What's burned in Wisconsin

[jccrabby3084]

Thought I'd "borrow" the idea from the IL threads. Post here any fires your dept had or ones you know of in your area.


Green Bay had one last night, displacing 7 people. Crews were able to do an interior attack and limiting damage to $30,000. One FF was injured for burns to the hands.

[PMH322]

New London Fire responded to a structure fire in a single family dwelling on 2/16/07. Dwelling had heavy smoke and flames showing through the roof of the 1 1/2 story structure. Heavy structural damage to the second floor and roof area. 4 family members displaced.

[jccrabby3084]

From the Green Bay Press Gazette 3/3/2007

3 die in Green Lake County fire
MARKESAN — A man and two children died in a house fire in Markesan, and another child was injured, officials said Friday.
The blaze in the Green Lake County community broke out Thursday, and the house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. It collapsed a short time later.
The remains of two people were recovered, and the remains of the third victim were found Thursday evening.
The sheriff's office said Friday that the victims were a 32-year-old man, 7-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl.
A 13-year-old girl was injured. Officials said she was found at a neighbor's home and was taken to a hospital for treatment of her injuries.
The fire remains under investigation.

[BrewCityFF]

Brothers and sisters:
This is a partial list for the first three weeks of February. Per the Bureau of Technical Services, this is a listing of fires that required three or more hand lines. Please, this is an unofficial reporting. I saw the thread and thought it would be a pertinent post.
Stay safe, and stay low.


2/20/07 2625 W. Cherry St.

2/18/07 4132 W. Good Hope Rd.

2/17/07 6352 N. 84th St.

2/16/07 3422 N Richards St

2/16/07 814 W. Concordia Ave.

2/16/07 3348 N. 4th St.

2/11/07 2732 N. 44th St.

2/9/07 1424 W. Madison Ave.

2/8/07 3603 N. 13th St.

2/5/07 5067 N. 55th St. FATAL

2/5/07 535 S. 84th St. GREATER ALARM

2/5/07 4996 S. 25th St. GREATER ALARM

2/3/07 2401 W. Plainfield Ave. FATAL

2/2/07 2845 N. 50th St.

2/1/07 4112 N. 21st St.

2/1/07 2373 N. 48th St

[DFDMAXX]

After reviewing our reports, we have come to the conclusion that nothing flammable seems to exist in our area. However, the folks do seem to like crashing into each other on a regular basis.

[jccrabby3084]

Not much of anything, but had a nice car fire this morning. I really don't feel like it should be posted, but it is the first fire I've seen in months. Lately the other two shifts have been getting everything or it is the other side of town. It was nice to see some flames again and work a hose.

Also Green Bay had a rescue on Saturday. I payload operator was moving rock from a pile when a good portion of the pile collapsed and pinned him into his payloader. It took about two hours to extricate him, due to potential for second collapse (gravel pile was about 4 stories high) and also could not get the loader free. A crane and some other tractors had to be used to finally pull it free. There was a point a heavy duty wrecker was dispatched to try to free the loader (dispatch was told to have the wrecker escorted by police to respond emergent). Anyway the loader was too much for the wrecker and the crane and other loaders finally freed enough to dig the operator out of the loader. Not sure of his condition, there was a concern for hypothermia and he got 10mg morphine.

[DFurtman]

someone in the town of Superior burned part of their Sauna roof off last night. we have a really quiet department. our last calls were for a MVA with injuries and 2 reported grass fires. (one turned out to be a controlled burn, and the monitor was hiding behind a hayroll to get out of the wind.)

-Damien

[BrewCityFF]

From today:

Fire destroys home on north side

Four people were displaced in an overnight fire on the city's north side that caused an estimated $50,000 in damage, according to Milwaukee police.

The blaze occurred just after midnight at 3011 N. 1st St., where Milwaukee firefighters reported flames on the first and second floor of the home.

No one was injured.

Milwaukee police said this morning the fire could have been caused by an electrical problem in the home.

Firefighters battling apartment blaze

Milwaukee firefighters are on the scene of a fire at an eight-unit apartment building on the city's northwest side.

A kitchen fire in one of the units at 8524 N. Servite Drive was called in about 2:06 p.m.

There is no further information available.

[Runn11]

We had a wopping 2 Fire Calls in the Month of Febuary here in Ashippun. A Mutual Response Call for woodland Fire on the 17th for a Large Shed on fire and a Head on Crash with no injuries on Hwy 67. Roads where really Slick and they where traveling slow. we had 8 First responder Calls though.

[tomlaumann]

Icy roads and bumper cars last week and this Tuesday at 2300 hours. Just hear a tone at 1231 hours for MA to North Pairie for another head on MVC. No fire action at all.
Be safe

[tomlaumann]

We had a MA call to Dousman this AM 07:13.
chimmey fire spread into the roof and attic.

[BrewCityFF]

Here is some news footage from a helicopter of Truck 12 doing some work from February.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efHxjYmU_Y8

[jasper45]

Nice video boss, you catch that work?

I borrowed the link over in another thread, hope you don't mind.

[Runn11]

ya know when a fellow fire fighter has a good Bon Fire when your dept. gets paged out to his location for a large outside fire and then 3 min later you are told to 10-22 because the fire fighter on scene says its a controled burn. God I love this town! that is the only call we have had all month so far.

[jccrabby3084]

Structure fire in GB. 2 story house fire already venting upon arrival. Bread and butter fire. I was working a trade and this was the first one for me in awhile, so it was nice to get work again. It was also nice to be working on the truck for a change. (our pumps get more work than the truck)

Also there was another structure fire about a week ago. Basement fire, similar type structure. 7 people displaced no injuries. Can't think of any others off hand. We have had a few though, just didn't post them.

[jccrabby3084]

From the GB Press Gazette

Large fire damages Arrow Concrete Inc. in Pittsfield
By Corinthia McCoy
cmccoy@greenbaypressgazette.co m

PITTSFIELD — Area firefighters battled a structure fire late Monday that heavily damaged Arrow Concrete Inc., 5484 Glendale Ave.
Firefighters were paged at 9:15 p.m. Monday to the blaze. The flames and smoke were visible in the night sky. The fire was so intense that "it looked like the sun was rising," said Paul Schommer, who lives nearby.
The yellow and red glow of the fire was visible a half-mile away, according to Fred Schreiner of Howard. He got to the fire scene about 9:30 p.m. and it was fully engulfed. "I couldn't tell what building was on fire," he said.
Fire crews tore down the building about 11:30 p.m. Monday.
The Tri-County Fire Department from Pulaski was in charge of the fire scene and received assistance from at least eight other departments.
The Green Bay-Brown County directory lists Allan Duchateau as the manager of Arrow, with 20 employees.

Saw this on the news last night...about 200 FF's were on the scene.

[BrewCityFF]

This is not an official fire report from the Milwaukee Fire Department it is designed
for informational purposes only. It should not be accepted as an official record of an
incident.

GREATER ALARM

DATE: 4/2/07 TIME: 11:13 PM ALARM# 23274
LOCATION: 3210 W. Juneau Ave.

DESCRIPTION: Heavy fire on the exterior and first floor of a large 2 ½ story wood
frame dwelling used as rooming house. Fire extending to a second dwelling on arrival of
first Engine Company. First building has extensive damage, fire extended to second floor
and attic area. One firefighter transported to hospital with minor hand injury.

1st Alarm : 11:13 PM E-32 L-2 for a smoke condition
11:15 PM Full Assignment E-2, 13, 5 L-1, Rescue 1, B- 1,2 M-3
2nd Alarm: 11:17 PM E-20, 1, 26, 9 L-11, 16 M-13 Comm, CAIR 1, Car 3
Special Call 11:48 PM E-37, L-9
Under Control 1:17 AM
Incident Clear 3:15 AM

321 0 3206
CONTENTS: $ 25,000 $10,000
STRUCTURE: $ 150,000 $75,000
TOTAL LOSSES: $ 175,000 $85,000

[BrewCityFF]

A man killed in a fire at his home Tuesday night was identified by Milwaukee police this morning as Keith T. Degner.

Degner, 50, died when the exhaust of his wood burning stove became disconnected and the wood burner was somehow knocked over, said Capt. Timothy Burkee. The fatal fire happened at Degner's home at 3021 N. Pierce around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Degner's body was found in the basement where the wood burner was located. Burkee said the fire was ruled accidental.

[BrewCityFF]

This is not an official fire report from the Milwaukee Fire Department it is designed
for informational purposes only. It should not be accepted as an official record of an
incident.


DATE: 4/5/07 TIME: 7:54 PM ALARM# 23863
LOCATION: 1101 S 7th St

DESCRIPTION: Basement fire in a 114 year old church. Fire extended to first floor.
Crews had trouble finding interior stairway to basement. Fire contained to storage area
with significant extension to first floor.

