Firefighters & Arson....once again folks

[NJFFSA16]

I'm getting a little tired of seeing this in the news..how about you?

Three firefighters, one other person charged with arson

(Philadelphia-AP) -- Three volunteer firefighters and a fourth
person are charged with setting three fires in Northampton County
that caused nearly $200,000 in damage.
The firefighters worked for Tatamy Volunteer Fire Department
near Easton. State police said today that one of them set the fires
in June and July and the other three suspects served as drivers,
lookouts or other accomplices.
All four suspects were charged with arson, risking a catastrophe
and related offenses. They were released today on unsecured bail.
Police say 18-year-old firefighter Thomas Luther Howey Junior of
Easton set the fires using a liquid accelerant and a lighter.
Police say the alleged accomplices are two other 18-year-old male
firefighters and Howey's 19-year-old female cousin.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

By the way...what exactly is "risking a catastrophe?"...George?

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

By the way...what exactly is "risking a catastrophe?"...George?

It may be similar to a crime we have in NJ called Causing or Risking Widespread Injury or Damage.

If you set a fire (or do some other things) that puts 10 or more dwellings,a building normally containing more than 50 people, or 50 people in danger of damage, death or serious bodily injury, it is a crime. It's a lesser degree if it is a risk, instead of the damage actually occurring.

[Temptaker]

NJ Thank you once again for the story.

George Thank you for enlightening us as to what "risking a catastrophe" may possibily be.

I don't understand why this keeps happening. I was talking to someone about it the other day, asking about psych testing and the like. I can understand how smaller vollie depts can't afford to do it, but aren't these tests fairly standardized? Is there not some way that the bigger depts could pass the equivalent information and/or tests down to the smaller ones?

I understand that it is getting harder to retain recruits. That is VERY unfortunate, and I haven't the slightest clue how to fix that, but would you rather have guys you can depend on, or people just to fill the seats?

Why not make an example of them? Whether FT/PT paid or vollie, it really doesn't make a difference. The fact of the matter is they are risking the lives of other people, not just other firefighters, and they should KNOW the destructive capability that a fire has. If they don't then training has failed somewhere.

I don't see the 'Brotherhood' in these individuals. They have little or no concept of what that means. Personally I would give my last red cent to see them have to stand trial before a jury of their "peers", not everyday Jo citizen, but their actual "peers" firefighters, and arson investigators. Throw into the mix police, EMT's, or any other medical personnel that have to work burn victims. People who will grasp the scope of the destructive capability of the fire that these guys seem to think is so much fun to play with. It isn't that I don't think the general public wouldn't convict, but most people like to be kept in the dark. They don't really want to know what happens at a fire, what happens to victims etc., they want a nice news story that says everyone got saved, but don't really want to look at the ramifications of 'what could have happened'. Prosecute definitely, but use people on the jury who have a concept of what fire can do, so an appropriate sentence can be handed down. There is little point in slapping them on the wrist and saying 'Oh you wont do that again now will you?' Make an example and maybe it will stop!

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

I can understand how smaller vollie depts can't afford to do it, but aren't these tests fairly standardized?

How can they afford NOT to do them?

[NJFFSA16]

Story slugged MT, details somewhat slim

Firefighter says he didn't set blaze

(Columbus-AP) -- A volunteer firefighter pleaded innocent to
setting a fire that damaged a quarter block of Columbus.
Cole Joseph Wilson -- 18 years old -- faces a felony arson
charge and 20 years in prison. He told the court he did not commit
the crime.
But police say Wilson already admitted starting the fire that
burned down two stores and two apartments. And they plan on using
that confession as evidence.
Prosecutors say Wilson also admitted starting a few other fires
in Columbus over a one-week period.
Bail was set at 50-thousand-dollars by Stillwater County
District Court Judge Blair Jones.

(From: Judy Slade, ktvq)

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[NJFFSA16]

And in other news........
______________________________ __________________

GREENWOOD, S.C. (AP) - A former volunteer firefighter and an
applicant for a similar position have been charged with arson in
connection with seven suspicious fires here during the past eight
months, authorities said.
Former volunteer firefighter Antwain Sales, 23, has been charged
with five counts of second-degree arson and two counts of willfully
burning lands of another, according to arrest warrants.
Michael Carson, 18, has been charged with two counts of
second-degree arson, and Donnie Hurley, 19, with second-degree
arson and two counts of willfully burning lands of another. All of
the men were from Greenwood.
Carson was being considered for a firefighting position at the
time of his arrest, county fire officials said.
Two juveniles, ages 15 and 16, who were enrolled in the fire
department's scout program also have been charged, authorities
said.
Lt. Dan Wideman of the Greenwood County Sheriff's Office said
once investigators determined an Aug. 20 fire was arson they began
looking at other suspicious fires.
"Altogether there were seven suspicious fires, four at
residential structures, two wood fires and one at a business,"
Wideman said.
All of the homes were abandoned.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press.

[Tooanfrom]

What is the ratio of "Vollie" firefighter arsonist's to career "give me the money" firefighters? You have a major problem on your hands--if it takes a "witch hunt"I.E.- psycho tests, lie detector's--or even a witch doctor with a bone thru his nose, to get to these danger to society behind bars--go for it. The sheer cost to the taxpayers will be considerably cut if you can weed these lowlife out early on.

[Temptaker]

How can they afford NOT to do them?

I agree George, they can't. From a monitary point of view there will always be someone who will argue that the funds aren't there. Which is why I posed the question about bigger depts filtering down the same information.

I don't know how it works in the states, but here, I was required to have a record check done prior to my employment, I was also required to have one done for one of the volunteer agencies that I work with. In both instances I had to pay for them myself. The volunteer agency would not allow me to submit the check that I used as a condition for my employment.

So why not say we are volunteer dept, but we REQUIRE you have to have a record check done and cleared BEFORE you can attend any training or calls. Why not approach one of the bigger career depts, who has all the psych testing etc, and say you know what we don't have the funds to send these guys to have these tests done, can you help us out? Why not approach the hospitals and ask them if they would be willing to 'donate' the psych testing? Why not go to the universities and colleges and inquire about psych testing? Hell we have tests that can indicate whether or not someone is trying to 'fake' a psychiatric illness, and you only have to be shown once how to read it to get it. Surely to God the tests that would be required couldn't be that much more difficult. I am nearly positive that if a recruiting officer walked into a psych ward somewhere, asked to see the on call Dr, and explained the situation, that the doc would give him lots of stuff to take back with him. Even if it was just questions that could be asked in the oral interview, that would be better then nothing.

"Ell-Eff-Bee"

I was wondering the same thing, but then you have to take into account the paid-on-call arsonists that do it to jack up their pay check.

Are there actual statistics on the percentage of arson fires that are started by firefighters?

[NJFFSA16]

RAYMOND, Miss. (AP) - A former Raymond volunteer firefighter has
been sentenced to 28 years in prison for starting a fire that
destroyed a church sanctuary.
Gary LaShawn McGee, 27, of Jackson, was convicted of
first-degree arson Friday in Hinds County Circuit Court. Circuit
Judge Bobby DeLaughter also ordered McGee to pay $774,000 in
restitution.
The July 24, 2001, fire destroyed the 150-member Hinds
Independent Methodist Church near Raymond.
Prosecutors said evidence showed McGee purchased charcoal fluid
and a gas match lighter hours before the church went up in flames.
The purchases showed up in a store surveillance video showed. A
receipt for the same two items was found at the scene of the blaze.
McGee could have been sentenced to a maximum 30 years in prison.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

APTV 08-31-02 1109EDT

[NJFFSA16]

(El Cajon-AP) -- A firefighter has pleaded innocent to charges
that he intentionally set five fires that destroyed two homes in
the Julian area earlier this week.
Jonathan Patrick Klausen's attorney entered the pleas to five
arson charges in an El Cajon courtroom yesterday.
If convicted, he faces up to 21 years and four months in prison.
He may face additional prison time if damage by the fires is more
than one (m) million dollars.
Authorities believe the fires were set early Tuesday. They also
destroyed five outbuildings and charred 280 acres of woodland.
Klausen, a firefighter with the California Conservation Corps
since June, was one of about 70 firefighters who live at the La
Cima Fire Camp during the fire season.
He is being held in lieu of 250-thousand dollars bail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 26th.
(San Diego Union-Tribune)

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[NJFFSA16]

Volunteer firefighter charged with arson (Oregon)

(Corbett-AP) -- A volunteer firefighter has been charged with
arson in the small community of Corbett, where a year-long string
of mysterious fires has frustrated the small firefighting force.
Twenty-five-year-old Peter David Traxler was arrested on charges
of arson, reckless burning and burglary and booked into the
Multnomah County Jail.
He was a lieutenant in the volunteer fire department, and had
worked there since he was 18.
Corbett firefighters have battled a series of mysterious fires
that began last October. Fire investigators have long suspected
arson.
Traxler worked out of the Springdale station and is a
third-generation firefighter. Police believe he set at least one
fire that engulfed a construction office.
Traxler's motives are not clear. State police say they are
continuing to investigate.

[NJFFSA16]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A 25-year-old volunteer firefighter has
turned himself in to police and faces six charges of arson and
reckless burning in fires east of Portland.
Peter David Traxler went to Oregon State Police on Friday.
State police have been investigating 21 arson fires since
October 2001, said OSP spokesman Lt. Dale Rutledge. Police say
Traxler is connected to at least six of them and may have been on
the fire lines fighting the blazes with other volunteer
firefighters from the Corbett Rural Fire District.
"Being a volunteer fireman, I would expect he was active in
suppressing (the fires)," Rutledge said.
One of the fires Traxler is charged with setting destroyed an
outbuilding on Aug. 11.
No one was hurt in the fires. Witness statements helped state
police develop Traxler as a top suspect, Rutledge said.
"There's some additional fires (investigators) are looking
at," he said. "We've only made charges on six."
If convicted, Traxler faces up to 20 years in prison on each
charge.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[StayBack500FT]

It's almost like watching the Discovery Channel...when chimps cannibalize each other. These rogue chimps are no more firefighters than terrorists are. They are in it for a thrill....self-seeking monsters that should be tried as traitors. Plain and simple....felons and traitors...that's what they are.

