Roanoke City Takes Delivery of New HTR Truck

Roanoke Fire-EMS took delivery of this M & W Custom Fire Apparatus. The unit is built on an HME Cab and has a compartmentalized rescue body on it. The truck is the new Heavy and tactical Rescue Truck 6. It will be stationed at station #6 in S.E. Roanoke. The truck is replacing a make shift Rescue truck which was originally ladder #9. This is a much needed and welcomed addition to the fleet. Although the truck will not be manned full-time at this point. However at times of serious weather i.e. floods the unit has been manned in the past. The truck will be staffed by the personnel off of Engine 6 and Medic 6 if available at the time in which a call comes in or the Unit is called for. This is how the responses have occurred in the past. The Roanoke Fire-EMS HTR Team is part of a Regional force which responds throughout Western Virginia. The truck will be placed into service after several days in the Radio shop as well as a trip to North Carolina to have a Light Tower installed on top of the unit. The pictures are below.

The Apparatus Committee voted to purchase the Pierce Quantum Engine which I spoke of ( here ). The truck will be delivered in 45-60 days and put in service once the Radio shop completes installation after delivery. This engine will replace Engine #3 currently a 1991 Grumman, which will move to Engine #13 and the current 1989 Grumman in service there will become a reserve.

IAFF to Create Online Exhibit Tracing Union’s History

Message from the IAFF:

Kate Shmitigal left a comment in a past post, she works for the IAFF and is currently working on some historical projects as well as online technologies for IAFF Locals. She asked me to convey this message to my readers which I do not mind doing at all.

The IAFF is working on a history project ( here ) and would like input from locals across the nation and Canada. If you have information, pictures, history to share then contact them by email.
Kate writes: "Looking for some buttons from IAFF locals, like a campaign buttons, political, or just local identity button, the older the better!" Scanned or mailed to email.

Kate adds:

"Thanks Rhett! We hope to have the website up in by the middle of November, however, my research will be ongoing. I'm also looking for some interesting stories that a member might want to share. The first story we will feature is on a former executive board member and his career in the fire service, I will have photos and audio clips. The story you might have it could be about anyone or anything that exemplifies the fire fighter's union. "

I am working on information from the RFFA for this project. If you have anything to add for the RFFA please let me know.

Kate if you could let us know of a deadline possibly it would be appreciated.

Firefighters Web Ring

Newly formed firefighter web ring will allow all the fire related blogs the chance to be located all at once. If you are interested join up.

Check out the Web ring at the bottom of the blog.

Mutual Aid/Automatic Aid for the County

I would like to add a note to this post. This post is intended to bring attention to the regional cooperation between the fire departments in the Roanoke Valley and possibly show room for improvement. As with anything there is always ways to make things better. Only through experience will the departments involved fully understand the roles and ways of making the responses more effective, safer, and more standard between localities. The main point of this post is to inform the firefighters in Roanoke City of differences in dispatch, response, company make-up, and protocols of other localities. This incident is merely one case that shows differences and the need to IMPROVISE, ADAPT, and OVERCOME. If you have questions or comments leave them below for all to read or email me.

Roanoke County had a house fire yesterday. There is an image and article in the paper today. I could not find it online though so you will have to take my word for it. Roanoke City Engine 13 ran the call as automatic aid with the County. The call was just inside the County line and Station 13 is the closest fire station to the incident. Ladder 13, the other staffed unit at Fire Station 13, was out of service for some reason or another. I do not know all the particulars of the fire. However, I did notice one thing while listening to the fire on TAC 8; it took one hell of a long time for a Ladder truck to mark on scene.

Apparently in the County, since it is a combination career/volunteer department, when a company or apparatus is dispatched they are given somewhere around 4 minutes to mark in route. WHAT?? Yeah that is right. I am not bashing the volunteers, and I understand that they are not at the station all the time. But what happened to the paid guys who staff Ladder 5 at Hollins (the first due ladder truck for this call)? I thought that was part of the deal with the County, we would provide automatic aid and they would staff Ladder 5. Maybe I am wrong.

In the City we run fires and we expect and always receive our compliment of fire apparatus and firefighters on every fire. We know what we are going to get, when it will get there, and what they will be doing once they get there. This is how we work. Once a unit is dispatched it is on its way. If something happens that a company is on a call, out of service, or breaks down enroute to the call then another company is automatically dispatched.