1st Alarm: 7:54 PM E-12, 3, 31, 20 (RIT) L-11, 2, Rescue 1B-1, 4 M-15
Special Call: 8:05 PM E-26, L-1
2nd Alarm: 8:10 PM E-2, 1, 9 L-6, M-6 Car3, Comm, CAIR 1
Special Call: 8:23 PM E-11, L-14
Under Control: 9:13 PM
Incident Clear: 9:56 PM
CONTENTS: $ 25,000
STRUCTURE: $ 500,000
TOTAL LOSSES: $ 525,000

[BrewCityFF]

This is not an official fire report from the Milwaukee Fire Department it is designed
for informational purposes only. It should not be accepted as an official record of an
incident.

GREATER ALARM
DATE: 4/5/07 TIME: 4:22 AM ALARM# 23729
LOCATION: 2771 N. 28th St
DESCRIPTION: Fire on the first floor of a 2 ½ story wood frame dwelling. Three
occupants jumped from second floor window, one had severe injuries and was transported
to hospital. Fire caused heavy damage to first floor and extended to second floor.

1st Alarm: 4:22 AM E-13, 32, 30, 5 (RIT) L-9, 12, Rescue 1 B-2, 1 M-7
Special Call: 4:30 AM E-36 L-13
2nd Alarm: 4:32 AM E-24, 34, 9 L-2, M-5, Car3, Comm, CAIR 1
CONTENTS: $ 5,000
STRUCTURE: $ 50,000
TOTAL LOSSES: $ 55,000

[DFurtman]

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=41010&section=homepage&freebie_check&CFID=32150635&CFTOKEN=25064393&jsessionid=88306a10929274b7b50 7

I'd worked this fire all afternoon and late into the evening Yesterday.. south of Superior they are now labeling the Foxboro fire

-Damien

[jccrabby3084]

Green Bay had a nice burner yesterday. Old hose converted into a duplex, large amount of fire showing on arrival. Responding rigs could see the smoke after pulling out of the stations. Due to the roof design and several outcroppings it was difficult to extinguish all the fire.

(I hope the pic and article show up from the GB Press Gazette)



http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070514/GPG0101/705140503/1978

[plisken]

Duluth sent a hot load from a rubbish fire to our land fill.. Dispatch:: 0356, Engine three, reported fire on wisconsin point, 20 ft flames showing the whole point is on fire.. Rp called from the duluth Hillside reporting lots of fire... 0401 Engine 3 on scene, the land fill is on fire... 2.5 acres of discarded trash burning...is on fire...0408 Engine one a brush one. 1854 all rigs clear. Makes for a fun shift

[Hazmat91180]

Last night we had a decent fire at our local Landfill. Called in Mutual Aid for tankers, 4 tankers system, all the lines off several of our engines, and then here comes the landfill crew to smother the entire thing with dirt. The neat part was when the fire hit the methane exhaust from the fill, I got there late, but they were saying 30 foot flames.

got home last night at 3:00am, took a long time to clean and repack all the apparatus.

Oh yeah, that was my first call too..!

[plisken]

Hey HAZMAT? Why pull so many lines when puting it out with water is impossible.... We got our city crews there to put dirt over it and sprayed water while the cats turned it over, otherwise protect the Vents and Covers(a cool million $ on the tarps) and let it burn, protect the woods.. we had two engines 1 with 500 gal and 1 with 1000 gal with only 2 lines off.... nearest hydrant 3 miles away.... I guess in my mind it is more hazardous to fight it than whats its worth.... Think of the Sh** people throw away.... cover it and then let public works deal with it over time... congrats on the first call though.. atleast you got to put water on something...

[Hazmat91180]

Hey HAZMAT? Why pull so many lines when puting it out with water is impossible.... We got our city crews there to put dirt over it and sprayed water while the cats turned it over, otherwise protect the Vents and Covers(a cool million $ on the tarps) and let it burn, protect the woods.. we had two engines 1 with 500 gal and 1 with 1000 gal with only 2 lines off.... nearest hydrant 3 miles away.... I guess in my mind it is more hazardous to fight it than whats its worth.... Think of the Sh** people throw away.... cover it and then let public works deal with it over time... congrats on the first call though.. atleast you got to put water on something...

Looking back and what the end result being, (they came and dumped dirt on it) I can see where protecting exposures and travel of fire (surround and drown) could have been an option. I am very new so I was just "going with the flow, doing as I was told". I think next time it'll be a different story, especially, as you said, given the contents. But having said that, I still had a good time!

[plisken]

Glad you had fun, so did we.... Just remember, pack up if there is any question...

[clark918]

Third-alarm fire yesterday in Oak Creek. I think it was a barn. I was pretty pissed since I was in a class at the time in Madison. Otherwise I would have gotten paged to come in with South Milwaukee Fire Dept. Would have been my first real fire. :( Guess I have to wait longer.

[jccrabby3084]

Hasn't been too much going on lately or small fires I haven't heard too much about, however this was the news from last night. Don't have more details other than what I saw on the news. We had a similar type of fire last year where our crew was first in. Would have been the same here except we were off.

From the Green Bay Press gazette:

About 70 people were displaced Tuesday night when a fire forced evacuation of an apartment complex on Green Bay’s west side.
The fire at Colonial Court Apartments, 125 S. Platten St., was reported at 11:25 p.m. It apparently started on the second floor. The 28-unit building was evacuated and residents taken to local motels. No one was injured.

Apartment complex manager Sheryl Kunze, who lives on the first floor, was home at the time of the fire. She said when she walked in the hall, she immediately knew it was bad.
She knocked on doors to help alert other residents.
She said that neighbors in the area were very helpful when they saw residents out on the street, many in their nightclothes.
“People had blankets and clothes for us,” she said, and “one guy gave me the socks off his feet.” Later, she said a maintenance worker gave her his jacket.
Green Bay Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Mandich said one person was still unaccounted for -- the person lives in the apartment where the blaze is believed to have started. The apartment was searched, however, and fire officials did not find the person.
Fire crews were on the scene this morning assisting Brown County fire investigators in trying to determine the cause of the fire. The Lakeland Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting residents.

[jasper45]

40 years ago today - July 30, 1967


http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=639476

Racial tension in summer of 1967 fueled deadly violence

Thomas Crosby walked out of the St. Francis Social Center, at N. 4th and W. Brown streets, into chaos.

Crosby, then 17, and fellow members of a local rhythm and blues band were loading instruments into his father's station wagon around midnight July 30, 1967, when a fight broke out in the parking lot of the center, where black people came on weekends to dance.

A crowd gathered to watch. Moments later, Crosby said, Milwaukee police cars appeared, and people started throwing rocks at the police vehicles. Soon after, more police came wearing riot gear.

The entire incident developed too quickly to be coincidental, Crosby said. The sight of patrons battling police so mesmerized him, he drove his father's car into a hydrant.
"It blew my mind," Crosby said. "I think the fight was planned to get something started, because everything happened so fast, like people knew something. . . . It felt like someone said, 'Go and incite the people.' "
The Summer of Love in the United States was also the summer of racial tension, civil disturbances and rioting in some American cities. The mood in Milwaukee was ripe for something explosive.

Local civil rights activists had turned their attention to fair housing in the city, highly segregated by race and ethnicity. NAACP Youth Council members spent the early weeks of the summer picketing homes of aldermen who continued to vote against a proposed ordinance to outlaw racial discrimination in home sales and rentals.

Activists predicted that Milwaukee's racial discomfort could lead to disorder similar to what had just erupted in July in Detroit and Newark, N.J., where a combined 66 people were killed and almost 1,900 injured.
"We need fair housing legislation in Milwaukee," Father James E. Groppi told the Common Council on July 25, 1967. "Unless something is done about the uninhabitable conditions that the black man has to live in, Milwaukee could become a holocaust."
Violence broke out five days later - lootings, brawls, shootings and fires. A few hours after the earliest disturbances occurred, Mayor Henry W. Maier proclaimed a state of emergency, and the city was under curfew for the next nine days.

In the end, the riots left four dead, 100 hurt and 1,740 people arrested.
Most accounts of Milwaukee's riots don't point to a single incident as a starting point. After-hours brawls on and around N. 3rd St. - now N. King Drive - and a sniper shooting on Center St. were factors in Maier's decision to activate the National Guard on the night between Sunday, July 30, and Monday, July 31.

Just two months earlier, Maier's office had developed a riot control plan, created in part as a result of picketing and demonstrations in Wauwatosa the previous summer.
"There were some rumors that something was going to happen," said LeRoy Jones, who was then a 39-year-old Milwaukee police detective - and one of 18 black officers in a department of 2,056.
"We did know there was going to be a riot. The Police Department knew - one to two weeks ahead - that something was planned. It was predicted that it would be on 3rd Street," Jones said. N. 3rd St. was the neighborhood's business district.

