Big News

Obese Woman Dragged From Home, Hauled Away After Dying
The Marion County Coroner's Office has come under fire after it was revealed that an obese woman was dragged from her home and hauled away on a trailer in front of family members following her death. Teresa Smith, 48, who weighed 750 pounds, died Tuesday in her apartment on Indianapolis' northeast side. Officials at the scene said that the deputy coroner made the decision to call a towing service to remove the body from the home.

"We debated for quite a while about how we were going to get her out of there and so we finally decided, since we didn't have a van that was large enough to carry her, it was decided between (the police) department and the coroner's office to use (the truck)," said Detective Marcus Kennedy.
Smith's boyfriend and the couple's 13-year-old son, along with several neighbors, watched as Smith's body, still on her mattress, was dragged across the courtyard of the apartment complex, strapped down on the wrecker and covered with a piece of carpet.
"I think they should have handled it differently, putting her on a flatbed like they did. That was like putting a cow up there," said Smith's boyfriend, David Johnson.
Neighbors said they were also disturbed by the ordeal.
"What really got me is when they took her off onto the flatbed, they threw this dirty, dirty carpet on top of her, and I just thought that was so disrespectful," said a neighbor, who did not want to be identified. "I would have never let them throw that on my loved one."
Once on the truck, Smith's body was escorted by police downtown to the coroner's office.
Former Chief Deputy Coroner John Linehan said he was shocked and dismayed that appropriate steps weren't taken to remove the woman from her home.
He said that fire and medical personnel have equipment available for handling patients up to 1,000 pounds and that moving obese individuals is not all that rare of an occurrence.
"When they scoop up dead dogs off of the street they don't treat them that way," he said. "It's just not the way to treat a human being."
Chief Deputy Coroner Alfarena Ballew told Rinehart by phone Wednesday that a flatbed truck has been used in other occasions to move obese individuals. She said the office is now looking for a way to transport Smith's body from the morgue to the funeral home.
The Indiana State Coroner's Association said it has no specific recommendations to handle extremely obese people. The decision is left up to each county.

Coffin 'too big' for crematorium
A woman has had to be buried after council officials ruled her coffin was too big for cremation.
Falkirk Council said that despite Betty Wilson, 79, losing both her legs to diabetes, the width of her coffin exceeded the limits of their cremator.
The decision has been criticised by Mrs Wilson's daughter Liz, who has called for facilities to be bigger.
The council said its crematorium could accommodate coffins up to 28in wide, 81in long and 22in deep.
Mrs Wilson died at Bonnybridge Hospital on 25 April after suffering from a heart condition.
She had expressed a wish to be cremated in Camelon, not far from her home in the town's Fairlie Street.
However, family members were told by undertakers, Co-op Funeralcare, that a specially-made coffin would have to be created for Mrs Wilson and that it would not fit into the cremator at Camelon.

'Family requests'
A spokeswoman for the undertaker said: "The family were advised to go to South Lanarkshire where there is a larger facility. However, they decided that they would prefer a burial."
Mrs Wilson's daughter Liz told the Falkirk Herald she was stunned that her mother would not fit into the crematorium.
She told the paper: "We're always hearing that people are getting bigger so they should be thinking of these things and not upset family members in this way."
A Falkirk Council spokeswoman told the BBC Scotland news website that in the past 25 years the issue had affected five funerals.
She added: "We strive to accommodate family wishes at what can be a very distressing time.
"Unfortunately in particular circumstances the cremators are unable to accommodate family requests for this service.
"The three cremators have been in place since 1997 and undertakers are aware of the dimensions of our facilities."
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Firefighter Dies While Responding To An Emergency Run

Posted May 25, 2009 EST

Massachusetts - Chief Richard Pierce regretfully announces the Line of Duty Death of twenty one year veteran Firefighter Paul J. Roberts. Firefighter Roberts was a dedicated firefighter and family man. He will be remembered for his quiet, good nature and his unforgettable smile. Firefighter Roberts touched many lives during his time with the Beverly Fire Department and his presence will be sorely missed.
The thoughts and prayers of all of us at the Beverly Fire Department are with his family at this most difficult time.
The Beverly Fire Department is a career department located on the North Shore of Massachusetts. The Department employs 65 Firefighters and Fire Officers as well as 6 full time professional Fire Alarm Operators that staff the Fire Alarm Office.