[NJFFSA16]

PERTH, Ont. (CP) - A former firefighter has been charged with
setting three fires, the most recent being this past Monday near
the eastern Ontario community of Almonte.
Gilmour Drummond, 59, made a brief appearance in court Tuesday
to face eight charges relating to the three fires.
Sgt. Kristine Cholette, a provincial police spokeswoman, said
officers were monitoring a man's activities and followed him to a
field just outside Almonte, a town about 50 kilometres west of
Ottawa.
Plainclothes officers say they saw a man light the field on
fire. There were no buildings in the area. The man left and two
officers tried to put out the fire. They were later helped by
firefighters.
The fire was set off County Road 29, the same route where police
believe a dozen barns and two smaller abandoned structures have
been destroyed by arson this year.
Drummond is charged with mischief, arson and possession of an
incendiary device in Monday's fire and in a June 20 restaurant
fire.
He's also charged with attempting arson and possession of an
incendiary device in an Aug. 26 hay fire.
Drummond will remain in custody until Friday, when he will
return to court for a show-cause hearing.
"We're going to stand behind him," Drummond's son Davey said
outside the courthouse on Tuesday.
"This is a bad time for our family and a bad time for our
dad."
The son spoke compassionately of his father's poor health
following a 1997 accident that forced him to quit the fire
department. Drummond injured his right elbow while trying to save a
young couple trapped in an Almonte apartment fire.
"He's had a tough time dealing with everything in life," he
said, adding that his father can't cope with the loss of his
30-year career.
"He's given his heart and soul to the fire department."
arrest. (Ottawa Sun)

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[NJFFSA16]

OTTAWA -- Arson investigators in Lanark County, west of Ottawa,
are re-examining a rash of suspicious fires this summer.
Fifty-nine-year-old Gilmour Drummond, a former volunteer
firefighter, is facing eight charges relating to three suspicious
fires set between June 20th and last Monday.
Drummond, who remains in custody, will be back in court
tomorrow.
Police are reviewing 12 other suspicious fires over the past
three months to determine if more charges are warranted.
Investigators are also waiting for results from the Centre for
Forensic Science in Toronto and still have more evidence that needs
to be examined.
Drummond had been a volunteer firefighter in the community for
nearly 30 years.
He was forced to quit after falling off a ladder during a blaze
that killed a young couple in December 1997. (Ottawa Sun) KRM (from
Broadcast News Ltd.)

[NJFFSA16]

Volunteer firefighter accused of deliberately setting five blazes


(Wilmington-AP) -- According to state fire officials, a
21-year-old volunteer firefighter has been getting a little too
impatient for action on the job.
Brian Hill is accused of deliberately setting five fires in
woods or fields around Farmington dating back to March 19th. All of
the blazes required response by the Farmington Fire Company, where
Hill volunteers.
Officials say among the fires Hill set was a wildfire on August
21st that burned more than 130 acres and took more than 300
volunteer firefighters to extinguish.
Hill, who's from Greenwood, was charged today with one count of
felony reckless burning and four counts of misdemeanor reckless
burning.
He was released on bail after being arraigned at a Justice of
the Peace court in Harrington.


(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[NJFFSA16]

PERTH -- A former volunteer firefighter charged with setting
fires in eastern Ontario has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric
assessment.
Fifty-nine-year-old Gilmour Drummond made a brief court
appearance today in Perth before being ordered to undergo the
assessment at the Royal Ottawa Hospital.
He has been charged in connection with three suspicious fires in
Lanark County this summer.
Drummond's lawyer, Jack Kirkland, hopes his client would have a
minimum 30-day assessment.
But a bed shortage at the hospital will only allow for five
days, with the possibility of more if any beds become free in the
interim.
Drummond was arrested on September 16th and faces charges
relating to a fire set that day.
He also faces charges in connection with a June 20th restaurant
fire and a hay fire set on August 26th. (Ottawa Citizen) NMC (from
Broadcast News Ltd.)

[Temptaker]

Drummond's lawyer, Jack Kirkland, hopes his client would have a minimum 30-day assessment.
But a bed shortage at the hospital will only allow for five
days, with the possibility of more if any beds become free in the
interim.

This is not necessarily the case, if the Psychiatrist determines within that 5 days that commital is necessary, he will be institutionalized. You don't need 30 days to do a psych assessment. The only time I have ever heard of that amount of time being given for an 'assessment' is if there is a concern that the behavior is caused by adverse affects of a medication, or substance abuse. In which case the meds/intoxicant in question would be discontinued, sometimes it takes a lengthy period of time for the residual medication to leave the pts system.

[mtwaites]

This reminds me of the Faranheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, with firefighters causing arson! Ugh.

[StayBack500FT]

We address this topic A LOT in the Forums...my question is when will we see it on the cover of Firehouse Magazine...or addressed in a commentary here at Firehouse.com? If it has, I'm sorry I somehow missed it. For once, I'm not being a wisea$$...it needs to be brought to the forefront of our major publications. This not only ruins our reputation....more importantly...it ruins lives. There are a multitude of examples just in this one thread. Please Webteam...we would like to hear the opinions of the experts that we read here each day. I'd much rather see the problem addressed by our media ahead of Dateline or Geraldo Rivera.

[LadyCapn]

Luckily firefighter caused arson has not been a large "identified" problem here in Ontario.

I do remember reading about this particular case as the fires were going on and the local firefighters being very upset when a Police Officer suggested that they may be looking for a firefighter as the arsonist.

We all hate to think that someone such as ourselves, someone who has committed to prevent fires and save lives as we have could do something like this.

Indepth psychological assessments may be the answer, but is it reasonable to expect smaller poor Departments to carry these out? I agree Stayback, that this issue needs to come out of the closet. We all need to look at the problem as something that is tangible and needs to be addressed. If we can't screen them, maybe we can educate the departments on when to be suspicious and how to address these suspicions?
Let's call on some of the brilliant and crusty minds that prowl these forums. What are your ideas?

[StayBack500FT]

I would love to see it as a Harry Carter commentary..or on the cover of Firehouse magazine. It seems to me that it is both, that important and yes....that big of a problem. Now there's a possible LODD in PA that has some pretty ugly suspicions raised. I will be curious to see the outcome of the investigation.

[LadyCapn]

Actually, looking through the Sept issue of Firehouse, lo and behold there is an article on Arson. Firefighter arson is addressed, but only in a couple of paragraphs with 4 specific examples cited.

I agree Stayback, this deserves a cover story dedicated strictly to Firefighter Arson.

[NJFFSA16]

Volunteer firefighter admits setting apartment building fire

(Camden-AP) -- A volunteer firefighter is facing a five-year
prison term for setting a blaze that severely damaged a Berlin
apartment building.
Ronnie Dawson pleaded guilty yesterday to arson charges as part
of plea bargain with the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. He
admitted setting the fire in his bedroom on April first and then
leaving the building.
No injuries were reported in the blaze, which caused about
60-thousand dollars worth of damage. Authorities haven't said why
Dawson set the blaze.
He's due to be sentenced November eighth.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[StayBack500FT]

Webteam -- Your thoughts???

[StayBack500FT]

I just spotted the proper place to pose my question...my apologies.

[NJFFSA16]

PERTH, Ont. (CP) - A veteran volunteer firefighter faces 15
further criminal charges in connection with five fires that
terrorized a rural area southwest of Ottawa through the summer.
The latest charges claim Gilmour Drummond, 59, of Almonte, Ont.,
is linked to eight of 16 suspicious fires in eastern Ontario's
Lanark County starting June 20.
Drummond was charged Monday with two counts of possession of an
incendiary device, two counts of mischief over $5,000 and two
counts of arson in connection with two fires set on the Snedden
family farm.
Called Mississippi Holsteins, the 180-hectare Snedden dairy farm
had two fires, on July 3 and July 24.
The first destroyed a horse stable - packed with antique farm
equipment - built in the 1830s for guests who stayed at the home
when it served as an inn.
The second damaged an old milking barn. The Sneddens managed to
extinguish that fire after a motorist spotted the first puffs of
smoke.
The Crown also charged Drummond with three counts of arson,
three counts of mischief over $5,000 and three counts of possession
of an incendiary device in connection with blazes on Sept. 8, Aug.
20 and Aug. 4.
After Drummond listened to the long list of allegations, the
judge ordered him returned to the Royal Ottawa Hospital for a
30-day psychiatric assessment.
Undercover officers arrested Drummond on Sept. 16 after some
grass was set afire.
Those flames, extinguished by the officers, made the 16th, and
final, fire in the area.
The 15 charges laid Monday bring to 23 the charges Drummond now
faces.
Drummond was to return to court Oct. 28.
Those who know Drummond say he changed on Dec. 6, 1997, as he
fought his last fire.
The veteran of 30 years of firefighting fell from a ladder while
trying to rescue a young couple trapped in flames in their
apartment above an Almonte thrift shop.
His left arm permanently disabled, he climbed back up and
smashed through a window. The heat melted the face shield on his
helmet.
The couple, college sweethearts Billy Coughlan, 28, and Andrea
Ceolin, 26, died.
His family said Drummond has suffered through crippling physical
and mental anguish ever since that night. (Ottawa Citizen)

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

WATERLOO, N.Y. (AP) -A judge has set the trial date for a
volunteer firefighter accused of igniting a blaze that killed his
wife and four young children.
Seneca County Judge Dennis Bender set Feb. 24 as the date
attorneys will begin selecting a jury to hear the case against Eric
Parsons.
Parsons, 26, of Lodi, was the only family member to escape from
the fire that erupted in his family's four-room house last Nov. 5
in Romulus, 50 miles southeast of Rochester.
He is charged with arson and second-degree murder, which carries
a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison. He denies setting
the fire.
Authorities said a petroleum distillate, possibly kerosene, fuel
oil or lighter fluid, was found spread in various areas of the
house. Parsons' wife, Cheryl, and their children, Erica, 6, David,
4, Eric Jr., 2, and Katelyn, 15 months, died of carbon monoxide
poisoning.
Parsons told police his wife woke him up as fire rolled through
the house. After jumping out a window to create what he called "an
escape route," Parsons said the intense heat prevented him from
re-entering.
He said he tried in vain to get help in the darkened village of
350 people and had to drive five miles at high speed to an
all-night convenience store to summon help.
Parsons' attorney, Robert Zimmerman, has said he would seek to
have the trial moved to another county because of excessive
publicity. District Attorney Richard Swinehart said papers for a
change of venue have not yet been filed.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Bright as a 4 watt bulb....