Fred Bronson, then NAACP Youth Council president, said he, too, recalled chatter in barbershops, bars and gathering spots frequented by black residents of "something going down." On Saturday, July 29, Bronson said, rumors intensified as some youth council members reported hearing similar theories.
The question - one that's still unanswered today - was: Who was behind such a plan?
Demonstrations at aldermen's homes and Father Groppi's statement to the Common Council - which some perceived as a threat - led Milwaukee Police Chief Harold Breier to think the youth council was planning the insurrection.
That wasn't true, former youth council members said.
"There was never any discussion of rioting," said Margaret (Peggy) Rozga, a youth council member who married Groppi in 1976. "Even if any of us thought something like that, we didn't say it to anyone, because we certainly knew we would probably be blamed for anything that happened."
Besides, Bronson said, a riot would have gone against the youth council's non-violent approach.
But there were people who felt otherwise - others who were not members of the youth council, Bronson added.

July 31, 1967

The lot at 134 W. Center St. is vacant now, but the home that once stood there was the site of the bloodiest event in Milwaukee's civil disturbance.
Just before 2 a.m. on the hot night, residents of the mostly black neighborhood around N. 2nd and W. Center streets gathered and talked outside. A white man drove by slowly in a white station wagon.
He doubled back and yelled a racial slur.
He reached for something. Someone shouted, "He's got a gun in the glove compartment."
People ran. A shotgun blast came from the house. The car was hit. The man inside the car, Milton L. Nelsen, an ironworker, was shot in the face. Hannah Jackson, who lived next door, was also hit by gunfire.
Seconds later, an unmarked squad car pulled up. LeRoy Jones was in the squad. His boss at the time, Capt. Kenneth Hagopian, had asked him to work that night.

"There was nobody outside at all," Jones said. "This guy was shooting out of the basement window, but you couldn't see him. So as we pull up, all (the shooter) saw was Hagopian, who's white, and another person, Harry Daniels (a police detective, also white). When we pull up across the street from (the house) he started shooting. Hagopian got hit first."
Hagopian was wounded in the face and neck. Jones was shot in the leg and right arm.
Jones gave this account to a Milwaukee Journal reporter: "I jumped out of the car. Just then, the captain did. He got hit and went down. I got off four or five shots. I felt my right hand weak. I couldn't pull the trigger."
In the next hour, a flurry of gunfire and flames followed as police converged. Patrolman Bryan Moschea, 24, ran into the Center St. house, thought to be held by a sniper. Police lobbed tear gas inside.

Officer John Carter, a 25-year-old patrolman, entered the home, too. He recalled seeing a flash. He was shot in the face. That's all he remembers.
Moschea's body was found in the burned-out building, killed by a shotgun blast to the chest.His father, Kenneth, a lieutenant in the Fire Department, fought the blaze and learned later his son was inside. Annie Mosley, a white, 77-year-old widow who lived in a rear flat on the first floor, also was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head. She had returned to the burning building to turn off the television in her apartment. Four other officers were shot, with Carter and Hagopian the most seriously wounded.

A year later, John Oraa Tucker, who lived in the house, was found innocent of murder and attempted murder but guilty of six counts of endangering safety of police men. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and was paroled after serving nearly 10 years.

Under curfew

It was after the conflagration on Center St. that Maier instituted a round-the-clock curfew - the strictest in a city rocked by riots.
Maier had gone to City Hall just before midnight and asked Gov. Warren Knowles to put the Guard on standby. A rash of small fires and false alarms grew, as did reports that firefighters were being stoned.
Breier, though, told the mayor he didn't think the Guard was needed. "He (Breier) figured, let the people know that the police department can handle anything," Jones said.
But at 2:26 a.m, 11 minutes after the mayor received word that police officers were shot on Center St., Breier agreed it was time to call out the Guard.

At 3:40 a.m. a round-the-clock curfew took effect, closing down taverns, liquor stores, gas stations. People were ordered off the streets. Roadblocks went up and Milwaukee became a blockaded city.
Trauma center
Officers drove Hagopian to Mount Sinai Hospital at N. 12th and W. State streets. He was first seen by Shirley Orndoff, a registered nurse called in to work that night.
She recalled getting odd instructions from her supervisor: "She said, 'Now Shirley, don't ask questions. I can't tell you the answers until you get here. Do not take the side roads or come down Wisconsin Avenue. You don't want to be on the streets. You need to take the freeway,' " Orndoff recalled.
The city was not yet under curfew, but Orndoff could see that it was shutting down.
"I was the only car on the entire freeway," she said. "I didn't see anyone coming in my direction. Nothing. And it was so quiet, that it almost made me sick. . . . The houses all had their lights out."
Orndoff parked close to the hospital and checked in. "OK, Shirley. Get back and get into your scrubs," her boss said. The dressing area was down a long hallway lined with tall windows. One more instruction: "On your hands and knees. Crawl. And don't let your butt stick up."
"Why?" Orndoff asked her boss.
"We're in the middle of a riot, Shirley," she recalled of the response. "There's gunshots all over the place. Do what I just told you. Crawl."
She crawled to the dressing room, changed and started to crawl back.
"But when I got to the end, against all orders, I looked around the corner and I saw St. Anthony's Hospital on 11th and State," she said. There, she saw three officers armed with rifles. "But they didn't stand up straight, you know, like targets. You could just see their heads bob up, and then one would come out a little bit later."

The supervisor told her to get to the emergency room immediately - even though she had never worked in the E.R. "I didn't know what was there, so I grabbed a bunch of extra sponges and I put them in my blouse top," she said.
Four police officers, two on each side of the table, held down another officer on the table. That was Hagopian.
"I took a package of sponges - I didn't even wait for gloves," she said.
"I put a sponge on his face to see how much damage had been done. One of the officers brought over a bucket."
Orndoff had never seen a gunshot wound before.
She found his pulse, talked to him, told him she was a nurse and would be getting help. She asked if he wanted anything at that moment. "He shook his head kind of. He was responding anyway . . . his skin was so torn up that you couldn't really see what was damaged," she said.
According to a 1996 article, surgeons removed 126 pieces of lead from him. But Hagopian returned to work, and retired as a high-ranking police inspector in 1987.

Guard on patrol

For the most part, the unrest in Milwaukee was concentrated in an area roughly from W. State to W. Burleigh streets and N. 1st to N. 5th streets, with most of it happening along N. 3rd St. But a look at the police log from that night shows shooting and unrest throughout the city:
"Cars being set on fire at 16th and Vliet."
"We've got a large group of punks who need some attention at 1301 (West) Center."
"More looting Woolworth's at 13th and Vliet."
"Windows smashed at television store, 27th and Atkinson."

Across the city, people closed their doors and followed the curfew. "I'll never, ever forget the feeling of hearing gunshots in the background, in the night," says Roz Huber, then 17. Her brother Jimmy and her dad, Jim Cuda, went through their house on N. 72nd St. and drew the drapes. Her father got out his deer hunting rifle.
"I remember him saying not to be afraid - he and my brother would be up all night long," Huber recalls. "I remember him walking around checking the windows and doors. He would check the house, make sure everything was OK before we went to sleep. Not that I slept."
She adds, "A couple of neighbors did the same. Everybody was afraid because you just didn't know. You didn't know at the time whether or not anybody would come into our neighborhood and come into our house, ransack it. You'd see the National Guard driving by."

Hours after Orndoff, the nurse, was called to work, Bill Graham, then a guardsman and student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, heard reports of trouble.
"I decided to take a ride and see what was going on . . . and someone threw a brick through the back window of my station wagon," said Graham, who lived on E. Randolph Court just west of the river. "So I decided that maybe that was not a good time to go out riding around."
He later learned that his Wisconsin National Guard unit, based in Oconomowoc, was being called up.

Because Graham was assigned to officer candidate school, he was given a position of responsibility.
"I was given a special weapon, a military issue shotgun. It had a very long, pointed bayonet on it. It looked more like a Civil War bayonet. And it was used in prisons if there was a riot," he said.
"And my job was to neutralize snipers. Kill them. Or shoot them. Or you know, suppress the snipers," he said - though he never fired a shot.
Guardsmen and police patrolled together. "The tactical units had all their riot helmets on and they would drive around with all their weapons pointed out of the car, and they were very intimidating," he said. "And I'm sure that's the image they wanted to project. . . . And that was coming from black and from white officers."