Written and photos by Beverly Fire Department

Courtesy of Beverly Fire Department

Just Passing Though

From the AP:
A man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for driving his car through Wichita's City Hall. Marcus Johnson, 33, also was ordered Wednesday to pay $142,000 in restitution. He pleaded no contest to criminal damage to property, making a criminal threat, and battery of a law enforcement officer.
Prosecutors said that Johnson became enraged when police told him to turn down his car music in January 2008 and said he would crash into City Hall.
He then drove downtown and through the front doors of City Hall. The car continued past the elevators and crashed into security at the west end of the building.
Johnson asked for leniency Wednesday and told the judge that he was hearing voices that night.

Such is that life

 

I recently asked my friend's little girl what she wanted to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be President some day. Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her, 'If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?'   She replied, 'I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people.'   Her parents beamed.   'Wow...what a worthy goal.' I told her, 'But you don't have to wait until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out.  You can give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house.'   She thought that over for a few seconds, and then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, 'Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?'   I said, 'Welcome to the Republican Party.'   Her parents still aren't speaking to me

WORKING CAR FIRE...HOOD STRUT EXPLODES... Firefighter IMAPLED!

WORKING CAR FIRE...HOOT STRUT EXPLODES...Firefighter IMAPLED!

Sunday, May 17, 2009  Friendship Fire Company of Bressler/Swatara Township, PA. E41 arrived at a routine engine compartment fire which quickly changed. A line was stretched and crews worked to open the hood. A hood shock exploded and impaled FF M. Ofak in the right knee. E...  [  more  ]  

 

http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/

A Pennsylvania Firefighter was IMPALED by a heated and exploding HOOD STRUT while operating at a car fire. In this most recent "hood strut projectile" event, which happened in Swatara Township (PA), Firefighters from the Friendship Fire Company of Bressler last week arrived at a "routine" engine compartment fire which quickly changed from being routine.. A line was stretched and crews worked to open the hood...while operating, a hood shock exploded and impaled a FF in the right knee. EMS treated and transported him to an area trauma center where he was treated and spent the night. He luckily escaped without major injuries from the incident and is expected to make a full recovery.

Firerescue1 - "Over Aggressive Attacks on Car Fires" - feature story - CLICK HERE

From the USFA

Lights and Siren Response

Posted by U.S. Fire Administration

The use of warning lights and sirens on fire and EMS emergency vehicles is a basic component of emergency response and patient transport in this country. Over the past several years, the effectiveness of this long-standing tradition in affecting patient outcome or decreasing property or financial loss has come into question. What is known is that the majority of emergency vehicle crashes occur when warning lights and siren are in use. Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of on-duty firefighter fatalities.

Many fire and EMS departments in the United States have developed policies aimed at reducing the amount of responses using emergency warning lights and sirens. These departments have implemented priority dispatching systems that identify the risk involved (or even the potential of risk) and have assigned a response based on this. As a result, an incident such as a trash container fire not threatening nearby structures or an EMS call for a minor injury, might not require a lights and siren response. Other departments have instituted programs for automatic alarm response where only the first due apparatus responds using lights and sirens.

It is common practice for members of volunteer fire and EMS departments to respond to the station (and, in some instances, to an incident location) using their private vehicles (POV). Many States allow volunteer members to equip their POV with emergency lights and sirens while other States allow for “courtesy” lights (which convey no emergency status such as requiring other motorists to provide the right of way). For those volunteer fire and EMS departments that allow this practice, response with emergency and/or “courtesy” lights and/or sirens can be an issue as a POV is the leading vehicle involved in on-duty firefighter deaths resulting from vehicle crashes.

