Firefighter Hourly

DCFD Engine 30 Daring Rescue

Fire In Washington, DC Brings out 90 Firefighters

DC's bravest battled a fire early this morning in a rowhouse with extension to an exposure. More than 90 firefighters were on scene as the fire grew to second alarm status. Initial arriving companies began an attack to prevent horizontal spread but the fire was able to take possession of the structure.

As more units arrived they were put to work in exposures and after the buildings were opened up firefighters began to darken down the flames. A video below shows the fire from a distance.

One firefighter is in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Video Deposition of Chief Dennis Rubin

Dennis Rubin is being hounded by a group of watchdogs and the video of his deposition doesn't make the chief look good.However, it must be noted the deposition was cut and edited and it would serve the truth much better if the entire deposition and transcript were made available.

DC Fire Chief Admits Department Didn't Follow NFPA 1403

Those who dislike Dennis Rubin just got more ammunition as the chief admitted his department didn't follow NFPA 1403 when his firefighters were giving a sprinkler demo and caught fire.

The Chief admitted to Firehouse.com, who first broke the story, that they didn't have a backup line or crew standing by. In the audio Rubin calls for the backup line but it was actually a feeder line.

To his credit Rubin didn't hide from the story but it wasn't possible given the widespread distribution of the video taken by local media. It's a big hit among firefighters who say it highlights the "lazy" approach to demonstrations like these.

There was an injury to one firefighter. He spent the night in the burn center following the demonstration. Firefighter Hourly had an exclusive conversation with a someone on scene. We will bring that to you Wednesday Night.

Apparent Explosion Destroys Mailbox In Washington, DC

DCFEMS is on the scene at 49th and Meade with what incident commanders describe as a blue postal service mailbox that has exploded.

DCFEMS units are staging in the area and are taking readings using their meters. Thus far nothing has been detected. The debris was scattered about 60 feet in all directions according to DCFEMS commanders.

Units have been advised to check for secondary devices and a bomb technician with a dog has been requested.

There are people milling around as officials work to prevent bystanders from walking near the incident.

Loss of Mansion In DC Another Perfect Storm

The terms perfect storm and unusual circumstances are often used in describing a situation when the outcome is less than a politician would hope it to be. That's the case in Washington, DC where the mansion of a DC activist was destroyed in a fire.

DCFEMS has been complaining about the water authority for a while now and it's easy to see why. Now the mansion fire has pulled in the Mayor who gave a press conference to discuss the series of events (long road, one 8 inch main, no cross streets) and to assure the public officials were working hard to fix water issues. Again.

No doubt this wouldn't have been blip on radar if the house didn't belong to a prominent citizen but the facts remain: the fire department depends on enough water to put the fire out. Water officials are responsible for providing the water and alerting the fire department to areas where there are problems.

This wasn't a perfect storm. It was another failure by the water authority.

Washington, DC Fire Is Embarassing

The fire fought Wednesday night in a mansion t in Washington, D.C. was an embarrassing spectacle. Not for the men and women of the fire department but for the agency designated to provide water to residents in the area.

 That failure resulted in a two hour struggle to get a water supply in the nations capital. This is the third time since 2007 that a major fire has taken place and adequate water wasn't available.

A spokesperson for the sewer authority said pressures were fine until the first engine hooked up. Think about the comment for a moment. One engine hooks up and their is a substantial issue? Well, they are correct, the sewer authority has substantial issues and residents and firefighters are paying the price.

Residents have been complaining along the road where the fire took place of low water pressure. One of the street's notable residents is Andrea Mitchell of NBC News, wife of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. Mrs. Mitchell said they have complained about the water.

D.C. Fire Department Target Of Media Probe

According to a report by MyFoxDC.com firefighters with DUI's and assault charges are still employed by the department. According to the report:

The documents detail arrests or convictions for current firefighters for possession of a controlled substance, assault with a deadly weapon, DUI, driving an uninsured vehicle, failure to appear, simple assault, possession of a firearm and theft to name a few. These are all charges the chief knows about.

Fire Chief Dennis Rubin insists he is working to have background checks performed on all firefighters. He believes the problem is 30 years old, dating back to a time when no checks were performed.

As the first responders to the White House D.C. must meet certain rules set forth by the Secret Service:

The questionable backgrounds of some firefighters even got the attention of the Secret Service. Chief Rubin admits some are not allowed to respond to the White House and have been reassigned.

The chief believes the whole story is a bit of witch hunt. However, even in cases where the chief knows someone got into trouble the punishment seems to some to be lax. One case in point:

For example, for an assault with a deadly weapon charge which was uncovered by the department itself, Chief Rubin only suspended the sergeant for 24 hours.

Others like a DUI arrest went untold for two years, and then Rubin only gave a letter of reprimand.

We will discuss this during the podcast today.