Graham, who had handled civil disturbances in Madison and Lake Geneva as a guardsman, today believes the Guard was "a neutralizing, calming force between the police and the community."
Graham's first patrol assignment was at N. 5th and W. Walnut streets.
As the night began, Graham gazed to the second floor windows of a red brick apartment building and saw shadows. Curtains moved.
The people in the houses looked at him. He looked at them. "We had no idea what they were doing," Graham said. "They had no idea what we were doing."
"There was minimal light, so you'd just see the shadows. And that's what you'd look for, the shadows. Shadows and sudden movement."
It was quiet until daybreak, Graham said, when an older African American man came out of his home.
"He wanted to know if they were going to lift the curfew, because he wanted to go to his job. It was one of the big heavy industry companies. And he said he really, really needed to get to work because he was concerned about losing his job.
"The guard is citizen soldiers. Two days before, we were going to work like everybody else," Graham noted. "And I could identify with this man that couldn't get to work."
He and the other guardsmen went up the chain of command to see if the curfew was lifted and the guy could get to work. "And the answer was no," says Graham.
The city had settled down some, but the violence was far from over.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=637352#main

[DFurtman]

On my way back from Oshkosh Airventure today i saw a good sized brown plume of smoke coming from a wooded area near the highway.. upon investigation, i discovered a brush fire about 1 acre in size with 2 structures in immediate danger. I found the fire number, called 911, reported the fire, passed on IC to the chief and asked the AC if he needed a hand.. He said yeah, so i dressed out in my wildland gear and grabbed an indian pack and helped out with extinguishment and mopup.

lol.. i've got more fire ouside of the base while on deployment than on base.. lol

-Damien

[POWERSLADDER2]

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

[jccrabby3084]

MILWAUKEE --

Four children were rescued from a house fire Friday morning at Holton Street and North Avenue.
Milwaukee police Officer Todd Johnson and his partner, Roy Horn, were flagged down to the scene of the burning building.
At first, they tried to get in the front door but the smoke and heat kept them back.
While Horn cut his hand trying to find another way in, Johnson raced to the alley where he saw four children leaning out a window gasping for breath.
"The baby dropped out the window (and) hit the air conditioner on the way down. The father and I were lucky we caught him before he hit the ground," Johnson said.
Witnesses said Johnson and the father dove to catch the little boy.
While they got him out of harm's way, firefighters broke through the flames up front and pulled the other three children to safety.
The children were all 2 to 9 years old.
The fire itself was put out pretty quickly, WISN 12 News reporter Brendan Conway said.




Nice job MFD. Jasper, were you in on this one?

[jasper45]

Nice job MFD. Jasper, were you in on this one?


No, I wasn't, and they did do a spectacular job. Truck 5 was first due, just by dumb luck, and actually crawled thru fire to get to the kids. Engine 21 arrived shortly there after, and this is the part of the story that is getting no publicity, mostly because of the 'hero cop' angle; the boss on engine 21 suffered burns to his hands that are now being called career ending. 21's extended themselves on their push because the brothers from truck 5 were still operating above the fire. I only put this in here because there has been zero coverage on this part of the story.

Nothing against the police, but they never entered the structure, and the burned firemen aspect of the story is getting no coverage that I have seen.
Of course though, I'm sure there are plenty on this forum who think the guys should have waited for a line.

[clark918]

I had my first working structure fire last night in Pewaukee. It was a two-story machine shop. I think the upper half was all rooms though. It went pretty well. I was the first in engine and made an attack. Our camera broke though and we couldn't find a wall. The first in Ladder(quint) made an attack on the other side of the building. No one could find the fire so we all just started hitting hot spots. Overall, I thought it went well. Now that I finally got a fire, I know this is the job for me. haha

[jccrabby3084]

No, I wasn't, and they did do a spectacular job. Truck 5 was first due, just by dumb luck, and actually crawled thru fire to get to the kids. Engine 21 arrived shortly there after, and this is the part of the story that is getting no publicity, mostly because of the 'hero cop' angle; the boss on engine 21 suffered burns to his hands that are now being called career ending. 21's extended themselves on their push because the brothers from truck 5 were still operating above the fire. I only put this in here because there has been zero coverage on this part of the story.

Nothing against the police, but they never entered the structure, and the burned firemen aspect of the story is getting no coverage that I have seen.
Of course though, I'm sure there are plenty on this forum who think the guys should have waited for a line.



I hope that E-21's boss recovers and can stay on the job. Sounds like the crews did a hell of a job. I concur with the waiting for a line comment and that hindsight is 20/20. What the safety sallies fail to see is that the kids are alive because of the efforts of the truck crew and the truck crew is alive because of the efforts of the engine crew. This is an example of teamwork working and the job getting done.

In fire school the comment was always made, we will risk a lot to save a lot, a little to save a little. You have kids out of the structure, because it was confirmed, after all the cops were there. It is still part of our job to take those risks to save the other ones still inside, hoseline or not. I would truly hate to see the civilian death statistics if we always waited for a hoseline.

Anyway, I hope the boss recovers and again great job by the MFD.
BTW Jasper, are you with a truck or engine company?

[Runn11]

I had my first working structure fire last night in Pewaukee. It was a two-story machine shop. I think the upper half was all rooms though. It went pretty well. I was the first in engine and made an attack. Our camera broke though and we couldn't find a wall. The first in Ladder(quint) made an attack on the other side of the building. No one could find the fire so we all just started hitting hot spots. Overall, I thought it went well. Now that I finally got a fire, I know this is the job for me. haha

I heard about that one on the Scanner you guys brought in a fair amount of help for that one. Must have been kinda big. What station are you at over there. one of the Guys from Station one is also a member of Ashippun.

Anywho the only thing we have had out here in a while was a M.A. Call to Oconomowoc Aug 31st for a Bar and an upper Apt that was on fire in Downtown. Other than that is has been very quiet around here.

[clark918]

I heard about that one on the Scanner you guys brought in a fair amount of help for that one. Must have been kinda big. What station are you at over there. one of the Guys from Station one is also a member of Ashippun.

Yea we had all 3 stations there, Town of Delafield, Sussex, Town of Brookfield, and maybe another one. I'm at station 2 right now, but I'm still a rookie. I was at station 1 for two months and I've been at station 2 for about two. It wasn't that big of a fire. Actually I don't think anyone even saw flames. haha It did burn for sometime though. I'm not exactly sure what happened. After I came out to switch bottles, they sent my crew to an ambulance for rehab. Where exactly is Ashippun? I've never heard of it. I from Milwaukee County though so I don't know a lot of places in that area.

[Runn11]

Yea we had all 3 stations there, Town of Delafield, Sussex, Town of Brookfield, and maybe another one. I'm at station 2 right now, but I'm still a rookie. I was at station 1 for two months and I've been at station 2 for about two. It wasn't that big of a fire. Actually I don't think anyone even saw flames. haha It did burn for sometime though. I'm not exactly sure what happened. After I came out to switch bottles, they sent my crew to an ambulance for rehab. Where exactly is Ashippun? I've never heard of it. I from Milwaukee County though so I don't know a lot of places in that area.

City of Brookfield was on standby at your station according to how it came accross on the scaner. Lt. Brandon Spect From station 1 is our EMS LT. Here in Ashippun. We are about 10 Miles North of Oconomowoc. we are the Township in the South East Corner of Dodge County. We cover all 36 Sections of our town, Parts of North West Waukesha Co., Small Part of North East Jefferson Co., and Some of South West Washington County.
Dispatching for us Can be so much fun sometimes. Got to Love Politics! I also Know an Instructor from Station one. All I know his first name is Andy and he teaches at WCTC. He is a frekin awsome teacher and a Really cool guy!

[clark918]

Yea I went back to station one for a debriefing after and saw City of Brookfield there. I said I think TOWN of Brookfield was at the fire though.

You must be talking about our training chief, Andy Norris. You're right, he's a great guy that knows a lot. I went to MATC, so I never had him, but he's taught me a lot at PFD.

I'm guessing I probably won't be seeing you unless something HUGE happens. Like I said, I'm not too familiar with Waukesha County, but you seem a bit far from us. haha

[Runn11]

Andy Norris thats it, thats the guy. Yeah He was my favorite. he would push us hard But he would also make it fun. he would pick on me all the time, but it was all in fun and games.

yeah I doubt we would run in to each other at a Fire. thats is quite a distance. Have you run in to LT. Brandon Spect yet???

[clark918]

Don't think so. He's from Pewaukee? If he is, he must be at station 3. I probably saw him, but didn't get to talk.

[clark918]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18802528&BRD=1399&PAG=461&dept_id=173065&rfi=8

Run11, there's info about that fire on there.

[jccrabby3084]

Go to class for a few days and miss three fires, geez.

Anyway in GB lately there were three fires this week. The latest one was started apparently by a kid playing with a lighter in a balloon frame constructed house. Don't really have the details on the other two, but been a busy week so far. There were a couple fires here and there since my last post, but been awhile since there was a week like this. The fire started by the kid, a rig left the scene of another fire to respond to that one, so a nice back to backer.

[Runn11]

Don't think so. He's from Pewaukee? If he is, he must be at station 3. I probably saw him, but didn't get to talk.