What is your department doing related to lights and siren response? Is every response done using lights or sirens? Has your department developed policies reducing the use of lights and sirens? What are they and are they working?

If you would like to learn more about USFA’s emergency vehicle safety efforts, including research in the areas of warning lighting and vehicle visibility and conspicuity, please visit our Web site.

http://blog. usfa.dhs. gov/2009/ 02/lights- and-siren- response. html

Reminder – Use the vehicle to block

Fire truck Rear-Ended on Freeway

THIS ACCIDENT INVOLVING SAN DIEGO Engine 31 took place in April, but the exact date is not given.  The engine was stopped and strategically positioned while the crew was extinguishing an auto fire.

The videographer was traveling behind the Volvo that is pictured and witnessed it driving into the rear of the parked apparatus at full speed without ever applying its brakes.  The rest of the story is narrated on the video.  It was not reported on by the mainstream news sources as far as we know.

ON AFG Funding

The recent news about Obama’s funding for the Safer and AFG grants seems against what he has said about “Yes we Can” speeches. Why would someone cut the findings main areas and place it into where it benefits career departments over the volunteer departments. In the last survey, the volunteer fire service is making a strong showing. About 87% percent of fire departments registered in the national census are predominantly volunteer (70.6% all volunteer and 16.2% mostly volunteer), according to Alex Furr,  director of the USFA National Fire Data Center. Furr said 8.5% of the registered departments are career departments and 4.7% are mostly career departments.  The safer grant is all fine and well for career departments with only 5% going to recruitment and retention for the volunteers.

Seems one sided. While there is no doubt that the safer grants will allow municipalities to staff jobs, then you have to remember they have to fund these jobs after the safer grant runs out. It that when the cuts will come again for those departments. Seems that if the majority of fire departments are volunteer than it would seem that the money should go towards perks for the volunteers by tax breaks, compensation for training etc.

Here is what the NVFC is saying President Proposes Dramatic Reduction in Funding for Firefighter Equipment, Training and Apparatus

Firehouse posted this story DHS Secretary Cites Firefighter Input in Reducing AFG Funding

More On Engineered wood Products

SPECIAL REPORT: HIDDEN RISK - TJI BEAMS

Credit to www.firefighterclosecalls.com

  

 

 

 

 

 

