"News" in the world of Public Safety...
If you have any "news" to add email dennis@offdutynetwork.com
September 2007
September 28
It is with deep regret that we advise you that
Firefighter Mike Reagan, 19, of Ridley, and a member of the Sharon Hill Fire
Company has died in the Line of Duty.
As you recall, while operating at a detached garage fire earlier this week,
Firefighters were trapped following the collapse of that garage. Other
Firefighters who were injured suffered non-life threatening injures. More
details will follow. Our deepest thoughts as prayers go out to all effected,
especially the members of Sharon Hill...and Firefighter Reagan's parents, family
and friends.
September 26
It is with deep
regret that we advise you that 2 Firefighters were killed in the Line of Duty
early today at a warehouse fire in Bray, Co Wicklow, Ireland. The Firefighters,
both retained (part-time) members, aged 25 and 40, died as they operated at the
fire. Reports are that the men became isolated inside the building during the
fire, and that soon after their bodies were found by other Firefighters. Reports
also indicate a collapse may have led to their deaths. Here is the County
Wicklow Fire Service home page:
www.wicklow.
And in Michigan, a Firefighter was killed in a single vehicle accident while
responding to a fire call. 47-year-old Firefighter John Lietzke died last night
just before 2000 hours. He was a Firefighter in his hometown of Olivet and was
responding to a fire.
NOTE: Police say his truck hit a tree that had fallen into the road and he died
at the scene. Firefighter Lietzke was the lone occupant of the vehicle and was
wearing a seatbelt.
Our deepest regrets go out to all effected in both Ireland and in Michigan.
September 24
A Sedgwick
County (Kansas) Firefighter died in the line of duty this afternoon after
suffering a severe shock while operating at a grass fire ignited by a downed
power line. A tractor trailer struck a pole which caused the downed a power
lines, which ignited a grass fire. The 37 year old Firefighter somehow came into
contact with the line after arriving at the scene of the fire. A resident
who lives in the area, said truck drivers have been ignoring the "No Through
Traffic" signs and driving on through to a closed bridge. Realizing they can't
get through, he said, they turn around -- and more than one has hit a power pole
in the process and this time, a Firefighter lost his life. The initial
call to dispatchers was that a car had hit a power pole, downing electrical
lines. Those lines also sparked the grass fire. Several hundred homes were
without power in that area. The tractor-trailer that hit the pole left the
scene - cops worked the case as a hit and run and the driver was arrested in
Oklahoma - where he admitted to officers there that he made the u-turn when he
hit the pole. Details to follow.
As always, our deepest sympathies go out to all effected.
September 20
We at Jefferson Fire Dept. are sad to announce the death of our Brother Chris McEver. Chris was a true brother and will be missed by all. Please pray for his family in their time of need. He will have a full firefighter funeral. Details will come soon!
September 16
From the Gainesville Times
Firefighter Angie Roach said
she never realized how compassionate people could be until she fell through a
fire-weakened floor. Roach, an eight-year veteran of Hall County Fire Services,
spent more than five weeks at Atlanta\'s Grady Memorial Hospital being treated
for second- and third-degree burns in the worst firefighter injury in the
department\'s history, sustained while responding to a house fire in Buford in
early August.
She was released from the hospital and returned to her Cleveland
home Tuesday, and still faces one to two years of recovery from a series of skin
grafts. Roach, whose right arm remains wrapped in bandages, said she sustained
serious burns to her midsection.
On Saturday, Roach and her husband, Alpharetta firefighter John
Roach, dropped by a softball tournament fundraiser held for her benefit at
Gainesville's Laurel Park. Old colleagues and total strangers greeted her
warmly. "It's unbelievable," Roach said of the outpouring of support. "I wish I
could thank everyone personally. There are so many people that have done so many
things for me. I am grateful."
Firefighters from Hall County, Atlanta and Alpharetta stood vigil
outside her hospital room in the first weeks, helping her family with day-to-day
needs. The cards and calls poured in.
Saturday's tournament and donations from Hall County's Fraternal
Order of Eagles raised a few thousand dollars to supplement the Roach's
household budget while she misses work.
Roach, a 31-year-old firefighter and paramedic, was the engine
driver for Station No. 8 in South Hall when the house fire call came in on the
afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 4. She and two other firefighters went through the
front door of a house on Chimney Springs Road where light smoke was showing. The
foyer\'s plywood and laminate floor, weakened by a fire burning in a basement
utility closet directly below, gave way under Roach. She fell 10 feet into the
small room as the sudden rush of oxygen fed the flames. It took nearly eight
minutes for firefighters, battling through smoke and flames, to rescue her from
the blaze.
"I recall everything, but I try not to think about it," Roach said.
"Being on that side of patient care was definitely different." "They said I
took over," she said. "I was telling them how to take care of me. But that's
just the paramedic in me." Roach said the homeowners, Scott and Stephanie
Norton, were among the many who visited her in the hospital. "They felt so bad
it happened, but it's not their fault," she said. "It's just one of those things
that was bound to happen.’ Roach said her husband "has had the hardest part."
"I got burned and I was hurt really bad, but he's stood by my side through this
entire thing," she said.
Now it seems everywhere they go, the couple is greeted by
well-wishers. "We were at Red Lobster the other night and someone bought our
dinner," she said. "I didn't even know who did it." Roach said her injury was
"one of the worst things that's ever happened to me, but yet it's one of the
best things that ever happened to me.” "I've learned more about human nature,
the power of prayer ... it's given me a new belief in people. There's a lot of
good people in this world."
While she has a long road of recovery ahead, Roach said she is
further along than her doctors expected. A caregiver is helping her at home
during the day. "I'm still sore and I hurt, but every day\'s getting better,"
she said. "It\'s going to be a lot of work, but you can see all the support I
have from all my friends in the fire department."
For Roach, returning home was a relief, and seeing her children, ages 11 months
and 5 years, was a joy. "That's my life, my kids and my family," she said. "I
can't do much right now, but having a house full of people; it just felt like
everything was complete. Even though I'm not 100 percent, it's getting that
way."
September 11
Remember our fallen brothers and sisters all over the world
September 11
Just wanted to let everyone know Angie was released from Grady today after spending 38 days in the burn unit. She still has a long road to recovery, but being at home will hopefully speed up the healing process. We would like to thank everyone for their support making this difficult time easier for us. We would like to mention all the Fire Departments and Organizations that have helped us out but I would hate to leave anyone of them out so we will do that individually. The support that we have received from our fellow public safety brothers and sisters has been truly unbelievable. We can never thank you enough for all you thoughts, prayers, visits and calls. It is because of you that she was able to leave the hospital in such a short time.
Thank you so much,
John Roach
678-234-4478