For those of you who do not know the difference; In the city the ladder truck carries ladders, forcible entry tools, ventilation fans, salvage covers, etc. Whereas the engine carries hose, water, etc. In order to do an efficient firefighting operation you need both apparatus as well as certified and competent firefighters.

So why did the crews working at the fire have to wait so long for a ladder truck to mark on scene. I give you some possibilities:
1) Ladder 5 did not have firefighters assigned to it at that time.
2) The volunteers were unable to get a crew to the station quick enough.
3) The paid staff who might staff Ladder 5 were staffing a different apparatus.
4) The closest Ladder was not in service (City Ladder 13).
5) The closest Ladder was not dispatched.
6) The 4 minute time limit for marking a unit in service is unacceptable.
7) If units do not mark enroute immediately then another truck should be dispatched.
8) If an unmanned truck is dispatched, which would have to wait for volunteers to respond to the station to man, then a staffed unit shall be dispatched as well simultaneously.


The bottom line is that if City firefighters are going to respond outside of the City, automatic aid or mutual aid to any locality, they should be given the same tools, apparatus, and firefighters that they are accustom to in the City.

Oh and just for everyone's information. We need to get the terminology right.

Automatic Aid
"Automatic aid is assistance dispatched automatically by contractual agreement between two communities or fire districts. That differs from mutual aid or assistance arranged case by case. ISO will recognize an automatic-aid plan under the following conditions:
1)It must be prearranged for first-alarm response according to a definite plan. It is preferable to have a written agreement, but ISO may recognize demonstrated performance.
2)The aid must offset a need in the community ISO is surveying. For example, if a community needs a ladder company and the fire department does not have one, but a neighboring community's ladder company responds by automatic-aid agreement, credit may be available.
3)The aiding ladder company must cover at least 50% of the needed ladder company Standard Response District by hydrant count in the community being graded."

Mutual Aid

"The main focus of the Mutual Aid System is to make a large number of resources available in a pre-arranged, organized fashion at no additional cost to the town, village or municipality requiring assistance during alarge- scale emergency situation.
Mutual Aid is activated when the fire or emergency is beyond the capability of the responding fire department, or there are more fire calls or emergencies than the local fire department can respond to. For example, if a fire in your community was too large for your local fire department to handle alone, Mutual Aid could be called upon for additional equipment and personnel. The same would apply if a tanker or train carrying dangerous goods was involved in an accident.
Mutual Aid also offers back-up protection. If the local fire department is attending one fire or emergency, this system provides response to any other fire or emergency situation in that town or municipality. All of this additional assistance is provided at no cost to the town or municipality.
The Mutual Aid System is set up under the provisions of Section 264 of The Municipal Act. This Section empowers municipalities to enter into agreements with other municipalities for providing or obtaining fire protection or emergency response assistance. Mutual Aid does not affect or replace this authority."

So basically automatic aid is that which is preset so that the aiding agency is dispatched with the initial alarm and there is usually a cooperative agreement both ways. Whereas mutual aid is merely the understanding that if one locality has an incident which it cannot handle by itself they can call on another agency for assistance through a prearranged agreement.

The reason why I speak of this incident is that our Firefighters, that is Roanoke City's Bravest, need to know what to expect and some of the possibilities involved while running mutual aid and automatic aid into other localities. If you have a comment please leave it below.

A letter from Captain Wines

I received this letter tonight to explain a tradition that some firefighters don't know about. Captain Willy Wines wanted to add to my post about Garret Brantley ( here).

Captain Wines writes:

"Rhett, Im sitting here injured on the side lines tonight browsing through your blog. As you know, I check it often and sometimes call to add or give my thought. I have been wanting to write a little something to explain the picture you posted of me and Levi on his last day in company. First, many young guys in the Dept may not know of a tradition we have of sending a guy home (or taking him off the rig) at 5 pm on his last day. This is to prevent a death on your last day on the job. If my history is correct, this began back in 1972 when Assistant Chief Cox died in the line of duty at a 10-71 on Patton Ave. I think the date was Oct. 10th (please forgive me if my dates are off) and he was scheduled to retire on Nov. 10th. Although a month from off the books, I also believe that night was to be his last in company. Anyway, That's why I took Levi off the truck at 5pm. I've seen it done to every man retiring since I came on the job. It was done for my dad, I will do it for every man who works for me, and I hope I receive the same courtesy when I go. I will add a few things here. It KILLED Levi. He understood why, but didn't want to go. We caught a MVA right after and it sounded like a pin job but wasn't. The look on his face as we pulled out....well, it hurt. Moving on, I was upset that day for 2 reasons other than losing a good friend and great fireman and seeing his pain in giving up a job he loved. 1.) Not the first on-duty chief came by to shake his hand or wish him well. Now granted, he had exit interviews etc but they were weeks before. I don't know if you could call a chief visit and handshake on a mans last day a tradition or not but it is at least common courtesy! 2.) Coverage wasn't provided to send him home. The Battalion just didn't have a man to send and overtime was not approved. Of all the things we pay overtime for... all the wasted money we spend, it couldn't be found to follow this tradition? He has held over enough for late calls, guys running late for shift change etc that they owed him at least that. It may sound petty or like "nothing" to get wound up over, but it hits me hard! It hurts! I love this Dept and our history and traditions. My dad took a beating for as did many other retirees and if nothing else, we owe it to them to keep it going! Ok let me catch a breath here.. Anyway I wanted to let everyone know and to THANK YOU again Rhett. Everyone should know that you came in and worked the shift for Levi knowing he couldn't pay it back. 12 hours from your wife and son for a fellow firefighter and a long standing tradition and history! You banked mega points there brother and I will not forget it! So, the picture was Levi removing his gear from the Engine and handing it over to me in keeping with our tradition. I only wish it could have happened like 30 years or so from now. Good luck Levi, and thanks for everything! The hard work, the effort, the jokes and million dollar meals. And thanks again to you Rhett keep up the great work and let me know if I can help.
Willie Wines Jr.
Capt. Station # 4 -A-shift"

The correct date of Carl Cox's death was October 7, 1972. For more information check out the RFFA Historical Timeline.

Firefighter's Blogs

I have found a wealth of firefighter related blogs on the internet. I hope that more firefighters catch on to this. However I must say that most of them are personal blogs about themselves and the calls they run, some are even primarily EMS related ( yeah I know *gag*). Unfortunately I have not found too many blogs out there which parallel the content in which I try to give to you all. That being said, I do find these blogs entertaining, I just have not quenched my search of another blog quite like this one. Given that I have a little bias of my own blog. I just think that more departments, more Locals, more firefighters need to catch on to this. This blog is here in all its glory for new members to view as they are hired. They can search the archives to see what they have missed and keep up with the blog as it reports on local, state, national, and maybe in the future international news. That is right I am attempting to incorporate general firefighting news into the blog. I do plenty of it by merely linking to other websites and blogs on the right hand sidebar. If you haven't checked them out you should. I add to the blogroll several times a month. Just as I link to them, they link to me, or us if you look at it that way. You would not believe how many people read this daily, weekly, or check in every once in a while. I certainly hope that you enjoy reading about Roanoke's Bravest and what they are up to with a little added editorial by yours truly occasionally. I get comments and emails regularly letting me know that people (outside of the fire department) enjoy reading about us. The LAFD blog (look under blogroll in the sidebar) is probably the closest to this blog. However there are two major differences: their blog is published by the department, and their blog lacks a personal touch (see some of the posts below). So keep an eye on the blogroll, heck the blog just got linked by a firefighter in Singapore). What more do you want from me? Don't answer that. My wife will rip that list up and throw it out. I left the hyperlinks out of this post on purpose - you have to check them out on your own in the sidebar.

By the way - We are months into this blog and still there are firefighters here in Roanoke City who are just now learning of the existence of this blog. Get the word out and let them know they need to check it out. And tell them to check out www.local1132.org for all their RFFA needs!

Local Hero succumbs to Brain Tumor

W. Jessee Ashby died of a brain tumor which he had been living with for 5 long years. Jesse was a member of Catawba Masons Cove Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad one of the volunteer companies which makes up the Roanoke County Fire-EMS Department. Through the years he held various ranks and administrative positions. Jessee was a friend, brother, and childhood friend of many firefighters in the area as well as some of Roanoke's Bravest. Jessee will always be remembered for his selfless volunteering and will join his fellow brothers and sisters in heaven. I did not know Jessee, however I have heard about him through the years. One instance I remember hearing about was when the community got together to raise money for Jessee to help him through his ordeal. There was a yard sale the other day to benefit Jessee Ashby in Salem. God Bless you Jessee.

To Jessee's wife and family - You should be proud of his legacy and the life he led. It takes a great man to be recognized in death by others who did not know him. Your loss is our loss, the community, the brotherhood, the fire service.

If you have something you would like to add about Jessee please post it below in the comments.

The Roanoke Times published his obituary. I have posted it below.

