Answering a new call: Chesapeake’s fire chief plans a career in law | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
For the past four years, fire Chief Steve Best has carried his blue L.L. Bean bookbag to work. He’s eaten peanut butter crackers for dinner more nights than he can count and sat in classes until 10 p.m.
Best has studied in his city office over lunch breaks and taken leave from work to cram for finals. There have been weekend trips to the Outer Banks with a laptop but no real family vacations.
Fiery crash causes 15-mile backup in Caroline
May 27, 2008
NBC12 News, Weather Sports, Traffic, and Programming Guide for Richmond, VA | Fiery crash causes 15-mile backup in Caroline
A fiery crash caused a 15-mile backup on I-95 north yesterday.
Police say a tractor trailer side-swiped a car near Ladysmith in Caroline County yesterday morning, causing the truck to burst into flames.
Two people in the car were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the truck was not injured.
Fire at shopping center in Brandermill
May 27, 2008
NBC12 News, Weather Sports, Traffic, and Programming Guide for Richmond, VA | Fire at shopping center in Brandermill
Fire officials credit a quick 9-1-1 call with keeping fire damage to a minimum at the Market Square Shopping Center.
The fire started about 2 PM Tuesday afternoon, near an electrical panel in an office suite on the second floor.
One person who was working in the area received minor burn injuries.
Crews were able to put out the fire before any damage was done.
Slow Down, Move Over
May 25, 2008
Slow Down, Move Over
Virginia State Police are out in big numbers this Memorial Day weekend. They’re trying to reduce car crashes while keeping themselves and other emergency services personnel safe.
Rockingham County firefighter Bryan Smith only has pictures to show him what happened when he was hit by a car while attending to an accident on Interstate-81 April 7, 2007.
“My nose was completely crushed. I had some teeth knocked out. Fractured C6 vertebrae in my neck. A fractured left arm. My shattered elbow,” says Smith describing his injuries. The list goes on from there.
The Winchester Star
May 25, 2008
The Winchester Star
WINCHESTER — For 137 years, the noble figure of “Old Uncle Jake Barnhart” has presided over the city skyline.
The 6-foot-tall copper weather vane has moved with the wind above the Rouss Fire Company at 3 N. Braddock St. since at least 1871 — when its presence was first recorded in the Rouss Fire Company meeting minutes.
But the history of how the weather vane earned its placement and name remain a mystery.
“Our problem is we don’t know how old ‘Uncle Jake’ is,” said Dustin Bowers, 28, a volunteer with the Rouss Fire Company who has researched the history of the fire company for the past five months. “It’s something that’s been over Winchester for more than 100 years and no one knew anything about it.”
Rescue members injured in crash
May 23, 2008
Rescue members injured in crash – Search – inRich.com
Three members of a Richmond Ambulance Authority crew were among seven people injured in back-to-back crashes at a city intersection yesterday.
None of the three ambulance crew members suffered life-threatening injuries, said Chip Decker, the ambulance authority’s chief operating officer. Two crew members were released within hours of the accident, and another was likely to be hospitalized overnight for further examination, he said.
Arlington Unveils New 9-1-1 Center
May 20, 2008
WUSA9.com – Arlington Unveils New 9-1-1 Center
Arlington County emergency managers know about emergencies especially with the Pentagon in the county. That was perhaps part of the motivation behind the county’s new emergency communications center (ECC) which was unveiled on Friday.
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Robert Griffin, emergency management director, called it a “new day for communications and what emergency communications can bring to the whole public safety family.”
Two rescued from fire in apartment
May 20, 2008
Two rescued from fire in apartment — – VAGazette.com
WILLIAMSBURG – Two firefighters used a ladder from a construction crew to rescue two people trapped on the second floor of a burning apartment building on Merrimac Trail.
The blaze was apparently set intentionally, and a 15-year-old boy has been charged with arson.
Firefighters were called to the Colonial Pines apartment complex around 4 p.m. Thursday. The 911 call indicated that two people were believed to be in Apartment 228C.
Frustration grows on burned block as cleanup efforts stall | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
Five months after a predawn fire destroyed the historic Zion Baptist Church and two High Street buildings, there’s more rubble than revitalization to the 600 block.