Common building material found in homes all over Central Indiana may present a potential danger if it catches fire. The material is an engineered wood I-joist. National researchers have linked the joists to the deaths of three firefighters, including one Hoosier.
Deputy Chief Steve Smith of Tippecanoe County died after the floor beneath him collapsed in a burning home. His partner that day, Bryce Baskett, said the floor was very hot and they knew it was losing strength very fast. The Wea Township Fire Department had never lost anyone before that day in June of 2006.
Firefighters are taught that -- to survive -- they must "know the enemy." Attorney Cy Gerde calls the engineered wood “the enemy.” He studied the Smith case as the lawyer for the Tippecanoe County town of Shadeland. The town passed an ordinance regulating the use of the material because its firefighters, near Wea Township, had personal concerns about Smith's death.
Gerde said engineered wood is a great material, as long as it's not burning.
But, he said, “At 572 degrees for 10 minutes or less, it just becomes sawdust.”
That’s why the Fishers Fire Department agreed to run a test. It placed a piece of traditional 2x12 lumber next to a comparably-sized I-joist. Next, firefighters put plywood on top of both -- to represent a floor -- and concrete blocks atop the plywood to simulate furniture. The firefighters knew what to expect when they ignited the contraption.
Public Information Officer Ron Lipps, referring to the thinner I-joist, said, “It’s going to burn faster and easier than that big piece of wood.”
Lipps’ prediction came true faster than expected. The I-joist in the test curled and collapsed in just three minutes and 29 seconds. While the standard lumber was still solid wood, there was little left of the man-made material.
In a real house fire, the danger comes as flames spread from one joist to another.
Fishers Division Chief Chad Abel said, “Even the ones that aren’t burned through – but are affected by the fire – are now going to collapse. Because when that drops, and the ones in between drop, then those can’t hold the same weight that they once did.”
That’s the tragedy of the Smith family in Wea Township, and of a firefighter’s family in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and of a firefighter’s family in Tennessee.
Cy Gerde said it’s not just a firefighter safety issue. He said homeowners also need to be aware of the potential hazard.
"It's a very real risk to anybody who doesn't know what's in that house. They could die," Gerde says.
Builders have been installing the beams for some 25 years. 24-Hour News 8 contacted 11 builders in Central Indiana, six responded. All six said they use them.
Alan Goldsticker, the president of Ryland Homes’ Indianapolis Division said the I-joists are a “great product.” He said the beams allow builders to create the wide expanses that are so popular in modern homes. Goldsticker said his company -- and his customers -- appreciate the strength of the joists.
"You know when you walk in a house and the floor feels solid? That's in big part because of these I-joists," Goldsticker said.
Goldsticker and some of the other builders 24-Hour News 8 contacted said they were not aware of the fire issue. But he and the industry insist the joists meet all Indiana and other building codes.
“Everything evolves,” Goldsticker said. “So, with any product we've used over the years, if you've been in the business for a long time, products change based on how ‘green’ it is, how safe it is, you know, what the value is and what the demand is."
The Smith family is hoping for an evolution in building codes, such as the ordinance in Shadeland. The law said the joists could not be used without a fire retardant, such as a sprinkler system. But the town is not enforcing the ordinance -- deferring to the state to take action, which it hasn't.
Robert Smith, Steve’s brother, said he doesn’t blame anyone for the lack of enforcement. He knows it is a tough time to ask for changes that add to a home's expense.
But, he said, “Knowing now that you could put a price on safety -- that makes me question it."
24-Hour News 8 wanted to ask the Indiana State Fire Marshal about the fire safety issue. His office refused repeated requests for an interview. Instead, the office released a statement saying, among other things, don't go back into a burning home (read the entire statement below).
Beyond that, home sprinkler systems would be an important addition to enhance safety. But, that's easiest for new construction.
Firefighters and the I-joist industry said homeowners can add gypsum board or drywall over joists.
The industry said the additions will, "dramatically improve residential fire safety."
Also, firefighters say a fire escape ladder is a good idea for each upstairs bedroom -- no matter what's holding up your floor.

Statement from the Indiana State Fire Marshal:
The Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office, part of the Indiana Department
of Homeland Security (IDHS), fully supports the important work of Indiana’s heroic firefighters. They risk their lives every day for public safety.
Firefighters are integrating new information into fire fighting strategies continually. They need to constantly be aware of changing circumstances in building materials, assess any fire and structure on a case by case basis and respond accordingly.
Any member of the general public is advised to exit a burning structure immediately. Don’t return.

- James Greeson, Indiana State Fire Marshal

News this week – Close calls

Chicago Firefighter Fall Through Floor - MAY DAY!

from www.firefighterclosecalls.com news

Chicago Firefighter Fall Through Floor - MAY DAY!

Friday, May 15, 2009

Three firefighters were temporarily trapped inside the basement of a burning Englewood building early Friday on the South Side.
The fire started about 3 a.m. in a two-story, mixed-use building at 7244 S. Ashland Ave. and was quickly elevated to a still-and-box alarm, Fire Media Affai...  [  more  ] 

MAYDAY AND A CLOSE CALL IN BUFFALO

from www.firefighterclosecalls.com news

MAYDAY AND A CLOSE CALL IN BUFFALO

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Buffalo Firefighters had some tense moments putting 2 structure fires. Smoke and fire was showing from the windows when firefighters arrived around 0100. The two structures are only two feet apart. The fire was between the two buildings, and burning the roof. People living in one of the home...  [  more  ]  