(Bethlehem-AP) -- A firefighter in Bethlehem (New Hampshire) has
been convicted of torching his car.
Fire Marshal Don Bliss says Derek Brown faces three to seven
years in prison.
Fire marshal investigators were contacted after a suspicious
fire in Brown's car last June. Brown reported he had been the
victim of fires before. He also told investigators he had been
having electrical problems with his car.
Investigators said they found what appeared to be the burned
remains of paper towels stuffed under the damaged dashboard, and no
evidence of electrical problems.


(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[MikeF25]

Hey,

Just a thought on the background check. While it is a
good start it doesn't always mean anything. Maybe it will
turn up clean. These people are, and I am just guessing,
on Fire Dept.s that don't run many fires, and they sit and
listen about the big one that they had before they started and
they want to be the one talking about the big one.

I am proud to be a volunteer firefighter. But, when I read
stuff like this it is no wonder and please don't take this
wrong, the career guys don't respect us. It also makes it
real difficult for a community in general to trust us with
there lives and property. Hopefully this will come to an end.
I agree it is getting to be time to make examples of people soing this

[NJFFSA16]

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A former volunteer firefighter was
sentenced to a year in jail for setting five grass fires last fall.
Burl Weems, 30, must serve 10 percent of the sentence before
being eligible for parole, according to the plea agreement accepted
Friday by Criminal Court Judge James Beckner.
Weems was a member of the Stanley Valley Volunteer Fire
Department for less than six months when he set three fires on Nov.
1 and then two more on Nov. 26, Assistant District Attorney Doug
Godbee said.
Each of those fires was located within the department's service
area and was extinguished by Weems' fellow firefighters.
Weems was suspended from the department when he became a
suspect.
He was originally charged with five felony counts of setting
fire to personal property. Prosecutors agreed to reduce the charges
to misdemeanor reckless fire setting as part of the plea bargain.
"Aside from receiving the blessing of the Department of
Agriculture arson investigator and the victims, the main reason we
agreed to the reduced charges was Mr. Weems' limited mental
capacity," Godbee said. "He received a mental evaluation, and the
results of that evaluation weighed heavily in our decision to
accept this plea agreement.
Rogersville is 58 miles northeast of Knoxville.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Hearing scheduled on Parsons' statements

(Waterloo-AP) -- A hearing has been scheduled in the case of a
central New York man accused of setting the fire that killed his
wife and four young children.
A Seneca County judge will hearing arguments October 25th on
whether prosecutors can use statements Erie Parson made to police
following last November's fire in Romulus.
His defense attorneys say statements Parsons made to police
after his arrest shouldn't be used against him when his trial
begins in February.
The 26-year-old former volunteer firefighter is accused of
deliberately setting fire to his home and killing his wife Cheryl
and their four children, who ranged in age from one to six.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-10-17-02 1053EDT

[NJFFSA16]

Junior firefighter sentenced in lumber yard fire

(Pittsfield-AP) -- A former junior volunteer firefighter has
been sentenced to a year in jail and five years probation for
setting a fire that destroyed a lumber company in the Housatonic
section of Great Barrington.
Eighteen-year-old Darren Hunt of Stockbridge was sentenced
yesterday in Berkshire Juvenile Court. He was 16-years old when the
century-old lumber yard burned.
Before being led off in handcuffs he stood in the courtroom and
apologized to the family that owned the lumber yard and a
contingent of volunteer firefighters from Great Barrington.


(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

DELAWARE, Ohio (AP) - Charges have been dropped against a second
volunteer firefighter suspected along with a co-worker of setting
barn fires in the township where they worked.
Prosecutors asked on Monday that the seven arson charges and one
attempted arson charge be dropped against David Jeremy Miller, 21.
Miller's trial was supposed to begin on Monday. Prosecutors
asked for a continuance, but visiting Judge Richard Parrott of
Union County refused.
Prosecutors then decided to drop the charges because time was
running out on Miller's right to a speedy trial. Those charges
could still be reinstated, said Dane Gaschen, assistant county
prosecutor.
Last week, two arson charges were dismissed against Brandon
Dilley, 20. Prosecutor W. Duncan Whitney said then that Dilley
could be a potential witness in the case.
"The barn fires stopped after both were arrested and charged,"
Gaschen said. "That's the good news out of this."
The two men were indicted in March in the fires that destroyed
six barns in western Delaware County between March and August 2001.
Both live in Ostrander, about 20 miles north of Columbus and
have been volunteers in the Scioto Township Fire Department. Both
had been under electronic house arrest since they were charged.
Wendell Calhoun said he doubts anyone will be punished for
setting fire to his 128-year-old, three-story barn on July 28,
2001.
"It was a terrible, terrible shock ... to have it burned on
purpose," Calhoun said on Monday.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Firefighter pleads guilty in arson case
:mad:

(Charlottesville-AP) -- One of eight former firefighters accused
of helping set wildfires in Albemarle County has pleaded guilty to
reduced charges.
Twenty-one-year-old Christopher Brown pleaded guilty yesterday
to one count of arson and two counts of intentional destruction of
property, as part of a deal with prosecutors that helped convict
another firefighter, 31-year-old Craig Takach, on a related charge.
Brown is a former battalion chief with the Stony Point Volunteer
Fire Department.
Fire investigators reported that some members of the department
were bored and set the fires in 2000 and 2001 so they would have
something to do.
Police initially charged Brown and two others on numerous
counts. The men were accused of suggesting to five junior
firefighters that they set fires.



(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Accused Firefighter Claims Incompetence in Phoenix

............

ASSOCIATED PRESS


PHOENIX (AP) -- A man accused of setting one of two wildfires that merged into a 469,000-acre blaze and destroyed nearly 500 homes this summer claims he is mentally incompetent and unfit to stand trail.

Leonard Gregg, a contract firefighter, is charged with two federal counts of arson and is jailed without bond.

He is accused of lighting a fire June 18 that merged with another blaze to become the largest in Arizona's history. According to court documents, he told an investigator he set the fire so he could get work on a firefighting crew.

The other fire was set by a lost hiker trying to signal rescuers. The hiker wasn't charged.

Gregg's attorney, Deborah Euler-Ajayi, said Gregg ``has many symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome, his mental functioning is very low, he has poor capacity for abstract thinking (and) he functions emotionally as well as intellectually at a very primitive level.''

She also said his confessions should be thrown out because he was incapable of waiving his rights when was arrested. She said he isn't competent to stand trial Jan. 7.

A hearing on Gregg's mental competence was set for Monday. An independent psychological evaluation was sealed.

Euler-Ajayi said she expects Gregg to be referred to a mental health facility for further examination and possibly for treatment to restore his mental capacity. She said it's unclear whether he will plead insanity or rely on a diminished-capacity defense.

Prosecutors declined to comment.

[Ohiovolffemtp]

George,
Were you ever able to establish contact with the NVFC? If so, did anything come out of the conversations?

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

I posted a note on the thread on the volunteer forum that my contact with them is delayed due to a criminal trial that I was the lead investigator in. The trial ended Fri. I expect to contact them next week.

[NJFFSA16]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Two former Glasgow volunteer
firefighters have pleaded guilty to intentionally setting fires as
an initiation for new members of the department.
Andrew W. Keeney, 27, pleaded guilty Monday in Kanawha County
Circuit Court to two misdemeanor counts of setting fires near
Hughes Creek and London in October 2001.
Randy A. Knapp, 20, pleaded guilty Friday to one misdemeanor
count and was placed on six months unsupervised probation.
A third defendant, A. Scott Coleman, 27, has not entered in a
plea.
Danny M. Dalton, former chief of the Glasgow Volunteer Fire
Department, is scheduled to be tried in March on a charge of being
an accessory after the fact. Dalton is accused of trying to conceal
the initiation.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Convicted arsonist arrested in house fire


Saturday, December 28, 2002


By ROBERT STERN


HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP - A one-time volunteer firefighter and convicted arsonist was arrested yesterday for intentionally starting a two-alarm fire that heavily damaged a house on Lambertville-Hopewell Road (Route 518) Thursday.

The suspect, Kenneth F. Bacorn, 38, of Jefferson Road in Lambertville, was charged with arson and additional charges were pending, township police Chief Michael Chipowsky said.

Investigators pegged Bacorn as the arsonist after speaking with the homeowners and a neighbor of the fire-damaged house, he said.


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The neighbor gave police a description of a pick-up truck that allegedly was parked in the driveway shortly before the fire.

The homeowners - Marlon and Celia Bernstein - were vacationing in Florida when the blaze erupted, police said.

But Marlon Bernstein told police that Bacorn was the only person who might have had access to his property during the couple's vacation, Chipowsky said.

Bacorn, a roofing contractor, apparently had been hired by the Bernsteins to do some roof work, he said.

During police questioning yesterday, Bacorn confessed that he set fire to the Bernstein house, Chipowsky said.

Investigators were still trying to determine Bacorn's motivation and how the fire, which began in the garage, started.

It appears, however, that the alleged arson may have followed a recent dispute between Bacorn and the Bernsteins, police said.

Detectives were still interviewing Bacorn last night and further details were not immediately available.

Bacorn's latest arson troubles come 10 years after he was charged with setting four fires in Lambertville and West Amwell in 1992, including one at the headquarters of Lambertville's rescue squad.

At the time, Bacorn had been a volunteer firefighter for 10 years and was president of one of Lambertville's four volunteer fire companies.

He was indicted and convicted of aggravated arson and sentenced to serve up to four years in prison as a result, according to published reports and state Department of Corrections records.

Bacorn served six months in prison on the arson conviction before being released in July 1994, according to the DOC.