Barbara Vincent Hester, owner of Vincent Hester Gallery, said she did not expect the block to remain in ruins for so long. Kenneth Woolard, co-owner of Way Back Yonder antique store, is disappointed as well – but not surprised.
Hampton apartment fire displaces 2
May 20, 2008
Hampton apartment fire displaces 2 — – dailypress.com
HAMPTON – — A 19-year-old woman suffered minor cuts Thursday night after she jumped out a first-floor window to escape a grease fire on the stove in her Beacons Way apartment, near Hampton University.
The woman’s husband, Brett Vorderstrasse, was cooking with a pan of grease that overheated and was set ablaze, said Anne-Marie Loughran, fire marshal with Hampton Fire & Rescue. Vorderstrasse turned the heat off on the stove and then threw water on the grease, which spread the fire.
Woman, father escape Hampton house fire
May 20, 2008
Woman, father escape Hampton house fire — – dailypress.com
HAMPTON – Two people escaped from a house fire in Hampton late last night.
Fire marshal Anne-Marie Loughran said an adult woman and her father got out unharmed after a fire started in a back bedroom of their home on Garrow Circle just after 11 p.m. Thursday.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.
Fire levels Gordonsville florist
May 16, 2008
Fire levels Gordonsville florist | Orange News
A call around 4 a.m. last Friday morning brought firefighters from Gordonsville, Barboursville, Orange and Trevilians to the two-story Colonial Florist and Antiques building next to the railroad underpass in Gordonsville.
Fire in Fan forces residents of five homes to evacuate – News – inRich.com
Sheila R. Barner couldn’t sleep, so she was watching television at about 4 a.m. today when she smelled smoke.
The smoke was coming from above the second-floor ceiling of the row house she shares in Richmond’s Fan District with Patricia J. McGarry. Both women are nurses at St. Mary’s Hospital.
By the time Richmond firefighters arrived about 15 minutes later, Barner had alerted their neighbors in the row of five adjoining houses facing Retreat Hospital in the 100 block of North Mulberry Street.
Fire at shooting range is latest in long history of problems | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
The fire that ripped through an indoor shooting range Sunday, injuring seven people, is the latest in a string of problems at the facility.
In the past year, A&P Arms’ Lynnhaven Shooting Range has been cited for worker safety violations; had a former manager sent to prison for stealing, selling and giving away guns; and has its license under investigation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Firefighters battle blaze at Chilhowie scrap yard – SWVAToday.com
Fearing an explosion, officials stopped traffic going into and out of Chilhowie on Wednesday as a fire blazed in the Berry Iron and Metal scrap yard.
Smyth County Emergency Service Public Information Officer Ken Heath said there were initially concerns that setaline tanks used to power cutting torches could have been involved in the fire; however, no tanks were found. Still he said fire crews battling the blaze took every precaution.
Heath said that after the Chilhowie, Marion and Adwolfe volunteer fire departments dumped 50,000 gallons of foam and water on the 25-foot high stack of scrap metal, a new concern arose.
Fire damages Unique Construction property
May 8, 2008
Fire damages Unique Construction property – SWVAToday.com
It took firefighters three hours to battle a Tuesday afternoon blaze that caused an estimated $8,000 worth of damage at a Wytheville business.
According to Wytheville Fire Department Chief Ronnie King, firefighters from Wytheville and Speedwell left Unique Construction at approximately 4 p.m. after putting out a fire that started in an old trailer used for storage and then spread to a nearby shed.
King said the blaze apparently started when sparks from a welder ignited the trailer at the Pump Hollow Road company. The trailer was destroyed, but crews were able to save the shed, King said.
No one was injured.
–Staff report
Boy, 14, saves family from Monday morning fire
May 8, 2008
Boy, 14, saves family from Monday morning fire | delmarvanow.com | The Daily Times
ONLEY — The heroic actions of a 14-year-old boy likely saved the lives of his mother and five siblings during a devastating house fire here Monday.
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The early morning blaze that destroyed the Maryland Avenue home of Jason and Rhonda Montgomery happened on the couple’s 10th wedding anniversary.