DAYTON, OH FIRE APPARATUS CRASH

from www.firefighterclosecalls.com news

DAYTON, OH FIRE APPARATUS CRASH

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

A Dayton firefighter is under investigation after the fire truck he was driving hit a car. It happened at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Weaver Street Monday morning.
The district chief said his firefighter had his lights and siren activated and looked both way at the sto...  [  more  ]  

Senator Sanders Introduces Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Support Act

Senator Bernie Sanders (D – VT) has introduced the Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Support Act of 2009 (S. 882) to promote retention and recruitment of volunteer emergency responders. The bill would authorize federal matching funds to state and local governments or nonprofit associations that provide benefits to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel.

“I’d like to thank Senator Sanders for introducing this important piece of legislation,” said National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “Retention and recruitment are the most significant issues facing the volunteer fire and emergency services today and it is important that the federal government support ongoing efforts at the state and local level to address these challenges.”

The number of volunteer firefighters in the country has decreased by about eight percent over the past three decades, even as the number of residents in communities protected by volunteer firefighters has increased. Additionally, approximately 50 percent of volunteer firefighters today are over the age of 40 compared to just 36 percent 25 years ago.

Under S. 882, the federal government would reimburse entities that fund benefits for volunteer emergency responders such as service award programs, travel and training reimbursement, health insurance assistance, life insurance, tuition and school loan forgiveness, and property tax reductions.

“Some states and local governments already provide these incentives, but, unfortunately, many communities that rely on volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, particularly in rural and low-income areas, cannot afford these benefits,” Sanders said. “This bill aims to support the best of what local fire companies want to do and what they know will work for them to attract and keep volunteers.” 

Links:

 OpenCongress - U.S. Congress - S.3676 Volunteer Firefighter and ...

S.3676 Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Support Act of 2008 on OpenCongress. ... US Congress: S. 3676, The Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Support Act of 2008. ...

Vol. FF EMS Support Act of 2009 - CafeMom

`(2) REPORTS FROM THE SECRETARY- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Support Act of 2009, ...

Sunday night at the Hickory Ridge Apartments in Peoria

Vehicle fire spreads to apartments: Sunday night at the Hickory Ridge Apartments in Peoria. Things get quite interesting for neighbors at about the three-minute mark. Click here for what it looked like in daylight.

What happening Monday May 11, 2009

Firefighters rescue man trapped in burning house
NJ.com, NJ
... determined to be unlivable due to extensive damage on the first floor. The three residents were transported by the Red Cross to East Orange's Ramada Inn. Williams said Monday that arson investigators still did not know the cause of the one-alarm fire.

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Scranton burn victim identified
Scranton Times, PA
Joseph Nadzan, 47, of 505 Linden St., was taken to Community Medical Center with burns to his hands, face and body and later transferred to the Burn Center at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Fire Chief Tom Davis said today. The two-alarm fire at ...

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North Lincoln High School Evacuated Due to Fire
The Lincoln Tribune
By Jason Saine & Melany Dawn Crouse LINCOLNTON - Area fire departments responded to a three alarm fire at North Lincoln High School earlier this afternoon. Firefighters from Pumpkin Center, Denver, and Boger City responded to the fire with four fire ...

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2-Alarm Fire on Old
MyFox Austin
LOCKHART - A 2-alarm fire happened Monday morning on Old Lockhart Highway just south of the city limits. A neighbor called 911 just before 1 am Monday morning to report fire in a neighbors garage. Firefighters believe that the fire had been burning in ...

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Two alarm fire at Prudential Steel
660 News, Canada
There was a two alarm fire at the Prudential Steel in Foothills Industrial Park, this morning that was brought quickly under control by Calgary fire crews. The fire department's Jeff Budai tells 660News, the fire started in an eleven meter deep pit ...