Word of the latest arson allegation against Bacorn surprised and saddened retired Lambertville fire Chief Millard Thornton Jr., who remains a volunteer firefighter in that city.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Thornton said last night. "He's a nice guy, but I guess he has a problem."

He said Lambertville fire department regulations have barred Bacorn from rejoining the force because of his earlier arson convictions.

Celia Bernstein is the director of operations for HomeFront, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless families in Mercer County. Marlon Berstein works in real estate.

The couple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Times last night.

Bacorn was being held at Hopewell Township police headquarters last night but was expected to be arraigned and transferred to the Mercer County Correction Center, Chipowsky said.

He credited township police detectives Dan McKeown and Lance Maloney and Detective Gary Wasko of the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office with putting together the clues that led to Bacorn's arrest.

[Gooch26]

I've seen them mentioned many times in this forum and in numerous other ones. My department doesn't do background checks so I have some questions about them. Where do you get them from? What type of information do you get? How usefull is it? What can you do with the info once you get it and can you share it with other agencies? There was also a mention of cost, any idea how much they would cost in PA? I know these are a lot of questions but basically I have no knowledge of them. If I can get enough info about them maybe I can get my own department to start doing them. I would really hate to have one of those discracefull MUTTS make it into my company. We have enough problems as it is. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance, God bless and stay safe.
Randall E. Guntrum FF/E.M.T.

[Tooanfrom]

This Leonard Gregg who now claims his "Lights are on but nobody is at home" after a small blaze of 469,000 acres and 400 plus houses---how in the bloody hell did he convince the local fire service that he was what they needed? It rings as true as a pork pie factory in Tel Aviv,there must be some really gullible people on the selection board---or that they are so desperate that "If it stands up and breathes-put it on the roll call"

[MikeF25]

Just a thought on background checks.

While they are an excellant tool, I would not rely on them
too much. I would venture to say that the people that started
these fires would have a relatively clean background.

Also, you may pass by a great firefighter because of something
he did when he was young. For example I was arrested once for
fighting, should I not be a firefighter because I got into a fight
when I was 17?

Obviously if it has an arson charge on the record you wouldn't want them but just because they have a clean background doesn't meant they
will not be a problem.

But to the question of where to get them around here we can get them from the public safety building, they area about 5 dollars.

Mike

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

There is a general misconception about background checks that I have discussed here many times. That is...background checks are somethign you DO, not something you GET.

Background Invest 101:

1. Have the applicant fill out a comprehensive application which asks for all the details you would be legally entitled to ask a job applicant. Remember, this is every bit a job as anything else.

2. Have the applicant sign a consent to release information so that you can obtain the information from references, employers, past FD's, DL hx., criminal hx. check etc.

3. Have a member or two in your dept. designated to conduct a bacjground investigation. He checks and verifies every pieve of info on the app. He calls the employers and references and solicits information regarding the person's character, as well as verify information.

4. Subject the applicant to a thorough psychological examination by a licensed pyschologist.

5. Sit the applicant down for a face-to-face interview. "The eyes are the windows to the soul".

6. Assign the new member to a senior officer as a training officer. That officer should not let the applicant wipe his butt unless he knows about it. Then, pay attention.

These six simple steps would probably wipe out FF arson.

[eng6gbg]

What everyone has to remember that there are bad people in every profession, ie. crooked cops, priests, etc....

[Ohiovolffemtp]

George,
A couple of questions about the psychological interview:
1. In your experience, what is the approximate cost?
2. What questions does the psychologist ask, or what areas do they
probe that are different from those covered in the interview?
Thanks.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Originally posted by Ohiovolffemtp
George,
A couple of questions about the psychological interview:
1. In your experience, what is the approximate cost?
2. What questions does the psychologist ask, or what areas do they
probe that are different from those covered in the interview?
Thanks.

1. It really will depend on where you have it done. At a county or state clinic, the cost may be minimal. If you have it done at a private practitioner, figure that the two exams that I took to get on two different law enforcement jobs took at least two hours. Multiply that by the prevailing hourly rate in your area will give you a good estimate.

2. It will really depend on what tools the practitioner thinks that he needs to make a judgement. In the exams I took there were several parts.

a) There was a computer program with several hundred logic and personality type questions. The questions included ones that used the same question asked several different ways to guage consistency.

b) There were problem solving questions. However, there were way too many questions for the time alloted. The test was to see how you would solve the problem of how to answer the most questions correctly.

c) There was a portion where you were given a bucket of crayons and big sheets of paper and were asked to draw a picture of a tree, a house and a person. There are several indicators used in evaluating these drawings which could indicate a personality flaw(s).

d) An oral interview. This is probably the most important part. The interviewer puts you under some stress and then solicits answers to questions to check your thought process.

There are other portions of the test that may seem silly to regular people, but can greatky assist the practitioner in determining the mental status and stability of the candidate.

[NJFFSA16]

Man gets maximum sentence for killing family in arson

(Waterloo, New York-AP) -- A volunteer firefighter has been
sentenced to 25 years in prison for starting a fire that killed his
estranged wife and four children.
Prosecutors say Eric Parsons was domineering and violent toward
his wife.
The fire broke out in the Parsons' western New York apartment in
November 2001. Traces of a flammable product were found throughout
the apartment.
Killed were 23-year-old Cheryl Parsons and her four children,
two daughters and two sons between the ages of one and six.
Prosecutors say that even though the fire was consuming his
house, he did not tell a passer-by that his family was trapped.
Instead, he drove five miles to summon help.


(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Voluntary firefighter accused of setting fire to friend's home

(Sunbury-AP) -- A volunteer firefighter already charged with
setting one fire is now also charged in four more arson fires, two
of which were at the home of a longtime friend.
Nineteen-year-old William Barnhart of Sunbury is suspended from
the Goodwill Hose Company. Investigators say he confessed to
setting all of the fires for the thrill of putting them out, but
Barnhart denied the accusation today when asked by a reporter.
Jason Freeman and Rebecca Williamson said they were home when
the first fire happened at their home in March, but they were out
to dinner when a second fire happened last month. The second fire
caused more than 10-thousand dollars in damage. Freeman says he was
shocked that his friend was charged.

(Norm Jones, WNEP-TV)

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

WATERLOO, N.Y. (AP) - A volunteer firefighter drew a maximum
sentence of 25 years to life in prison Tuesday for starting a fire
that killed his estranged wife and their four young children.
Eric Parsons, 28, "has taken himself outside the bounds of
civilized society," prosecutor Robert Mascari said at sentencing.
"This person is a person who should never again live among us."
Parsons appeared to listen attentively as Judge Dennis Bender
condemned his "coldness and callousness" and his mother-in-law,
Joyce Brink, appealed for the harshest punishment. "Because he
decided his family shouldn't live, he shouldn't have a free life
either," she said.
Cupping his chin in his hand, Parsons occasionally looked
downward but wore a blank expression and declined to address the
court. He was convicted in March of arson and second-degree murder.
Witnesses said Parsons had threatened to kill his wife, Cheryl,
if she ever left him and took their two daughters and two sons,
aged 1 to 6. The fire occurred three days after his family moved
into an apartment house in November 2001 in the Finger Lakes hamlet
of Romulus in western New York.
Defense attorney Robert Zimmerman argued that fire investigators
failed to prove that Parsons set the fire. He described Parsons as
the product of a poor, "very physically abusive" childhood whose
father deserted the family when he was 3.
Prosecutors depicted a violent and domineering man who kept his
23-year-old wife in line through repeated verbal and physical
assaults.
They recounted a troubled past, notably an episode a decade ago
when Parsons was seen idly snapping a cat's neck. Years earlier,
after setting fire to a neighbor's house, he boasted "he could
start a perfect fire and nobody would ever know about it," Mascari
said.
Traces of a flammable product, most likely kerosene, were found
throughout the apartment, including on the baby's cot and Cheryl
Parsons' hair and mattress. Particles also were found on Parsons'
car seat and sneakers.
Linoleum burn patterns indicated Parsons escaped through a side
door, which was locked shut, and not through a window, as he
claimed, investigators said.
Parsons was seen quarreling with his wife outside the house the
day before the fire, and as the fire began to consume the house, he
appeared calm and never mentioned to a passer-by that his family
was trapped, prosecutors said. Instead, he drove five miles to an
all-night convenience store to summon help.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[Anyway]

All I can do is shake my head in horrified sadness... All I can say is there are no words to explain how sad this makes me to see this happen.

[NJFFSA16]

BROOKVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Five volunteer firefighters are charged
with a string of arsons and three of them, including the fire
company president, are charged with kidnapping and threatening a
witness.
All are members of the Brookville Volunteer Fire Department,
this borough's only department, which has temporarily shut its
doors. Though not all were involved in all five fires, authorities
said the men engaged in a pattern of arson.
No one was injured in the fires, which were set to four
abandoned or vacant buildings near Brookville between October and
April, and authorities are still searching for a motive.
News of Wednesday's arrests was still spreading through this
small borough, about 70 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, on Thursday.
"This is just a wonderful little town. This has come as just a
shock to everyone," said Ann Mooney, who owns the Forty Something
antiques store a block from the firehouse. She said she did not
know the men.
"Certainly it's the talk of the town," said Brookville police
Chief Ken Dworek. "You can't buy a copy of the morning's paper
anymore."
Dworek, who oversaw the investigation, which involved the state
police, said the arrests were a disgrace and a shame to the many
good volunteer firefighters among the 40 in Brookville's
department.
"We know every one of them in a town like this," he said.
"There's not one of them you couldn't walk down the street and say
hello to."
The doors to the brick firehouse were locked and the lights off
Thursday. Firefighting gear, with a helmet bearing the insignia of
chief, sat on a bench inside the main doors.
Neighboring departments have been handling Brookville's calls,
Dworek said, and council was expected to decide whether the
department should reorganize during a meeting Tuesday.
Dworek said one of his officers was the first to respond to the
third fire, in December, and noticed one set of footprints in the
snow leading into and out of the building. The officer also found a
gas can and began checking area service stations and ultimately
found that someone had recently purchased two gallons of gas.
"There's nobody running lawnmowers in the winter," Dworek
said.
From there, the investigation snowballed and numerous witnesses
began coming forward, including other firefighters, Dworek said.
According to criminal complaints, three of the men - including
Fire Chief Jeffrey Scott Corbin - took one of the witnesses to a
remote camp May 1.
".... he was terrorized to the point that he began to cry, thus
forcing him to admit that he had given the police information that
implicated them as the arsonist," investigators wrote in the
complaint.
Charged on Wednesday with arson, burglary, criminal mischief and
reckless endangerment are: Corbin, 36, Brookville; Ryan Joseph
Rishell, 24, of Brookville, the department president; Wade Joseph
Northey, 20, Brookville, department treasurer and lieutenant;
Dustin Ryan Buzard, 20, Corsica; and Chad Eric Long, 20,
Brookville.
Buzard, Northey and Rishell are also charged with kidnapping,
unlawful restraint and terroristic threats.
Corbin was released on $100,000 bond and the others were being
held in the Jefferson County jail after failing to post $250,000
bond.
A woman who identified herself as Northey's mother declined
comment when reached by phone. Ralph Montana, Northey's attorney,
said he hadn't met with him as of Thursday and knew too little of
the case to comment.
Messages left at the residences of the other four by The
Associated Press and with attorneys believed to represent two men
weren't immediately returned. A telephone message left for the
department was not immediately returned.
As for motive, Dworek could only speculate.
"We know we don't have a pyromaniac. We know we don't have an
insurance job, so we're left with thrill and maybe enhancement of
the individual officers," he said.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[StayBack500FT]

