destroyed.

Briefing the GNA on the incident at Assin-Fosu on Monday, Mr Alfred Otoo, one of the victims, said there was nobody at home when the incident happened at around 1520 hrs.

He explained that there was power outage in the town that day and that the fire reportedly started immediately after power had been restored and it was therefore suspected that some of the occupants on the floor must have left their electrical gadgets on.

He said personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in Fosu tried in vain to put out the fire and had to call for assistance from their counterparts in Cape Coast but the entire floor had completely been burnt by the time the team arrived.

Other people living within the vicinity the GNA spoke to, expressed anger that the local personnel of the Fire Service had been unable to put out the fire, because they were “too old”.

When contacted, the Assistant Divisional Officer of the GNFS at Fosu, Mr Tony Abraham, explained that a crew of firemen was dispatched immediately a distress call about the fire was received, but the water in the fire tender was not enough to put out the fire.

He also explained that the township had no fire hydrant so water has to be fetched into the fire tender from a stream in the next village, a distance of about 13 kilometres and that investigations are underway to establish the exact cause of the fire.

ASP Seth Doe, the Assin Fosu divisional crime officer said his office is yet to receive a report from Fire Service for it to carry out investigations into the incident.

1957 Water tender still fighting fires

2009-02-21T11:07:00.000-08:00

St. Elmo Fire Protection District has oldest water truck around

Cathy Thoele
Effingham Daily News
ST. ELMO — St. Elmo Fire Protection District may have the oldest water truck around, but it can still run with the best of them.

The water truck started out as a new fire truck when the fire protection district bought it in 1957. It wasn’t until the 1980s that the district converted it into a water truck.

It is the oldest water truck in operation in the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) 54 Division, which includes 23 departments in Effingham, Jasper, Fayette, Shelby, Cumberland and Richland counties, and has been used to haul water to every rural structure fire in the area where mutual aid is needed.

While parts may be a little hard to come by, St. Elmo Fire Chief Doug Engeljohn said the truck still runs good, earning second place in water hauling at a recent rural water shuttle class.

“It can haul water with the best of them,” he said.

The truck that has traveled 9,000 miles also shows no outward signs of wear with the 1,800-gallon tank still shining. The common tank size on most water trucks now is 2,000 gallons, according to Engeljohn.

Even though the truck still runs good, the fire protection district would like to replace it, but it has been unsuccessful in obtaining funding help. The district has applied for a fire act grant a few times and has been turned down each time. Engeljohn said he’s not sure why the district hasn’t been chosen to receive a grant to replace the old truck, but he isn’t dwelling on it.

“We got a water truck, and that’s the lot of it.”

So this is it?: And I kept going back for more!

2009-02-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

And I kept going back for more!

So I stayed with it and kept the job. So much worry and yet so much personal growth! I became more confident and capable than I thought was possible. Many of those guys watched over me and looked out for me. Others weren't kind. But I learned from that too. Not everyone HAS to like you and you will survive. Many of the farmers were impressed that I would go the extra mile for them. Always trying to remember to close their tarps, making sure that it was done the right way and offering a smile and conversation if they were willing to talk. But getting it done in a timely fashion too.

The family part was hard. In March of every year I'd begin to make casseroles, meatballs, bbq, what ever I could think if to have meals ready to heat and eat. As well as baking up a storm so the kids had cookies, etc.. The food in the freezer usually lasted until the first week or so of June. And then DH had to fend for the family and things would get yucky. Now mind you he did take over the laundry ( and still does to this day) and the kids had chores to help with the housework. Mom had Sundays off from work. After church I got the nitty gritty cleaning done and it was back to getting up and working 12-16 hour days 6 days a week.

My boss was very understanding about family. He said that I didn't have to come in to work until the kids were off to school. Since DH worked an hours drive away that meant that I was there to get the four of them up and ready for the day. The 2 older boys were in high school so they had practices, etc.. to tend too but we had it worked out that someone was home with the younger 2 elementary age kids. Many days I was the last one in to work and the other trucks and fertilizer applicators were long in the fields. Most night during planting season I was home about 8 pm. I was able to attend their evening concerts and most other events. The hard part came when the secretary would radio me that the school was on the phone and could I come pick up a sick child. That happened more than I care to remember during the 5 spring/ summer seasons I was there. My mom, God bless her, would usually come to my rescue.

And then planting was done and there was no need of fertilizer. I was asked to stay on and drive a water truck. I would load the chemicals in 2.5 gallon jugs in boxes or large 110-250 gallon totes on the truck and fill the 2 1500 gallon tanks on the truck bed with water. Crawling around and up and down the truck bed all day long. Filling a crop sprayer ( Rogator) with water and chemicals for our company applicator to apply to crops for farmers. Now mind you, this was in the big trucks that were converted semi cabs. The fertilizer boxes would be hoisted off the truck frame and then the water tanks beds were placed on the truck frame for their purpose. This is where the 15-16 hour days were.

You were paired with a male applicator as his driver and that's where you were most of the time. Mid May thru early July. Days off only happened if it rained a lot or if it was so windy that you couldn't spray. The chemical and water won't reach the plants and weeds if the wind is strong. If we were in the yard at the company you'd better find something to do or you were sent home. So I cleaned vehicles, Terragators*, Ro*gators, offices, filed papers in the office, whatever needed doing to rack up the overtime. I'd earn just as much in 3.5 months doing that as I did in my other 2 jobs the rest of the year.

And next time, ( if you're still up to reading this dribble!) I will tell you about learning to drive the water truck. Which had a trailer on behind it to pull the Ro*gator on it to pull from field to field. Scary , scary times for that 30 something woman. I'll have to try and get pictures scanned for you to see what some of the equipment was and give you an idea of what was involved.

So this is it?: And I kept going back for more!:

Mariposa County: Orders 15 firetrucks from Oshkosh

2009-02-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: Mariposa County: Orders 15 firetrucks from Oshkosh

Pierce Manufacturing, the firetruck division of Oshkosh Corp. (OSK), received a $4.1 million order for 15 vehicles from the Mariposa County Fire Department

All of the firetrucks are expected to be in service by August. Oshkosh Capital, a financing division of Oshkosh Corp., provided the financing for the fire department, which is north of Fresno, Calif.

The order includes 11 Contender pumper trucks and four Contender DX tanker trucks. Each of the vehicles, to be built in the Fox Valley, will be outfitted with equipment geared for wilderness fires.

Mariposa County is in the sparsely populated western foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It includes portions of Yosemite National Park and was the site of the Telegraph Fire that burned 34,000 acres last July.

The Mariposa Fire Department consists of 12 companies that cover 1,463 square miles.

Info2008 Pierce Contender DX series tanker: The Contender DX tanker offers the new Pierce exclusive 10" directional dump valve/chute assembly that offers more than a 1600 gpm flow — no more worrying about what direction you’re facing when pulling up to the scene.

With a low center of gravity (reducing side rolls), the DX tanker allows pump and roll, and is extremely stable — proven up to 28 degrees static side slope on a tilt table.
The DX tanker comes with compartments ahead of the rear axle(s) on both sides, has a 5-year limited warranty on the PTO and portable pumps, and a 360 hp engine.

The tank, designed specifically for Contender, is constructed of polypropylene with a water compartment baffling system that reduces the surges that can destabilize your vehicle

Water truck fatality: Not drugs just no seatbelt

2009-02-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

Sedative didn’t cause man’s death - Not using a seatbelt the likely reason truck driver died, fatality inquiry determines

DAMIEN WOOD - Herald-Tribune staff

In the written findings of Michael Berggren’s fatality inquiry, Judge J. R. McIntosh concluded the death was not the result of a sedative found in the truck driver’s system at the time of death in a highway accident, stating it was purely the lack of a seatbelt.

The in-court proceedings occurred late last July in a Fairview courtroom.

The result of those proceedings was released to the public Wednesday.

It was the morning of Dec. 26, 2006, when 55-year-old Berggren was called in to work for what would be his last run at Ponto Water Hauling – his place of employment for the two years.

Berggren did not work the day before and got off early the day before that.

He has been reported by those who encountered him over this stretch to have seemed in good health and good spirits.

Nothing seemed wrong at all in the minds of common-law spouse Anna Tina Miller, his employer or his co-workers.

But at approximately 10:15 a.m. Dec. 26 – just a half hour after leaving on his run to an oil rig near Worsley – Berggren was involved in a single-vehicle rollover on Highway 64, approximately 10 kilometres north of Hines Creek.

He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time and was ejected from the vehicle, which rolled over him and crushed his chest.

The scene responded to by authorities and emergency services was that of a water truck on its side and its driver some 20 feet away, lying in the middle of the road.

Not using a seatbelt is considered an oddity in behaviour for Berggren.

His spouse, employer and co-workers said Berggren habitually wore his seatbelt.

McIntosh stated in his concluding report that Berggren would have, in all likelihood, survived the rollover had he been wearing a seatbelt when the accident occurred.

Found to be in Berggren’s system at the time of the accident was 55 micrograms per litre of blood of a potent sedative of the benzodiazepine family – Estazolam – which was attributed to a natural health product called Serenity Pills II Berggren was talking to aid in sleeping.

The pills contained an amount of the sedative.

Estazolam was once marketed legally, but is now classified as a Schedule IV substance not legally available anywhere in North America.

Berggren had been using the product for about three months before the accident.

It is believed he took one before going to bed the night prior. Expert testimony stated it could have caused sedation and impaired his judgment while driving.

McIntosh concluded, however, there are too many variables in this incident to claim the sedative in Berggren’s system at the time of the accident was a contributing factor.

He went on to state it was not a contributing factor to the accident, or to the death.

Counsel at the fatality inquiry had requested McIntosh use his concluding report to educate the public with respect to Health Canada’s role in registration of natural health products.

Health Canada has been notified of the presence of Estazolam in Serenity Pills II, but McIntosh declined to use his findings and recommendations to any further effect.

Source: dailyheraldtribune.com - Link

California National Guard - New wildland fire trucks

2009-02-04T08:41:00.000-08:00

California National Guard - New wildland fire trucks

A total of six Pierce Tactical Fire Fighting Truck (TFFT) and HEMTT-based Water Tender (HEWATT) vehicles will be operated by the California National Guard at the direction of Governor Schwarzenegger.

APPLETON, Wis. - In an effort to generate awareness of California's wildland firefighting capabilities, the California National Guard showcased their newest Pierce Manufacturing firefighting apparatus at an event held January 30 at McClellan Air Force Base near Sacramento, Calif. Built by Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation Company (NYSE: OSK), the Pierce Tactical Fire Fighting Truck (TFFT) and HEMTT-based Water Tender (HEWATT) apparatus are based on Oshkosh military chassis. Three each of the TFFTs and HEWATTs have been deployed to the California National Guard's 233 Engineer Fire Fighting Company.

The event, which showcased the California National Guard and its increased firefighting ability, featured vehicle displays, information booths, and opportunities for media interaction. Representatives from the California National Guard, local and regional fire agency representatives, CALFIRE, CAL-EMA, Oshkosh, Pierce, and the United States Forest Service were present. Representatives from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's staff, as well as other elected officials, were on-hand to review the apparatus.

Purchased through contracts with the U.S. Army's Product Manager for Heavy Tactical Vehicles, the TFFT and HEWATT vehicles will be operated by the California National Guard at the direction of Governor Schwarzenegger.

"We're proud to help the California National Guard and the citizens of California fight the devastating wildfires that plague the state by providing extremely powerful and mobile wildland firefighting vehicles," said Wilson Jones, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. "The ability to respond to wildfires quickly and with more powerful fire apparatus is a top priority in California, and we're excited that Pierce is the choice for the Army's firefighters."

Based on the Oshkosh HEMTT military transporter chassis, the TFFT is built to handle the most challenging terrain, with an 8 x 8 chassis configuration, all-wheel drive, and the ability to climb a 60 percent grade while fully loaded. The TFFT's firefighting capabilities include room for six firefighters, a 1,000-gallon water tank, a 1,000 GPM pump, a twin-agent foam system, roof and bumper turrets, 1,000 feet of hose and storage for a wide range of equipment.

The HEWATT also features an 8 x 8 all-wheel drive axle configuration. It is designed as a multi-purpose water distributor to support the TFFT, while providing supplementary fire suppression capabilities as well. Each HEWATT is equipped with a 2,500-gallon water tank, 500 gpm single-stage pump, 50 gallon foam cell and a front mounted bumper turret.

About Pierce Manufacturing
Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, is the leading North American manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. Products include custom and commercial pumpers, aerials, rescue trucks, wildland trucks, mini-pumpers, elliptical tankers, and homeland security apparatus. In addition, Pierce designs its own foam systems and was the first company to introduce frontal airbags and the Side-Roll Protection system to fire apparatus. To learn more about Pierce, visit http://www.piercemfg.com.

About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles, delivering a full product line of conventional and hybrid vehicles, advanced armor options, proprietary suspensions and vehicles with payloads that can exceed 70 tons. Oshkosh Defense provides a global service and supply network including full life-cycle support and remanufacturing, and its vehicles are recognized the world over for superior performance, reliability and protection. For more information, visit www.oshkoshdefense.com.

About Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corporation manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh, JLG, Pierce, McNeilus, Medtec, Jerr-Dan, BAI, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline, SMIT, Geesink, Norba, Kiggen, CON-E-CO, London and IMT. The Oshkosh brands are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. For more information, log on to www.oshkoshcorporation.com.

Virginia: Oshkosh water tender “24”

2009-02-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

Virginia’s “Unusual” fire apparatus - Bland 24 Oshkosh

February 2, 2009 by GhostAdmin

Virginia’s “Unusual” fire apparatus

Welcome to a new feature of www.vafirenews.com. Everyone has their own definition of what “unusual” might be. Virginia has had some unusual fire and rescue trucks in its history. In addition, through my travels, I have come across some interesting fire and rescue trucks. These are trucks that have been built for a specific purpose and ones you just don’t find in many stations across the commonwealth.

We invite you to submit your photographs of Virginia’s “unusual”…..fire and rescue trucks that is.

I will kick off this column with one of the most interesting fire trucks I have photographed. While returning home from a business trip several years ago, I had to make a stop for gas and food in Bland, Virginia. I also thought I would find the local fire station to see the apparatus; however the doors were closed tight. I found a local business where a volunteer firefighter worked, and he asked me if I was there to see “24”. Now he really had my interest. He made arrangements for a driver to meet me at the station and I was able to photograph “24”.

Large is a good description for this truck. Much of Bland County is wooded, so the fire department needed a truck capable of going off road and taking water with it. In addition, Bland County is the only county in the United States that is entered and exited via Interstate Tunnels. There are two tunnels, Big Walker Mountain located a few hundred yards from the Wythe County line and East River Mountain, which forms the Virginia and West Virginia border. “24” was also designed to respond to tunnel emergencies.

“24” is a 2005 Oshkosh MTVR/Pierce Hawk Extreme fire truck. It is equipped with a 500 gallon per minute pump, holds 2400 gallons of water, and carries 60 gallons of foam. The truck sits 10 feet 2 inches high.

I am glad I made the stop at the Bland Volunteer Fire Department to find this one of a kind in Virginia.

Source: VA Fire News - Link

News: Milk tanker rolls off ferry

2009-02-01T08:45:00.000-08:00

Regular readers of Biglorryblog may well remember me blogging on this this recent incident in New Zealand when a Volvo waggon and drag milk tanker slipped off the end of the ferry which goes from the mainland to Matakana Island in the Bay of Plenty. Look carefully at the above picture and you'll see the prime mover on the left of the ferry doing its impression of U517. Dive! Dive! Dive!

Well it couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of blokes as it belonged to BLB's much admired favouite Kiwi fleet operator Fonterra. Well I'm grateful to BLB regular Vic Hungerford for bringing me bang up to date on the story. Vic says: "You may remember the story a few months ago about the Fonterra tanker that went for a swim off the end of a ferry. I think in your comments you wished the driver and the tanker well and hoped that they made a full recovery."

Vic continues: "Well I'm pleased to inform you that the driver was fine, but unfortunately the tanker didn't recover. It was decided that the salt water damage was terminal and that there was no point in trying resuscitation. It is gradually being stripped for parts as required for other tankers; I was down there a couple of days ago and this is what is left of what was once a fine Volvo FM12. Apparently Volvos don't like swimming!" And I don't blame them Vic...now click through here for a real hoot from the back of a Mainfreight truck....

Regular BLB readers will know that the major Kiwi truck operator Mainfreight is renowed for its smart rigs and eye-catching artwork, as well as pithy phrases. on the back of its trucks too---indeed they are much admired by Biglorryblog. So what do you make of this one?

Vic says: "On the way back I was stopped behind this Mainfreight curtainsider at some traffic lights and was rather taken by the signwriting on the back. I'm not too sure about the Kiwi shaking hands with the Kangaroo though! Cheers Vic" And who's it aimed at Vic..? That's the REAL question! Great stuff as ever and thanks.for the update on the Fonterra driver. You can always put metal back together...it's not so easy with people.