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Arundel Digest
Annapolis Capital, MD
ARNOLD - A three-alarm fire broke out in an apartment building early yesterday morning, forcing residents in 200 units to evacuate, county Fire Department officials said. Firefighters were called to 640 Bellerive Drive for an activated alarm at 6:45 am ...

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12-Year-Old Boy Dies in Southwest Phila. House Fire
KYW1060.com, PA
by KYW's Al Novack A fast moving, one-alarm fire has killed a 12-year-old in the city's southwest. A second child was under observation at Children's Hospital. Three adults, an unidentified man and two women, managed to escape the blaze. ...

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5 Buildings Damaged In Newport Fire
WLWT, OH
NEWPORT -- Firefighters from around the Tri-State were called to fight a four-alarm fire in Newport Monday morning. The fire started at about 1:00 am Monday in a vacant garage at 10th and Isabella streets, but quickly spread to four other structures. ...

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Fast Moving Fire Claims 3 Homes Overnight
WCPO, OH
In all, the four alarm fire destroyed four structures: the garage, two homes and the multi-family building. Firefighters from Newport, Southgate, Dayton and Covington all responded to battle the flames. No one was injured, but the Red Cross estimates ...

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3-Alarm Fire In Hull Believed To Be Suspicious
WBZ, MA
Read more in our Privacy Policy The three-story home started burning around 1 am at 10 Malta St. The three-alarm fire in Hull that left 10 families homeless is believed to be suspicious. The three-story home started burning around 1 am on Sunday at 10 ...

Injuries reported in Lockport High School incident

WBBM780 - ‎5 hours ago‎

Eight to ten ambulances were sent to the scene as part of a box alarm response, according to a Lockport firefighter. Nine students and a staff member were ...

In The News

Explosion in Forestville, MD: The image above shows the positions of three of the firefighters as debris begins flying and a fireball tears through stores at the Penn Mar Shopping Center. A fourth firefighter had just walked through the door into the building. Only two of eight injured firefighters remain hospitalized from Thursday's explosion and they are in good condition. We now have a cleaner copy of the explosion video, fireground audio, a series of still images showing the firefighters' positions, a list of injured firefighters and a lot of new details. Click here for our coverage.

You have to see the pictures: Salt Lake City has its first female battalion chief. The 7-year-old son of Rosemary Ellis pinned the badge on mom. But it is what dad, a captain with another fire department, did that will make you smile. Click here to see the pictures and read the story.

Huh?: We have heard the stories about firefighters falling to discover dead bodies in burned out cars and homes, but this is a new one. A man in Fort Wayne, Indiana claims he woke up in a car lot, in the back seat of his car after it had been towed there following a vehicle fire. Yes, he is claiming the firefighters failed to find a live body in the car. Is anyone buying this? I am not making it up. Check it out for yourself.

Well, that's one way to rob a bank: Police say an assistant bank manager set fire to money in the vault to cover his tracks. He got caught and it probably didn't help that he locked his keys inside the bank. Click here to read the story and here to watch it.

Fired assistant chief gets support: In Albany, Georgia an assistant chief was fired when he sent firefighters to clean out his aunt and uncle's basement after a flood. Now supporters are trying to help him get his job back. Click here.

Demand that a captain be fired: You may recall the story of a Houston fire captain discovered with a noose in his locker. Some community groups want the captain gone. Read the details and watch the story.

Andy Fredericks Training Days: The registration deadline is here for the event honoring the FDNY and former Alexandria, VA firefighter. Click here for the details.

Pucker factor here - Near-Rollover In Pennsylvania

 

A DELAWARE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, FIRE ENGINE WENT OFF THE ROAD and stopped just short of rolling down an embankment this morning.

Philly Fire News staff photo

The pumper was responding to an auto accident on I-95 and was traveling down an on-ramp when it went over the guard rail around 10:30 am.  The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, but there was no report of any other vehicles being involved.