ASHBY, W. Jessee

W. Jessee Ashby, 27, of Roanoke went home to be with the Lord, Saturday, September 24, 2005 after a courageous battle with cancer of the brain. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, William Jennings, Herman Jessee and Hazel Singleton Ashby and a cousin, Allara Reinhardt. Jessee was a proud member of the class of 1995 at Northside High School. While at Northside he was a member of the wrestling team. Jessee attended Virginia Western Community College for two years. He was an employee of Timber Truss beginning as a truck driver and more recently serving as Foreman of the Pick up and Go Sales Department. Jessee's greatest love was serving his community through the Catawba Masons Cove Fire Department and Rescue Squad. He joined the rescue squad in 1994 at age 16 and later became qualified in, EMT-2, Vehicle Extrication, Hazardous Materials, Search and Rescue and Ropes Rescue. He served as Treasurer, Captain, Chaplain and various other capacities until June of 2004. He also served in the Masons Cove Fire Department where he was qualified in Firefighter I, and II. Jessee was a member of the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads. He will be sadly missed by his loving wife, Kelly Ashby; Mom and Dad, Cathy and Earl Ashby; loving Brother, Andrew Ashby, all of Roanoke; half brother, Tony Ashby of Christiansburg; half sister, Crystal Ashby Fore of Tifton, Ga.; grandmother, Evelyn Jennings, of Roanoke; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and his K-9 companion, Missy. Jessee loved flowers and they will be appreciated or memorials may be made to the Catawba Masons Cove Fire Department and Rescue Squad P O Box 125 Catawba, Va. 24070 or to Parkway Wesleyan Church 3230 King Street Roanoke, Va. 24012. Funeral services will be conducted 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 27, 2005 at Parkway Wesleyan Church by Dr. John Ott and Pastor Mike Lauridsen. The family will receive friends from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday at Simpson Funeral Home & Crematory 5160 Peters Creek Road, 366-0707.

Technorati Tags: Jessee Ashby

Doug Hurd to Assist with Hurricane Devistation in Louisiana

Doug Hurd is being sent, with the Gate City Boys, to Louisiana to assist with the relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and now the added effects of Hurricane Rita. Doug's national Guard Unit has been called to mobilize and ship out to Louisiana. We wish Doug a safe trip and we hope that he is able to assist the hundreds of thousands of victims of these devastating storms. Doug will be on his way on Wednesday September 28th and will return the first week of November hopefully. If you remember, Doug was in Iraq for over a year fighting in the war. Doug is a sergeant in the National Guard in a transportation Company. I will be in contact with Rose, Doug's Wife, to be sure that they have assistance if needed while Doug is away.

The picture above is Doug Hurd on his first day at work, they didn't know he was there until after he showered. Just kidding, this is Doug at Station #13 after getting ready to go have some fun in a paint ball battle.

On a side note there is rumor, which I have heard to be true, that the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department is looking into sending a crew of 15-20 members down to assist with the Relief efforts and give some of the firefighters who are down there now some reprieve. The rumor has it that we will be sending the brand new Tech Truck down there. Hell it is so new I don't even have a picture of it yet. The truck is due from M & W very soon, like the next week I think. I will keep you all posted.

A Hero Laid to Rest

Check out this touching recount of a hero being laid to rest. (here) I originally saw a post on this funeral on the LAFD Blog.

Technorati Tags:fire,hero,LAFD,Firefighters,honor.

Surfin for Blogs- Some other firefighter related blogs on the net

I was surfing the web today and came up with a few blogs of interest. First off there is a Firefighter's Wife who started a blog Putting out Fires. She has insight on what it is like to be the Wife of a firefighter. Check it out to see what our wives might be going through or thinking while we are away.

Then I found this blog which talks about firefighters still running calls amidst Hurricane Rita passing through. I commented on the post and let her know I was pleased that she was educating people that we still have to work no matter the conditions.

Then there is a post on this blog about the new escape harnesses that the FDNY will be using shortly in the wake of the firefighters who had to bail out of an apartment fire plummeting to their death.

Check out the post on this blog about Tim Kaine and the Line of duty benefit which Republicans are attempting to decrease. This is important information for us!!

Here are a couple of pics of L.A.'s Bravest in this blog.

Check out this blog about life at an airport firehouse.

So that should give you some reading for a couple of days. I have blogrolled a couple of these blogs on the right.

Technorati Tags:fire, fire blogs, firefighter.

Local 1132 Back Online !!!