I don't live all that far from Brookville, I am surprised and horrified by what I'm reading. Brookville is a beautiful little town with a very historic look and feel. While my department does not run that far in regard to mutual aid, it is close enough to send a HUGE wake up call to all local fire companies and organizations.


BTW..The FEMA Special Report on FF/Arson is an EXCELLENT read.

[StayBack500FT]

Local link

www.thederrick.com


According to the Derrick six more people may go down.

[NJFFSA16]

Combatting boredom?

Firefighter gets 45 days in jail for setting wildfires
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - A former volunteer firefighter
battalion chief who helped set wildfires to combat boredom has been
sentenced to 45 days in jail.
Christopher Brown, 22, pleaded guilty in November to one felony
count of arson and two misdemeanor intentional destruction of
property charges stemming from a series of brush fires started in
Albemarle County between October 2000 and October 2001.
Brown was one of three adults among eight firefighters with the
Stony Point Volunteer Fire Department accused of setting the fires.
In November, Brown testified against firefighter Craig Takach, 32,
in exchange for having the charges against him reduced.
Takach was convicted of felony arson and sentenced to eight
months in jail.
No one was injured in the fires, but Circuit Judge Paul M.
Peatross Jr. scolded Brown on Friday for violating the public's
trust and endangering the community.
Prosecutors have said the firefighters at Stony Point did not
receive many calls and used combustible material to start the brush
fires to combat boredom. Prosecutors said the five minors involved
started the blazes in lieu of enduring "initiation ceremonies."

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Volunteer firefighter pleads guilty to arson charges

(Corbett-AP) -- A volunteer Corbett firefighter has pleaded
guilty to arson charges, admitting that he intentionally set seven
fires last summer.
Peter Traxler was sentenced to five years in prison and five
years probation. He was also banned for life from serving as a
firefighter in Oregon.
Traxler was a third-generation firefighter.
Prosecutors said Traxler used matches or a lit cigar to set a
series of suspicious fires in the Corbett-area in 2002. Most caused
minor damage; no injuries occurred.
Investigators focused in on Traxler as a suspect after
discovering that he called in reports on many of the fires. And, he
was the first responder to all of them.
Prosecutors believed Traxlers motive was jealously; envious of
his older brother who was offered a full-time firefighting job.

(KGW.com)

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A volunteer firefighter who set seven
fires in the Columbia River Gorge last summer pleaded guilty to
arson charges and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Peter David Traxler, 26, could have spent 23 years in jail and
paid a fine of $415,000, but under a plea agreement he will be
eligible for boot camp after serving two years in prison.
Traxler admitted setting the fires in the Corbett area from July
through September 2002. One of the fires burned a building owned by
a church, causing $25,000 damage, said prosecutor Rod Underhill.
Under the plea, Traxler must repay the church and its insurance
company.
Underhill said Wednesday that investigators began looking at
Traxler as a suspect in a rash of building and brush fires because
he was always the first firefighter to arrive. All the fires had a
similar origin, a lighted cigar or a match.
"He told investigators that he had a lot of stresses in his
life, relationship and family stress," Underhill said. "He had
his reasons, but they don't make any sense."
Underhill said Traxler wanted to become a full-time firefighter,
and may have used the fires to display his skill. No one was hurt
in the fires.
Investigators confronted Traxler about the fires last fall and
he admitted setting them. Since November, Traxler has been living
in his parent's home in Corbett under close supervision.
"It's a relief that it's over," Corbett Fire Chief Tom Layton
said. "It's been a long, drawn-out process and really tough on the
family."
Traxler, a firefighter since 1996, comes from a long line of
volunteers. His father, Capt. Larry Traxler, joined in 1974 and his
grandfather continues to do the department's books.
"Your actions last summer put the people in your community at
risk," Multnomah County Judge Julie Frantz told Traxler. "You
violated the trust that was put in you."

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A former Glasgow volunteer firefighter
was sentenced Monday to six months of unsupervised probation for
his role in arsons that were part of an initiation in October 2001.
Mark A. Daniels and several other Glasgow volunteer firefighters
have plead to throwing lighted materials on forest lands.
Prosecutors have said that a group of Glasgow firefighters
allegedly started a fire by throwing a flare into some brush near
Hughes Creek so that rookie firefighter Daniels could extinguish
it.
Daniels' lawyer Joe Cometti spoke for Daniels during the
hearing, saying the former firefighter was sorry and regretted his
part in the incident.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Originally posted by NJFFSA16
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A former Glasgow volunteer firefighter
was sentenced Monday to six months of unsupervised probation for
his role in arsons that were part of an initiation in October 2001.
Mark A. Daniels and several other Glasgow volunteer firefighters
have plead to throwing lighted materials on forest lands.
Prosecutors have said that a group of Glasgow firefighters
allegedly started a fire by throwing a flare into some brush near
Hughes Creek so that rookie firefighter Daniels could extinguish
it.
Daniels' lawyer Joe Cometti spoke for Daniels during the
hearing, saying the former firefighter was sorry and regretted his
part in the incident.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Initiation? That implies that this was tacitly condoned by this FD.

NJ, can you find any more on this one?

[NJFFSA16]

George...I'm only seeing small blurbs about this case. It's not getting much attention on the AP Wires....and the Charleston Newspaper hasn't had much more.

I'll keep my eyes open....but I don't expect to see a lot about this.

Sounds like the "Good Ole Boys" had a little traditional initiation ritual to uphold....yessir.

[rfcmitch]

This is sick. There is a problem and I think something definitely has to be done. But there is one thing I hate about most of these articles... most state "volunteer firefighter". This is most sickening to me being that, this is what I am. But I don’t think that this matters because volunteer or paid, its all firefighting.

I don’t know, being younger than all of you of course, how to fix it. But for departments to have standards. I know this may be something un-heard of. We have standards where I come from, and it disappoints me that others may not have. TempTaker made a comment way back in the beginning of this thread, and we in Randolph, we don’t accept members to fill in seats. We take in members that we can trust to be responsible, members we can trust with $200,000+ trucks. We rather be short handed and call in mutual aid than wondering what our people are doing.

Very well said people. I just hope that somehow we can make it stop...

[NJFFSA16]

Police say ex-firefighter sent to prison after making arson
threats

(Easton-AP) -- A 19-year-old ex-firefighter who's admitted
setting six fires was ordered to state prison after he allegedly
threatened to torch his neighbor's house.
Thomas Howey Junior had already been sentenced to probation for
his role in the six fires.
But authorities revoked Howey's probation yesterday and ordered
him to state prison for allegedly making repeated threats.
Northampton County Judge Edward Smith sent the former Tatamy
Volunteer Fire Company firefighter to state prison for one to four
years followed by two years of probation.
Howey admitted to setting six fires in northern Northampton
County but was sentenced on April 21st to spend six years on
probation.
Howey's 15-year-old neighbor Angel Lozier testified yesterday
that Howey threatened to harm her and burn down her house on May
Fifth.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

MCDONOUGH, N.Y. (AP) - A fire department lieutenant has been
charged with setting fires that destroyed three seasonal residences
and damaged another.
Michael R. Ingraham, 21, of Oxford was charged with four felony
counts of third-degree arson and was in the Chenango County Jail on
$50,000 bail.
Ingraham, who was arrested Tuesday night, is to appear in
McDonough Court Friday.
His arrest stunned members of the McDonough fire department.
"I'm in shock, to say the least," Chief Michael Beckwith told
the Press and Sun-Bulletin of Binghamton.
Ingraham has been a volunteer firefighter in the 25-member
department for five years, Beckwith said.
Police said no additional arrests are planned in the cases.
Ingraham could face more charges.
The fires, the first of which was reported June 6, were in
remote areas, Chenango County sheriff's Detective Sgt. James Lloyd
said. The blazes damaged buildings used as hunting camps or summer
homes, Lloyd said.
The fires destroyed three structures. The fourth suffered
interior damage before the fire burned out, Lloyd said. He would
not say how law-enforcement officers identified Ingraham as the
alleged arsonist.
The area where the fires occurred, about 40 miles south of
Syracuse, also saw a series of suspicious grass fires in April,
state police investigator Todd Phillips said.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Son of a .......Chief

(Dallas-AP) -- A volunteer firefighter has been arrested on an
arson charge -- allegedly for involvement in more than 40
Dallas-area fires since April.
The Dallas Morning News reports 19-year-old Ernest Lee Maggard
the Third is the son of the fire chief in the Dallas-area community
of Cockrell Hill.
The newspaper reports an arrest warrant affidavit quotes Maggard
as telling one witness -- quote -- "I'm bored. We need to set a
fire so we can put it out."
The fires were set in fields, trash bins and buildings. They
caused minimal damage and no injuries.
Maggard was released after posting five-thousand dollars' bail.
He's charged with first-degree felony arson.
Maggard's father declined to comment. Cockrell Hill officials
say their all-volunteer fire department will be investigated.


