RescueKujo

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Posts posted by RescueKujo

  1. Posted

    Associated Press is reporting that a "chunk" of the standpipe system was found in the basement of the building by Fire Marshals. So much for keeping the standpipe "dry but in service."

    I wonder if that would make someone with the demolition company criminally negligent?? Maybe someone should be charged with manslaughter.

  3. Posted

    Updated 8/20/07 8:30pm

    At 2:28pm Monday the 20th of August a fire was reported near the Cemetary south of the City of Lompoc (approximate lat 34 37.758, long 120 26.709). This fire was initially reported at 80 acres and had grown to 250 acres as of 6:00pm. The fire is moving to the east-southeast. Resources from the Zaca Fire are being diverted to the area. The fire has crossed Hwy 1 near Santa Rosa Road as it is moving with the prevailing winds. As of 8:30 estimated containment is at 50%.

    Fire Status

    Acres Burned: 215,692 acres

    Acreage Increase (last 12 hours): 967 acres

    Fireline to Build: 3 miles

    Date Started: July 4, 2007 at 10:53 am

    Percent Contained: 77 percent

    Expected Containment: September 7, 2007

    Injuries: 35

    Structures Threatened: 581

    Structured Destroyed: 1 outbuilding

    And as of 0600 PDT this morning, The Zaca Fire is number 2 in the State of California for acreage (220,863 acres) burned. The Fire continues its march to the the number one spot that is currently being held by the 2003 Cedar Fire in San Diego County at 273,246 acres.

  5. Posted · Edited by RescueKujo

    Jonsey,

    Great post, Brother. Too many people these days just don't get it. They want to be on the JOB, but only think of it as a job afterwards. They lack the integrity involved in all 3 public safety fields, Law Enforcement, EMS and Fire. Honor, Respect, Courage or Tradition should not just be words on a wall in a firehouse or academy building, they should be instilled values throughout our careers.

    CTFF,

    Your post also follows the same lines. These values must be taught to the people coming into our professions. However, it has been my experience for oh too many years that if the person receiving the lesson will not listen, you can attempt evrything in the book and they will not comprehend the values mentioned above.

  6. Posted

    I have a question for Seth,

    How come in some threads you can edit, and others you can't? For example, in the Michael Graco thread, you cannot edit your post. But in either of the FDNY LODD threads, you can. Just wondering if this is a bug or just a who knows?

    Thanks Duane

  10. Posted

    As of 2000 Hrs 08/20/2007. The fire is now the 3rd largest by acreage in state history, the largest being the Cedar Fire here in San Diego in 2003 being the largest at 270,000 acres. Today it will surpass 200,000 acres.

    Fire Status

    Acres Burned: 199,588 acres

    Acreage Increase (last 12 hours): 11,553 acres

    Fireline to Build: 3 miles

    Date Started: July 4, 2007 at 10:53 am

    Percent Contained: 75 percent

    Expected Containment: September 7, 2007

    Injuries: 30

    Structures Threatened: 581

    Structures Destroyed: 1 outbuilding

    Resources

    Crews: 71

    Engines: 117

    Helicopters: 22

    Air Tankers: 8

    Air Attack: 3

    Dozers: 41

    Water Tenders: 81

    Total Personnel Assigned: 3,035

    Cost to Date: $ 83.2 million

  13. Posted · Edited by RescueKujo

    As of this morning, the Zaca Fire is now the 5th largest in California history in acreage at 171,750 acres. The smoke column can be seen from southern LA County. Drift smoke has been seen as far north as Sacramento, south in Orange County, and as far east as Las Vegas. CAL-Fire/Santa Barbara County Fire have a plan in place for the protection of the city of Santa Barbara that calls for over 800 engines if activated.

  14. Posted

    10 a.m. 08/17/2007 update...