I think he is station 1 Not 100%sure though

But other than that its Been 18 Months since we have had a Fire in our District. so I guess our Fire Prevention program must be paying off.

[Runn11]

Go to class for a few days and miss three fires, geez.

Anyway in GB lately there were three fires this week. The latest one was started apparently by a kid playing with a lighter in a balloon frame constructed house. Don't really have the details on the other two, but been a busy week so far. There were a couple fires here and there since my last post, but been awhile since there was a week like this. The fire started by the kid, a rig left the scene of another fire to respond to that one, so a nice back to backer.


which class did you go to???

[Hazmat91180]

Just curious on details for a Barn Fire late Monday night/Tuesday morning right on the border of Waukesha and Milwaukee County. It looked like it was rolling really good, the smoke was intense. We got called off just as we were able to see the orange glow.

Any details?

Thanks,

[jccrabby3084]

which class did you go to???

Collapse shoring at Volk Field

[Runn11]

oh ok There was a few people I know that went to Iowa for a F/S Farm rescue tranning that weekend.

on Seconed note Richfield Had a house fire lastnight. Toned out about 10:30PM lastnight. andup to 5 Dept where there. My co-worker got home at 4:30AM. Cudoes to him for still comming to work at 10:00 AM this morning. I dont think I would have been able to do that.

[jccrabby3084]

This is from the Green Bay Press Gazette. Plisken were you there for this?



Superior mourns 4 men killed in landfill pit
Toxin knocked workers out

By BRIAN BAKST
The Associated Press


SUPERIOR — Two of the four workers killed by toxic fumes in a landfill pit here came from a well-known family that owned the landfill and earned a reputation for working hard, authorities and friends said Friday.
"These were the type of guys who didn't sit in the office and have people go out and do the work for them. They actually go out and do a lot of it themselves," said Jeff Vito, the director of economic development for Superior and the city's former public works director.


The men died Thursday trying to fix a sewer in a hole 3-feet in diameter and at least a dozen feet deep at the privately owned landfill, authorities said. The level of deadly hydrogen sulfide fumes inside the pit was so high it would have immediately knocked each worker unconscious, experts said.
Douglas County Sheriff Thomas Dalbec identified the victims as brothers Joseph P. Kimmes III, 44, and Scott A. Kimmes, 40, along with Harold Tim Olson, 47, and Paul E. Cossalter, 41.

The brothers' father, Joseph Kimmes II, founded J. Kimmes Construction, which owns the landfill and several other companies.
Dalbec said Cossalter worked for a contractor. He was not certain about Olson's employment.

The four men were working with two others, who called 911 after the men ailed to emerge from the hole. The smell of rotten eggs is apparent with even small amounts of hydrogen sulfide, Superior Fire Chief Tad Matheson said.
But the men might not have understood what the smell signified, as firefighters who pulled them from the hole did not detect any respirators or safety masks, Matheson said.

It's believed one worker got in trouble and the others went in one at a time, apparently to help, the sheriff said. The men were working at the pit to install a new pump.
Superior Mayor David Ross said the city was shocked by the tragedy.
The Kimmes family is prominent in town, he said.
"They were always the one to roll up their sleeves and make sure things happen," the mayor said.
"The father has been certainly the leader for many years. He has also been a gracious father who has allowed his sons to take significant leadership roles in their businesses."

Ross recalled that Joseph P. Kimmes III, the oldest son in the family, was quick to offer the city a piece of construction equipment to help recover some victims of a downtown tavern fire about three years ago.

"I remember him showing up at the scene with that equipment and just putting everything he had into making sure that we could recover these two fatalities in the fire," the mayor said. "The boys and father are very dedicated businessmen."

The Kimmes brothers and Olson were from the village of Superior or more rural parts of Douglas County, Dalbec said. Cossalter came from Wrenshall, Minn.
Seventy-one-year-old Joseph Kimmes said he was not sure exactly what happened at the pit.
The landfill was for demolition products, such as when buildings were torn down, he said. It does not handle garbage or hazardous materials.
The sewer was a "big collection tank" that collected drainage and leached water from the landfill before it was pumped into the city sewer system, Kimmes said.

Kimmes started J. Kimmes Construction in 1989 and four of his sons took over in 2005, he said.
Vito said he has worked with the Kimmes family for 25 years. They own seven or eight different businesses, including a paving company, a heating oil business and a gasoline station, he said.

The two brothers killed by the fumes were down-to-earth and hard working, Vito said. "It was pretty standard for them to work 12 to 14 hours a day and they did that six days a week. Typically, they saved Sunday for a family day."
Both sons who were killed were married, Vito said. The oldest son — often called Joey — had a hobby farm with horses and he had a son who was being brought into the business as a third generation, Vito said.
Mark Hysell, area director for the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said two inspectors arrived at the landfill Friday and started their investigation, which would include interviewing witnesses.
It could be six months before the final report on the investigation is issued, he said.

[plisken]

Yes I was, I was driving the first rig in, with my captain and my pipeman driving our rescue rig with the confined space equipment.. This is a great example as to why we have to look before we leap. We were told one person in the well,(on dispatch) after we arrived it was 4. It was training and experance that told us to slow down, hydrogen sulfide 200+ppm, Low O2, Lel above limits and lack of personal to safely consider rescue. Considering was not a thought, CFR1910.120 spells it out. since the investigation is still going on all I will say here is, Use your Training, brain and gut to determine your course of action, not your heart.

[jccrabby3084]

Plisken,

Were the workers using the proper stuff for the confined space work? IE, harness, gas monitoring etc? Or is this all part of the investigation stuff that you can't share?

[plisken]

The answer is NO, Nothing, NADA.. Once the OSHA guys leave I will Answer any question so we can all learn from or at least get something out of it... I will play tight lip till I get the go ahead so I don't compermise anything in the investigation..... I tell ya going down a hole in training is nothing. Knowing your going down in a TRUE IDLH environment that has just claimed 4 is Insane. I bet I checked things, Air, beaners, everything 50 times in my 3 trips down and up... hopefully this is a once in a career event though, Keep in touch and I will let you gents know whats up.. Later:)

[SPFDRum]

plisken, Outstanding job to the Superior Fire Department on the confined space call. Kudos to the leadership for stepping back and assessing the situation prior to adding more bodies. Job well done.

[plisken]

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z281/plisken100/SewerAerial.jpg

This is the hole

[clark918]

It's been a busy Thanksgiving in the Milwaukee Suburbs.

There was a fire in Oak Creek on Thanksgiving night that I don't know too much about. I got paged into South Milwaukee because the on duty crew responded to a full assignment. As I showed up they upgraded to a box alarm. All I know was that it was a house fire.

Then around noon today(Friday) South Milwaukee responded to an apartment fire. I showed up at the scene which also eventually got upgraded to a box alarm. One complete apartment is gone and then there is significant damage to other parts. Two firefighter from South Milwaukee were injured. I'm not positive on the details, but I think one twisted up his knee and another was cut by a large piece of glass.

[jccrabby3084]

Busy Thanksgiving in WI sounds like.

Local news here is reporting a fire with fatality in the City of Milwaukee. Don't have much for details except the individual tried putting the fire out himself when he died.

Green Bay had an 8 unit apartment complex fire in the early morning hours of Thursday. The closest engine to the fire was out on a BS brush fire so there was a delayed response waiting for the next in rigs to get to the fire. Sixteen left homeless, one FF to the hospital for slipping on the ice.

[clark918]

Big fire in Milwaukee today. Just saw on the news that two people died. Several people were jumping out of the windows. I looked at a forum on wifirefeeds.com and saw that they called for a 3rd alarm.

[jccrabby3084]

Big fire in Milwaukee today. Just saw on the news that two people died. Several people were jumping out of the windows. I looked at a forum on wifirefeeds.com and saw that they called for a 3rd alarm.


Thanks for posting that, I saw the news on it up here, but didn't get a chance to post about it.

Green Bay also had a large apartment complex on fire the same night. No injuries, but left 130 residents displaced. The Green Bay Press Gazette has some good photos of it on their sire. www.greenbaypressgazette.com

[Hazmat91180]

Big fire in Milwaukee today. Just saw on the news that two people died. Several people were jumping out of the windows. I looked at a forum on wifirefeeds.com and saw that they called for a 3rd alarm.

I thought the battalion chief seemed "flustered" in the interview on the news. Sounds / looks like it was a huge one.

[Runn11]

yeah that was the talk of our department for that night I thought I heard it was started by someone that was a convicted for arson once before. But at 4:20 Am tusday Morning we had a Barn Fire Here is Ashippun 4 doors down from my place, at the same time Oakfield had a Big Barn Fire as well. we lost the barn there was no saving it. I was the only one that saw it that made it to the station (everyone else that responded came from the other direstion), and I told everyone that by the time we get there is will be fully engulfed, if not down. and by the time we got handlines charged it was down. but Mind you it was not a big barn. so that was our first fire inour area in 19 months.