Cody Halliday, a Nandua High School freshman, awoke to the smell of smoke shortly after 6 a.m.
“I came downstairs and saw the fire,” he recalled just three hours later, standing in the yard next to the still-smoking ruins of the house where the family has lived for nine years.
City Dismayed
May 8, 2008
News from the Alleghany Highlands
Covington City Council feels “blindsided,” Vice Mayor Stephanie Clark said.
Alleghany County’s decision to terminate the 31 year-old joint Fire and Rescue Services agreement has left members of council unhappy, and council expressed their dismay during their work session Tuesday night.
“Regionalization does not sneak up on you,” Clark added, referring to the county’s plan to fund the city the same amount it funds the county fire departments and rescue squads.
Almost 50 percent of the city fire and rescue squad calls are in Alleghany County, and the agreement specified payment based on Protected Property Value. During the last billing cycle, Alleghany County paid Covington $202,000 for emergency services in the county.
The Gazette Virginian
Volunteer Fire Departments will reap the benefits from profits made during the 2008 Halifax County Fair supervisors agreed Monday night,
Following a lengthy discussion, board members voted 5-1 to allocate 50 percent of the profits from the annual fair that runs from Sept. 30-Oct. 4 to the 12 county fire departments.
ED-4 Supervisor Doug Bowman opposed the motion. ED-1 Supervisor R. E. “Dickie” Abbott and Chairman William Fitzgerald were absent.
Last month, Supervisor Vice-Chairman James Edmunds asked if profits above expenses from operating the county fair could be designated to support the dozen local fire departments.
Head-on collision
May 8, 2008
Head-on collision – SWVAToday.com
A two-vehicle collision on Route 8 in Floyd County Thursday night sent five people to the hospital. Michael J. Herring, one of the drivers, was flown by medical helicopter to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he was listed in good condition this week. A mother and three children were transported by ambulance to a local hospital and have since been released.
The wreck occurred at 5:15 p.m. near Route 8’s intersection with Route 750.
Roanoke City firefighters battle morning blaze
May 8, 2008
Roanoke City firefighters battle morning blaze – Roanoke.com
Roanoke City firefighters continued to battle a house fire early this morning that left one of the homeowners injured.
The fire started around 7:40 a.m. said Tiffany Bradbury, Roanoke Fire-EMS spokeswoman, in the 1100 block of 6th Street SE.
The two homeowners were inside when the fire started, but escaped with minor injuries.
Bradbury said three fire engines and two ladder trucks were on the scene to control the blaze. The heat and flames were so intense that the firefighters were forced to take a defensive position to control the blaze, Bradbury said.
Fire routs vacant Taylor St. house
May 8, 2008
Fire routs vacant Taylor St. house | Lynchburg News Advance
Quick work by Lynchburg firefighters put out a blaze in a condemned downtown house before it could threaten any of the structures around it.
Lynchburg Fire Battalion Chief Ricky Bomar said firefighters responded to 1509 Taylor St. at 6:21 p.m. Wednesday.
He said it only took about 30 minutes to put out the fire and none of the nearby buildings even suffered smoke damage.
Because the house was already condemned, no one was inside at the time.
Bomar said the building suffered “very extensive damage” to the rear area.
The cause is undetermined, and is still under investigation.
Tazewell Co. fire chief arrested
May 8, 2008
Tazewell Co. fire chief arrested | WSLS 10
RICHLANDS, Va. (AP) – A Tazewell County fire chief is behind
bars facing 10 child sexual abuse charges.
William Darrell Vance Senior, 59, was arrested Wednesday and
charged in Tazewell County with five counts of aggravated sexual
battery and two counts of indecent liberties. On Monday, he was
arrested on three charges in Russell County of aggravated sexual
battery.
Vance is chief of the Richlands Fire Department.
Virginia State Police Sergeant Michael Conroy said the 10-count
indictment was returned by grand juries in Russell and Tazewell
counties. Vance will be arraigned in both counties.
Conroy said police identified three female victims ages 6 to 13.
He said the alleged offenses occurred from 1996 to 2007.