(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

DALLAS (AP) - Allegations that a volunteer firefighter set fires
just so he could put them out should be taken seriously, the mayor
of the Dallas-area community of Cockrell Hill said Tuesday.
"You may say, `My goodness, it's only a little grass fire.' But
look at what it can lead to. People can get killed or hurt," Mayor
C.P. Slayton said.
Ernest Lee Maggard III, 19, was arrested on a charge of
first-degree arson and is alleged to have been involved in more
than 40 fires since April, officials said. He is the son of
Cockrell Hill Fire Chief Ernie Maggard Jr. and is a lieutenant in
the fire department.
The elder Maggard suspended his son and two other firefighters
last week. He said Lt. William Gumfory was insubordinate for
refusing to divulge details about an interview he had with arson
investigators from the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department and the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Those agencies are investigating
the fires believed to be associated with Ernest Maggard.
Adabelle Rodriguez, a member of the City Council and the fire
department's treasurer, said firefighter Jason Presley was
suspended because he may have failed to report information about
possible arsons.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Presley told Dallas
investigators that he saw Ernest Maggard give flares and lighter
fluid to two teenagers along with instructions to start a structure
fire, The Dallas Morning News reported in its online edition
Tuesday night.
The newspaper reported an arrest warrant affidavit quotes
Maggard as telling one witness, "I'm bored. We need to set a fire
so we can put it out."
Fires set in fields, trash bins and buildings caused minimal
damage and no injuries.
Cockrell Hill officials said their all-volunteer fire department
will be investigated.
"They'll probably look at the volunteer fire department and see
if it's a systemic problem in the department or if it's an act of a
renegade person or persons," said City Attorney Robert Brown.
Maggard is charged in a June 3 fire that a federal agent said he
witnessed him set in a grassy area at the Santa Clara Catholic
Church in Dallas, just outside Cockrell Hill, the affidavit said.
He was also suspected in a May 26 fire that caused minor damage to
a vacant house in Cockrell Hill.
Cockrell Hill is a town of about 4,100 residents surrounded by a
western portion of Dallas.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[whflhff]

This story is getting air time on CNN. I saw it when I was in the deli getting lunch this afternoon.

What a great public relations story for the fire service (and why does it always have to be the volenteer service). The suspected arsonist son of the a convicted arsonist dad who is the chief of the FD.

It's been said before and I'll say it again, we are our own worst enemy.:mad:

[NJFFSA16]

Anyone taking odds on FF's being involved?

Ligonier Township police investigate four fires in 16 days

(Ligonier-AP) -- Police are investigating four suspicious fires
in 16 days in a Westmoreland County township and say two of them
were deliberately set.
Ligonier Township police can't say whether one person set four
fires, but they say they aren't ruling it out.
Officials say the first fire started on June eighth in
Waterford. The second blaze started on June 19th in the village of
Wilpen, a third started Monday in the borough of Ligonier and a
fourth started Tuesday in Waterford.
No one was hurt by the fires.
Officials won't say how the fires started.


(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[EFD840]

If they're all in the same district or covered with a common mutual aid agreement, that's a sucker's bet.

[NJFFSA16]

June 26th

LIGONIER, Pa. (AP) - Some residents of Ligonier Township are
anxious after four fires, including two confirmed arsons, broke out
in a space of 16 days.
Police in the township 45 miles southeast of Pittsburgh won't
say whether they believe one person may be responsible for the
fires, but they also won't say they've ruled out that possibility.
No one has been injured in the fires, which damaged or destroyed
four residences beginning June 8. The most recent was on Tuesday,
when a wood frame house burned in Waterford.
A state police fire marshal believes that fire and the one June
8 were both arsons.
Darlington fire Chief Bob McDowell said it's too early to say if
the fires are related.
"Do we have a fire bug?" he asked. "The number of fires makes
you think about it and the possibility is out there, but I really
can't say for sure."

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

BERLIN, July 4 (Reuters) - A German fireman admitted
committing more than 30 acts of arson so he could fight more
fires, police in the southern town of Tuebingen said on Friday.
"The man said he did it because he really enjoyed putting
out fires," said Tuebingen police spokesman Josef Hoenes.
Police said the 32-year-old had said he caused a series of
mysterious fires in the area over a 12 year period, resulting in
damage totalling around 150,000 euros ($172,000). He set fire to
one particular sheep stall on three separate occasions.
In nearly every instance the man helped combat the fires,
police said. After concerns surrounding the man grew, police
arrested him following two suspicious fires last week.
REUTERS

[NJFFSA16]

Volunteer firefighter on trial for barn fires


(Delaware-AP) -- The attorney for a volunteer firefighter
charged in a string of barn fires in Delaware County two years ago
says he will deny any knowledge of the fires.
Twenty-one-year-old David Jeremy Miller is on administrative
leave from the Scioto Township Fire Department. He's on trial for a
series of barn fires near Ostrander in western Delaware County in
August of 2001.
Four arson charges concerning unsolved barn fires were dismissed
before the trial began yesterday.
Miller still faces felony charges regarding three other barn
fires.
In an August 19th, 2001, tape recording of Miller's 9-1-1 call
about a barn fire, Miller said the structure was "showing
flames."
Yesterday, two firefighters testified that the barn contained
only smoldering hay -- no flames.
County Prosecutor David Yost said Miller called in a fire that
never caught fire, giving himself away.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[PAVolunteer]

Originally posted by Gooch26
My department doesn't do background checks so I have some questions about them. Where do you get them from?

There was also a mention of cost, any idea how much they would cost in PA?
$10 from the Pennsylvania State Police ... contact your local barracks.

Stay Safe

[NJFFSA16]

DELAWARE, Ohio (AP) - The lawyer for a volunteer firefighter
accused of a string of attempted barn arsons in central Ohio said
the man reported the fires but didn't set them.
David Jeremy Miller, 21, is on administrative leave from the
Scioto Township Fire Department. His trial continued Tuesday in
Delaware County Common Pleas Court.
Miller is charged in a string of arsons in August 2001 near
Ostrander in western Delaware County. If convicted, he faces up to
a year in prison.
In his opening statement Monday, Delaware County Prosecutor
David Yost said investigators found partly burned flares in two
area barns that were not destroyed.
Anthony Heald, Miller's lawyer, said the firefighter called 911
to report a fire and had two road flares in his car, but there was
no evidence that they were used as anything other than road-safety
devices.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

DELAWARE, Ohio (AP) - A volunteer firefighter has been found
guilty of one of eight charges related to a string of barn fires in
August 2001.
A Delaware County Common Pleas Court jury found David Jeremy
Miller guilty of arson and acquitted him of two other arson charges
and one count of attempted arson. Jurors deliberated for about six
hours Friday.
Miller, 21, will remain free on bond pending a presentence
investigation. He faces up to 18 months in prison.
Four other felony arson charges were dismissed before the trial
began Monday. Miller is on unpaid leave from the Scioto Township
Fire Department in Delaware County, about 20 miles north of
Columbus.
He left the court with his father, who said his son would not
comment on the verdict.
Defense attorney Anthony Heald said he was disappointed with the
outcome.
Assistant Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter said the jury focused on
the state's strongest evidence: A 911 call Miller made from the
scene of one of the fires.
Firefighters later found smoldering hay and a few flickers of
flame in the barn's second-floor loft. That fire was the one the
jury found Miller guilty of setting.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

KENDALL, Wis. (AP) - An 18-year-old volunteer firefighter has
been arrested on suspicion of setting more than a dozen fires in
the Kendall area since March.
The man was in the Monroe County Jail Saturday being held on
$20,000 cash bail after his arrest Friday. He was scheduled to make
his initial court appearance Thursday.
Authorities said the man was responsible for 14 fires, eight of
them involving structures. One fire on June 29 leveled a 1899 barn
and killed 12 calves.
The most recent fire occurred Wednesday night at St. John's
Evangelical Lutheran Church. The fire was extinguished within 30
minutes, but caused smoke and water damage throughout the
7-year-old church.
Church congregation president Roland Koenig said investigators
told him they found traces of a flammable substance near the
church's altar and dining hall.
The Rev. Fred Fedke said church members knew the man and his
family.
"We're not stones. People have been angry about it, and they've
been afraid, but this adds another dimension of it - kind of a
shared sorrow and grief," Fedke said.
Monroe County Police Detective Jeffrey Sullivan would not
discuss a possible motive for the fires.
"He does have remorse for what he did," Sullivan said Friday.
The village of Kendall, population 469, has been on edge since
the rash of fires began in late March.
At one point, authorities and community groups in the area
offered up to $12,000 for information leading to an arrest in the
fires.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

SPARTA, Wis. (AP) - A firefighter has been charged with eight
counts of arson of a building and six counts of arson to other
property after his father turned him in for the alleged four-month
spree.
Cory R. Braund, 18, will plead not guilty by reason of mental
disease or defect, his attorney, John Matousek said Wednesday.
Braund, who became a volunteer firefighter in Kendall about a
year ago, turned to arson because he got an "adrenaline rush"
fighting fires, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday.
Braund's father contacted investigators after the July 16 fire
at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kendall, the complaint
said.
He told authorities he discovered detonators in his son's room,
then another family member found downloaded information on the
teen's computer that detailed how to make fire bombs, the complaint
said.
When confronted, Cory Braund denied being involved, but
eventually confessed to 14 separate fires, the complaint said.
He told investigators he got the idea to start fires after
helping put out a grass fire and admitted to setting six of nine
grass fires reported in the Kendall area between March 26 and April
16, the complaint said.
He faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $100,000
fine on each of the first eight arson counts if convicted. The
other six counts carry a maximum prison sentence of three years,
six months and a $10,000 fine for each.
Matousek and Monroe County District Attorney Dan Cary agreed
Wednesday to waive a preliminary hearing.
Braund was bound over for trial, but no date was set pending
results from at least three psychiatric evaluations.
Judge Steven Abbott set a $5,000 cash bond, but only so his
parents can take him for the evaluations. He will remain in jail at
all other times.
Abbott said the bond could be returned to the parents after each
appointment, and they can repost before each evaluation.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