Three firefighters were on board, one of them is reported to have suffered lower-back injuries and has been transported.

WTXF-TV Ch. 29 has this video report:

At noontime the northbound traffic on I-95 was still being diverted to a detour while preparations are made to try and retrieve the pumper safely.

The Delaware County Daily News has the latest REPORT.
Philly Fire News has more and a photo gallery HERE.

Fire apparatus hits A Van

Good reminder to drive carful out there. No back ground info on this but a good reminder to drive safe and defensively.

As Pete Seeger turns 90, his songs remain timeless

I am a couple of days late on this, but Pete Seeger turned 90. If you don’t know him, you should know his songs. Agree with him or not he is an American jewel!

"This Land Is Your Land" Like Woody Wrote It ~ truthout

At the conclusion of today's concert for president-elect Barack Obama 89-year-old Pete Seeger joined Bruce Springsteen for a sing-along with perhaps half a million people of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," which I dare say practically everyone in the country knows from childhood.

But sly old Pete, who actually hoboed with Woody during the Depression and Dust Bowl, had the crowd sing the song as it was actually written, as not only a celebration of this great land, but as a demand for workers' and people's rights. That is, he restored the verses that have been censored from the song over the years to make it less political.(lyrics after the jump)

** As Pete Seeger turns 90, his songs remain timeless

Odd news For a Monday

Bathroom Emergency:

Toilets Cushion Plane Crash

The pilot of a small airplane was able to walk away after its crash landing was cushioned by a bunch of portable toilets near Tacoma, Wash.
Gary Mayor of the Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna 182 crashed shortly after 3 p.m. Friday as it was taking off from Thun Field, an airfield owned by Pierce County southeast of Tacoma.
Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer says the plane was about 150 feet in the air when the engine quit. He tells The News Tribune that the pilot, the only person on board, tried to turn around to land, but didn't quite make it.
The plane hit a fence, flipped over and landed upside down on top of the portable toilets, which were in a storage yard just northwest of the runway.
Several of the toilets were toppled, but a damage estimate and the pilot's identity weren't immediately available.

Woman woken by leaking corpse
A Modesto woman had to move out of her apartment when something horrible happened to her neighbor. Her upstairs neighbor died and no one knew for days... until she experienced it firsthand. "It's been a total nightmare," says Sylvia Pena, Modesto resident. "I was sleeping on the couch... I was awakened by some drops that hit my face... I thought I was drooling," explained Sylvia. It wasn't drool or water dripping from her ceiling. The drippings? Bodily fluids from the upstairs apartment. Her neighbor had died... his corpse sat there rotting, he was dead for days. The autopsy report found the 34-year old "likely overdosed"... His body was "moderately to severely decomposed." And over time, the decomposition allowed bodily fluids to leak, onto his floor, through the ceiling, eventually onto Sylvia and her things.
A biohazard team removed furniture and deodorized the place. But she says the smell of death lingered. It already had seeped into clothes, bedding and her mattress. She turned to her rental insurance company to get her pungent- smelling property replaced. They put her up in a hotel for two weeks until she could move, but they refused to replace the contaminated contents. "Because my policy doesn't cover something so bizarre as this," says Sylvia. They sent her this letter, reading: "Unfortunately, the blood and bodily fluid damage to your contents is not one of the 17 named perils covered in your policy." Perils like fire or lightning, windstorm, falling objects, even aircraft is covered but not bodily fluids. Farmers Insurance is now considering a national change to its policy.... adding "bodily fluids from death" as one of the perils they cover.

Two men eat brother’s body to conceal murder
Two men, aged 23 and 28 have killed and eaten their elder brother in the South Siberian city of Perm, the Life.ru web-site reported Wednesday.
According to the report, the crime was uncovered by pure chance – one of the criminals went to the police and asked for a written confirmation of the disappearance of his relative (a document necessary for inheritance rights to come into force). He said that his elder brother had left home and never came back. However, the policemen became suspicious as the alleged disappearance had taken place several months before the report.
Investigators searched the area around the brothers’ home and found a human head and remains of a corpse. Forensic tests revealed that these were the remains of the missing man.