[Runn11]

Wow Call me the thread Killer Just wanna say Its Been a Busy Week for us. M.A. House Fire call. Car Fire, and a nother M.A. House fire Call. and a First Responder Run on saturday. I know to some of ya thats Slow But Its whats going on hear in our little neck of the woods.

[clark918]

This past weekend has been busy for everyone on SE WI. Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties were running like crazy. I know there were fires in Brookfield, Oconomowoc, Cudahy, Hales Corners, Greenfield, and two in Oak Creek. I think there were a few more as well. Then of course some in Milwaukee.

[jccrabby3084]

Front page on Firehouse.com. Nice job to the Milwaukee Fire Dept.

Jasper were you on this one at all?


http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=59601&sectionId=46

[BrewCityFF]

9 Sept 2008


Apartment blaze likely arson

A fire that destroyed a four-unit apartment building early today is being investigated as arson, a Milwaukee police spokesman said this morning.

Sgt. Mark Stanmeyer said the blaze remains under investigation after it totaled the vacant building about 12:30 a.m. at 8147 W. Bender Ave. No one was hurt.

[BrewCityFF]

9 Sept 2008

Teen awakens to flames, rescues sisters

A 14-year-old boy awoke to find his home in flames before he safely escaped through a bedroom window and then rescued his two younger sisters last night, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department.

Battalion 2 Fire Chief Pepie DuDeVoire said the girls apparently were cooking on the stove earlier in the evening and left a pan of grease on the stove without turning off the flame.

The boy was caring for his sisters, according to DuDeVoire.

Smoke detectors alerted the sleeping children to the fire, which was reported about 10:21 p.m. at the two-story home in the 5000 block of N. 47th St.

DuDeVoire said the smoke detectors "without a doubt probably saved their lives."

The boy fled through the window of his first floor bedroom and then rescued his sisters through another window before alerting a neighbor.

"The fact that he got his sisters out, it was pretty clear thinking," DuDeVoire said. "I thought he did a good job. He was pretty shook when I was talking to him."

The initial call to the fire department was for the smell of smoke but when firefighters arrived they found that the burning grease had ignited and extended to the kitchen.

It burned the cabinets, walls and ceiling, causing about $12,000 in damage. The children's bedrooms are just off of the kitchen. The children were not injured. No firefighters were injured in the blaze.

DuDeVoire did not have information on where the children's parents were at the time of the fire but said an aunt responded to care for them. The family will be temporarily displaced from their home.

The American Red Cross responded to the scene to provide assistance.

[BrewCityFF]

9 Sept 2008

Stolen car set ablaze in garage

A fire that was started in stolen car inside a garage on the city's north side destroyed the vehicle and the structure then spread to the exterior of a neighboring garage last night, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department.

The case has been referred to Milwaukee police for investigation.

Firefighters were called just before 3 a.m. to 2900 block of N. 40th St., Battalion 2 Fire Chief Pepie DuDeVoire said. Damage to the structure was estimated at $15,000, he said.

The fire caused $1,000 in damage to a garage next door.

About 17 firefighters responded to the scene. No one was injured.

In other fire department incidents:

# Battalion 2 firefighters responded to a home in the 4700 block of N. 29th St. about 3:51 p.m. on Monday, where an overheated dryer ignited clothing and caused $2,500 in damage to the home's basement. There were no injuries.

# Firefighters from Battalion 3 were called to a home in the 2000 block of S. 31st St. about 12:30 p.m. Monday after a natural gas line that feeds a dryer was bumped and left wide open. All of the residents had evacuated safely before calling for firefighters, who cut off the gas supply and ventilated the home, according to Battalion 3 Chief Randall Zingler. There were no injuries.

[BrewCityFF]

9 Sept 2008

MILWAUKEE -- It's a call one veteran fire department lieutenant will never forget.

“This was unusual because it all unfolded right in front of us,” Lt. Ron Firnrohr said.

Firnrohr and his crew responded to a fender-bender on 24th and National Sunday night.

“We thought this was going to be your average run-of-the-mill traffic accident,” Firnrohr said.

But it wasn't. Police said a car got hit by an SUV and ran off the road.

While the four-person fire crew was making sure everyone was OK, a large crowd formed at the scene and people started brawling. That's when firefighters said someone connected to the SUV came out with a gun.

“I relayed that to our dispatcher, and as I'm done saying that, I hear a number of shots ring out,” said Firnrohr.

The crew couldn't get the truck out of the area and into safety until police arrived, so the firefighters had to take cover behind their rig.

“We didn't know where the alleged gunman was coming toward us, but we did know someone who had been shot was coming toward our apparatus,” Firnrohr said.

Rescuers say the man had been hit five times. The crew made a decision to leave their cover, run out to get the victim, put him on the rig and drive a block away where they started working on him.

“This person was probably lucky we were there to provide immediate care,” Firnrohr said.

The lieutenant said he's grateful the man survived, but he never thought he'd have to dodge bullets to do his job.

[BrewCityFF]

Posted with respect



Ceremony honors firefighters lost on 9-11




Milwaukee firefighters stood in three lines with black bands across their badges and listened somberly this morning to a roll call of their fallen brothers and sisters who died responding to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Seven years have passed since the attacks, but the firefighters in Milwaukee and across the country remain devoted to remembering the bravery and dedication of the 343 who died.

"They never hesitated," Milwaukee Fire Chief Douglas Holton said. "They were going up when everybody else was coming down.

"We bow our heads and our hearts to the effort of the firefighters that day."

The ceremony outside the Milwaukee department headquarters started with a salute, as David Harris, a member of the honor guard, slowly lowered the flag to half-staff. Holton and Bobbie Weber, president of the firefighters union, alternated their way through the list of names.

"We want everybody to remember the names of the firefighters and their families," Holton said. "Sometimes, in a tragedy of this magnitude, the individuals and their families are forgotten."

[jccrabby3084]

Thanks for sharing that Brew City.

Green Bay also held a similar rememberance ceremony in front of the 9/11 memorial in Green Bay.

God bless those who have fallen and for those who continue on, stay safe out there.

[BrewCityFF]

19 SEPT 2008

A south side fire that caused $120,000 in damage and displaced at least 30 residents from their homes overnight remains under investigation, Milwaukee police said this morning.

It is not yet known whether the fire, which began at 12:30 a.m., has any connection to an earlier call last night at the same two-story building at 3615 W. National Ave., where firefighters found a burned T-shirt in a second-floor hallway of the building, according to Battalion 3 Fire Chief Randall Zingler. Some of the occupants had put out the fire with an extinguisher. Firefighters made sure the fire was out.

That fire, too, is under investigation, according to police.

No one was hurt in either fire.

In the larger blaze, firefighters found a second-story apartment fully engulfed in flames, with fire blowing out of the windows, Zingler said.

"Our guys got in there quickly," he said. "They held it to one apartment. It's an excellent, excellent job. This could have potentially been a lot more serious."

Zingler said the building's wood frame construction made it easy for fire to spread from one unit to the next.

"The time of day is always a big issue. When you have a fire that late at night and people sleeping, many don't get word and get out easily. That's when you have fatalities," he said.

He added: "Nobody was injured. It was truly a blessing."

Zingler said he saw a smoke detector melted from the fire on the second floor but did not hear any others sounding. He could not say whether the building had any working smoke detectors.

A Milwaukee County Transit System bus responded to the scene to help residents. The American Red Cross also responded.

[BrewCityFF]

24 SEPT 2008

Molotov cocktail starts fire in duplex

A fire at a north side duplex Tuesday afternoon was sparked when someone threw a Molotov cocktail into the vacant upstairs unit, said Milwaukee police Capt. Christopher Domagalski.

Police are searching for a known suspect, Domagalski said.

No one was injured, but people who were living in the downstairs unit of the house in the 2900 block of N. 18th St. were displaced, said Tiffany Wynn, spokeswoman for the Milwaukee Fire Department.

The Red Cross was called to the scene, Wynn said.

It was not yet clear how many people were displaced.

The fire was reported about 2:15 p.m. and caused an estimated $110,000 in damage, Wynn said.

[BrewCityFF]

28 SEPT 2008

Girl rescued from burning house

Milwaukee firefighters rescued a 4-year-old girl from the second floor of a burning house in the 2200 block of W. Middlemass St. Sunday afternoon, Battalion 4 Chief Joe Robak said.
The girl was taken to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa to be treated for smoke inhalation, he said.
One firefighter was taken to Froedtert Hospital to be treated for burns on his knees, while another firefighter was treated at the scene for a cut to his hand, Robak said.
Five people were displaced by the fire, said Tiffany Wynn, spokeswoman for the Milwaukee Fire Department.
The fire caused an estimated $75,000 in damage to the house and an estimated $40,000 in damage to its contents, Wynn said. The cause was still under investigation, she said.