    Fire Status

    Acres Burned: 143,212 acres

    Acreage Increase (last 12 hours): 8,816 acres

    Fireline to Build: 7 miles

    Date Started: July 4, 2007 at 10:53 am

    Percent Contained: 59 percent

    Expected Containment: September 7, 2007

    Injuries: 29

    Structures Threatened: 595

    Structures Destroyed: 1 outbuilding

    Resources

    Crews: 82

    Engines: 226

    Helicopters: 23

    Air Tankers: 8

    Air Attack: 3

    Dozers: 57

    Water Tenders: 101

    Total Personnel Assigned: 2,852

    Cost to Date: $76.3 million

  15. Posted

    Personal experience with the traffic agents. I'm out on Cross Bay Boulevard, strolling into the Radio Shack. The car is parked on a hydrant, and there she is, gabbing to the clerk about a new cell phone. Here's where my inner Jimmy Justice comes out. "Excuse me, but you're parked on the hydrant." She looks at me kinda funny. I politely say to her, "You'd write me or anyone else in this store for doing that, so why would you do it??" Her reply, "Why you giving me a hard time??" My reply, "Oh, I'm not, I'm just proving a point. Set the example, here. You'd write me if I was doing it, and you're gonna do it??

    She left, moved her car, and I felt better.

    Yeah, but Jimmy, would one of FDNY finest break the windows to get the supply line to that hydrant??? :blink::blink:

  16. Posted

    Here's the link....

    Jimmy Justice on NBC

    "Jimmy Justice" shoves his camera in the face of a New York City parking enforcement officer who left her car in front of a fire hydrant. He starts filming and he taunts her.

    "You're supposed to be enforcing the law, and here you’re breaking the law," he says with all the outrage he can muster after his camera caught her shopping at a drug store while parked by the hydrant. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

    She rolls up the window and drives away, but not before offering the traditional New York single-fingered farewell wave.

    Jimmy Justice -- he keeps his real name a secret for obvious reasons -- stalks New York streets looking for official parking cheaters to film. Finding them never takes long. “Justice” talked to MSNBC.com as long as we promised not to reveal his identity.

    "Writing summonses is not about public safety; it's about revenue,” says the vigilante. “These people are tax collectors. It makes the whole system into a big joke when they violate laws."

    (He also appeared Friday morning on NBC's Today show..)

    If you've ever seen a cop break the law with seeming impunity, you'll cheer Jimmy Justice when you find his video clips on YouTube. The confrontations are irresistible. ("I'm good at pushing other people's buttons," the 36-year-old budding filmmaker says.)

    In one clip, he shows a parking officer buying food at a deli while her car is parked at a hydrant. All the while, fire engines roar in the background; there's a fire down the block.

    "You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" he screams as she returns to her car. She walks away without responding. "Justice" says he's got 28 hours of video showing enforcement officers shopping at places like Victoria's Secret while double-parked or leaving their cars at bus stops.

    The use of video cameras to catch misbehaving police officers has a long, controversial history. Most readers will remember the video of the Rodney King beating, which ultimately led to the 1993 Los Angeles race riots. But "CopWatch' projects date back at least to the 1960s and a project conceived by the Black Panthers to document racially motivated police abuse. Many cities around the country still have cop watch-style programs devoted to filming arrests to ensure fair treatment of suspects.

    While those videos exposed dramatic police brutality, the YouTube phenomenon has taken video patrolling of patrol officers down a notch, enabling videographers to document everyday "above the law" behavior.

    There is nothing violent about unfair parking ticket policies, but they do evoke emotionally charged responses.

    Jimmy Justice is just one online vigilante seeking to expose those who park "above the law." A New York City-based Web site named UncivilServants.org is dedicated exposing official abuse of city parking passes by government workers. It encourages residents to send in photographs of illegally parked city cars, which it publishes anonymously.

    "There is a culture of misuse that has evolved over generations," said Wiley Norvell, communications director for the site. "People are clamoring (for justice). This is a huge problem."

    In a recent entry, titled "No Standing Anytime ... that includes haircuts," the site published a photo of a private car with a city permit parked illegally near a hair salon.

    "I personally witnessed the driver pull into the spot and walk into Astor Hair. I happened to be getting a haircut there too," the writer said.

    UnCivilServants.org is designed to embarrass city hall officials into clamping down on illegal parking. It's run by Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit group that advocates cycling and mass transportation. Having residents anonymously submit photographs allows them to report "above the law" behavior without fear of retribution. That's a serious concern, Jimmy Justice says, claiming he's been punched and pushed around by cops he's filmed, though he provided no video evidence of that.

    UnCivilServants.org, launched in April, goes to great lengths to expose the illegal parkers, in some cases filing Freedom of Information Act requests to identify the drivers and report them to managers.