New water tender for Riceville Fire Department

2009-01-31T13:15:00.000-08:00

The Riceville Fire Department�s new tanker before (above) and after (top) almost two years of hard work. The 5,000-gallon tanker is now ready to be put into service.

Fire Department puts 'new' tanker into service

The Riceville Fire Department is putting its newest vehicle, a tanker obtained in a deal with the Department of Natural Resources' Forestry Department, into service after two years of hard work.

With the new tanker, which holds 5,000 gallons of water, the Fire Department will be able to triple the amount of water it can take out on a call. Previously, the Fire Department could carry 2,500 gallons. Now, if necessary, they can bring 7,500 gallons of water to a fire call.

"The truck is DNR-owned," Fire Chief Lyle Eastman explained, "but the Fire Department has lifetime use of it."

The Fire Department must also provide liability insurance for the truck.

Had the Fire Department purchased a new truck, the expense would have reached at least $150,000. Work on the truck was done at the elevator shop and at Dean Eastman's shop. The truck is a diesel-automatic.

The Fire Department first obtained the tanker in April 2007. Since then, many improvements have been made to ensure that the truck is suitable for service. According to Eastman, the truck's tank was moved ahead, new mounts were added, a water fill was added, a quick dump was mounted in the back of the truck, and a 3,500-gallon portable tank was added. The portable tank was donated by workers at McNeilus.

Once the work on the truck was done, it was sent away to be painted. The end result is a bright red truck with an American flag and an eagle painted on the side, along with the words "Riceville Fire Dept." in proud, yellow print. It is certainly a vehicle that the people of Riceville, and the Fire Department can be very proud of.

Source: http://www.ricevillerecorder.com - Link

China: Chinese Water Truck example

2009-01-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

Chinese Water Truck

Vehicle model CLW5080GSS Water Truck
Chassis model EQ1081TJA
Overall dimensions(mm) 5840x2140x2430
Fact cubage(L) 6000-8000
GVW(kg) Approx7780
Rated loading capacity(kg) Approx2980
Mass in working order(kg) Approx4605
Body internal dimensions(mm) 3400x1700x1050
Wheel base(mm) 3100
F/R track base(mm) 1750/1586
Approach/departure angle(degree) 18/14
Exhaust/hp(ml/kw) 3856/88
Max speed(km/h) 90
Tire specification 7.00-16, 7.50-16
Engine DongFeng ChaoYang diesel engine
Engine type CY4102BZLQ
Traction system 4x2
Transmission 6-speed with over drive
Number of axles 2
Electric system 24v
Operation control system Electrically hydraulic control
Allowable passengers in cab 3
*Equipped with fire valve, water valve, and filter gauze
*Equipped with fire valve, water valve, and filter gauze

Brunei: Brunei Fire/Rescue Department Water Tender

2009-01-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

Volvo FL10/ SK Fire Water Tender Ladder no.3

The 1998 Volvo FL10 with SK Fire bodyworks Water Tender Ladder no.3 (WRL3). The WRL3 are stationed at Seris FRS to replaced the ageing Shelvoke & Drewry SPV/McAlister WRL and Bedford TK/McAlister WRL operated by the station. Now it is the main appliance of the station which act as 1st strike appliance while waiting for the water tanker and the emergency tender from the station.

Source: Link

Jamaica: Residents seize water truck from low-life operator

2009-01-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

Sherwood Content residents protest against lack

Frustrated with the continued lack of water, scores of residents of Sherwood Content in Trelawny Friday blocked the main road.

The residents also commandeered a water truck owned by the Falmouth Parish Council.

They claimed the operator of the unit was selling water.

The community has been receiving attention following the exploits of its hero Usain Bolt in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

But today they were not happy.

Friday morning they used their bodies to block the road, and confiscated the key of the Parish Council's Water Truck.

Mayor of Falmouth
Colin Gager said the Parish Council is providing water to residents free of cost and urged them to come forward if they were being charged.

"We are not in the habit of selling water to the public, this is offered really to just to help the residents who are in dire need," he said.

The key to the water truck was handed over after the police intervened.

Fire & Rescue continuous water shuttle water tender operations

2009-01-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

Last night at 12:58 am, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue was called to a reported barn fire at 22170 S.W. Stafford Road. When crews arrived they found a fully engulfed, 40 x 60 ft. metal pole barn. T he owner's adult son was on scene and told firefighters that the building had no animals inside and was used for storing equipment, vehicles, and hay � all of which likely contributed to fueling the fire.

The building contained a motor home and a 1959 restored MG sports car. Although the pole barn and vehicles inside were beyond saving when crews arrived, firefighters waged an aggressive fire attack and protected several exposures threatened by the fiery building including a camping trailer, several personal vehicles, and a large fuel storage tank. For almost an hour firefighters battled hostile fire and protected exposures due to the collapsed metal roof and walls that were an impediment to firefighting water. Due to the property being located in an area not served by fire hydrants, water tenders were utilized to provide a continuous water shuttle throughout the firefighting operation. Firefighters remained on scene overnight battling hot spots and ensuring the fire did not spread outside the pole barn.

The fire remains under investigation at this hour. TVF&R's fire investigator plans to go back out to the scene later today.

Source: Article KUIK - link

Alaska: Firefighting Water Tenders freeze up

2009-01-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

Tactical Water Tenders freeze up as Fire destroys vacant Hillside home

A vacant Hillside home was destroyed early Saturday in a fire that is under investigation.
With temperatures dropping to minus 30, crews had to battle the cold as well as the flames, said Tom Preston, an Anchorage Fire Department battalion chief.

The first 911 calls came in around midnight, and the fire was largely under control by around 2:30 a.m., when some of the crews from other parts of town were sent back to their home stations, he said. But firefighters were still doing cleanup work after 6 a.m.
Fire destroys vacant Hillside home

The area off Birch and O'Malley roads has no fire hydrants. Two of the three tender trucks, or tankers, that hauled water to the home at 5623 Dalzell Circle froze up, Preston said. He wasn't at the fire, but read the reports.

Firefighters had to work in shifts because of the extreme cold, Preston said. The Red Cross brought food. A neighbor brought doughnuts.

Officials said it's too early to say if the fire is suspicious. Anchorage online property records list the owner of the Dalzell Circle home as Josefina Isla, but investigators weren't able to immediately determine whether the ownership status has changed.

Anyone with information can call fire investigators at 267-4900
Source: adn.com - Link

Garfield Hall - Water Truck Jamaica_4437.jpg

2009-01-03T19:52:00.001-08:00

http://c.photoshelter.com/c/garfieldhall/gallery-img-show?G_ID=G0000uxHtzn3IRXI&_bqG=14&_bqH=eJxLNSkziM.syrYoq_TxrCoqKQlJykjNNg33CjKwMjIFISv3eE8XW3cDICit8CipyjP2DIrwVHP3jHd39PFxDYrEJe0ZH.wfFGILZDmHePq6IoTiXTyDbB2DnQGScCY_&I_ID=I00009u2ccIywz2Q

1982 Mack Water Truck

2009-01-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

1982 Mack Water Truck: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/grd/977221913.html

1982 Mack Water Truck - $1500 (Malibu)

Reply to: sale-977221913@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2009-01-02, 7:01AM PST

4000 gal., 400 Cummins, P.S., Jake, super singles, needs tank, has been parked.

Please Call, leave a message if no answer
310 457 7213

Location: Malibu
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 977221913

1963 reo water truck $10,000

2009-01-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

1963 reo water truck $10,000 - http://montana.craigslist.org/cto/977130610.html

1963 reo water truck $10,000 (stevensville mt)

Reply to: see below
Date: 2009-01-02, 5:30AM MST

1963 reo 1,200 gallon water truck
has the 300 strait six gas motor
runs good 4 speed manual all the
front and back lights work and
has blinkers so its street lagal
10,000 pound winch evrey thing works
have a new briggs and stratton motor
for the pump good hoses 10x10 all
wheel drive does about 50 mph

call 406 381 2128

Location: stevensville mt
it's ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 977130610

$400,000 after a fire department tanker truck totaled

2008-11-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

SHELTON -- The city will likely be out $400,000 after a fire department tanker truck full of water overturned on Chamberlain Drive on its way to a residential fire alarm in a non-hydrant area.

Assistant Fire Chief Mike Ullrich said the eight-year-old truck, carrying 300 gallons of water, was traveling south on Chamberlain toward the Deerfield Drive alarm at about 12:45 p.m., when "either mechanical failure or something happened and it rolled over."

The two firefighters inside received minor injuries and were taken to Bridgeport Hospital.

Their names were not immediately released.

The Deerfield Road automatic alarm was in a non-hydrant area, which was why the tanker truck was needed, Ullrich said.

Police and fire officials spent hours investigating the crash, and the truck was still lying on its driver's side near North Hemlock Road at 3 p.m., with Chamberlain closed on both sides.

Ullrich said the tanker appeared to have slid for an unknown distance before coming to rest.

"That can be replaced," he said, expressing his relief that no one was seriously hurt.

"But a life can't be replaced."

It took several hours to clear the scene.

No one at the Shelton Police Department was available for comment.

Ullrich said fire resources were redeployed around the city to compensate for the lost truck. It was the first major crash involving a Shelton fire truck that he knew of, he said, adding that the truck would likely be totaled and city is self-insured.

Arizona: RV destroyed in fire

2008-11-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

An investigation is continuing into the cause of a Friday morning fire that destroyed a recreational vehicle on Interstate 8 west of Yuma.

A Winterhaven firefighter was sent to Yuma Regional Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation suffered while fighting the fire at 8:30 a.m. Arizona time, the Winterhaven Fire Department said.

The 24-foot RV was being driven to Pilot Knob when the fire started near the off-ramp of the Winterhaven Drive exit at I-8, the fire department said.

No other injuries were reported. The name of the RV driver and the firefighter were not available.

The Winterhaven Fire Department sent a fire engine and water tender to the scene. Yuma Fire Department also helped knock down the flames.

The RV was a total loss, the Winterhaven Fire Department said.

Source: RV destroyed in fire YumaSun - Link

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS

2008-11-22T10:37:00.000-08:00

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: " A late-night fire tore through the crematorium Thursday night at Pajaro Valley Memorial Park on Hecker Pass.

The 11:42 p.m. two-alarm fire leveled the more than 1,000-square-foot building that was attached to the rear of the historic 1932 Pajaro Valley Mausoleum.

Battalion Chief Greg Estrada of Pajaro Valley Fire said that, when firefighters arrived at the scene, they were met with 30- to 40-foot flames rising up into the night sky above the mausoleum. Estrada said he quickly learned that the fire was actually coming from the back of the building, where the crematorium stood. He said firefighters went into a defensive attack because the building was engulfed in flames.

In fact, at one point, Estrada said, the crematorium building caved in on itself. The fire was not fully contained until 3:30 a.m. Friday. Firefighters had to use three rotating water tenders to haul in a lot of the water they needed.

No injuries were reported. Estrada said the cause of the fire is still under investigation and that foul play is not suspected.

Estrada added that firefighters took extra care to ensure that any possible trace of human remains at the crematorium was not disturbed. He said a worker at the facility informed him early on that no human remains were anywhere near the burn area and that the crematorium had long been switched off.

Firefighters and investigators were on the scene for a total of 12 hours.

By Friday afternoon, a Santa Cruz County building inspector had already cleared the mausoleum as being sound, without any sign of structural damage. Pat Carroll of Pajaro Valley Memorial Park said that, though the interior of the mausoleum sustained minor smoke damage, the integrity of all the crypts was intact and that cleanup operations were well under way Friday.

“It will probably take us about a week to get the building back in tidy order,” Carroll said. “We’re thankful the firefighters saved the mausoleum from damage.”

Estrada said firefighters used squeegees to clear away water and soot from the mausoleum.

Estrada said a caretaker on the property was awoken by a barking dog about 11:40 p.m. That’s when the caretaker spotted the flames and called for help.

Twenty-five firefighters from the Pajaro Valley, Cal Fire at Corralitos, Watsonville, Aptos/La Selva, Central, South Santa Clara County and North Monterey County Fire departments responded to the incident. Six engines, three water tenders and three chief officers were also at the scene.

Estrada said that the mausoleum contains 300-400 crypts and urns, but none of them were damaged.

“Because we wanted to maintain the integrity of the mausoleum, and not chase the flames into that building, we fought the fire from the rear and forced it away from the main structure,” Estrada said. “It was a coordinated effort that also involved slowly opening the mausoleum and then pushing the fire out away from the main building. Our efforts paid off.

“I’m really happy with the overall effort by all these agencies,” Estrada said. “When you bring all these people in from three different counties, it can get complex. But we were all working with the same goal, and it went smoothly.”

Source: Pajaronian.com - Link
*Photo by Tarmo Hannula*
Tags: Water tenders, Hecker Pass, Pajaro Valley Fire department, CAL FIRE, Corralitos Fire department, Watsonville Fire department, Aptos/La Selva Fire department, Central Fire department, South Santa Clara County Fire department, North Monterey County Fire department

Texas: Fire engulfs home, responders run out of water

2008-11-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

Texas: Fire engulfs home, responders run out of water

Photo by Gary Rhodes, The Midland Reporter-Telegram
By Audrie Palmer, The Midland Reporter-Telegram
A family of four watched in shock and horror Wednesday night as their doublewide mobile home was reduced to a pile of rubble and ash after an accidental fire broke out in a bedroom.

Jean Holley Cunningham, a mother of two, said her husband, children and a friend had just sat down in the living room when they heard a popping noise coming from a back bedroom.

Her 15-year-old daughter, authorities later said, had left two unattended burning candles on a shelf and on a dresser. The fire then spread from the bedroom down the hallway and within minutes had engulfed the entire three bedroom, two bath home.

Cunningham choked up as she recalled trying to gather animals, including a 7-week-old Chihuahua puppy and several cats, and get them out of the burning home as quickly as possible.

She added that she and her husband John have lived in the residence, located in the 11000 block of West County Road 149, for the last four years. Friends told the Reporter-Telegram the husband had just built the fencing around the front of the house and building a writing room near the back of the home for Jean and was in the process of completing the front deck.

Units with the Midland Fire Department responded to the scene around 7:23 p.m. The first responders, Tankers 2 and 4, can only carry a limited supply of water and each brought 2,000 gallons, which were quickly used up, Battalion Chief Ken Whitting said.

With no fire hydrants and a limited water supply — well water pumps in the area only pump out a few gallons of water per minute and cannot supply the fire trucks — Whitting said, crews had to wait for volunteers from both the Greenwood and Northeast Volunteer Fire Departments to bring in extra water.

A total of 12 units were brought in to help control the blaze. By press time, Midland County Fire Marshal Dale Little said the fire was contained and firefighters were mopping up hot spots.

The Midland County Crisis Intervention Unit was dispatched to the scene as well. The Cunningham family, with their home a complete loss, said they will be staying with other family members for the time being.

Source: http://www.texas-fire.com
Raw footage and video from KWES, Midland

Department handles field fire

2008-11-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

Department handles field fire: Department handles field fire

Kevin Howell
Reporter

YEOMAN - Monticello Firefighters responded to a field fire Wednesday morning in Carroll County between County Roads 825 North and 875 North on the east edge of Yeoman.
Monticello Fire Department Captain Steve Fisher said the cause of the blaze, which burned through several acres of corn stubble on the Scott farm, was unknown at the time.
Firefighters were hampered a bit by a moderate breeze said Fisher as a water truck ran back and forth across the field to control the burn along the edges of the fire.
Fisher also said there was little loss to the recently harvested corn field, and nearby structures including grain bins, a barn and house were protected from the fire.
A next door neighbor noted that the corn had been harvested just a day or two before."

Ghana Forestry Commission Gets very expensive Fire Tenders

2008-10-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

Editor: These must be the most advanced water tenders in the world at this price! figure you can get a real nice brand new water tender for wildland use for around $100,000 here in California so maybe 1.5 millon dollars, for the dozen. Where did the rest of the money go? Can Anyone send in a photo of these beauties?

Forestry Commission Gets Fire Tenders | Ghana Official Portal:

Forestry Commission Gets Fire Tenders

The Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines, Mrs Esther Obeng-Dapaah, yesterday in Accra, commissioned 12 Fire Tenders and Information Communication Technology (ICT) equipment.

The equipment, which were estimated at eight million Euros, were donated to the Forestry Commission by the Netherlands Government to ensure the management of wildfire in the country.

Commissioning the equipment, Mrs Obeng-Dapaah, commended the Government of Netherlands for their continued support to Ghana, saying that the equipment will be put to good use to ensure significant reduction in wildfires, improve livelihood and the global environment.

She observed that, since 2002, Government has put measures in place to manage wildfire in Ghana with support estimated at about twelve million Euros from the Kingdom of Netherlands to curb wildfire in the country.

According to the Minister, the first and only comprehensive National Fire Policy in Ghana, launched in February 2007 with support from the Netherlands government will go a long way to help the country.

The Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Lidi Remmelzwaal, who made the donation on behalf of the Government of Netherlands said the wildfire management project is aimed at rehabilitating forests through wildfire prevention and control.

She said the Wildlife Management Project (WFMP) which was set up in 2002 is part of a sector-wide approach in order to strengthen the forestry sector.

Source: http://www.ghana.gov.gh/ghana/forestry_commission_fire_tenders.jsp

Hauling sludge in a water truck

2008-10-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

Water Plant Expansions

Our new water plant, which has been on line since October 19, has a sludge tank and up until now, we have been paying a company to haul off sludge. Not any more, as we had a water truck delivered to a makeshift loading ramp.

delivered to a makeshift loading ramp.

Texas Woman dies in tanker crash

2008-10-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Danie M. Huffman
wdreporter2@yahoo.com

A head-on collision caused a woman’s death after a fire erupted from the crash on Highway 51 North Tuesday evening.

Leah Janeen Boehm, of Weatherford, was driving a 2002 Jeep Wrangler headed north.

Christopher Lee Brewer, of Seminole, Okla., was driving the tanker water truck headed south.

Brewer told Texas Department of Public Safety troopers Boehm veered into his lane. The preliminary report states Brewer also reportedly swerved to the right to avoid the collision, but she “kept coming.”

Witnesses said they heard three loud “booms,” at the time of impact and saw smoke.

“I can’t believe all that smoke came from one accident,” said Cristen Anders, who heard the crash. “It was something awful.”

Brewer was said to have been wearing his seatbelt. He suffered a fractured left leg, femur and broken left hand. He was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.

Boehm was reportedly not wearing her seatbelt. She was pronounced dead on the scene by LifeCare paramedics. Her body was taken to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The tanker was completely destroyed in the blaze.

Fire Tenders in Tanzania, Mwanza

2008-10-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

TheCitizen Newspaper: One feared dead as lorry catches fire

A lorry carrying diesel goes up in flames at a filling station in Mwanza yesterday. It took firefighters from the Mwanza City Council and Mwanza Airport two hours to put out the blaze

By Patty Magubira, Mwanza

One person is feared to have died when a lorry having 15 drums of diesel caught fire in Mwanza yesterday.

Three others were injured in the incident that occurred at Moil Oil Industries Limited (MOIL) at the junction of Nyerere and Pamba roads.

The father of the victim, Mr Vitlan Sanjit, who operates a photo studio situated along Nyerere Road, said his son fainted as he tried to evacuate his family from the building housing the studio.

Reports from several members of the family later said he had died on his way to hospital. However, reporters could not verify them as hospital sources and the police were not ready to disclose any information.

"Harun was shocked by the billowing smoke from the burning lorry across the road," he said. He explained that his son's heartbeat had stopped well before he reached Aga Khan Hospital for treatment.

Harun's young brother, Asit Vitlan, had moments later fainted and was rushed to Aga Khan Hospital following a shock from reports of his brother's death.

"I have also been informed that one of my neighbours has just passed away and I am about to visit his family to confirm the reports," one of the MOIL directors, Mr Atlaf Mansoor, said shortly after the fire was extinguished.

He said it was too early to comment about the inferno as he was still waiting for a report from the petrol station management.

One of the three injured persons, according to Mr Mansoor, included a petrol station worker, one Sajar, who had inhaled fire-extinguishing chemicals as he tried to extinguish the inferno.

Others injured were Shaaban Saimon, 30, Ulimwengu Rashid, 49, and two others whose names could not be obtained immediately. They were all rushed to Weil Bugando Medical Centre (WBMC) for treatment, he said.

The fire broke out at about 1.45pm when the drums were being filled with the diesel in the ill-fated lorry. It was transporting it to Ngara District, Kagera Region.

Eyewitnesses said the cause of the Scania lorry catching fire was a cigarette that was being smoked by one of the turn-boys inside the lorry.

It belonged to a resident of Shinyanga Municipality, Mr Oshima Luhende,

Half of the petrol station�s roof and one pump were burnt before the inferno was extinguished at around 3.50 p.m. Fire tenders had to leave the area for over ten times to refill them with water.

Mr Mansoor commended the fire brigade, police officers and city residents for working hard to extinguish the inferno.

"I can't find the right way to thank them for the support they have all given us,"he said.

Tanker driver killed in crash

2008-10-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

By Donna Fielder / Staff Writer

A tanker truck driver died at the scene of a crash on West U.S. Highway 380 on Thursday night.

Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Lonny Haschel said the 36-year-old Rhome man was driving a water tanker truck east on U.S. 380 near Ripy Road about 10 p.m. when the truck crossed the center line into oncoming traffic.

It is not clear what caused the truck to cross the yellow line, Haschel said. Positive identification of the victim is pending.

Haschel said the truck struck a trailer being pulled by a westbound Chevrolet pickup. The tanker veered off the north side of the highway, plunged down an embankment and rolled into a wooded area, where it struck several trees.

The cab of the 18-wheeler caught fire, Haschel said. The driver was declared dead at the scene.

The driver of the pickup was not injured.

Coffman Tank Trucks of Chico owns the tanker, according to reports. The accident still is under investigation.

CA-BDF-Waterman - Vegetation fire

2008-10-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

CA-BDF-Waterman Canyon area - Vegetation fire

Location: 6205 Old Waterman Canyon Road, San Bernardino, Ca.
Resources: BDF engines 39,38,11,32,37,14, WTs 34, 12, crew 4, and 1. Aircraft on hold.
Cal Fire full response.
Fire put out by on-site Water tender.

School bus versus water truck accident injures six students

2008-10-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

Six children were hospitalized Thursday with non-life-threatening injuries in Bastrop County Texas when a Bastrop school bus struck a water truck.
The injured students were taken to Lakeside Hospital in Bastrop County.
According to Bastrop County Sheriff's deputies the accident happened on Texas-21 west of Texas-71.

Arizona: Fire Department Water Tenders

2008-10-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

More Fire Department Water Tenders from youngstownfire.com
Arizona Fire Department Apparatus Wittmann Fire Department - Water Tender
Down the road from Wickenburg is the town of Wittmann. This GMC Water Tender is on their roster.
Photo credit: phil/las photo -youngstownfire.com/forums - link

Dolan Springs/ Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District -Water Tender
The Dolan Springs/ Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire District just placed into service this 2008 Kenworth/Fouts Brothers 1500/3500/60 Foam Water Tender
Photo credit: phil/las photo -youngstownfire.com/forums - link

Meadview Water Tender
Meadview also runs this 3500gwt Water Tender mounted on a Freightliner Chassis
Photo credit: phil/las photo -youngstownfire.com/forums - link

Water truck Bus Accident Injures Six

2008-10-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

Bus Accident Injures Six

By: MetroSource News

(Bastrop County, TX) -- Six children were hospitalized Thursday with non-life-threatening injuries in Bastrop County when a Bastrop school bus struck a water truck.

The accident happened on Texas-21 west of Texas-71, according to Bastrop County Sheriff's deputies. The injured students were taken to Lakeside Hospital in Bastrop County. No other information was available.

Train Strikes Overturned Water Truck Near Itasca

2008-09-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

A truck driver escaped injury after his rig overturned and then was struck by a train north of Itasca Friday night, September 12. A passerby on Highway 81 made the 9-1-1 call to the Hill County Sheriff's Department at 8:15 p.m.

Dean Ward of Frost attempted to turn his water truck off the highway onto HCR 4115 about four miles north of Itasca. The wheels of the trailer slipped off the culvert, and the rig flipped on its side with the cab resting on the railroad crossing.

An approaching northbound train applied its emergency brakes but couldn't stop before striking the truck and knocking it off the tracks. The engines went another quarter of a mile before the engineer got the train stopped.

Ward had exited the truck, which was carrying non-potable water to a natural-gas drill site, and was not injured. First responders from Itasca and Covington volunteer fire departments were dispatched.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Ronald Slay investigated. Assisting at the scene were Itasca and Covington police and Hill County Sheriff's Department deputies.

City of Manteca water truck retrieved in high speed chase

2008-07-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

A City of Manteca water truck was stolen early Monday morning with officers pursuing the vehicle to Stockton via Tracy at high speeds.

Manteca Police Sergeant Mike Sexon first spotted a city water truck parked on Oak Avenue near Jessie Avenue at 2 a.m. along with a silver Thunderbird.

When the officer turned around to check the area the two vehicles drove westbound on Yosemite Avenue.

The city's white Dodge 2500 water service truck followed the Thunderbird to Union Road where police say the truck continued westbound on Yosemite Avenue and the Thunderbird turned north onto Union Road.

Sexon had closed in on the truck to make sure the driver wasn't a city employee before he activated his lights and siren.

Police said the truck sped toward the Highway 120 Bypass at a speed of 80 miles per hour. Two other Manteca units joined the chase on the 120 Bypass with the pursuit heading into Tracy on 205 and taking the MacArthur Boulevard offramp.

Officers said the vehicle doubled back under the overcrossing and drove back toward Manteca with speeds reaching 95 miles an hour. When the chase reached Lathrop Road CHP officers took over the pursuit and the Manteca officers backed off.

The chase ended in the 2600 block of Mumford Avenue in Stockton where the driver and passenger reportedly jumped out of the truck and ran into an open field.

Manteca canine officer William Mueller sent his dog "Bear" into the field after the suspects and ended up arresting a 17-year-old youth who was taken to San Joaquin County Juvenile Hall. The passenger escaped, police said.

Cutting the fence enclosure in addition to cutting the lock on the facility made entry to the city's corporation yard possible.
Source: Manteca bulletin.com - Glenn Kahl - Reporter - Original article Link

Water Truck accident -Off the Railroad

2008-07-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Unknown driver rolls water truck off railroad tracks
By The Reporter, Vacaville
Article source

A one-track mind led to a precarious position for an unknown driver of a wayward water truck Friday morning in Cordelia.

Shortly after 7:30 a.m., someone driving an allegedly stolen water truck entered the railroad tracks near Cordelia and Pittman Roads and drove up to a mile, including crossing one bridge, before rolling the truck and falling four feet into a creek bed.

The truck's driver fled the scene before officers arrived and the rental truck was reported stolen later in the day, said California Highway Patrol officer Darren Carrington.

Railroad traffic was stopped for about two hours as the vehicle was towed from the creek and a trestle broken in the accident was repaired. The tracks carry only freight trains that run between Fairfield and Napa.

Carrington said the department was investigating the reported theft of the truck but hadn't yet ruled out whether the Suisun man who rented it was responsible for the incident. He said the man's listed address was a short distance from where the truck is believed to have entered the tracks.

"Whether or not the vehicle was stolen, we don't know yet," Carrington said. "Whether he's the driver or not, we don't know that either."

Ryegate's fire station burns down

2008-06-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Missoulian: Ryegate's fire station burns down

Ryegate's fire station burns down
Posted on June 23
By the Associated Press

RYEGATE - Residents of Ryegate have limited fire protection after a fire destroyed the fire hall, two trucks and the volunteer fire crew's equipment, Golden Valley Sheriff Floyd Fisher said Monday.

Fisher, who is also Ryegate's fire chief, estimated Friday evening's fire caused between $750,000 and $1 million in damage. The building is insured, he said.

"It was bad," Fisher said. "The firemen that did respond had to try and do stuff without any personal protection gear. Crews were able to get the pump started on a water tender that was sitting outside the fire hall and pumped water on an adjacent ambulance barn and propane tank.

"All the keys for that truck and the other trucks sitting outside were inside the fire hall that was burning," Fisher said. "There was no way to move any of those vehicles until we had some local people, volunteers that came, hooked chains to the vehicles and yanked them out of the way."

Fisher said the volunteer fire department lost a structure fire truck and a first response truck along with all its firefighting gear and equipment.

"I have borrowed a mini pumper so that we could respond to a structure fire," Fisher said. "However, I don't have enough hose to get to all the structures here in Ryegate because half the town does not have fire hydrants."

He noted a 600-foot fire hose burned in the blaze.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but Fisher said he does not suspect foul play.y."

Woman Killed in accident with Fire dept. Water Tender

2008-06-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

Traffic accident: Woman Killed When Water Tender Runs Stop Sign

A female motorist in Arizona was killed when a fire department water tender went through a stop sign and struck her car.

The accident occurred when a loaded water tender was responding with its warning lights and sirens on. As the driver of the tender approached an intersection, he ran a stop sign and the apparatus struck an auto driven by a woman. The woman was extricated and taken to a hospital, but died shortly thereafter of her injuries. The firefighter driving the tender was injured slightly in the accident.

The tender was responding to a car fire.

Weekend brush fire extinguished with a little tender help

2008-06-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

There's no question summer has officially begun here in the Mojave Desert, and for Pahrump Valley Fire Rescue Service, that means more than long days of unrelenting heat.

It also means it's brush fire season, when dry weather combined with winds cause brittle desert brush to be ample fodder for dangerous fires that spread rapidly.

According to Fire Chief Scott Lewis, Pahrump firefighters were dispatched Sunday to a brush ire about a mile into the desert west of the intersection of Plantation Street and Thousandaire Boulevard.

Upon the first PVFRS engine's arrival it was established the fire was burning on Bureau of Land Management land and the BLM fire station was duly notified.

The Pahrump firefighters used two "brush trucks" (engines specifically designed to navigate desert terrain and fight brush fires) and a water tender to control the fire.

The BLM fire department soon arrived and firefighters from both departments successfully extinguished the fire and the BLM assumed command

"It was very rough terrain, but fortunately through our design process and our practice utilizing four-wheel vehicles, it wasn't too bad," Lewis said. "The crews did a really good job and worked with BLM."

Lewis said called the fire "pretty dramatic looking from the command post," saying the flames reached up to 10 feet.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Highs are expected to be in the 100-degree range now, so the likelihood of further such fires is up -- just like the temperatures.

Source: pahrumpvalleytimes.com

, on the scene douses fire - Milner Landfill

2008-06-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

Steamboat Springs — A fire that broke out Monday night at the Milner Landfill is suspected to be caused by the improper disposal of combustible materials and was safely contained by landfill employees early Tuesday morning.

“It must’ve been a load of trash that came in as what we term ‘hot,’ possibly oily debris or construction waste,” Milner Landfill general manager David Epstein said.

Landfill employees were able to handle the blaze on their own, thanks to the presence of the landfill’s own heavy equipment and water tender. The fire was contained by about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Crews removed the ignited trash from the dump site where the fire began, then transferred the trash to another location where it was doused with water and buried, effectively putting the fire out, Epstein said.

Wildfire News Idaho: 35 acres - Big Little Ranches

2008-06-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

On Monday, fire crews from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Twin Falls District Fire responded to a wildfire that ignited near the Big Little Ranches subdivision along U.S. Highway 93 north of Twin Falls.

The crews were able to keep the blaze to 35 acres, a BLM news release states. Responding to the blaze were three wildland fire engines, a helicopter with helitack crew and a water tender. Jerome Rural Fire Department also assisted with the fire suppression efforts.

Because there were no lightning strikes in the area, the incident has been determined to be human-caused. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Fire crews suppressed the blaze once it reached the southbound edge of Highway 93. According to the BLM, the fire was declared contained at 2 p.m.

Firefighters fought the blaze with a water tender

2008-06-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

TAMPA — A house in rural Odessa burned to the ground Tuesday evening as firefighters scrambled to find a source of water to help fight the blaze.

No one was home at 19502 Pine Valley Drive at the time of the fire, but two dogs and two cats perished in the blaze, said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Capt. Bruce Delk.

Firefighters arrived at the house at 6:16 p.m. to find flames shooting through the roof and the house already largely engulfed in flames, Delk said. To make matters worse, the closest fire hydrant was nearly a half-mile away, he said.

The first fire crews fought the blaze with a water tender while other firefighters uncoiled more than 2,000 feet of hose to reach the hydrant. Eight units responded to the blaze, with 24 firefighters on scene.

A motor home and a detached garage were saved, though the house itself was a total loss, Delk said.

"The only things that were left standing were the outside walls," he said. "The inside was totally devastated."

The one-story house, a 2,120-square-foot, single-family home with three bedrooms, was built in 1987, according to county records. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Source: Link

That's the story and we are sticking to it...

2008-06-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

"The engine overheated and stalled. It popped out of gear?, rolled backwards and without the engine running the power brakes were out?. Fortunately, our most experienced (standard shift) truck driver was at the wheel and he put it in the ditch to keep him and the two firefighters onboard from getting hurt,"

The department's 1983 wildlands truck was heavily damaged May 8 while trying to get to a brush fire on Shields Mountain. It will probably be declared a total loss by the insurance company.