The Roanoke Fire Fighters Association Local1132 Website is back online. You can view it here. We have a better server, better technical support (which I rely on), and more opportunities for the future. Some items you can look forward to in the future are a members only area, your own email at local1132.org with the ability to check it from any computer anywhere. If you have a site of your own for a department, association, or whatever you should check out www.profirefighter.com to be your server provider. Check out the Local 1132 site and check back often for updates.

UPDATE:

To view the photo album of all of the pictures from the Radar fire the other day go HERE.

Technorati Tags:fire,IAFF,Local 1132,RFFA,Roanoke Firefighters.

Another moment in time

Today's moment in history is brought to you by the Lou Ferrigno's Incredible Hulk museum. In this episode you can see that Lou is about to transform into the Hulk and put a stomping on Clayton Martin. I just can't believe that these guys are flipping chicken.

In reality these guys, 1st Lt. Clayton Martin and Battalion Chief Jeff Beckner, are cooking ribs for a rib dinner sale to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I just couldn't help myself. You tell me if you see a resemlance between Beckner above and the Hulk below.

"Blue Mass" for the Firefighters, Police, Sheriffs at St. Andrews Oct. 19th

The Blue Mass was started in 1934 to honor those of us who serve the public. This year the Knights of Columbus here in Roanoke are celebrating their Local Public Safety Personnel with a Blue Mass. The event will be held at 7 pm on October 19th at St. Andrews Catholic Church. The event is for all public safety personnel including firefighters, sheriffs deputies, police officers, paramedics, etc. You do not have to be Catholic to attend, all personnel are welcome. There will be Chiefs, Administrators, local and state dignitaries there as well. Plan on attending. There will be a talented Pipes company there as well as some great songs played. A small reception will follow at St. Andrews. Class A uniforms will be recommended as we will be in a house of God. I will post more information as I learn it.

Technorati Tags: fire, Blue Mass, St. Andrews, K of C.

Roanoke Firefighters on Firehouse.com once again

Firehouse.com Photo Story on the Radar Fire at 2752 Shenandoah can be viewed HERE.

Great job by all who were on scene. It seemed to be a smooth operation, but then again what else would be expected by the guys on B- Shift.

FF/PM Dennis Hayes on a 2 1/2" attack line.

This is what Roanoke Fire-EMS reported about the fire:

The Roanoke Fire-EMS Department responded to a commercial fire on September 21, 2005 at 2762 Shenandoah Ave., RADAR.
The call was received through the 9-1-1 Center at approximately 4:10 p.m. The response of four Engines, two Ladder trucks, two Medic units, one EMS Captain, one Administrative Chief, the Fire Marshal, one Investigative Unit, the Education Information Specialist & two Battalion Chiefs for a total of 28 personnel were involved in the fire. The fire was under control at 4:42 p.m.
Upon arrival fire crews found heavy smoke and fire showing from the garage of the RADAR building. Fire personnel quickly and aggressively doused the flames and ventilated the building. There was heavy smoke and heat damage in the garage area of the building and minimal smoke damage in the administrative portion of the business.
One worker was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene, but did not need to be transported to the hospital. There were no injuries to Fire-EMS personnel.
The fire started in a van housed in one of the garage bays. The cause is still under investigation. Preliminary damage estimates are approximately one million dollars

This and That- The Blog gets International's Attention

Local 1132 website is down for a day or two due to excellent service from USWARE. Hopefully the site will be back up and running tomorrow on a new server which seems to be more reliable. I apologize for the inconvenience and hope that you check back to see the RFFA Local 1132 website in the future.

In other news, the IAFF is very interested in this blog. They have not found any other blogs quite like it and think that it is a good idea. They are trying to develop online mediums in which members can be informed from the local, state, and international level. I told them that this blog has remained unofficial to the RFFA as well as the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department because I do not want anyone thinking that I am speaking for everyone in either of the organizations. Most of my views expressed are that of the RFFA as a whole, however there is not an official dialogue between what I type and/or what the RFFA believes. I do indeed want this site to inform, teach, and inspire those of you who feel threatened by speaking up. I try to keep my opinion professional and I am willing to hear both sides of any argument. The IAFF has thought of starting a blog, however they are unclear of how to go about posting without official say-so. Much like what I have explained as to why I do this the way that I do it.

Look for the fire yesterday on Shenandoah to be on Firehouse.com in the Photostories section. Chief Hoback has emailed the information as well as my pictures to the site for a Photo story.