LINCOLN, R.I. (AP) - A volunteer firefighter with the
Saylesville Fairlawn District has been charged with stealing
gasoline from a firehouse and starting a blaze at an apartment
building from which he had been evicted.
David Harbeck, 19, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of first
degree arson, conspiracy and breaking and entering. Police say two
days before, he and Steven Church, 21, set fire to a detached
garage next to the West Hunt Street apartment building in Central
Falls. Harbeck was evicted from the tenement in May.
No one was hurt in the blaze. Firefighters suspected arson from
the outset. Central Falls police learned that Harbeck had been on
the scene in his firefighter uniform before city firefighters
arrived. Police found the behavior suspicious.
First degree arson carries a penalty of between five years and
life in prison and fines ranging from $3,000-$25,000. Both men were
ordered held without bail.
Harbeck had been a volunteer for less than a year. He had a
spotty attendance record and had not made any progress toward his
Firefighter 1 or emergency medical technician certification.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

(Blackfoot, Idaho-AP) -- A Blackfoot Fire Department member has been arrested and charged with setting fire to his own home.
Twenty-three-year-old Gordon Ray Robinson was charged with
first-degree arson and burglary. Last week, Blackfoot police were
called to the scene of a structure fire at Robinson's home.
No one was injured in the fire and damage estimates are several
thousand dollars.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Firefighter makes arson plea but doesn't admit guilt

(New Ulm-AP) -- A former New Ulm firefighter accused of setting
several fires in the city last summer has admitted that the
evidence against him could win a criminal conviction. But
40-year-old Gary Negron of New Ulm didn't admit guilt when he
entered into a plea agreement with Brown County authorities.
Authorities had charged Negron with intentionally starting four
fires that involved property owned by his former employer, New Ulm
Telecom, over several months last year.
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed a
first-degree arson charge and Negron entered an Alford plea to two
second-degree arson charges and one third-degree arson charge.
By making the Alford plea, Negron did not admit any guilt. He
simply agreed that the state's evidence against him could win a
criminal conviction against him beyond a reasonable doubt.
Negron worked as a New Ulm firefighter for 18 months, beginning
in March 2001.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 19th.


(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[EFD840]

This department just got awared 75k from the FIRE Act last month, now the chief is in jail for arson:

State Fire Marshal's Office Release (http://www.aldoi.org/currentrelease.asp?Headline=46 5)

A story from a newspaper in the area (http://www.valleytimes-news.com/NF/omf/valley_times/news_story.html?[rkey=0015640+[cr=gdn)

The story I posted (http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=1445261&nav=8fapI1gt)

-------------------------

Cusseta Fire Chief and Fire Fighters Taken to Jail

An East Alabama community is in shock, after learning the very people who are supposed to protect them from fires have been charged with starting three blazes.

The first fire began on July 11th at an old abandoned house on Chambers County road 290. Shortly after that, there were two more fires also at abandoned homes leading fire marshals to determine it was arson.

Sheriff's investigators say their three month investigation led them in a surprising direction with a shocking end with Cusseta Volunteer Fire Chief Thomas Corley, and firefighters Larry Hurley, Kimberly Stell and an unnamed junior firefighter being arrested and charged with setting fire to the abandoned homes and a field.

Sheriff Sid Lockhart said the group's alleged actions are a disgrace to the uniform.

"People put their trust in them just like law enforcement they are supposed to uphold the law and if they don't the ought to be held to a standard cause we are out to enforce the law and we shouldn't be out breaking the law," he said.

Police said all four firefighters and William Daniel, a resident of Valley, have signed written confessions. At this point police are unwilling to release a motive, but say the break in the arson investigation came when it was determined gasoline was used to start the fires and somehow the gas was traced back to the fire station where the fire fighters worked.

"It is believed the accelerent used to start most of the fires was from the Cusseta volunteer fire department," Lockhart said.

Investigators then gathered statements and determined the very people that were putting the blazes out, where the ones they believed started the fires.

"It hurts all fire communities all of the fire men in this community we have some of the EST fire fighters in the area and it's tough on them for one of their own to be doing this," The Sheriff said.

Chief Corley refused to comment on his arrest. If convicted of three counts of conspiracy to commit arson he could face 1-10 years for each county. Corley has been fired from his job as a corrections officer at the jail, but there's no word on when or if he will be fired as chief.

A grand jury will hear all the cases in February or March and decided if the suspects will be indicted.

[NJFFSA16]

..the break in the arson investigation came when it was determined gasoline was used to start the fires and somehow the gas was traced back to the fire station where the fire fighters worked.

One must wonder....how many firefighters in this department KNEW about the alleged acts? I'd guess a high percentage.:(

[NJFFSA16]

DELAWARE, Ohio (AP) - A volunteer firefighter was sentenced to
60 days in jail and two years of probation for setting a barn fire
that he reported to authorities.
David Jeremy Miller, 22, of Ostrander, was sentenced Friday in
Delaware County Common Pleas Court.
Visiting Judge Richard Markus also ordered Miller to serve 120
hours of community service and pay restitution up to $500 for hay
damaged in the fire and up to $350 to the state fire marshal for
investigative costs.
Miller was convicted in July of one of eight charges he faced
related to a string of barn fires that began in August 2001.
A Delaware County Common Pleas Court jury acquitted Miller of
two other arson charges and one count of attempted arson. Four
other felony arson charges were dismissed before the trial began.
Miller was volunteer on the Scioto Township Fire Department in
Delaware County, about 20 miles north of Columbus.
Firefighters found smoldering hay and a few flickers of flame in
the second-floor loft of the barn fire that Miller called in to a
911 dispatcher from the scene. That fire was the one the jury found
Miller guilty of setting.
"This case is about public trust," County prosecutor David
Yost said in court.
Markus warned Miller that he could spend a year in prison if he
violates terms of his probation, which includes a midnight curfew.
Miller could have received up to 1½ years in prison.
Charges were dismissed against Miller and another volunteer
firefighter in December 2001 but reinstated against Miller in
January.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

MISSOULA (AP) - A 25-year-old rural firefighter will plead
guilty to setting a series of wildfires near Thompson Falls last
July, attorneys said Monday.
Kevin Grant filed a court notice saying he intends to plead
guilty to eight counts of "setting timber afire" said Assistant
U.S. Attorney Kris McLean.
In response, McLean has filed a notice saying he will drop a
single count of "lighting a fire on federal land" because a
survey completed last week showed the wildfire in question burned
to within 7 feet, but did not cross onto federal land.
Federal public defender Melissa Harrison said Grant was always
willing to plead guilty to the less serious counts, but only if the
government dismissed the federal land charge. That was the most
serious of the nine charges he faced.
Grant has been in jail since his arrest in late July, because
U.S. Magistrate Leif Erickson feared he might set more fires at the
height of western Montana's wildfire season.
Grant, a lifelong resident of Sanders County and a member of the
Thompson Falls Rural Fire Department, initially pleaded not guilty
to the arson charges.
Grant will officially change his plea at a hearing later this
week, Harrison said. He will also renew his request to be released
on bail, pending sentencing.
Charging documents said Grant set fires along Highway 200, each
time using devices made by taping matches to a filtered cigarette.
Each time, Grant responded to the fire as a member of the rural
fire department.
Grant's trial was to have started Monday.

[jatkins7011]

But I don’t think that this matters because volunteer or paid,


No that's not true in this case--this is primarily a volunteer problem because the paid departments do background checks, psych exams, interviews etc. The process, by nature eliminates the weak minded/immaturity you find in these arson cases.

Many Vol companies get concerned that if you do such things, you won't get enough volunteers.....of course that's not true--

[NJFFSA16]

LEBANON, Pa. (AP) - Four teenage firefighters from Lebanon
County have been charged in connection with a tree fire and several
false alarms that were called in between May and July, police said.
North Lebanon Township Police Chief Kim Wolfe said the suspects
set fire to a tree at a local tree farm and in other cases spilled
oil on the road, called the authorities, and then responded to the
scene so they could help contain the spill.
Two 16-year-old youths and a 17-year-old, whose names were not
released, were charged along with 19-year-old Matthew Clark. All
four are Lebanon residents and members of Rural Security Fire Co.,
Wolfe said.
One of the 16-year-olds was charged with arson, among other
offenses, and is accused of setting the tree ablaze on May 4.
Charges among Clark and the others varied, but included making
false alarms and causing or risking a catastrophe, Wolfe said.
Fire company officials cooperated with the investigation, Wolfe
added.
Fire Chief Michael Weidman said the fire company's review board
would decide whether to impose any additional penalties once police
have completed their investigation.
"They could learn some very meaningful lessons from this," he
said.
There was no phone listing in Lebanon for Clark. It was not
immediately clear whether he and the other defendants had lawyers.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

(Mineola-AP) -- A Long Island man, who is a lieutenant on his
local volunteer fire department, is being charged with arson.
Timothy LaRose of Merrick is accused of setting his 2000 Dodge
Avenger car on fire on August 31st. LaRose is a lieutenant in
Merrick's Volunteer Fire Department.
Nassau County police arrested LaRose, who was arragined over the
weekend. He's charged with arson, insurance fraud and making a
false written statement.