CATON'S CHAPEL - The loss of its wildlands brush fire truck has crippled Caton's Chapel Volunteer Fire Department, and while a weekend fund raiser provided some relief, it was not nearly enough to re-equip the department for dealing with the most common type of fire it faces.
Fire Chief J.R. Romer said Saturday's car show and silent auction raised $2,100, and together with $5,000 already raised will put them on the path toward the purchase of a new wildlands truck expected to cost a minimum of $70,000.
Attendance for the fund raiser was a bit slow during the morning but Romer said the silent auction picked up in the afternoon.
"We had some real nice stuff; artwork, tires, cabin stays, beautiful things. I can't thank the merchants in Sevierville, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge enough; they made the auction possible for us. In a time when the merchants themselves are having a tough time, they still keep on giving, and we are so grateful to them," he said.
Romer said the department's 1983 wildlands truck was heavily damaged May 8 while trying to get to a brush fire on Shields Mountain. It will probably be declared a total loss by the insurance company.
"The grade on that road is about 30 percent and that was the main reason for the accident. Going up that grade carrying 1,500 gallons of water you've got to be in low gear and the engine overheated and stalled. It popped out of gear?, rolled backwards and without the engine running the power brakes were out. Fortunately, our most experienced (standard shift) truck driver was at the wheel and he put it in the ditch to keep him and the two firefighters onboard from getting hurt," said Romer.
Lt. Jeremy Adkins said that without the truck, the 20-member department has had to resort to driving their personal vehicles loaded with hand lines and hand equipment like chain saws to fight the brush fires that must be accessed via steep roads.
"We have no water to use except 5-gallon backpacks," said Adkins. "The community is really backing us though. They've been very helpful and let us use their garden hoses. A lot of them know how critical it is without the brush truck, and we've already had homes threatened. ... We've had 50 brush fires so far this year and we expect to get at least 200 calls this year because we've already doubled our responses from this time last year."
Caton's Chapel also relies on other departments in Blount and Sevier counties to respond with their trucks, but, continued Adkins, "Without the truck, a 30-minute job becomes a two hour job, and a quarter-acre fire can turn into a 20-acre fire real quick. It's a big hurt for our department not to have a brush truck."

Source: By: CANDICE GRIMM Staff Writer mountain Press Article

Water-Tender Accident Injures Two Firefighters

2008-06-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

Firefighters injured in water tender roll-over accident

(CFN) - Two firefighters in Wisconsin were injured when a fire department water tender rolled while negotiating a curve on its way to a fire.

According to reports, the water tender was traveling too fast when it entered a curve. The apparatus then rolled and hit a tree, injuring both occupants. One firefighter was able to crawl out of the damaged cab, but the driver had to be extricated.

The fire was in a shed.

Water truck rolls over on Highway 175

2008-06-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Lake County California - Water truck News - Water truck rolls over on Highway 175

COBB – An overturned water truck resulted in no injuries and a minor traffic slowdown on Monday morning.

The Epidendio water truck was reported overturned on Highway 175 heading westbound toward Cobb at about 8:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol and an eyewitness, Cobb resident Roger Kinney.

CHP Officer Adam Garcia said the truck had a flat tire. The driver pulled over, getting too close to the ditch, and the truck tipped over.

There was no injuries, said Garcia.

Kinney said as he passed through the area at around 10:15 a.m., traffic control was in effect, with about 10-minute delays, and the truck was being uprighted.

Original Link - Lake county News

Written by Elizabeth Larson E-mail

Fatal TC: Responding Apparatus Crash - Water Tender

2008-05-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

Fatal Responding Apparatus Crash (From The Secret List)
The Secret List - Link -5-20-08 / 1744 hours
Hey... A 60-year-old woman was killed Saturday night after being struck by a responding Rural/Metro Fire vehicle in Pima Count, AZ..
The Fire tender (support vehicle) was on its way to a car fire, using lights and sirens, just before 1900 hours when police say, the apparatus driver ran a stop sign.
The Firefighter who was driving the tender suffered minor injuries and has since been placed on paid administrative leave. An engine company that was responding to the car fire initially was able to handle the fire.
No citations have been issued, the sheriff's traffic unit is investigating and will turn the case over to the Pima County Attorney's Office to determine if charges will be filed.
Considering all the recent apparatus crashes, what do YOU THINK the apparatus drivers would do, if given the chance, to do it again? Yeah-exactly.

Take Care-BE CAREFUL. STOP at Red lights and STOP signs....these outcomes are not worth the rush. BillyG

Tags:Firefighter, apparatus driver, fire tender, support vehicle, Water Tender, engine company, traffic unit

Two firefighters hurt as truck rolls over

2008-05-10T05:18:00.000-07:00

Two firefighters hurt as truck rolls over
TOWN OF NEWARK - A water tanker truck from the Orfordville Fire Department rolled over while responding to a fire and two firefighters were injured Monday.

Chad Cleasby, 31, of Orfordville, was flown by React helicopter to Rockford Memorial Hospital after the accident, and Michael Ponkauska, 54, of Orfordville was taken to Beloit Memorial Hospital. Both had non-life-threatening injuries.

The firefighters were responding at about 1:30 p.m. to a report of a vehicle on fire in a shed at 8314 W. St. Lawrence Road, about five miles west of Beloit. The truck full of water was southbound on South County Road H just south of West Mill Pond Road where the road makes an 80 degree turn to the right. An ambulance and fire truck made the sharp turn. However, as the tender truck made the turn it rolled over on County Road H. Several citizens saw the crash and called 911 and assisted the firefighters. Town of Beloit Police and Rock County Sheriff's Department officers responded to the accident.

Cleasby had freed himself from the cab, but Ponkauskas remained trapped in the cab until extrication equipment arrived.

The Rock County Sheriff's Department is conducting the investigation. Preliminary investigations indicate speed was a factor in the crash.

Wisconsin: Tanker rollover - Two Firefighters injured

2008-05-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

TANKER ROLLS WHILE RESPONDING IN WISCONSIN:
Two Firefighters were injured after a fire tanker overturned on its way to a fire in the Town of Newark yesterday (Monday) and they became pinned inside. Rock County authorities said that the driver of the apparatus apparently took a curve too fast. One of the victims was taken by MedFlight to a hospital while the other was rushed to a local hospital. Both Firefighters suffered non-life threatening injuries.

News: Water tender accidents - 2 this week

2008-04-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

OHIO FIRE TANKER CRASH: A Middleton Township Firefighter was injured yesterday when a water tanker he was driving to an injury crash overturned near I-75. The Firefighter, John Bondy, was trapped in the wreckage for about 20 minutes, rescued, treated and transported. The tanker was westbound on Route 582 when it slid off the right edge of the narrow road, went back onto the road, and rolled over onto its roof. The tanker then went off the left side of the road and hit a guardrail and a utility pole before coming to a rest. The tanker was heading to a crash on I-75 where a car went off the road, injuring the driver.

TENNESSEE FIRE TANKER BACKING UP-STRIKES FIREFIGHTER: In Wilson County, a Firefighter was backed over by a tanker yesterday, while that Firefighter was being a spotter for the driver. The Firefighter's leg was broken and was sent to the UMC medical center where she still remains. She suffered non-life threatening injuries.

1990 Seagrave - new yellow fire truck

2008-04-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Pine Village Fire Department has a new yellow fire truck. -
New truck means more water to fight fire

Pine Village Fire Chief Larry Brewer said the new truck is a 1990 Seagrave, is automatic with a diesel engine and a six person cab.

The truck's best feature, according to the department's chief, is the truck will carry 1,250 gallons of water. He added that the truck will replace a 1979 GMC model which has a 1,000 gallon tank. The old truck was sold to a fire department in Sheridan.

"They're supposed to pick it up next week," Brewer said. "It's still a good old truck. We just wanted to get something newer and better.. I'm just trying to keep the department updated," Brewer said that the truck will could also mean better ISO ratings for the station.

The Pine Village Fire Department runs on a tanker aid system meaning that the truck carries water to the fire rather than relying a water supply at the scene.
"We have no fire hydrants, all the water comes off the tanker aid," Brewer said. The Pine Village Fire Department, located at 31 Airport Road, relies on several pieces of equipment to get water including two conventional pumpers, two 2,000 gallon tanker (trucks), two bus trucks and a service truck.

Brewer added, "We've got mutual aid with several departments that have 2,000 gallon tankers Liberty, Satillo each have 2,000 gallon tankers, 286 has a 1,000 gallon tanker, Wescon has a 1,000 gallon tanker," who will bring water if Pine Village needs assistance.

The 17-person volunteer fire station offers aid to 560 homes in south Conway, "and then we got to Mayflower's north city limits," Brewer said.

1st Security Bank financed the purchase of the used truck and the volunteers couldn't be happier.

"We're real happy to have this at our fire district now," Brewer said. "Hopefully within two weeks it will be in service we'll have all the hose and everything on it and be running it to fires."

To get the truck in service, Brewer said the department will have to install fire extinguishers, fill the bins with equipment and fill the truck with 1400 feet of hose. "We were, at one time, having two or three men going to the station and getting trucks and everyone else was going to the fire in their personal vehicles," Brewer said.

With less equipment and more water, the truck will save more homes.

"We're moving up," Brewer sai

FF LODD Apparatus Crash, Recruits Injured @ Training (The Secret List)

2008-03-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

FF LODD Apparatus Crash, Recruits Injured @ Training (THe Secret List) "We regret to advise you that a fire tanker overturned while responding to a mobile home fire just north of Shreveport this morning, killing the apparatus driver. Firefighter Eric Speed, 33 was killed in the Line of Duty. The crash happened in a 90-degree curve of a roadway. Cops said Speed, a member of Caddo Fire District 2, was responding to assist a neighboring department with a mobile home fire when the crash happened shortly before 1000 Hours. The 3,000-gallon tanker struck a tree and came to rest on its side. Our sincere condolences to all affected, especially the family of FF Speed. Details will be posted late"

CAL FIRE NEWS

2008-03-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

Overview
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5

Sheet 1: Group 2
Ch # RX FREQ RX CTCSS PWR W/N DISPLAY NOTES
1 151.4450 0.0 H W SCU LOCAL CDF SCU LOCAL
2 151.3700 0.0 H W CZU LOCAL CDF CZU LOCAL
3 151.3400 0.0 H W LNU EAST CDF LNU EAST NET
4 151.3550 0.0 H W CDF CMD 1 CDF COMMAND 1
5 151.2650 0.0 H W CDF CMD 2 CDF COMMAND 2
6 151.1600 0.0 L W CDF TAC 2 CDF TAC 2
7 151.3250 0.0 L W CDF TAC 6 CDF TAC 6
8 151.3850 0.0 L W CDF TAC 9 CDF TAC 9
9 159.2250 0.0 L W CDF TAC 14 CDF TAC 14
10 151.2200 0.0 H W CDF A/G CDF AIR TO GND NET
11 154.2350 0.0 H W TWIN VALLEY ALAMEDA COUNTY
12 154.0700 0.0 H W ALCO RED ALAMEDA COUNTY
13 152.3525 DPL143 H N TRY CMD TRACY 04/2007
14 155.8950 136.5 H W TRY TAC 1 TRACY 04/2007
15 158.8950 82.5 H W TRY TAC 2 TRACY 04/2007
16 154.1300 110.9 H W LIFECOM 2007 XSJ TRY DISPATCH AMR
17 160.1100 0.0 H W CCC CC Contra Costa Co Cmd Central
18 159.6150 0.0 H W CCC CE Contra Costa Co Cmd East
19 159.7350 0.0 H W CCC CW Contra Costa Co Cmd West
20 154.3850 0.0 H W CCC TAC A Contra Costa Co Tac A
21 156.0450 0.0 H W CCC TAC B Contra Costa Co Tac B
22 153.8150 0.0 H W CCC TAC C Contra Costa Co Tac C
23 153.8300 0.0 H W CCC TAC D Contra Costa Co Tac D

"PWR" - TX Power level

H = Normal

L = Low (5-10 watts)

X = No TX authorized

"W/N" = Bandwidth

W = Wide (16K0F3E)

N = Narrow (11K2F3E)

CTCSS TONES:

T1=110.9 Hz
T9=100.0 Hz

T2=123.0 Hz
T10=107.2 Hz

T3=131.8 Hz
T11=114.8 Hz

T4=136.5 Hz
T12=127.3 Hz

T5=146.2 Hz
T13=141.3 Hz

T6=156.7 Hz
T14=151.4 Hz

T7=167.9 Hz
T15=162.2 Hz

T8=103.5 Hz
T16=192.8 Hz

Sheet 2: Group 3
RX FREQ RX CTCSS PWR W/N DISPLAY NOTES

151.3550 0.0 H W 1 CDF C1 CDF COMMAND 1

151.2650 0.0 H W 2 CDF C2 CDF COMMAND 2

151.3400 0.0 H W 3 CDF C3 CDF COMMAND 3

151.4000 0.0 H W 4 CDF C4 CDF COMMAND 4

151.3700 0.0 H W 5 CDF C5 CDF COMMAND 5

151.2500 0.0 H W 6 CDF C6 CDF COMMAND 6

151.4600 0.0 H W 7 CDF C7 CDF COMMAND 7

151.4450 0.0 H W 8 CDF C8 CDF COMMAND 8

151.1750 0.0 H W 9 CDF C9 CDF COMMAND 9

151.1900 0.0 H W 10 CDF C10 CDF COMMAND 10

151.3850 0.0 H W 11 MEU L CDF MEU LOCAL NET

151.2500 0.0 H W 12 HUU L CDF HUU LOCAL NET

151.3400 0.0 H W 14 LNU EAST CDF LNU EAST NET

151.4600 0.0 H W 14B LNU WEST CDF LNU WEST NET

151.0400 0.0 H W 15 MRN MARIN CO. MU AID NET

151.4450 0.0 H W 16 SCU L CDF SCU LOCAL

151.3700 0.0 H W 17 CZU L CDF CZU LOCAL

151.4000 0.0 H W 21 BTU L CDF BTU LOCAL NET

154.4150 123.0 H W 21B BUT SUPP BUTTE CO SUPPORT NET

151.2500 0.0 H W 22 LMU L CDF LMU LOCAL NET

151.3250 0.0 H W 23 NEU WEST CDF NEU LOCAL NET

154.1300 131.8 H W 23B NEU EAST NEU EAST NET

151.1600 0.0 H W 24 SHU L CDF SHU LOCAL NET

151.3700 0.0 H W 25 TGU L CDF TGU LOCAL NET

151.3250 0.0 H W 26 SKU L CDF SKU LOCAL NET

151.1900 0.0 H W 27 AEU L CDF AEU LOCAL NET

154.4300 186.2 H W 27B XED CMD El Dorado OA CMD Net

153.9350 123.0 H W 27C XAM CMD Amador OA CMD Net

151.3850 0.0 H W 31 RRU 1 W CDF RRU LOCAL NET West1

151.1750 0.0 H W 31B RRU 2 CDF RRU LOCAL NET # 2

151.1300 0.0 H N 31C RRU 3 E CDF RRU LOCAL East NET 3

151.1900 0.0 H W 33 MVU L CDF MVU LOCAL NET

151.3250 0.0 H W 34 SLU L CDF SLU CMD NET

154.3850 82.5 H W 34B SLC SLC/SLU LOCAL DISPATCH

151.4450 0.0 H W 35 BDU 1 CDF BDU LOCAL NET # 1

151.3250 0.0 H N 35B BDU 2 CDF BDU LOCAL NET #2

151.2500 0.0 H W 35C BDU 3 CDF BDU LOCAL NET #3

151.1900 0.0 H W 41 TUU L CDF TUU LOCAL NET

154.0100 0.0 H W 41B TLC TLC/TUU DISPATCH

151.4600 0.0 H W 42 MMU L CDF MMU LOCAL NET

151.3850 0.0 H W 43 FKU 1 CDF FKU LOCAL 1 NET

151.1600 0.0 H W 43B FKU 2 CDF FKU LOCAL 2 NET

154.4450 0.0 H N 43C FKU DST1 FKU / FCO DISPATCH

151.1750 0.0 H W 44 TCU L CDF TCU LOCAL NET

151.2500 0.0 H W 46 BEU L CDF BEU LOCAL NET

151.1450 0.0 L N 53 CDF T1 CDF TAC 1

151.1600 0.0 L W 54 CDF T2 CDF TAC 2

151.1750 0.0 L W 55 CDF T3 CDF TAC 3

151.1900 0.0 L W 56 CDF T4 CDF TAC 4

151.2500 0.0 L W 57 CDF T5 CDF TAC 5

151.3250 0.0 L W 58 CDF T6 CDF TAC 6

151.3400 0.0 L W 59 CDF T7 CDF TAC 7

151.3700 0.0 L W 60 CDF T8 CDF TAC 8

151.3850 0.0 L W 61 CDF T9 CDF TAC 9

151.4000 0.0 L W 62 CDF T10 CDF TAC 10

151.4450 0.0 L W 63 CDF T11 CDF TAC 11

151.4600 0.0 L W 64 CDF T12 CDF TAC 12

151.4750 0.0 L N 65 CDF T13 CDF TAC 13

159.2250 0.0 L W 66 CDF T14 CDF TAC 14

159.2700 0.0 L W 67 CDF T15 CDF TAC 15

159.2850 0.0 L W 68 CDF T16 CDF TAC 16

159.3150 0.0 L W 69 CDF T17 CDF TAC 17

159.3450 0.0 L W 70 CDF T18 CDF TAC 18

159.3600 0.0 L W 71 CDF T19 CDF TAC 19

159.3750 0.0 L W 72 CDF T20 CDF TAC 20

159.3900 0.0 L W 73 CDF T21 CDF TAC 21

159.4050 0.0 L W 74 CDF T22 CDF TAC 22

159.4500 0.0 L W 75 CDF T23 CDF TAC 23

172.3750 0.0 H N 78 FS ANF USFS Angeles NF

171.4750 0.0 H N 79 FS BDF USFS San Bernardino NF

168.7500 0.0 H N 80 FS CNF USFS Cleveland NF *

171.5250 0.0 H N 81 FS ENF USFS El Dorado NF

168.1250 0.0 H N 82 FS INF USFS Inyo NF

164.1750 0.0 H N 83 FS KNF USFS Klamath NF

172.2250 0.0 H N 84 FS LNF USFS Lassen NF

170.5500 0.0 H N 85 FS LPF USFS Los Padres NF

168.7500 0.0 H N 86 FS MDF USFS Modoc NF

171.5500 0.0 H N 87 FS MNF USFS Mendocino NF FIRENET

170.5500 0.0 H N 88 FS PNF USFS Plumas NF

171.5750 0.0 H N 89 FS SHF USFS Shasta-Trinity NF

172.2250 0.0 H N 90 FS SNF USFS Sierra NF

168.7250 0.0 H N 91 FS SRF USFS Six Rivers NF

168.7500 0.0 H N 92 FS STF USFS Stanislaus NF

168.7750 0.0 H N 93 FS SQF USFS Sequoia NF

172.3750 0.0 H N 94 FS TMU USFS Lake Tahoe Mgmt Unit

168.7750 0.0 H N 95 FS TNF USFS Tahoe NF

169.8750 0.0 H N 96 FS TOF USFS Toiyabe NF

168.3000 0.0 H N 98 BLM SOA BLM SCENE OF ACTION

168.0500 0.0 L N 99 NIFC T1 NIFC TAC 1

168.2000 0.0 L N 100 NIFC T2 NIFC TAC 2

168.6000 0.0 L N 101 NIFC T3 NIFC TAC 3

164.1375 0.0 L N 102 NIFC T4 NIFC TAC 4

166.7250 0.0 L N 103 NIFC T5 NIFC TAC 5

166.7750 0.0 L N 104 NIFC T6 NIFC TAC 6

168.2500 0.0 L N 105 NIFC T7 NIFC TAC 7

173.9125 0.0 L N 106 FSR5 T4 USFS RGN 5 TAC 4

173.9625 0.0 L N 107 FSR5 T5 USFS RGN 5 TAC 5

173.9875 0.0 L N 108 FSR5 T6 USFS RGN 5 TAC 6

168.7000 0.0 L N 109 NIFC C1 NIFC CMD 1

168.1000 0.0 L N 110 NIFC C2 NIFC CMD 2

168.0750 0.0 L N 111 NIFC C3 NIFC CMD 3

166.6125 0.0 L N 112 NIFC C4 NIFC CMD 4

167.1000 0.0 L N 113 NIFC C5 NIFC CMD 5

168.4750 0.0 L N 114 NIFC C6 NIFC CMD 6

162.9625 0.0 L N 115 NIFC C7 NIFC CMD 7

166.7500 0.0 H N 116 BLM LAW BLM LAW NET

166.3750 0.0 H N 117 BLM ADM BLM ADMIN NET

166.4875 0.0 H N 118 BLMFIRE BLM FIRE NET

168.3500 0.0 L N 119 168.350 USFS Common User 1

163.1000 0.0 L N 120 163.100 USFS Common User 2

168.5500 0.0 L N 121 168.550 USFS NIMS Calling Channel

151.2200 0.0 L N 123 CDF A/G CDF Air to Ground NET

167.9500 0.0 L N 124 BLM A/G BLM Air to Ground NET

170.0000 0.0 L N 125 FS A/G USFS Air to Ground NET

166.6750 0.0 x N 127 AIR T1 AIR TACTICS 1 RX ONLY

169.1500 0.0 x N 128 AIR T2 AIR TACTICS 2 RX ONLY

169.2000 0.0 x N 129 AIR T3 AIR TACTICS 3 RX ONLY

151.2800 0.0 x N 130 AIR T4 AIR TACTICS 4 RX ONLY

151.2950 0.0 x N 131 AIR T5 AIR TACTICS 5 RX ONLY

151.3100 0.0 x N 132 AIR T6 AIR TACTICS 6 RX ONLY

151.2725 0.0 x N 133 AIR T21 NEW NB AIR TAC RX ONLY

151.2875 0.0 x N 134 AIR T22 NEW NB AIR TAC RX ONLY

168.6250 0.0 L N 135 GUARD AIR GUARD - emerg. use only

171.7500 0.0 H N 136 BNP NPS Lava Beds NP

171.7000 0.0 H N 137 CNP NPS Channel Is. NP

170.1000 0.0 H N 138 DVP NPS Death Valley NP

164.8000 0.0 H N 139 GNP NPS Golden Gate NRA

164.8000 0.0 H N 140 JMP NPS John Muir NHS

171.6750 0.0 H N 141 JTP NPS Joshua Tree NP

164.7500 0.0 H N 142 KNP 1 NPS Sequoia-Kings Cyn 1

164.8000 0.0 H N 143 KNP 2 NPS Sequoia-Kings Cyn 2

170.0750 0.0 H N 144 LNP NPS Lassen Volcanic NP

170.0500 0.0 H N 145 PIP NPS Pinnacles NM

170.0500 0.0 H N 146 RNP NPS Point Reyes NP

165.1625 0.0 H N 147 RWP NPS Redwood NP

172.5250 0.0 H N 148 SMP NPS Santa Monica Mtns NP

165.3125 0.0 H N 149 WNP NPS Whiskeytown NRA

172.7750 0.0 H N 150 YNP NPS Yosemite NP

154.1600 0.0 H W 151 OES 1A OES FIRE 1A

154.1600 0.0 H W 152 OES 1B OES FIRE 1B

154.2200 0.0 H W 153 OES 2A OES FIRE 2A

154.2200 0.0 H W 154 OES 2B OES FIRE 2B

156.0750 0.0 H W 155 CALCORD CALCORD

155.7525 0.0 H N 156 VCALL VHF INTEROP

151.1375 0.0 L N 157 VTAC 1 VHF INTEROP

154.4525 0.0 L N 158 VTAC 2 VHF INTEROP

158.7375 0.0 L N 159 VTAC 3 VHF INTEROP

159.4725 0.0 L N 160 VTAC 4 VHF INTEROP

154.2800 0.0 H W 161 WHITE 1 WHITE FIRE 1

154.2650 0.0 H W 162 WHITE 2 WHITE FIRE 2

154.2950 0.0 H W 163 WHITE 3 WHITE FIRE 3

153.7550 0.0 H W 164 CESRS CA TRAVEL NET

Legend: Red characters are actual changes, Blue indicates order or sorting changes only
Spreadsheet layout has inconsistent line breaks for ease of printing and matching to the BK HT 20 ch. Groups.
"PWR" - TX Power level

H = Normal

CDF Unit # Channel #

L = Low (5-10 watts)

Name w/ Call Sign

X = No TX authorized

27 AEU Camino

35 BDU San Bernardino
"W/N" = Bandwidth

46 BEU Monterey

W = Wide (16K0F3E)

21 BTU Oroville

N = Narrow (11K2F3E)

17 CZU Felton

43 FKU Fresno
CAL FIRE CTCSS TONES:

12 HUU Fortuna
T1=110.9 Hz
T9=100.0 Hz

22 LMU Susanville
T2=123.0 Hz
T10=107.2 Hz

14 LNU St. Helena
T3=131.8 Hz
T11=114.8 Hz

11 MEU Howard Forrest
T4=136.5 Hz
T12=127.3 Hz

42 MMU Mariposa
T5=146.2 Hz
T13=141.3 Hz

33 MVU Monte Vista
T6=156.7 Hz
T14=151.4 Hz

23 NEU Grass Valley
T7=167.9 Hz
T15=162.2 Hz

31 RRU Perris
T8=103.5 Hz
T16=192.8 Hz

16 SCU Morgan Hill

24 SHU Redding

26 SKU Yreka

34 SLU San Luis

44 TCU San Andreas

25 TGU Red Bluff

41 TUU Visalia
Sheet 3: Group 4
RX FREQ RX CTCSS PWR W/N DISPLAY NOTES
154.4150 131.8 H W NPA FIRE NAPA CO FIRE
156.2400 110.9 H W PCF SUPP PLACER CO COMMAND
154.3250
H W NEU E SUP Truckee Fire Repeated TAC
153.9650
H W NEV CO SUP NEVADA CO FIRE
155.9850
H W YUBA FTHL SP FOOTHILL FIRE
155.2950 100.0 H W YUBA VLY SUP MARYSVILLE COMMAND
155.8800 167.9 H N KRN CH 1 Kern Co FD Dispatch
155.6250 167.9 H N KRN CH 3 Kern Co 3
154.4000
H W LA CO A/G LA CO A/G
154.3400
H W LA TAC 17 LA CO TAC 17
151.0850 136.5 H W OC ACCESS Orange County ACCESS
153.7700 110.9 H W SBC DISP Santa Barbara CO DISPATCH
153.9050 110.9 H W SBC CMD/TAC2 S.B. CO. CMD/TAC Ch 2
153.9800 110.9 H W SBC CMD/TAC3 S.B. CO.CMD/TAC Ch 3
154.0100 100.0 H W VNC DISP VENTURA CO. DISPATCH
154.3250 100.0 H W VNC CMND 2 VENTURA CO. CMD 2
154.1000 100.0 H W VNC CMND 4 VENTURA CO. CMD 4

Ch 18 available

Ch 19 available

Ch 20 available
Sheet 4: Group 5
RX FREQ RX CTCSS PWR W/N DISPLAY NOTES
151.4450 0.0 H W SCU LOCAL CDF SCU LOCAL
151.4600 0.0 H W MMU L CDF MMU LOCAL NET
154.4000 0.0 H W MRD PRIMARY MERCED COUNTY
154.3400 0.0 H W MRD ORANGE MERCED COUNTY
151.3550 0.0 H W CDF CMD 1 CDF COMMAND 1
151.2650 0.0 H W CDF CMD 2 CDF COMMAND 2
151.1600 0.0 L W CDF TAC 2 CDF TAC 2
151.3250 0.0 L W CDF TAC 6 CDF TAC 6
151.3850 0.0 L W CDF TAC 9 CDF TAC 9
159.2250 0.0 L W CDF TAC 14 CDF TAC 14
151.2200 0.0 H W CDF A/G CDF AIR TO GND NET
152.3525 DPL143 H N TRY CMD 2007 TRACY COMMAND
155.8950 136.5 H W TRY TAC 1 2007 TRACY TAC 1
158.8950 82.5 H W TRY TAC 2 2007 TRACY TAC 2
153.7700 0.0 H W WSF PRIMARY STAN DISPATCH
154.4300 0.0 H W WSF CH 2 STAN CMD 2
153.8900 0.0 H W WSF TAC STAN TAC 10

"PWR" - TX Power level

H = Normal

L = Low (5-10 watts)

X = No TX authorized

"W/N" = Bandwidth

W = Wide (16K0F3E)

N = Narrow (11K2F3E)

CTCSS TONES:

T1=110.9 Hz
T9=100.0 Hz

T2=123.0 Hz
T10=107.2 Hz

T3=131.8 Hz
T11=114.8 Hz

T4=136.5 Hz
T12=127.3 Hz

T5=146.2 Hz
T13=141.3 Hz

T6=156.7 Hz
T14=151.4 Hz

T7=167.9 Hz
T15=162.2 Hz

T8=103.5 Hz
T16=192.8 Hz

Firefighting Foam contaminates water supply

2008-03-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: U.S. News: Firefighting Foam contaminates water supply

Fire trucks' water pressure overwhelmed the city's drinking supply lines and pushed fire-suppression foam into them as firefighters tried to extinguish a burning Strip District warehouse, Pittsburgh's director of public safety said Wednesday.

Two pumper trucks were connected to fire hydrants for a long time Tuesday afternoon, said Public Safety Director Mike Huss, and as the pressure built up in the truck lines, it overwhelmed the drinking water lines' force.

"It's highly unusual, and we're surprised that it did it," Huss said.

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority advised people Downtown and in the Strip District not to use water for a few hours into yesterday morning, until the foam could be flushed from the system.

Ingesting less than an ounce of the biodegradable foam wouldn't pose a health threat, but it can irritate skin and eyes, said Bob Hutton, a project coordinator for the authority. Callers began complaining about soapy-looking water Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters allowed the four-alarm fire, which started Tuesday morning in the former Otto Milk Co. complex at 25th and Smallman streets, to burn overnight because of difficulties extinguishing it in cork- and foam-insulated walls. The building continued smoldering yesterday.

Fire Chief Darryl Jones said he had not seen the foam problem in the 20 years he has fought fires.

"We are going to make some adjustments to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.

The fire apparently started when a construction crew's cutting torch ignited insulation in the building, the construction crew manager said. The building's owner, Jack Benoff, was gutting the building and plans to convert it to condominiums.

Source: Full story and updates at: pittsburghlive.com

Firefighting Foam contaminates water supply

Fire foam contaminates water supply

Six minutes for Safety - Parking Safely on Slopes

2008-01-11T08:23:00.000-08:00

http://www.nifc.gov/sixminutes/dsp_sixminutes.php
Parking Safely on Slopes
In 2005, three fireline fatalities related to improper parking on slopes occurred. One involved a
water tender, another a fire engine, and the third was a command vehicle. In wildland fire
operations, we frequently exit vehicles quickly, but it is imperative that anytime a vehicle is left
unattended, time is taken to assure it is parked safely and will not present a hazard to ourselves
or others. Standard operating procedures for parking vehicles safely on slopes are:

Turn the front wheels up hill or into the inside/embankment.
Firmly set the emergency brake.
Put the vehicle in park (if automatic transmission) or in forward gear (if manual transmission);
do not leave it in neutral.
Turn off the engine.
Chock the wheels. When utilizing chocks, make sure they are on the correct side in reference to the slope. Assure the chocks are approved to hold the weight of the vehicle and will grip on the road surface.

Be especially aware of safe parking on slopes on incidents when moving a vehicle frequently, as
in using engines in pumping operations along a roadway -- it is very easy to get complacent
with procedures or not even realize that you are on a slightly different slope which would
require placing chocks differently. It is the driver's responsibility to assure not only that the
vehicle is operated safely, but is positioned and parked safely

Source: NIFC: Parking Safely on Slopes.

Water Tenders assist firefight

2007-12-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

Gridley duck lodge destroyed by fire

GRIDLEY — The main building at a family-owned ranch west of Gridley, used primarily for duck hunting, was destroyed by fire Wednesday.

Owner Louis Ratto said the building, a former duck hunting lodge built in the 1920s, was a two-story, wood-framed structure of about 5,500 square feet.

It was reportedly empty when a caretaker for the property called in the fire at 11:46 a.m.

Three engine companies from the Gridley Fire Department and Cal Fire-Butte County stations in Oroville battled the flames for more than an hour.

Battalion Chief Russ Fowler said it took about 15 minutes for the first engine company to reach the remote location, off West Liberty Road on the northern edge of the Gray Lodge State Wildlife Area.

Fowler said the building was engulfed when the first engine arrived. "The roof had already collapsed, and the walls caved in soon after that," he said.

Fowler said a northwest wind blowing at up to 15 mph helped fan flames, and blew around embers that threatened as many as 10 other smaller structures on the property.

Three outbuildings partially burned, but firefighters were able to keep damage to a minimum. One, just feet from the old lodge, caught fire from radiated heat. Fire in the two others was caused by flying embers, Fowler said.

Fire inspector Todd Price said Ratto was relieved that firefighters also saved a large barn containing several four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Wednesday afternoon, Price said he had placed the loss to the structures at $300,000. "The lodge was fully furnished, and contained a lot of mementos you really can't put a price on," he said.

The structure was a second home for the Rattos, who live most of the year in Sonoma County.

The cause of the blaze remained under investigation Wednesday night. Price said he had ruled out any intentional cause and was concentrating on wiring and heaters in the building.

Fowler said the building appeared to be supplied by natural gas, but several propane tanks were also found inside.

With no fire hydrants on the property, Fowler said crews were initially forced to pump water out of an irrigation canal to supply fire hoses. He said three water tenders, two of them from volunteer companies, later arrived.

Power lines that had fallen away from the building, and may have been energized, posed an extra challenge for fire crews, Fowler said.