    The site also gives law enforcement officials a chance to explain their behavior; many have offered comments explaining the need to park illegally while performing official duties.

    "We had a real dialog with the community," Norvell said.

    Anyone who's ever received a parking ticket will think "turnabout is fair play," and visitors who watch Jimmy Justice embarrass city officials risks developing a serious case of schadenfreude. But these turn-the-tables sites are not inevitably successful. A similar blog named Arlingtonparking.blogspot.com, based in the Washington D.C. suburb, caused a ruckus for area officials back in 2006, then went silent in the fall. Attempts to reach its author were unsuccessful.

    Still, seeing the popularly of the Jimmy Justice videos and UnCivilServants.org Web site shows many drivers may be reaching the boiling point over parking tickets and their use as a revenue-producing tax -- rather than a legal instrument -- by local government officials. New York City collects close to $600 million in ticket revenue each year, and wrote 10 million tickets. Los Angeles collects $110 million.

    Apparently not all of that money results from traffic and parking violations.

    Recently, four New York City parking officials were arrested for writing false tickets in order to reach pre-ordained quotas. A recent story by WCBS featured video of a police officer writing a ticket for a resident parked in a legal spot.

    In L.A., the city recently admitted it makes 100 to 150 clerical errors every day, issues tickets to the wrong drivers and collects more than $1 million each year from those who pay the undeserved fines.

    Recipients who don't want to go to court had little recourse but to grit their teeth and pay the fines -- until now.

    Now they can turn to video vigilantes like Jimmy Justice or join the movement -- if not for justice, at least for a little satisfaction.

    "I want to inform civilians that they are allowed to make complaints against rogue officers," Justice says. "I don't want people to misunderstand that I am against police. I am against police who abuse their authority."

  17. Posted · Edited by RescueKujo

    Once again, a positive thread gets turned around to vollies vs career.

    While it may not belong in this thread, it is a very legitimate question. On any working fire, why are the closest available units being leapfrogged? Get the most appropriate units to the fire ASAP! And this isn't just back east. Look at the thread regarding the Contra Costa County FD LODD in California. There's a question about this very topic being investigated regarding 2 CAREER departments.

    Here's the article regarding the CCCFD LODD's..

    Contra Costa County LODD Article

  19. Posted

    Hackley School to send notes, checks of thanks to firefighters

    Elmsford Fire Chief Mike Eannazzo said a donation was the last thing he would have expected from the private school, considering its tremendous and costly loss.

    I agree. But a nice gesture none the less. Way to go Hackley School.

  21. Posted

    While I agree that we need to support the troops (former USAF), the public does not live in reality, they live in perception. And if they see a government vehicle with a group of protesters, they're going to think that the city, or that agency also take that stance, popular or not. It is best to take the high road, support the cause off duty, and don't cause waves that could impact your agency.

    I know this is hypocrisy, when your civic leaders can and will request you for parades and such, but life isn't fair. Sorry.

  22. Posted

    That being said, Child predators are the lowest of the low, and it is time we stopped giving them short sentances so that they can come out and become repeat offenders. It should be simple, mess with a kid, go away for the rest of your life. I favor that over death only in that it gives them longer to think about what a scumbag they are. I hope Bubba would not be a reward and not the intended punishment.

    Sexual assault criminals have the highest percent of repeat offenses, if I remember right. I realize there are still rights that cover these "people", but BFD182 is correct. Lock these criminals up and throw away the key. There is no way that their victims will ever be the same.

  23. Posted

    Date:Started July 4th, 2007

    Time: 10:50 a.m.

    Location: Started Near Cuyama in Santa Barbara County.

    Departments: Major Mutual Aid In Place-Cal-Fire, USFS and Santa Barbara County FD Management Teams in place.

    Description: Major Wildland/Urban Interface fire at 127,244 acres, extending from Cuyama to the Northeast down towards the cities of Santa Barbara, Montecito and Ojai in Ventura County to the South and Southwest. All 3 cities are in the planning stages in regard to possible fire attack. Sundowner winds (much like the dreaded Santa Anas) are expected in excess of 35 mph this evening into tomorrow.

    Links: http://www.sbcfire.com/ or www.fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres or http://www.inciweb.org/ Yahoo! Groups SoCalFire is keeping great tabs on this also.

    Writer: RescueKujo