The girl was not breathing at the time she was removed from the home.

[BrewCityFF]

29 SEPT 2008


Kitchen fire damages apartment

A fire inside a four-unit apartment building on the city's northwest side burned the kitchen, dining room and living room, displacing at least one family, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department.

Damage to the building is estimated at $15,000 with a $2,000 loss of contents, according to estimates today.

Detectives responded about 6:23 p.m. to the building, at 7830 W Hampton Ave. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation today.

Battalion 2 Fire Chief Pepie DuDeVoire said the fire started in the kitchen of one of the units, which did not have working smoke detectors. The other three units in the building did, however.

All of the occupants escaped safely. There were no injuries.

[BrewCityFF]

29 SEPT 2008


Cops discover suspected arson fire

Two police officers witnessed two people fleeing a home on the Milwaukee's northwest side. Then the officers discovered a fire that had apparently been set in a first floor bedroom last night, according to fire officials.

Battalion 2 Fire Chief Pepie DuDeVoire said the police discovery helped firefighters respond quickly to the scene at 2619-21 N. 23rd St., a 2 1/2-story vacant building.

"It was good for us. We were able to get there and get it out fairly quickly," DuDeVoire said.

He said firefighters also found a trail of flammable liquid on a stairwell leading to the second floor, where another small fire was burning.

No one was injured. Damage was estimated at $1,000.

Detectives responded to the home about 11:40 p.m. and are investigating the fire as arson this morning, police said.

[BrewCityFF]

30 SEPT 2008

Fire starts in clothing piled in bathtub

A fire that started in a pile of clothes in a bathtub left $10,000 worth of damage to a home on the city's north side and has been referred to Milwaukee police for investigation.

Firefighters responded to the two-story, single family home about 7 p.m. in the 2200 block of W. Lloyd St. last night, according to Battalion 1 Fire Chief Steven Gleisner.

No one was home at the time. The fire was contained to the bathroom and attic.

There were no injuries.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Battalion 3 Fire Chief William Wentlandt this morning reported a second fire, in the 1900 block of W. Lincoln Ave., that has also been referred to police for investigation.

Firefighters responded there about 5:55 p.m. where a fire had started in the kitchen on the second floor of the duplex and extended into the attic. There was no smoke detector on the second floor, Wentlandt noted.

No one was home at the time. There were no injuries.

The American Red Cross responded to the scene to assist the residents there.

[BrewCityFF]

1 OCT 2008

Fire damages vacant north side home

The cause of a fire that caused $25,000 in estimated damage to a vacant home on the city's north side has been referred to Milwaukee police for investigation, Milwaukee fire officials said today.

The fire, which occurred about 2 a.m., started on the second floor of the 3 1/2 -story home at 3214 N. 34th St., according to Battalion 2 Fire Chief Tom Jones.

The door was open when firefighters arrived and they encountered a heavy volume of fire on the second floor. Flames also extended to the first floor of the building, which had no electricity, Jones noted.

There were no injuries.

[BrewCityFF]

2 OCT 2008

North side blaze ruled arson

A fire inside a vacant home on the city's north side last night has been determined to be arson after a preliminary investigation by Milwaukee police, investigators said this morning.

The blaze caused about $25,000 damage after it burned through the floor of the dining room and extended into the basement, according to Battalion 1 Fire Chief Michael Labinski.

Firefighters responded to the home at 2849 N. 5th St. just after 10 p.m.

No one was injured.

[BrewCityFF]

6 OCT 2008


High-rise fire started in kitchen

Police are investigating the cause of a high-rise apartment building fire today that put a man in critical condition and brought more than 100 firefighters to Milwaukee's east side, and displaced hundreds.

The fire at Prospect Towers, 1626 N. Prospect Ave., appears to have started around 9:30 a.m. in the kitchen of a 15th-floor apartment of the 23-story building. Within minutes, smoke was filling the floor, and neighbors say a resident kicked down the door of an apartment where a 56-year-old man resides.

"The smoke was coming from the room right next to us," said Pietro Tarantino, 54, who said he was visiting a woman in a neighboring apartment on the 15th floor. "There was so much smoke coming in and they said the fire department was on the way."

He said he and others eventually ran down the building's stairs. Police shut down Prospect Ave. while fire engines were blocking the road.

The victim, whose name was not being released by the Milwaukee Police Department this afternoon, was later rescued by firefighters and taken to Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, said Tiffany Wynn, a Milwaukee Fire Department spokeswoman. The man had second-degree burns over much of his body, Wynn said.

Investigators haven't determined whether the cause was electrical or cooking fire that got out of hand, Wynn said. Firefighters kept most of the flames from spreading beyond the apartment, Wynn said.

[BrewCityFF]

8 OCT 2008

Faulty furnace blamed for house fire

A faulty furnace is to blame for a fire that extended from the basement to the first floor of a Milwaukee home, causing $30,000 in damage yesterday, according to fire officials.

Firefighters were called to the two-story duplex at 1914 W. Capitol Drive at 5:07 p.m. Tuesday. No one was injured.

The American Red Cross responded to the scene to assist the displaced residents.

[BrewCityFF]

8 OCT 2008

City to honor fallen firefighters

The Milwaukee Fire Department will pay tribute this morning to the 106 department employees who have died in the line of duty.

This is the 12th annual memorial service hosted by the city's fire department and is being held during Fire Prevention Week. Firefighters will read the names of all of the members who died while working fires in the department's 137-year history. Fire Chief Douglas Holton will lay a wreath at the firefighters' memorial.

The ceremony is being held at 11 a.m. in front of the city's fire department headquarters, 711 W. Wells St.


The fallen. (http://www.milwaukee.gov/Public1/WelcometoMilwaukeeFireDepartme nt/MEMORIALHONOR/MFDFallenFirefighters.htm)

[BrewCityFF]

9 OCT 2008

Firefighters rescue woman from porch roof

Milwaukee firefighters rescued a 64-year-old woman from the roof of a front porch while the duplex below her burned last night.

Firefighters responded to 2838 N. 27th St. about 6:48 p.m., where they found a basement fire that had spread through the heating system and onto multiple floors inside the building, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage, according to Battalion 1 Fire Chief Steven Gleisner.

Three people playing cards on the first floor were able to escape safely after smoke detectors went off. It was unknown this morning whether the second floor, where the woman was located, had working smoke detectors.

Once rescued, the woman was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa for treatment of smoke inhalation, Gleisner said.

Milwaukee police are investigating the cause of the fire.

The American Red Cross responded to the scene to assist the displaced residents.

[BrewCityFF]

13 OCT 2008


Union: Firefighters facing greater risks

Milwaukee firefighters' union leaders argued today that staffing cuts have increased the chances of death, injury and property loss in a fire. But Fire Department officials said the figures were open to interpretation.

Mayor Tom Barrett has proposed closing a downtown pumper engine company and slicing ladder truck crews from five firefighters to four in all companies that haven't been cut already. He says a second company will close unless the Common Council raises the solid waste fee 28%.

Since 2000, the city has cut 147 firefighter jobs, Milwaukee Professional Firefighters' Association President Bobbie Webber told the council's Finance & Personnel Committee. Although total fires and fire deaths are down, the rates of civilian deaths per fire, inflation-adjusted dollar loss per fire and injuries per firefighter are all up, Webber said.

Fire Chief Doug Holton and his command staff said they calculated the numbers differently than the union. For example, department officials noted, work time lost to injuries and illness is down for this year to date.

Webber and Holton also disagreed over the national standard for fire crew size. Webber said the four-person standard cited by Barrett, Holton and consultants was only for low-risk structures, while a five- or six-person crew is appropriate for Milwaukee's housing stock. Holton said his department compensated for smaller crews by sending more units to each fire.

The union has argued that larger crews are needed to ensure enough firefighters are on hand to aid colleagues trapped in a blaze. Barrett's budget calls for replacing two ladder truck companies with rapid-response units to rescue trapped firefighters.

[BrewCityFF]

15 OCT 2008


Alarms save family, firefighters save pet

A family safely escaped from their north side home early today but looked to Milwaukee firefighters to rescue their pet dog from their burning basement.

Battalion 2 Fire Chief Dan Holton said firefighters extinguished the fire in the basement, where they located the family pet and carried him out of the home to a waiting medical unit.

"We gave him a little oxygen and brought some familiar faces by him," said Holton, noting that the dog then walked away fine.

Fire officials have referred the cause of the fire to Milwaukee police for investigation.

It occurred about 4:18 a.m. in the 2500 block of N. 53rd St. Holton said damage is estimated at $20,000 to the building and $10,000 to contents.