No one was hurt, and a home occupied by a caretaker for the property was untouched.

A family staying overnight in a cabin on the property was driven out by heavy smoke. Black plumes of smoke could be seen from as far away as Chico and Yuba City.

Ratto said the property, which he and his father, Jim Ratto, bought about six years ago, is insured.

Source: Article

Fire that destroyed million dollar Lutz mansion caused by barbeque grill

2007-12-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

Last Update: 12/11 1:23 pm
LUTZ -- A two-alarm fire destroyed a mansion in Lutz Monday night. The blaze began while the owner was cooking on a barbeque grill. He said he became distracted by a phone call and left the built-in grill unattended in a covered patio.

The 7,500 square foot home on Lake Charles Circle is a total loss.

Investigators say there were no hydrants near the house, so they were forced to use water tenders to fight the flames. By the time the tenders arrived, the house was fully engulfed.

Firefighters are let the flames burn out since there was nothing salvageable inside the home.

No one was hurt.

Wind-driven fire destroys house, ignites trees > General News > Stories > Evergreen > YourHub.com

2007-12-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

Wind-driven fire destroys house, ignites trees

Only a few minutes after ignition, the fire already had swept through the home in Alice.

Provided by: Brad Keller

Contributed by: Einar Jensen on 12/6/2007

High winds gusting at hurricane strength strafed the upper elevations of Clear Creek County, Colorado, all day December 3, 2007. One of those gusts is blamed for snapping a lodgepole pine and forcing it onto an electrical line that also snapped.

The sparking line fell onto a two-story wood frame home in the 8600 Block of Fall River Road in the community of Alice about 3:20 p.m. and quickly ignited the house. Nobody was home at the time, but a neighbor spotted the flames and called 911.

Clear Creek Fire Authority Station 7, which serves the high elevation neighborhoods of Alice and St. Mary's, went in service within minutes with a single volunteer firefighter. He drove the 1,800-gallon attack tender to the fire, less than a mile away, to find the house already fully engulfed. He established Alice Command, pulled an 1 ¾" attack line, donned his SCBA and approached only close enough to direct water onto the propane tank that already showed signs of scorching.

Additional CCFA volunteer firefighters from Station 2 in Idaho Springs (Ladder 2, Engine 2, Tanker 2 and Tanker 21) and Station 4 (Engine 4 and Engine 41) in Georgetown also responded, but their response time was much greater as they climbed the two-lane Fall River Road 3,000 vertical feet in nearly 9 miles from the Interstate 70 corridor.

Clear Creek EMS also responded with an ALS ambulance, as protocol requires, as did the Clear Creek Sheriff's Office Marmot Wildfire Crew because the wind threatened to push the blaze into the surrounding forest. CCSO deputies also controlled traffic in the area.

Central City Volunteer Fire Department responded with an engine and brush truck on a mutual aid request.

Driven by the high winds, the fire quickly engulfed the home and spread to nearby trees. Firefighters focused their efforts on the propane tank, a nearby home on the D-side of the house and a few torching lodgepoles on the B- and C-sides.

After only an hour, the chimney was the lone recognizable part of the house. Firefighters remained on scene to drown hot spots until 6 p.m. CCFA Station 7 personnel and Clear Creek deputies shared patrol duties overnight to verify the wind hadn't rekindled the fire and to check whether the chimney had collapsed.

Neither the emergency responders nor the homeowner (nor his dogs) was hurt in the fire.

CCFA Chief Kelly Babeon is confident the electrical line ignited the fire after ruling out other potential causes.

Patterson Fire Department — New 3,000-gallon water tender.

2007-11-12T13:21:00.000-08:00

Patterson’s growing fire department got its most recent addition two weeks ago — a 3,000-gallon water tender.

Source - Written by: John Saiz / Patterson Irrigator / Wednesday, 07 November 2007

Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator

The modified 2007 International will serve as a portable water source for firefighters who need to hose down flames that are not close to a water system. The $230,000 vehicle is getting the last of its equipment installed this week. After that, it will be ready to roll.

Though the new tender is easier to maneuver, the older tender beats it in water capacity.

“We’re losing about 1,200 gallons,” said Division Chief Jeff Gregory of the Patterson Fire Department. “But we’ll be able to get there a lot quicker.”

Water tenders typically carry large amounts of water to fires in rural areas, Gregory explained. Given the vast amount of agricultural land surrounding Patterson, the new tender is likely to see a lot of action.

Gregory estimates the older tender will still be sent out at least once a week, too.

The new vehicle is more versatile and easier to handle and requires less maintenance than the old one, Gregory said. It also can be driven by anyone with a special class-B driver’s license, which certifies firefighters to drive equipment such as fire trucks. The old truck required a class-A license.

“Some of the guys can drive the (older tender) like a little Volkswagen,” Gregory said. “Other guys aren’t that good.”

He remembered one incident when the old tender needed to be backed up about 300 yards. He decided to wait until the road was a little clearer, but a firefighter from Turlock volunteered to move it right away. He got behind the wheel and backed the truck up in a zigzag.

“‘Man, I should have waited,’” Gregory recalled the firefighter saying.

Maneuverability aside, many who used the old tender appreciate its large water capacity.

Gregory recalled other firefighters commenting that they were always happy to see the old yellow tender arrive on scene, because it meant there would be enough water.

With the Patterson station welcoming the new tender, the older one will move to the Diablo Grande Fire Station.

The West Stanislaus Fire Protection District got the old tender in the early ’70s, said Dick Gaiser, who’s been with the district since 1978. The trailer portion of it is a large aluminum container that at one time was used to haul vegetable oil.

Volunteers managed to raise the money to buy that vehicle.

Volunteers also helped raise money for the new tender — about $30,000 — with the district covering the remainder.

The tender is just the most recent addition to Patterson-area fire protection. The paid firefighters have seen their ranks swell the past two years, and much of the department will move once Station Two in west Patterson’s Keystone Pacific Business Park is finished in the next few weeks.

CA-RRU-Water Tender Accident - BLUE SHEET

2007-11-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

CA-RRU-Water Tender Accident

BLUE SHEET
PRELIMINARY SUMMARY 24 HOUR REPORT

Vehicle Accident Riverside County Water Tender 39
07-CA-RRU-093086
October 24, 2007

This Preliminary Summary Report is intended as an aid in accident prevention, and to provide factual information from the first 24 hours of the accident review. To that end it is published and distributed within a short time frame. Information contained within may be subject to revision as further investigation is conducted, and other reports and documents are received.

Synopsis

The following information is a preliminary summary of a traffic accident in which two firefighters sustained minor injuries and a civilian received moderate injuries.

Narrative

On October 24, 2007, at approximately 1354 hours, Water Tender 39 was traveling westbound on Avenue 50 in the community of Coachella operated by a Fire Apparatus Engineer and with a Fire Captain as the passenger. A newer model full size Dodge pick up truck traveling eastbound on Avenue 50 drifted over the double yellow line and impacted head on with the Water Tender despite aggressive emergency evasive actions by the Water Tender operator. Immediately after the collision, both occupants of the Water Tender unbuckled their seatbelts and exited their vehicle to attend to the medical need of the pick up driver and initiate a response for a traffic collision through the Perris ECC. The driver of the pick up was transported by ground ambulance to a local Trauma Center for further medical treatment. Both of the Department employees were also transported by ground ambulance to a local hospital for evaluation, treated and released.

Recommendations for Immediate Corrective Actions

.. Always wear your seat belts per department policy
.. Maintain situational awareness at all times while driving
.. Be alert and prepared for the unexpected

--------------------------------------
messages with the blue sheet:

Please give the attached Blue Sheet referencing the Riverside County WT39
accident wide distribution for the purposes of discussion and Tailgate
Safety session.
----------------------------
See attached Blue Sheet.
Driving continues to be one of our most hazardous activities.
Please have your firefighters discuss this accident in 6 minutes for safety
and tailgate sessions.
----------------------------

Defensive driving pays off.

Low water complicates firefighting

2007-10-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Low water complicates firefighting

Virginia News

Low water complicates firefighting

By Sean Muserallo, NBC12 News

Declining water supplies are affecting how well some area firefighters are able to protect people’s homes. A dry, windy day like Friday can be the perfect combination for disaster.

If that happened Friday, Hanover fire officials aren’t so sure they would have enough water to put it out.

Some people in the area don’t rely on fire hydrants. They rely on ponds, streams and lakes, so when there is a fire, how quickly it’s put out depends on how fast firefighters can get water sources to the scene.

If there’s a fire in the rural part of Hanover, you’ll see a tanker that shuttles 3,000 gallons of water to the scene. It’s dumped into a holding tank and then pumped out of another truck to douse a blaze.

Once that truck is out of wet stuff, it has to refuel. One sad-looking stream used to be one of several water sources firefighters would tap into. That isn’t the case now.

Deputy Fire Marshal Willie Jones says that if water keeps evaporating, his crews will have to travel farther out to get enough water to knock out a decent-sized fire.

“We’ve done all we can do,” Jones said. “We can supply the water. We can extinguish fires, but we just ask for our citizens to be extra careful. If it became a large brushfire and the wind got it today, I don’t know how far it could go before we could suppress it.”

Daniel Dawkins & Leston Simpson show the value of waste

2007-10-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

Daniel Dawkins & Leston Simpson show the value of waste - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM

Daniel Dawkins & Leston Simpson show the value of waste

BY KERRY MCCATTY Sunday Observer staff reporter mccattyk@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, October 14, 2007

It was murky and stinky, but they didn't care. All Daniel Dawkins and Leston Simpson knew was that water, in whatever dispensation, puts out fire. So, in March when they saw black smoke encircling the skies of Manor Park, St Andrew and people "running, crouching, waiting for the impending explosion", from a fire that had started in the Shell service station, there was only one thing to do - douse the fire. with liquid waste.

And for that quick thinking, which prevented what may have been a deadly explosion, the men will tomorrow be awarded with the Badge of Honour for Gallantry at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
Dawkins, who owns Allied Cesspool, and his employee, Simpson, were pulling effluent from a cesspool in the shopping mall next door to the gas station.

Daniel Dawkins (left) and Leston Simpson will receive the Badge of Honour for Gallantry tomorrow for using effluent from a cesspool truck to help put out a fire at a service station in St Andrew. (Photo: Karl McLarty)

"Whether the water is clean, dirty, smelly or effluent, get some water [on] it," Dawkins said, explaining his and Simpson's mindset leading to their act of bravery.
Simpson said he suggested to Dawkins that in the same way the truck could draw the waste, it could let it out. Dawkins immediately understood.

"An him say if mi brave enough and if we serious enough we can go over there and get it done," Simpson said.
Simpson was indeed serious, especially since this was not the first time he was using effluent to put out a fire.
He said while he worked at another cesspool company years ago, he witnessed a van engulfed in flames and "we just get a cesspool truck and deal wid it".

Both men said they were only thinking of the danger they were averting, nothing else.
"I'm an action-oriented person, so once I'm into it, you start giving commands, doing what needs to be done," Dawkins explained.
The fire broke out as a customer filled a container with gasolene. A Toyota Hilux pickup truck was partially damaged while a gas pump was destroyed by the blaze.

"I don't know what made me do it. But I thought that Manor Park would be in serious trouble if that gas station had blown up," Dawkins said. "We had to do something."
Dawkins eventually called back a water truck that had been working with them at the shopping mall to help contain the blaze as "it was really fighting us".

Dawkins and Simpson are among six people who will receive the Badge of Honour for Gallantry, the others being Lusson Bartley, for apprehending and bringing to justice two gunmen who robbed a store and, in another incident, reporting two gunmen to the police, which resulted in their capture and conviction; Joel Davidson, who prevented an 11-year-old girl from drowning, when he pulled her from a pool; Mark Wilson, who shot and killed three of four gunmen who were attempting to rob persons at an apartment complex; Annette Wong-Lee, for shooting one of two gunmen who entered her home; and eight-year-old Don Christopher Barnes, who saved a friend from drowning.

"I can't wait for that moment," Simpson said in anticipation of tomorrow's ceremony, where his family will accompany him. "Trust me, I never know it would be something so exciting."

Low water complicates firefighting

2007-10-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

Low water complicates firefighting | NBC12 | Virginia News:

Virginia News

Low water complicates firefighting

By Sean Muserallo, NBC12 News

evelyn in india: water truck driver ran down an old man

2007-10-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

evelyn in india: Notes from the Newspaper:

Notes from the Newspaper - At a Nepalese airport flights were delayed for 2 hours due to technical difficulties. Two goats were on the runway. A water truck driver ran down an old man in a market yesterday. A mob quickly surrounded the driver and started kicking and punching him- the cops had to pull him out. There was a picture in the paper. This mob stuff happens here every now and then. As I was driving home after dark the other day I saw a guy tied to a pole getting hit by some men in a crowd"

Woman struck truck on South Grade Road

2007-10-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

By J. Harry Jones
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Source: UNION-TRIBUNE

PALOMAR MOUNTAIN – Although the investigation has not been finalized, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said the death of a 60-year-old Escondido woman whose motorcycle crashed into a water truck on Palomar Mountain last week was primarily her fault.

Sally Mata and other motorcyclists were heading down South Grade Road on Sept. 30 when a water truck turned left into her lane while heading toward a turn-out area. Mata's Honda crashed into the truck and she died a short time later.

Lt. Paul Golonski of the CHP said it appears Mata failed to do anything to avoid the collision.

“We're in a quandary as to why she didn't apply the brakes or take evasive action,” Golonski said.

Although the truck was in Mata's lane, the CHP will likely not recommend that charges be brought against its driver, Golonski said.

“You can't just run into someone even if they're in the way,” Golonski said.

Other motorcyclists told investigators that Mata and the group of motorcyclists she was riding with had sped past them further up the mountain and speed possibly played a role in the crash, Golonski said.

An initial report that a possible cause of the accident was that Mata had crossed the double-yellow center line into the path of the truck was incorrect, Golonski said.

That initial description upset many in the motorcycling community. It is unlikely the CHP's latest findings will quell that anger.

Mata was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident on the same road almost exactly one year before her death. In that case, a 30-year-old Marine on a sports bike lost control while rounding a curve and slid into Mata's path. The Marine was killed; Mata was injured.

Reckless driving by motorcyclists and drivers of sports cars has been a problem on the mountain for many years.

Palomar Mountain Volunteer Fire Department Chief George Lucia said his department responds to an average of three serious accidents each weekend. He estimates that the actual number of accidents along South Grade and East Grade roads is closer to a dozen most weekends.

Some motorcyclists who have been traveling the roads of Palomar Mountain for years are upset with the often young and inexperienced riders who don't respect the twisting, dangerous curves of the roads, thereby making it risky for everyone.

Lucia said there was only one serious accident this past weekend, resulting in a broken shoulder for a motorcyclist.

Lucia recently asked the county to use grant money to install “rumble strip-style passive traffic and speed control” measures on the mountain's roads. He's asking that grooves be cut into the pavement in the middle of the roads so that a driver nearing the center line would feel a significant vibration. He also wants grooves cut across lanes before each sharp turn, thereby giving drivers a warning to reduce speed.

Lucia said yesterday the county has not yet responded to his request. He said phone calls and e-mails from motorcyclists have been surprisingly supportive of the ideas.

Checkout this Mad Max East Coast Water Tanker

2007-10-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Mad Max East Coast Water Tender well they call em' Tankers on the right coast.
Called a "Breaker" it is a 6X6 water Tanker / Tender used to plow through brush. This one is up in the Cape Cod area at the Cape Cod Fire Department - West Barnstable Headquarters Fire Station 1 - West Barnstable

(WB-1)

Cape Cod Brush Breaker

1967 International Military 6x6 / 1982 T Young Brush Breaker
300 gpm - 1000 gals
(diesel / standard)
Foam Eductor
Pump & roll - Winch

[MF-xxxx] Placed in service 1982
The last "County" built brush breaker

Terrifying blaze engulfs trailer

2007-10-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

| thedaily.com.au:

Terrifying blaze engulfs trailer

12:00p.m. 3 October 2007

A holidaying Caloundra family is devastated after losing about $20,000 worth of motocross gear when the trailer they were towing caught fire south-west of Brisbane.

Ken Jackson was travelling with his wife and two children on the Warrego Highway on Monday when he noticed "a flash of orange" through the luggage, blankets and pillows piled in the back of the vehicle.

"As I saw the glimpse of fire through the back window, my wife saw it in the side mirror," Mr Jackson said.

"It was terrifying."

The family pulled off the highway at Tivoli, near Ipswich.

A quick-thinking Ipswich Water truck driver emptied his truck's load over the blazing trailer as Mr Jackson called Triple 0.

Karana Downs acting fire station officer Des Sardie said the Jacksons were "very lucky" the water truck was on site.

"If the truck hadn't been there, the whole car would have gone up in flames, the blaze was so severe," Mr Sardie said.