[NJFFSA16]

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) - A man accused of killing his mother by
setting fire to her home was arrested in Florida, police said.
Police issued a warrant in April charging Charles "Buddy"
Beavers, 42, with the 1998 arson death of Wilma Beavers.
Authorities said they considered him a fugitive since December
2000, when he failed to make an appearance on unrelated charges in
New Britain Superior Court.
Police said he was a suspect in Wilma Beavers' death
immediately, but they could not get enough information to charge
him until the last year.
The case was profiled on the television show "America's Most
Wanted" on Sunday. Miami police got a tip from someone who
recognized him after watching the television show, police said.
"I guess that show really does work," said Bristol Police
Chief John DiVenere.
Beavers, an ex-West Virginia police officer and volunteer
firefighter, was being held without bail as a fugitive from justice
in Connecticut. It was unclear when he will be extradited.
Police requested help from the U.S. Marshals Service after they
learned Beavers had moved back to West Virginia.
In July, a team of marshals raided a house in War, W. Va., but
did not find Beavers. DiVenere said in July that was the second
time in six months that authorities thought they had Beavers
cornered.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

LUCEDALE, Miss. (AP) - Two former firefighters who pleaded
guilty to arson charges have received suspended sentences in George
County Circuit Court.
Billy Joe Fortner and William Andrew Howell will serve no jail
time for the charges. Judge Kathy King Jackson handed down
three-year suspended sentences on each firefighter for each charge.
Both men originally pleaded innocent, but changed their pleas to
guilty in George County Circuit Court last week, admitting they set
wood fires in February 2002.
They were also given three years of "reporting" probation
under the supervision of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Fortner was indicted on four counts of arson in July of 2002.
Howell was indicted on three counts of arson at the same time. Both
men served with the Ward Volunteer Fire Department at the time the
fires were set.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) - A former volunteer firefighter has been
sentenced to two years probation and ordered to receive counseling
after admitting setting brush fires with a cigarette lighter.
Christopher Eugene Pettit, 19, of Pauline, pleaded guilty to
seven felony counts of willfully burning the lands of another.
Judge Larry Patterson suspended a five-year prison sentence and
ordered Pettit to complete counseling for depression and for
setting fires.
Pettit was taking medication for depression, triggered by the
loss of his job and his girlfriend, said defense attorney John B.
White Jr.
The roadside brush fires he set between December 2002 and
January were not malicious and did not endanger human life, White
said. Pettit set them seeking attention and the camaraderie of
other firefighters at the Glenn Springs-Pauline Fire Department, he
said.
"It's sad but, I guess, sick," White said.
The State Law Enforcement Division began investigating the case
at the request of the fire chief, who suspected someone in his
department of setting the fires, prosecutors said. A witness
reported seeing Pettit set a fire and then show up with other
firefighters to put it out, prosecutors said.
Pettit had wanted to be a firefighter nearly all his life and
joined the department as a junior volunteer at 16, White said. He
can never be a firefighter again with a felony on his record, White
said.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Former firefighter charged with setting blaze
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (AP) - A former firefighter in jail for
setting fires in Doddridge County has been charged with setting a
fire three years ago at an Anchor Hocking plant that did about $2
million in damage.
A criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Harrison County charges
Jamison O. Walters, 22, of West Union with second-degree arson.
Walters, a former West Union volunteer firefighter, is being
held in the North Central Regional Jail on a 10-year sentence for
three second-degree arson convictions in Doddridge County,
according to court records.
Doddridge County records indicate Walters owes nearly $50,000
restitution in connection with fire damage incurred by Southern
States Co-op Inc. of West Union. Walters was convicted of twice
setting a fire in a Southern States outbuilding, said West Union
Police Chief Jerry Turner. The other conviction stems from a fire
at a vacant house in West Union, Turner said.
The Clarksburg Fire Department intensified the investigation of
the Anchor Hocking fire after getting a tip. Investigators said
they also have two other suspects. They would not discuss a motive.
The fire at the old Anchor Hocking plant destroyed about 80
percent of the building, according to the complaint.
Walters could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[ChiefReason]

Ed:
I still find it hard to believe that you set fire to a forest, you get 20 years.
You set fire to a building, you get 10 years in prison.
But you kill a trainee in a training fire, and you get 75 days plus probation.
I mean; Caillier got 14 years after pleading guilty to contributing to the death of Anndee Huber. At least, he took responsibility for his actions.
Baird continues to believe that he didn't cause Brad Golden's death and has filed yet another appeal.
I wouldn't want to wish anything bad for him, but.......
CR

[Tooanfrom]

NJFFSA16--you seem to be the finger on the pulse in the Firefighter Arsonists problem --do you have any figures, since you started observing, of the number of culprits? Maybe there is key in when it seemed fashionable to be an arsonist--I am only grabbing at straws. Your comments would be interesting.Just a thought-when these people are applying for Fire related positions, does anybody approach the one person who may be able to give a unbiased view on their suitability--their last schoolteacher's? One thing that is very obvious--it is a male thing.

[NJFFSA16]

Volunteer Surfside firefighter pleads guilty to setting several
fires

(Myrtle Beach-AP) -- A former Surfside Beach volunteer
firefighter has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading
guilty to setting four fires, including one that killed an
assistant fire chief.
Hans Hansen was sentenced yesterday. Hanson faced four counts of
second-degree burglary and three counts of second-degree arson.
Hanson also was charged with one count of first-degree arson for
the January 2002 fire that Assistant Fire Chief Tom Anderson was
fighting when he had a heart attack and died.
Hansen's mother said she knew since he was a child that he had a
problem with setting fires, but the family was turned away when
they asked for help.


(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Originally posted by Tooanfrom
NJFFSA16--do you have any figures, since you started observing, of the number of culprits?

I only post the stories which appear on the Reuters and AP news wires. God only knows, how many instances go unreported....so I have no way of knowing the real figures. As my colleague George Wendt suggests...the NVFC should take a good hard look at this...

I agree. We need to weed out the problem children, before they get to the fire stations.

[NJFFSA16]

Firefighter accused of setting fire to mother's home

(Martinsburg, West Virginia-AP) -- A West Virginia firefighter
has been charged with setting fire to his mother's mobile home
because he didn't like the way she kept house.
William Feimster has been charged with arson. Feimster's mother
wasn't home during the November 20th fire. The home was destroyed.
A sheriff's sergeant in Berkeley County says Feimster told
investigators that the home was "very sloppy and he didn't like
it."
In addition to working at the South Berkeley Volunteer Fire
Department, Feimster worked at a private ambulance company. After
setting the fire, authorities said, he drove to the ambulance
company and when the call was dispatched, went out to help fight
the blaze.


His own Mother. That says it all!

[NJFFSA16]

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (AP) - A firefighter was charged with
torching his mother's mobile home, saying he was upset over her
sloppy housekeeping.
William A. Feimster was charged with arson Tuesday after
voluntarily going to the sheriff's department.
Feimster's mother wasn't home during the Nov. 20 fire, which
destroyed the mobile home.
"He said it was very sloppy and he didn't like it," Berkeley
County sheriff's Sgt. Russell Shackelford said.
Feimster, 25, told police he went there to get some videos to
watch at work. Upset over the mess, he lit a roadside flare and put
it in a kitchen garbage can, Shackelford said.
He then drove back to a private ambulance company where he
worked. When the call was dispatched, he went out to help fight the
blaze, police said.
Feimster, who also worked at South Berkeley Volunteer Fire
Department, has been charged with embezzlement in an unrelated
case. He faces a maximum of 20 years on the arson charge.
He was held Wednesday on $60,000 bail.

[Uncharged]

I can think of a few people I have met in the fire service that I would consider to be at a high risk of carrying out some type of arson. You can kind of see it in their eyes when they see fire. They are obsessed with it. I think the Idea about someone coming up with a standard list of questions that might be able to mark someone as a high risk would be a small step in the right direction to curbing this problem.

[ThNozzleman]

If this guys shows up on meeting night at your local volunteer fire hall, just say NO.

[lutan1]

You made my day Nozzleman!!!:D ;) :cool: :rolleyes:

[firenresq77]

Originally posted by ThNozzleman
If this guys shows up on meeting night at your local volunteer fire hall, just say NO.

LMAO! That's a GODD one

[NJFFSA16]

Firefighter accused of setting two fires
mvmid
NEWBURGH, N.Y. (AP) - A police officer and volunteer firefighter
has been charged with arson, accused of setting two fires last fall
in Rockland County.
According to deputies, 29-year-old Thomas Alexander is accused
of setting fire to a Pomona office building in September and a
furniture store in October. In both cases he responded with the
Hillcrest Fire Department to fight the fires.
Pomona is 36 miles north of New York City.
Alexander joined the fire department about 11 years ago,
Detective Shari Moody-Dennison told the Times Herald-Record of
Middletown. He recently moved from Rockland County to Orange
County.
A police officer in Newburgh for two years, he was suspended
without pay from the city department pending an internal
investigation, Deputy Chief Michael Ferrara.
Alexander, facing two felony arson counts, posted $5,000 bail
Thursday. A hearing is scheduled Tuesday in Ramapo Town Court.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Originally posted by NJFFSA16
Firefighter accused of setting two fires
mvmid
NEWBURGH, N.Y. (AP) - A police officer and volunteer firefighter
has been charged with arson, accused of setting two fires last fall
in Rockland County.
According to deputies, 29-year-old Thomas Alexander is accused
of setting fire to a Pomona office building in September and a
furniture store in October. In both cases he responded with the
Hillcrest Fire Department to fight the fires.
Pomona is 36 miles north of New York City.
Alexander joined the fire department about 11 years ago,
Detective Shari Moody-Dennison told the Times Herald-Record of
Middletown. He recently moved from Rockland County to Orange
County.
A police officer in Newburgh for two years, he was suspended
without pay from the city department pending an internal
investigation, Deputy Chief Michael Ferrara.
Alexander, facing two felony arson counts, posted $5,000 bail
Thursday. A hearing is scheduled Tuesday in Ramapo Town Court.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Now THERE'S a twist! How many people will try to shove this one down my throat?

Just to be clear, I don't care what you do for a living. If you set a fire, you are a criminal. Period. Just keep in mind that this guy was also a volunteer fire fighter. Does anyone know if there is a psych required to get a police job in NYS?

I've locked up a police chief before for a motor vehicle arson. I'm an equal opportunity kind of fire investigator.

[CaptainGonzo]

George... no one is going to shove it "down your throat"...it just proves that arson is an "equal opportunity" crime for both branches of public safety.

[Tooanfrom]

I beleive a arson investigator named Orr is doing "Life x 4 " for his efforts in California? Confirm or deny, please.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Originally posted by Tooanfrom
I beleive a arson investigator named Orr is doing "Life x 4 " for