There were no injuries.

"The working smoke detectors did their job," Holton said.

The American Red Cross responded to the scene to help the residents with temporary shelter.

In Battalion 4, Fire Chief Jack Christianson reported today that firefighters responded to a fire confined to the exterior underneath a mobile home about 4 p.m. on Tuesday in the 4200 block of S. 6th St. The cause is believed to be electrical. Damage was estimated at $3,000. There was no one home at the time and no injuries reported.

[BrewCityFF]

15 OCT 2008


Firefighters picket firehouses


Firefighters are protesting the city budget this morning by picketing city firehouses, including the downtown headquarters and the Engine 4, Ladder 3 firehouse at 9501 W. Appleton Ave.

Firefighter union leaders have argued staffing cuts proposed in Mayor Tom Barrett's 2009 budget could increase the chance of injury and death and risk additional property loss in serious blazes.

Since 2000, the city has cut 147 firefighter jobs, according to the Milwaukee Professional Fire Fighters Association. At the same time, firefighters in recent years have persuaded aldermen to scale back previous proposals to reduce engine and ladder truck crews.

[BrewCityFF]

17 OCT 2008


Arson suspected in sports bar fire

Milwaukee firefighters rescued a man from the basement of a burning tavern after they heard him coughing as he searched for a friend who had already escaped the blaze, which police today are calling an arson.

Firefighters responded to the one-story building that housed the Freeway Sports Lounge, 3762 N. King Drive, at 3:36 a.m. They found a fire that had originated in the northeast corner of the building and spread across about three-quarters of the first floor, according to Battalion 1 Fire Chief Michael Labinski.

As firefighters fought the fire, they realized there was someone in the basement.

"He thought his other friend was still in the basement," Labinski said. "He stayed down there trying to find him. As soon as he got outside, he said, 'There's still another person down there.'" The other man, however, had already escaped.

Firefighters were able to drag the man from the basement through a backdoor exit.

The two men inside the building at the time were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. No one else was hurt.

Police today are seeking suspects in the arson.

Labinski estimated damage to the tavern at $65,000 for the structure and its contents.

In a separate overnight fire call, Battalion 5 firefighters responded to a fire inside a furnace at the Dana Corp. Reinz Wisconsin Gasket, where 90 people were evacuated from the building about 10:15 last night.

Battalion 5 Fire Chief Tom Jones said there was a lot of smoke inside the factory, 11500 W. Brown Deer Road, but no one was injured.

[wischief]

Is this a sign of the times with the economy going where it is?

[Breech31]

Is this a sign of the times with the economy going where it is?

This question/subject has been brought up many times in class at fire academy.

[BrewCityFF]

20 OCT 2008


Police to probe north side duplex fire

A fire that caused $15,000 in damage to a vacant duplex on Milwaukee's north side this morning has been referred to Milwaukee police for investigation, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department.

Firefighters responded about 5:30 a.m. to 2745-47 N. 37th St. for a fire in the attic of the 2-1/2 story vacant home. They contained the blaze to the attic, according to Battalion 2 Fire Chief Pepie DuDeVoire.

No one was injured.

[BrewCityFF]

20 OCT 2008


Fire hits warehouse on St. Paul Ave.

Milwaukee firefighters are on the scene of a warehouse fire near N. 15th St. and W. St. Paul Ave.

Early reports from Milwaukee Fire Department officials indicate that the 1-story building is vacant, and that the fire started in the northwest side of the building just after 8 a.m.

Fire Department Lt. Lawrence Jenkins said a second alarm was called on the fire because of the length of the building, but firefighters knocked down the blaze quickly.

Jenkins said the cause of the fire would likely be referred to Milwaukee police for investigation.

[BrewCityFF]

20 OCT 2008


Basement fire causes $55,000 in damages

Milwaukee police are investigating a fire that caused an estimated $55,000 in damage to a home on the city's north side yesterday.

Firefighters responded about 1:30 p.m. Monday to the 3800 block of N. 36th St., where they found fire in the basement of the two-story home, according to Battalion 2 Fire Chief Dan Holton. It spread to the first floor of the home, but the residents were not home at the time of the blaze.

Holton said firefighters did not find any working smoke detectors.

The cause remains under investigation. There were no injuries.

[jccrabby3084]

Tenants flee apartment fire on west side of Green Bay
October 24, 2008
Residents in an apartment complex on Green Bay's west side were displaced Thursday night because of a fire.
Firefighters responded to the complex at 1740 Western Ave. at 8:32 p.m.
Green Bay Fire Lt. Nick Craig said the fire originated in an apartment on the second floor. The cause of the fire was unknown.
The Red Cross was called to the scene to assist the displaced residents. Craig was uncertain of the number of residents displaced.
— Corinthia McCoy/Press-Gazette


Been awile since I was in on a first in fire, but this was ours last night. We got onscene and had smoke coming out of an open bedroom window. We pulled a crosslay and went up stairs. There was light smoke on the landing and the apartment door was open. The fire just started rolling over the ceiling and out the window when we hit it. The engineer said he had a great view of the fire changing. We knocked the fire down and I found some more fire in a closet, we removed a lot of items packed into this closet, but got the fire out. Pulled some walls and ceilings and had no extension. This was a nice room and contents where the fire was limited to the room of orgin. Not bad considering the last few apartment fires we had burned for a long time and many people were displaced. Here there was only one 4 units that were displaced and residents were back inside before we left the scene.

[BrewCityFF]

25 OCT 2008



house fire under investigation

The cause of a fire to a house at 2944 N. 13th St. this morning is under investigation, Battalion Chief Steven Gleisner said.

The fire that was reported at 9:30 a.m. started in the second flood of the vacant structure of the 1 ½ story house, he said. The fire was in the walls and took and hour and a half to bring under control, he said.

Damage was estimated at $30,000. There were no injuries

[BrewCityFF]

26 OCT 2008


Apartment fire causes $75,000 in damage




Fire caused an estimated $75,000 worth of damage to a three- story apartment building at 2728 N. Shepherd Ave. this morning in a blaze fire officials said was caused by an electrical short circuit of a second floor ceiling light fixtures.

The fire was reported at 7:34 a.m. to the building that was a former mansion that had been converted into four apartments, Battalion Chief Jack Christianson said.

The residents who were in three of the four apartments at the time of the fire vacated prior to the arrival of firefighters, he said. No injuries were reported, he said.

[jccrabby3084]

Westside fire displaces tenants
October 30, 2008
A fire on Green Bay’s near west side Thursday morning left tenants in the two-story duplex temporarily homeless.
All those inside got out safely. The American Red Cross was called to assist family members.
The fire occurred at about 8:30 a.m. at 1450 S. Chestnut Ave. and originated in an upstairs bedroom, said Green Bay Fire Lt. Nick Craig.
Cause has not been determined. Damage estimates are still being compiled.
Mike Hoeft/Press-Gazette


Also, last Friday morning there was a house fire on Green Bay's near west side. Could not find the article though.

Starting to get busy again, this is the third or fourth fire in the last several days.

[jccrabby3084]

Tribute honors Green Bay firefighters past and present
Monument along Fox River names about 350 men and women
By Andy Nelesen • anelesen@greenbaypressgazette. com • October 26, 2008

Green Bay firefighters now have a tribute to call their own.


About 150 people turned out Saturday for the dedication of the Green Bay Fire Fighter Tribute on the west bank of the Fox River near the Neville Public Museum of Brown County.

About 350 former firefighters are named on the bricks, honoring those who retired, left the job or died before retirement. More bricks will be added each year as active firefighters retire or leave the job, said Bill Margis, president of the Green Bay Fire Fighter Tribute Foundation.

The large Maltese cross atop of a field of red brick pays homage to the "honor, tradition and colorful history" of the Green Bay Fire Department and the men and women who serve in its ranks, Margis said.

Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton's keynote remarks heralded firefighters as hard-working and dedicated.

"We take our safety and their high level of competence for granted," Lawton said, noting the sacrifices and contributions firefighters — and their families — make for the community.

Bob Rose, a retired captain, said the tribute is an honor to all who have served their community in the fire service. He spent 31 years in the department.

"I think this is kind of a fulfillment of what we as firefighters do for the community," said Rose, now 23 years off the job. "This is just great. It's a wonderful tribute and a real honor."

Firefighter Len Orlando said he was among the first to float the idea of a monument honoring firefighters. It first surfaced five or six years ago at a union meeting, but faded away over time, he said.

It was after Lt. Arnie Wolff died in the line of duty in August 2006 that the idea rekindled and a group took on the project.

"It just sort of evolved from there," Orlando said.

Margis said the project's costs total $43,000. Firefighters have raised about $31,000 through donations and fundraising and have about $12,000 outstanding.

"This is an ongoing thing," Margis said. "We'll be adding bricks to this every year."