The family was carrying four motocross bikes on the trailer, all of which were destroyed in what Mr Jackson described as a "heartbreaking" loss. The gear was not insured.

"We are devastated to have lost the bike gear, but it just could have been so much worse," Mr Jackson said.

His 10-year-old son Luke said he was devastated to lose his competition bike, having just been awarded third place in a south-east Queensland motocross event. He will now struggle to compete in the A-Grade Championships in two weeks.

"That one is the big deal," Mr Jackson said.

"We will have to pull out all stops to find something for him to ride, but it will be tough."

The trailer fire caused a 1km burn along the Brisbane-bound side of the highway near Tivoli, and even after firefighters extinguished the blaze, it reignited twice in the afternoon.

Top of the world at Henry Coe State Park - Lick Fire

2007-10-03T08:53:00.001-07:00

Cal Hydro Water Tender - Lick Fire Santa Clara County - Henry Coe State Park Filling a pumpkin at top of ridge B/C div break

SUV- Water truck crash sends 6 to Mercy

2007-10-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

October 1, 2007

By Katie Burford | Herald Staff Writer

Six people were taken to the hospital by ambulance Sunday after the sports utility vehicle they were in crashed with a water-hauling truck west of Ignacio on County Road 318.

JACK PINCUS/Herald

Drivers in a water tanker and a black Suburban towing a U-Haul trailer collided west of Ignacio in the 2000 block of County Road 318 on Sunday. Six members of the family riding in the Suburban were sent to Mercy Regional Medical Center, where they were treated and released.

The accident happened at about 10 a.m. Sunday just west of County Road 309, said Tom Aurnhammer, deputy fire chief for Los Pinos Fire Protection District.

Family members were taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center were they were treated and later released, hospital spokesman David Bruzzese said.

Mike Shorty, the driver of the water truck, said he was heading west on 318 when he came over a hill and saw the SUV, pulling a U-Haul trailer, stopped in the road to make a left-hand turn.

Shorty said he swerved left to miss the SUV, a Chevrolet Suburban, just as it started to turn. Both vehicles went off the road and ran into a thicket of trees.

Shorty said another water truck was behind him, and he swerved to avoid a piled-up.

Chris Howlett, a relative of the family's, said he came out to the scene as soon as he heard about it. He said his grandmother, along with his cousin, her three daughters and her boyfriend were in the SUV and had been turning into his aunt and uncle's driveway when the crash happened.

He said his cousin's 11-year-old daughter had been thrown out the back window, which was shattered.

Howlett said his cousin's family had just moved to the area from Arizona.

The accident investigation was being handled by the Southern Ute Tribal Police; an official on scene declined to provide details.

Shorty said he was going about 45 mph when he came over the hill and saw the stopped U-Haul.

Traffic on 318 was closed for about 10 minutes and was down to one lane for a couple hours after the accident.

Idiot mayor, Roy McClung his car is a danger to the bridge!

2007-09-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

City cut in half concerns mayor and the sky is falling...

Monday, September 24, 2007

The thought of a truck slamming into the overpass at the Parachute interchange of Interstate 70 chills the city’s mayor, Roy McClung.

“If we were to have something happen to that bridge … the whole north side of this valley is cut off from emergency service,” McClung said. “The best bet we would have is Flight For Life out of Grand Junction.”

McClung said the truck crash into a span over I-70 at 26 1/2 Road in Grand Junction this summer only renewed his concerns.

Grand Valley Fire Protection District Chief David Blair said if the Parachute overpass were damaged, his staff would encounter significant delays responding north of the city.

Because emergency services are based south of the overpass, crews would have to drive along frontage roads east to Rifle or west to Garfield County Road 300 to cross I-70.

“That bridge really is the only way from north Parachute to south Parachute,” Blair said.

McClung said the city is working with the Colorado Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration to turn a bridge roughly 1 1/2 miles west of Parachute into a working overpass.

That bridge is an old railroad overpass which was earmarked as a second Parachute interchange during the oil shale boom of the early 1980s, McClung said.

“Most of the infrastructure is there, but we have to go through CDOT and the Federal Highway Administration, and that is a long, slow process at best,” he said.

It could take three to five years to begin construction, he said.

Doug Aden, who heads Colorado’s Transportation Commission, said Parachute’s concerns are another example of needs outpacing the state’s transportation budget.

“These are real-life examples of things that just aren’t going to get done, at least with state funds, given the current revenues available to CDOT,” Aden said.

Creating a new interchange or expanding the existing interchange to deal with increased energy-industry traffic would be “very expensive” prospects.

Aden said unless the federal government or local entities pay for highway projects, Parachute might have to wait.

While overpass expansions sit on the back burner, McClung said city officials nervously hope the bridge at its inerchange remains intact.

“With the number of oil field trucks we have coming through here, it’s just a matter of time before something happens,” McClung said.

He said it’s just a matter of time before a water truck crashes into the bridge, igniting the diesel fuel in its tank.

“If the wrong thing happens and one of these suckers blows up, it’s going to be bad news,” McClung said.

•

Water tender flips, driver hospitalized

2007-09-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS:
By Record Searchlight staff Tuesday, September 18, 2007

A Colusa man was in serious condition Monday evening after the water tender he was driving for a Bieber logging company rolled over on a forest road Monday morning north of Lake Britton. Wallace Allee, 69, was airlifted to Mercy Medical Center in Redding about an hour after the 1980 Kenworth he was driving for Dell Logging hit a small tree and flipped, according a report by the California Highway Patrol. It appeared that the truck brakes had failed as Allee was driving downhill, a CUHP spokesman said. The truck lost its water tank and ended up on its wheels again, the CHP report said.

News: A fair contest: Strong man opens with two world record breakers

2007-09-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

News(1): A fair contest: Strong man opens with two world record breakers involving Water Truck
"Strong man opens with two world's record breakers Related Videos Strong man takes aim at record Strong man John Wooten attempts to break a world record by pulling a truck at the Oklahoma State Fair. What could possibly be a better way to kick off Oklahoma's centennial year state fair than by breaking a world record?

Promoter Jim Morris would answer that with a quick reply — "breaking two world records.”

Strong man John Wooten, 59, of Boston pulls a water truck weighing more than 50,000 pounds during a kickoff event for the Oklahoma State Fair Centennial Expo on Wednesday.

And that's what happened Wednesday. Unfortunately, not many people saw it because the fair was not yet open.

The fair begins today with opening ceremonies at 10 a.m. And in recognition of the state's 100th birthday, for one day and one day only, admission will be $1, as in 100 pennies.

After today, gate admission goes back to $8 for adults and $5 for children six through 11, but fair officials and promoters such as Morris have worked hard to make sure the entertainment and attractions are worth the admission price.

For years, Morris has been the promoter in charge of the ever-popular monster truck show. But a centennial celebration only comes along once in a lifetime, and Morris said he wanted to do something a little different this year.

What he came up with is more of the kind of blue-collar, crowd-pleasing entertainment you'd expect to mesh well with the monster-truck crowd.

"I'm doing the supercross, but then I said, ‘Hey, why don't we do something like that strongman stuff you see on TV?'” he said.

Thus was born Oklahoma's Strongest Man competition,

To promote the strong-man competition, Morris brought in John Wooten, a 59-year-old Boston resident who holds 139 world records in feats of strength.

It took three tries

Wednesday afternoon, Wooten strapped a harness on to his 6-foot-1-inch, 290-pound frame, chained himself to a 50,000-pound water truck, leaned back and began to pull, inching steps backward. His face turned fire-engine red as he yelled out single-syllable kung-fu sounds and began to exhale loudly.

He was going for time and distance.

It took him three tries, but on the last one, he managed to clear what he said were two world records.

The previous records for moving a 50,000-pound truck were 10 feet in 10.5 seconds, and 30 feet in 29.65 seconds.

Wooten made the 10 feet in 10.27 seconds and the 30 feet in 23.65 seconds.

"And that was uphill,” he boasted as he gasped for breath.

Over the years, Wooten said, he's done some crazy strength tests, including on separate occasions, pulling a 757 jet, pulling a cruise ship and back lifting a 7,000-pound elephant.

But during Friday night's strongest man competition at the fair, he's got a show, he said, that's "really crazy — it's gonna be really off the wall. But you have to come out Friday and see it. I'm not talking.”

Man Carjacks City Worker, Steals Truck

2007-08-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Man Carjacks City Worker, Steals Truck - News Story -
KCTV Kansas City: KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Police said a man stole a city water truck worth $200,000 in a carjacking Monday then he slammed it into a tree as police chased him.The carjacking happened Monday afternoon near East 39th and Main streets.
Police pursued the truck to East 43rd Street and Cleveland Avenue, where they said the man wrecked the truck.
He suffered minor injuries, and emergency workers took him away from the scene in an ambulance. Investigators found a large kitchen knife in the van, they said.The city driver was not hurt.The van was equipped with cameras to check underground sewer lines.

FIIIIIIIRE!!!

2007-08-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

blog.myspace.com/dirtyairbornsilverado:

FIIIIIIIRE!!!

So i was at work today. i was operating a 4000 gallon water truck. it sprays water onto the ground to control dust. it also has a side jet that can shoot about 70 yards with the wind. so right after lunch today the was a fire on freeway 5 at H street in Chula Vista. so i drove to the edge of the job site to see how close it was. it was right on the other side of the freeway. so i drove over the bridge just as the 1st firetruck got there. i asked the fire chief if he could use my water and he said "we can definatley use you". so the 1st water truck ran out of water. their next dilema was the trolley tracks. the nearest fire hydrant was on the other side of the tracks. they would have to shut down the power to the tracks to run the fire hose across the tracks. they had a CHP stop ALL the traffic going north on freeway 5 so i can turn my water truck around to put out the rest of the fire with my side jet. it was so fuckin cool. i wanna be a fireman!

Truck driver killed in north Qld smash

2007-08-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

Truck driver killed in north Qld smash - Breaking News - National - Breaking News: "In another northside accident, a 66-year-old woman is being treated for head and neck injuries after a car and a water truck collided at Aspley. The truck is believed to have struck the driver's side door of the woman's vehicle at the intersection of Zillmere Road and Gympie Road about 6.05am (AEST). The woman was trapped inside her vehicle and needed to be removed by Queensland Fire and Rescue officers. She was transported to the Royal Brisbane Hospital with head and neck injuries. The 63-year-old man driving the truck was treated for shock."

Cocoa and Caffeine Hollywood Travels

2007-08-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

Cocoa and Caffeine Hollywood Travels:

An Explosive Weekend ( and a need for protective eyewear)

It’s not every day that you exit the freeway to see a sign flashing:

CAUTION: GUNFIRE AND EXPLOSIONS…

But this is L.A. and the “gunfire and explosions” on an otherwise benign Saturday could be attributed solely to Hancock, a new feature film helmed by Peter Berg and starring Will Smith and Charlize Theron.

Saturday, I worked downtown on another shoot and afterward came by Hancock’s set to witness the huge street stunt they had planned. Amid the high-rises of downtown, Hancock had taken over several streets—a flutter of activity at nearly 1 a.m.

An amazingly, huge crater “iced” with overturned cars had been created in the middle of the street. A water truck continually passed through wetting down the streets as cast, crew, and “looky-loos” waited on the rooftops of adjoining buildings.

With stunts like this, you really only get one shot—so they rehearsed over and over again until BAM! a huge explosion belched cars up into the air and down again as they slammed into each other and skidded every which way. The ensuing black smoke forced me to look away. (Glad I put those sunglasses on as protective eyewear!) When I looked back, a moment later, the street was a mess of debris and thrashed cars. Even to cast and crew and others alike, it was impressive.

San Bernardino County Water woes abating

2007-08-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

San Bernardino County:

Water woes abating

Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 08/12/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

LUCERNE VALLEY - The water shortage that followed state authorities' recent move to shut down unlicensed water haulers appears to be getting close to ending, officials said.

"It's stabilizing quite well," Doug Lannon, a battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said Friday.

Lannon said he arrived in Lucerne Valley on Wednesday evening. At the time, 16 households had run out of water and an additional 45 households had less than a day's worth of water in storage tanks.

"Obviously, it was a pretty emotional issue for a lot of people up here," he said. "It was a pretty significant incident for the people who didn't have water."

Officials called in two contractors who supplied seven water tenders and a water trailer to haul water around the desert, Lannon said.

He said truckers who could not carry water in their own tankers after the enforcement operation rode along with drivers and helped navigate water supplies to thirsty households.

Lucerne Valley High School football players helped fill tankers with well water, and several other community volunteers helped out during the water shortage.

The shortage occurred while temperatures

The water problem began when the state Department of Public Health teamed up with the California Highway Patrol to search for unlicensed water haulers in response to complaints that truckers were providing water without permits.

Many people in Lucerne Valley store water in tanks and rely on truckers to stay supplied with the precious resource.

Public health official Janet Huston acknowledged early last week that authorities did not anticipate the enforcement operation would prevent many desert dwellers from replenishing their water supplies.

In an effort to relieve the water crisis, public health officials elected to allow unlicensed water carriers whose equipment and water supplies did not pose a health hazard to resume deliveries after they applied for licenses.

"There are a lot more haulers here than certified haulers. The mistake the state made was not to give them a warning," said Chuck Bell, a board member of the Lucerne Valley Economic Development Association.

First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt's Web site features listings of carriers who are allowed to deliver water and wells where drinking water can be obtained. The supervisor's Web site is www.sbcounty.gov/bosd1.

As of Friday, the supervisor's office listed nine water haulers who have applied for licenses and a quintet of carriers who already possess licenses.

David Zook, the supervisor's spokesman, said people without computers will be able to access and print out online information at the Lucerne Valley Branch Library, 33103 Highway 247.

Lannon said water was delivered to 46 residences Thursday and an additional 67 households received water the following day.

72-hr briefing of FR 420 - Water Tender Accident

2007-08-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

United States Department of Agriculture / Forest Service Peaks Ranger District

5075 N. Highway 89

Flagstaff, AZ 86004-2852

Phone: (928) 526-0866

Fax: (928) 527-8288

Date: July 13, 2007

72-hr briefing of FR 420 - Water Tender Accident
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Preliminary factual findings: At approximately 1615 hours on July 09, 2007, the operator of water tender 5 (WCF Unit 7501) was returning to the Schultz fire after filling with 3000 gallons of water in Cheshire. At approximately 1630, while traveling north on FR 420, the water tender operator moved the water tender to the right side of the road to allow several vehicles to pass. After the vehicles passed, the water tender approached a curve in the road and remained on the right side of the road. As the right wheels traveled on the shoulder of the road, the shoulder gave way. As the right front tire began to slide down a ten foot embankment, the operator was able to get the tire back on the road. The rear tires, which support the load, caused the shoulder to give way even more. The momentum of the water in the tank shifting caused the water tender to slide down the embankment and roll to the right. The water tender came to rest on its cab. The operator and passenger were wearing seatbelts. They were also wearing hardhats and were not injured.

Narrative: Water Tender (WT) 5 WCF 7501, 1992 Ford L9000, license number A258642, with 3000 gallon.

WT-5 was assigned to the Schultz Fire. The operator was returning to the fire for the second time after filling with water from a city hydrant in the Cheshire sub-division and was traveling on FR 420.

FR 420 is a level 3 dirt road which is maintained and had been bladed 3 weeks prior to the accident. At the location of the accident, FR 420 is 15 feet wide of hard surface with a 4 % out slope. As you are facing the direction of travel, there is a cut-bank on the left side of the road and an embankment dropping approximately ten feet on the right.

WT-5 traveled for 51 feet on the shoulder of the far right side of the road before the shoulder gave way. The right front tire began to slide down an embankment but the operator was able to get the tire back on the road. The rear tires, which support the weight of the load, caused the shoulder to give way even more.

The combination of the shoulder giving way and the momentum of the water shifting in the tank caused WT-5 to start sliding down the embankment and roll to the right. WT-5 rolled over and came to rest on its cab at the bottom of a ten-foot embankment in Schultz Creek.

Records indicated appropriate vehicle inspections had occurred prior to the incident.

/s/ Alvin Brown acting for

GENE WALDRIP

District Ranger

cc: Bequi Livingston

Alex Perez

Linda M Murphy

John Booth

Alvin R Brown

Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper

Natural Gas Well Water Trucks Can Explode

2007-08-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

cbs4denver.com - Natural Gas Well Water Trucks Can Explode:

(CBS4) DENVER They're called "water trucks" and are an important part of Colorado's booming natural gas industry. But the trucks aren't carrying regular water. Instead, the "produced water" can be dangerous and occasionally explode under certain circumstances, according to firefighters.

The trucks carrying the water are everywhere in Garfield, Mesa and Weld Counties. There is no state or federally mandated training for drivers who handle the "produced water." No special gear is required and the water is not regulated as a hazardous material.

The "produced water" contains hydrocarbons like benzene, toluene, and xylene. They're all chemical compounds that come from natural gas wells.

Last February, Dave and Evelyn Connors nearly lost their lives when Dave, a professional driver, used a blow torch to thaw the valve of a company water truck.