Virginia Firefighter In Line for Benefits After Tornado – Firehouse.com News
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Instinct and training kicked in for a Virginia firefighter last week when tornadoes ripped through the area here.
The Portsmouth firefighter/paramedic did primary searches of nearby residences, grabbed a spanner wrench and turned off gas lines in about 30 houses, triaged and treated patients, helped carry a woman with a fractured leg and rescued beloved pets.
Then, Bridget Rigby went to the hospital believing she was in pre-term labor.
“We’re both fine. I guess I may have overdone it,” she said Monday.
“It sounded like a train. Then, there was a high pitch noise. It was dark outside and debris blowing around everywhere. I made it to the hallway before the first window exploded. There was an awful pressure in my head. It felt like it went on for many minutes, but it was probably over in seconds.”
Fairfax High School Fire Under Investigation
May 5, 2008
Fairfax High School Fire Under Investigation|ABC 7 News
At 2:24 p.m. on Friday, Fire and EMS units responded to reports of a fire at Fairfax High School located at 3501 Rebel Run.
Fire units arrived on the scene within minutes and encountered twenty foot flames surging from track and field mats underneath an awning at an entrance to the rear of the field house.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze within minutes and the fire was contained to the exterior of the building.
The school was estimated to be occupied by 100 students and teachers at the time of the fire. Everyone was evacuated from the building without incident.
Electrical fire forces Carilion Services building to close | WSLS 10
WSLS News Staff
Published: May 1, 2008
Updated: 9:40 a.m.
Carilion spokesman Eric Earnhart says the fire was in the control panel for the building’s sprinkler system. Because of that, the building is being closed for the day. About 900 people, mostly Carilion employees, work in the building. They have been sent home according to Earnhart.
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In downtown Roanoke: Jefferson St. from Franklin Rd. to Campbell Ave. is blocked by firefighters.
Expected to be blocked off until 10:00 a.m.
Danville house catches fire
May 1, 2008
Danville house catches fire | WSLS 10
Danville Register & Bee
Published: May 1, 2008
Firefighters are still on the scene of an early morning fire that destroyed a Worsham Street home, the police department says.
Just before 4 a.m a police officer spotted smoke across the river as he was leaving the department, said Lt. Scott Eanes. The house at 506 Worsham St. was “fully engulfed when he arrived and officers cleared the house on the left and on the right,” said Eanes. It took Danville firefighters about 45 minutes to put out the flames, and at 6:30 a.m. it was “still smoldering,” said Eanes.
Train Catches Fire Just Three Feet From 3,000 Gallon Fuel Tank
Quick action by local firefighters diverted a major disaster early Thursday morning.
At about midnight, a train passing through Clarke County caught on fire.
The engineer tells TV3 one of the engines must have blown, causing the fire.
But the real danger was the fact that burning engine was just three feet from the locomotive’s fuel tank , which was holding at least 3,000 gallons of fuel.
The train was about to pass under Route 340 near the West Virginia line.
2-alarm fire destroys Mechanicsville building
May 1, 2008
2-alarm fire destroys Mechanicsville building – News – inRich.com
A two-alarm fire destroyed a building this morning at a construction business just off Mechanicsville Turnpike, Hanover County fire officials report.
No injuries were reported in the fire at Bost Concrete’s maintenance facility for heavy equipment vehicles at 8141 Elm Drive, just off Mechanicsville Turnpike near the windmill. No employees were inside the structure at the time, authorities said.
The first call came in to Hanover County officials at 9:44 a.m., and crews responded to a complex of steel and brick warehouse-style buildings set back from the road.
House burned in Ettrick as fire crews responded to tornado | NBC12 | Home
When fire crews from Ettrick responded to the Colonial Heights tornado, it caused a delayed response to an emergency in their own backyard.
Flames erupted in a home located just a minute from the Ettrick fire station, but family members say they waited 10 minutes for crews from Matoaca to arrive.
By the time the firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed.
“It’s gone, the house is gone. No one was coming, so all we could do was wait,” said Finnel Mahone, whose home was destroyed. “There should have been resources set in place for other emergencies that were going on.”