Check out some of the past Firehouse.com Photostories here:

Roanoke, Virginia Condos damaged by fire

Roanoke, Virginia Swift Water Rescue Teams respond to flooding after Hurricane

There have been others like the Salem Ave. Fire, however you need to search the archives to find them. I will leave that up to you all if you are interested.

If you have any pictures you want to see on this website, let me know.

Mutter: "When I grow up I wanna be just like you Willy. I mean it, I think this whole firefighting thing is allllllright. Hey look at me when I'm talking to you. You hear me. Where did you get that tie at? Did your mom dress you."

Wines: "Damnit Scotty just keep your mouth shut and face forward, your getting an award for being there when I was in there doing it. I was doing it, and your darn snotty nose crew gets an award for watchin."

Mutter:" You have escaped Reality!"

Wines: "You want reality, Hell I am reality."

This photo was taken during an RFFA Awards Banquet in '83 I believe. I could not resist.

Fire at 2762 Shenandoah Ave. NW

1610 hours units responded Radar's new Vehicle garage at 2762 Shenandoah Ave. Units marked on scene with heavy fire showing. I believe by the units on scene that a 2nd alarm was pulled. I know these units responded E-9, E-5, E-4, E-13, L-13, L-7, L-2, M-3, RS-1, BC-1, BC-2, Chief 2, Fire Marshal 1, Service Truck 1. Let me know if you would like me to add any others. I will be adding all of the pictures to the RFFA website when I get a chance and I will post a link here. Look for that in a couple of hours. The fire seemed to run smoothly. It seems as though a bus caught fire inside the garage and the bus became fully involved which ended up burning and damaging a lot of the ceiling area on the far end of the building. I will add more information as I learn more.

This is the fire scene as I pulled up just as they were about to put water on the fire. The firefighters had to force open several overhead doors to gain entry to the building.

FF/PM Dennis Hayes on a 2 1/2" attack line on side 2 of the structure. The bus was burning right inside the door wear FF Hayes is directing the stream.

I think that this is FF East and another from Station #4, maybe Lt. Roach(please let me know) directing another 2 1/2" hose inside a door at side 3 at the 3/4 corner.

FF Bennington asking Lt. Tom Mougin to call for Engine #5 to force entry; a minute later, Bennington remembers that indeed he is on Engine #5. FF Chuck Sharp was bleep-bleeping him all the while from his honeymoon to see what was going on. Man-Damn.

Technorati Tags: fire, fire photos, fire images, fire pictures, firefighters.

I need help with this one

Any takers, I need help with this one. If anyone has any info please let me know.

Pierce Quantum demo at the Service Center

The apparatus committee got to see a Pierce demo today. The pictures above are of a brand new Pierce Quantum Chassis with a Series 60 Detroit engine. Some other features are a single stage pump, motorized deck gun with controls on the pump panel, top mounted ladder rack which tilts down to the rear for unloading, 750 gallon tank 2.5" front discharge, 2 - 1 3/4" crosslays and 1 - 2" crosslay, plenty of interior cab space, among other things. This is just one of the possible trucks that might be purchased.

3 Fires today kept Roanoke's Bravest busy

There were 3 structure fires as of 2300 hours today.

4224 Quail Drive NW. Fire showing out of a window in this single family dwelling. Responding trucks were E10, E4, E5, E13, L13, M2, M6, RS1, Chief 3, BC2, Service Truck 2. Interior crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly.

507 Hershberger. An outbuilding was on fire at this residence. Responding units were E10, E13, L2, M9, M10, Investigation 1, BC2, BC4, RS1. The fire was quickly contained.

2005 Greenbrier Ave. SE Hooker Furniture. A second alarm was pulled on this fire. Responding trucks were E6, E3, E5, E14, E2, E11, L1, L2, L13, M2, M6, M3, BC1, BC2, RS1, Chief 2, Chief 3, Service Truck 1, Investigation 1, Fire Marshal 1. The sprinkler system in a spray booth kept the fire contained and the interior crews extinguished the fire without much extension.

Another safe day in Roanoke considering the fires. 3 more jobs done right by Roanoke's Bravest.

Vote for Preston Fleitz in Carlin Chronicles Fishing Picture Competition

Be sure to vote for Preston Fleitz at www.wsls.com in the fishing picture competition. The direct link is right here. Apparently you can vote once per hour. I realize that this is totally off subject, but I couldn't help but ask for a couple of votes. It only takes a minute.

Check out the thread on Firehouse.com about Preston and all the brothers and sisters voting for him.