USPS etter carrier was delivering more than mail
A 43-year-old U.S. Postal Service mail carrier was arrested while on her rounds Thursday, then charged with possessing and selling drugs. Agents found 7.57 grams of meth packaged for sale, prescription drugs, documentation of sales, packaging material and a glass smoking pipe in her vehicle.
SCINTF agents later searched Crabill's home in Yreka, where they found 34.8 grams of methamphetamine, packaging materials, hypodermic syringes, smoking pipes, a drug scale and documentation of sales.
Crabill was booked into Siskiyou County Jail on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine for sale, possessing drug paraphernalia, transporting methamphetamine, maintaining a household for the purpose of selling a controlled substance and possessing Vicodin and Oxycontin.

Volunteer loses job over missing work while on emergency call. Iowa firm had given permission for absence, but changed rules

For a while Heath Omar had an employer that was very flexible about Omar's work as a volunteer with Hiawatha Fire Rescue in Iowa. According to an article by Adam Belz of The Gazette, Clipper Windpower agreed when Omar was hired in August 2007 to allow the firefighter to leave his full-time job to respond to emergency calls.

Belz cites an Iowa Unemployment Insurance Appeals decision that indicates Clipper modified the arrangement last September when Omar missed a shift due to illness but failed to make proper notifications.

FF Heath Omar, from Hiawatha Fire Rescue website

Still, the firm apparently agreed to let Omar arrive late if he was out on a call at the start of his shift. From Belz's article:
Also, Omar's superiors knew he could not call to report his absence while he was driving an emergency vehicle.
On Nov. 3, Omar responded to an emergency call in the morning and "reported his tardiness as soon as he could," Scheetz wrote. He arrived to work an hour late, worked a full day and was fired at the end of his shift.
Clipper later laid off some 90 employees in January, many of them at the company's Cedar Rapids plant.

The administrative law judge handling the case ruled in Firefighter Omar's favor.

There was no comment from any of the parties except Chief Mike Nesslage, Hiawatha Fire Rescue. Chief Nesslage told the reporter, "I see a decline in employers and others in general in their patience for volunteer firefighters. I think in an urban area it's worse. They don't think about it. They just assume those services are there and they don't really think about where they come from."

Tire recycling plant could burn for days. Story from Knoxville, TN.

 

Photo to WBIR-TV by Rob Christenson

Watch story from WBIR-TV (or here)

From WBIR-TV:

A layer of melted rubber has formed a crust over some flames inside Mac's Tire Recycling Center at 1407 Boruff Road in East Knoxville. Firefighters said it could take several days to remove the layer and attack the fire that remains underneath.
Firefighters have also knocked down a wall on the western side of the facility. The opening will be used as a new entrance for firefighters who are fighting the biggest flames. Those are located in the eastern portion of the recycling center.
A cloud of thick smoke could be seen for miles when the fire broke out around 7 p.m. Thursday.
The 10,000 sq. ft. building was covered with flames.
KFD said a lot of tires, used to make rubber mulch, were inside the building.

Photo by KFD spokesman D.J. Corcoran

No employees were inside the facility when the building caught fire.
Firefighters are urging nearby homeowners to stay inside if the smoke blows in their direction.
KFD Spokesperson D.J. Corcoran said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but another fire at the same facility nearly five months ago could help them find answers.
"That fire [in January] was caused by a grinder. Rubber is ground up and builds on working parts of machinery and the rubber got hot and caused the fire that night," said Corcoran.
There was also a large tire fire last May in North Knoxville. The business at that site was also run by a company called Mac's Tire Recycling. We have not been able to confirm if the two businesses are connected.

Photo by KFD spokesman D.J. Corcoran