"The next thing I remember, I'm laying on the ground, and wondering where all the blood is coming from," said Evelyn Connors.

Drivers said it is a common practice in the industry, but the explosive gases came out of the "produced water" that had been sitting in the partially empty tanker overnight. A spark from the blow torch hit the gases, igniting the explosion.

"We was fragged from the explosion with metal and sand and ice out of the truck, first, second, third degree burns," said Dave Connors.

Fragments of the truck flew about a quarter-mile in the heavily residential neighborhood.

Mike Morgan, the fire chief in Rifle, is aware of "produced water's" potential and thinks there should be more education.

"If we convince ourselves that it's water, or that this stuff won't hurt you, that's when someone's going to get hurt or killed," Morgan said.

Morgan adds that water truck explosions are rare and "produced water" almost never poses a hazard driving down the highway when trucks have a full load. The risk starts to rise when the tanker is partially empty and hydrocarbons come out of the water and turn into combustible gas, he said. It would still take an ignition source like an open flame, spark or static electricity to make it dangerous.

"There's really very minimal risk," said Doug Hock, a spokesman for EnCana, an energy company. "Produced water has dissolved hydrocarbons in it and like any substance of this nature; you have to follow safe practices. If you follow safe practices, accidents can be prevented."

Hock said drivers who transport "produced water" aren't allowed to have open flames on a gas well site.

Firefighters said accidents do happen because of the growth in natural gas development and the surge of inexperienced drivers to meet that demand.

Many water truck explosions happen during the winter when drivers use a blow torch. Some trucking companies are starting to spend the money to add electric valve heaters so blow torches aren't necessary. But there are not federal or state rules that prohibit the use of a blow torch.

Wildfire scorches 5,000 acres near Finley

2007-08-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Mid Columbia News:

Wildfire scorches 5,000 acres near Finley
Flames coursed through about 5,000 acres of dry, yellow cheatgrass and sagebrush south of Finley on Sunday

Published Monday, July 30th, 2007
By Andrew Sirocchi, Herald staff writer

Flames coursed through about 5,000 acres of dry, yellow cheatgrass and sagebrush south of Finley on Sunday, sending columns of dirty gray and black smoke billowing into blue skies.

By early evening with the fire about 30 percent to 40 percent contained, 75 regional firefighters were making a concerted push to hold the blaze south of a command center set up off an unimproved road next to Highway 397.

The blaze, which had burned since about 9 a.m., had not threatened any structures or caused any injuries.

But as the flames moved north, officials worried the blaze was making its way closer to a row of orchards and homes.

"Our objective now is trying to hold it to Ayers Road," said Kennewick Fire Marshal Mark Yaden. "But that's a challenge right now."

Nearly every agency in Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties, as well as Hanford, sent firefighters to join the attack in the desert south of the Tri-Cities.

By early evening, with flames only a few hundred yards from the command center and firefighters tiring from a daylong fight, officials said they had made a request to authorize state mobilization and allow crews from agencies outside the region to respond. But it was unclear when a decision would be reached and local firefighters continued to attack the blaze with all the regional resources they could muster.

Two planes - one from Pendleton and a second from Richland, were dispatched to drop fire retardant chemicals over the blaze.

Water, though, was scarce and being used conservatively.

Benton Fire District 1 officials set up a 3,000-gallon mobile water tank and allowed any agency to pick up loads from the command center. A water tender made repeated trips into Finley to keep the mobile tank stocked.

Ultimately, it was the challenges posed by the terrain - and the difficulties of safely reaching the areas that were burning - that ensured firefighters would have to attack the blaze with fire instead of water.

"The conditions, the wind, the terrain, the access - it's all wrapped into one," said Benton County Fire District 1 Capt. Devin Helland of the difficulties that firefighters were facing. "We're trying to flank it and pinch it off."

Officials believe the fire began in the Wallula Gap near the Columbia River. With the blaze spreading, a cause was not immediately being determined but Yaden said firefighters will investigate whether sparks from a passing train ignited the blaze.

"Early on, there was some mention of a train but that's just speculation now," Yaden said.

While the flames spread steadily throughout the day, it was the intensity of the heat as much as the speed of the fire that was creating problems and making the job more difficult than it otherwise would be.

By mid-afternoon, two bulldozers used to clear brush and fuel from the path of the fire were temporarily put out of commission.

Meanwhile, Yaden said firefighters were tiring and the flames already had jumped several roads where officials had hoped they would be able to hold the lines.

Firefighters Matt Demiter and Jill Berry, of Benton County Fire District 4, returned to the command center covered in soot and sweat with a melted side mirror, boiled paint and a damaged plastic fender on their truck.

The two firefighters initially were deployed off Finley Road to attack the blaze by back burning brush and grass. The terrain, though, created too many hazards and made reaching the flames too difficult to trap the blaze in its earliest stages.

"It was too hard to fight," Demiter said. "With the canyons being so steep, it wasn't safe being in there." Both firefighters were dispatched to the desert blaze directly from Kennewick, where they had helped put out a brush fire near 53rd Avenue. It was a small fire, particularly compared to the desert blaze they would see for the rest of the day south of Finley.

But for many firefighters, it was one more job that made attacking the desert fire even more tiring and difficult with little end in sight.

"It's been a pretty calm fire but there's a lot of work left to be done," Yaden said. "There's a lot of fuel left in the stubble.

Local News - TCU - Early Morning Vegetation Fires

2007-07-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

MyMotherLode.com:
CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuolumne And Calaveras Early Morning Vegetation Fires

Friday, July 27, 2007 - 06:45 AM

Bill Johnson

MML News Director

San Andreas, CA -- The CAL FIRE Emergency Command Center in San Andreas is reporting two vegetation fires this morning.

The first is under the power lines at Bonds Flat Rd. and J-59. Six engines, a water tender and a dozer have been dispatched. No other details are available at this time.

The second fire is being reported in the area of Hwy 26 and Ponderosa Way and Whiskey Slide Rd. Fire crews are reporting the fire is approximately two-and-a-half acres in size with a slow spread. The fire is reportedly located on a noll.

Written by bill.johnson@mlode.com

Runaway Water Truck Crashes Into Homes - COLORADO

2007-07-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

myfox:

Runaway Truck Crashes Into Homes

The accident scene in Thornton. July 26, 2007.

by JOHN ROMERO

THORNTON -- A water truck apparently rolled down a hill from a Thornton construction site Thursday, crashing into two homes and narrowly missing an 11-year-old boy.

Authorities say the vehicle went across a residential road, and took out a fence before crashing into the homes.

The eleven-year-old was standing at the location just moments before the crash.
.

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - Interesting Water Tender Picture

2007-07-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: Inciweb picture : Interesting Water Tender Picture

Interesting Water Tender Picture from Inciweb...Division G Water Tender - Monument Complex
Oregon, Umatilla National Forest
Credit: Robert "Robo" Robustelli photo

Labels: Monument Complex, Oregon, water tender"

2007-07-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Truck Rolls Off Los Gatos Hillside, Killing Driver
Overturned water truck creates river of mud

Los Gatos Observer
By Alastair Dallas 07/22/07 7:49 am
Click here to respondPrint-friendly version

A water truck rolled off a mountain road Saturday morning, killing the driver. Both Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police and California Highway Patrol responded to the first call, received at 10:42 a.m. The site of the accident, 17541 Santa Cruz Hwy, was on a private road hundreds of feet above Hwy. 17, just south of The Cats restaurant.

The driver was unofficially identified as Ivan Ramirez, aged 26. He was prounced dead by AMR paramedics at 11:06 a.m.
The heavy water truck rolled off the steep dirt road to the right

The truck, a Hertz rental Ford F-750, held 2,000 gallons of non-potable water weighing 16,680 pounds. The truck wsa probably rented from Valew, a construction equipment company in Adelanto, near Palmdale, CA. Apparently, the water shifted on the last turn, rolling the truck off the dirt road onto a freshly-graded ledge some 10 feet below. The truck landed on its roof, sending its water down the hill as a river of mud that hindered access to the site. It is also possible that the driver was attempting to turn around on the dead-end road.

The CHP has jurisdiction over the accident, and used the parking lot at The Cats as a staging area for the medical examiner. Officers and a woman from the coroner's office interviewed five men in jeans and baseball caps as people, likely stunned relatives and friends, continued to arrive. One man clutched a county brochure titled, "What To Do Now."
Contrary to media reports, traffic on Hwy. 17 was not affected by the accident
An unidentified woman from the Coroner's office interviews men outside The Cats restaurant
The truck is a Ford F-750 with a 2,000-gallon tank

water trucks tending street trees

2007-07-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

Baltimore Messenger: "Hudson's Corner

Hudson's Corner

07/18/07
Kathy Hudson
e-mail hudmud@aol.com

Email this story to a friend

If the city tends to itself the way it does its trees, we're in trouble

Some say the way we care for our houseplants reflects the way we take care of ourselves. Taking that analogy further, I wonder if the way a city takes care of its trees reflects the way a city takes care of itself. If it is, we are not doing a very good job. And when I say "we," I am pointing not only at city government but also at us residential and corporate citizens.

Recently, I have lamented the dead saplings on Falls Road by the Poly-Western playing fields. This spring, these evenly spaced, well-staked new plantings seemed emblematic of a renewal of city shade trees and the beautification of two venerable high schools. As I wondered if the city had planted them, or if an enterprising group of environmentally aware students had, those saplings gave me hope. I never discovered the answer, and now many dead saplings seem emblematic of how we do not always care for what is ours.

Why would anyone plant a tree and not plan to water it during a dry season? And a dry season is what we have had this year. Dead trees dot the city.

When I think of other cities, I have water envy. I envy what I saw in Chicago: water trucks tending street trees and many containers of exquisite ornamental plantings. Then again, Chicago so values its natural resources that it prohibits building right next to the lakefront. You won't find kiosks littering Millennium Park or condos obliterating the view of Lake Michigan.

I also envy the water truck my Beechdale Road neighbor reported watering the Boise, Idaho, street plantings early one morning. If Chicago and Boise can do it, why can't we?

Granted, we have a huge city and miles of public greenspace. I understand public safety and education might take priority over trees, but after the real estate boom and with high property taxes, why we can't have a few more water trucks and a few more people tending trees and city plantings?

Watering these trees could eliminate the waste of time that occurs when saplings throughout the city die each summer.

Or could it be that our city is heading in a less "green" direction? The reported comments of city planners at a hearing for the Marianist property on Roland Avenue make me wonder. According to a June 14 Messenger article, city planners "were opposed to the trees and hedges (proposed by the developer) because they want a more urban design in keeping with the neighborhood."

Do city planners not know that the greenway through the center of Roland Park and the many Baltimore parks and greenways originally designed by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted are what have made Roland Park and Baltimore so attractive and livable for generations?

Fortunately, the developer and the community are working together to maintain a tree canopy at the Marianist property.

But if the developer plants trees, someone must water them. With the current number of dead new trees on grassy medians in front of Roland Park houses, I worry for the future of newly planted trees.

Two questions remain: Why plant trees without plans to water them? And is how we care for city trees reflective of how we care for our city?

Marine View Drive reopened after hillside fire | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA

2007-07-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

Marine View Drive reopened after hillside fire | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA: "A hillside brush fire closed the 4800 block of Marine View Drive, near the Cliff House Restaurant, in Tacoma for a short time Friday afternoon. The Tacoma Fire Department received several calls about the blaze, and responded to the scene at about 1:40 p.m. with engines, a fireboat and a water tender, said fire department spokesman Dan Crutty.

The flames were under control by about 3:30 p.m., and the road was reopened. About an acre of brush was involved, Crutty said. There were no injuries or property damage, and the cause of the fire in under investigation. There’s been “discussion about some kids and a campfire that may have gotten away from them, but they don’t know for sure yet,” Crutty said."

Antigua Sun

2007-07-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

Antigua Sun:

I read in your Tuesday issue about the large fire on Church Street and your paper mentioned the four tenders that tackled the blaze, also it was mentioned that some tenders had to go for water, I find that hard to believe.

I had mentioned a very long time ago in your paper and the Daily Observer that our Fire Brigade is poorly equipped and does not have enough vehicles.

The vehicles you have now are very good, but what is needed is a water tender that is built on the same make and model that you have now, and its capacity would be well over the 2,500 gallon and should be able to pump into a tender on site. Also there is no aerial ladder tender to handle fires in tall buildings."

Paraffin truck leak in Kent takes nearly a day to clean up

2007-07-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Paraffin truck leak in Kent takes nearly a day to clean up:

A truck leaked 15 to 50 gallons of paraffin, closing a freeway on ramp for nearly a day as road crews failed in one cleanup method after another, state Transportation Department officials said.

The truck driver was alerted by another motorist about 6:35 a.m. Tuesday, stopped on the State Route 167 onramp in this suburb south of Seattle and found a cap was loose, department spokeswoman Meghan N. Soptich said.

Cleanup workers initially tried sanding an 8-foot-wide, 200-foot-long stretch of the ramp that was coated with a quarter-inch of paraffin.

That didn't work, nor did scattering dirt to absorb the wax or applying a degreaser.

Workers began making headway after bringing in a hot-water truck and equipment to vacuum the melted paraffin, but the effort stalled when the truck broke down.

Finally, after a second hot-water truck was summoned, the road was reopened shortly after midnight Wednesday.

UNIFIL tanker truck crashes into car in southern Lebanon, killing four - Haaretz - Israel News

2007-07-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

UNIFIL tanker truck Haaretz - Israel News:

UNIFIL tanker truck crashes into car in southern Lebanon, killing four
By News Agencies

Four members of a Lebanese family, including two children, were killed in southern Lebanon on Tuesday when a UN water truck lost control and rammed into their car, police said.

Two Polish soldiers belonging to the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, were slightly injured in the accident on a highway between the villages of Meiss el-Jabal and Houla, near the border with Israel, said a police spokesman on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to reporters.

A third Polish soldier was unharmed.

The spokesman said a father, mother and their 4-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son were killed in the accident.

UNIFIL said in a statement it had begun an internal inquiry to determine the circumstances of the accident.

'UNIFIL Commander Gen. Claudio Graziano is deeply saddened about this tragic loss of life and conveys his sincere sympathies and condolences to the family of the victims,' the statement said.

Poland contributes 200 troops to the 13,000-member UNIFIL. The task of the force, from 30 countries, is to implement a UN Security Council resolution that ended last summer's 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.

Water Truck delivers water picks up Septic

2007-07-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

SitNews - Opinion/Letter: Gravina/Sealaska/Water By Michael Nelson: How fortunate was it that he observed that his water delivery person delivered water to his tank, and then emptied his septic with the same water truck.

Viewpoints Gravina/Sealaska/Water
By Michael Nelson

July 02, 2007
Monday

Greetings from the South Pacific!!

A few days ago, I was standing on a hilltop in Fiji and although it was somewhat warm that day, a cold breeze blew up the hillside and it began lightly raining, and for a moment, I felt like I was back in Southeast Alaska. If nothing else, at least I am back in the Pacific rather than living on the Atlantic seaboard.

I have been reading SitNews daily for news from Southeast Alaska and I have been appreciative of all of the letters people have been writing because SitNews is solidly at the head of the line of allowing readers to be involved in Ketchikan without having to pay a fee to read what the latest headlines are in the First City.

As for the Gravina road issue, I read my friend Jeff Hendrickson's letter and he brings up solid points that I agree with, and I read Laine Chanteloup's letter and it was interesting to read her point of view as somewhat of a newcomer to Alaska. Good writing both of you and solid letters from good people!

As to Sealaska, I agree with Aan Kadax Tseen/Don Hoff. For those Sealaska shareholders who were so anxious to vote for an additional hundred shares of stock for themselves or their family, without working closely with Sealaska to get it right for the Tribal Elders; every time you see one of your Tribal Elders, please personally apologize to them because they are now the true left-outs. It is sad that Sealaska's shareholders have come to this place in history, in which Sealaska's Tribal Elders were symbolically left out in the snow.

Finally, water deliveries. I agree with Amber W-B. Stirring of the tank will cause the water to taste a little brackish, but the water issue reminded me of the days that I lived in Africa. Thankfully, I had a water well with an endless supply of spring water that was tested frequently and had bottled mineral water quality right out of the tap.

However, one of my neighbors in Africa was not as fortunate, as he had to have water deliveries. He was not as lucky as people in Ketchikan are, because one day, one of his children was ill and he had to stay home from work. How fortunate was it that he observed that his water delivery person delivered water to his tank, and then emptied his septic with the same water truck.

Why he never discovered it sooner, and probably his only saving grace that prevented widespread illness to his family was that he had a water distiller running full time at his house. Great things those water distillers, I use one here.

So that is it from Sunny Suva. It is a hot and muggy Sunday afternoon here. All the best.

Michael Nelson
Fiji

Received July 01, 2007 - Published July 02, 2007

About: A former resident of Ketchikan.