A message from Billy G

[calhobs 110]

Hey...

A horrible week as we bury the brave 9 Charleston firefighters this morning...being honored today by thousands and thousands of firefighters from all over North America and the world. And, once again, the nation and the media temporarily "get" what can happen to those who do this job. Temporarily, unless we continue to work hard to push internally to protect and take care of one another as much as possible...and externally, to push hard for the issues for support and funding for adequate staffing, the best equipment, and training...and from a legal standpoint to mandate fire sprinkler systems and tough fire/building construction codes. We can continue to honor the brave 9 Brothers who gave their lives this week in Charleston along with equally brave FDNY FF Pujdak well past this week (when the media naturally goes onto the next stories) by keeping these justifiable needs in the faces of the local public and local elected officials. After all, these "needs" take care of the public too. We can also do our best to "take care of us" by focusing on the issues highlighted in this week's IAFC / IAFF (and all supporting Fire Service Organizations) Stand Down by keeping FF safety, health and survival in our own faces and actions daily.

Several firefighters were injured in two separate crashes on yesterday afternoon while responding to previous crashes in Texas. The crash occurred when a fire crew of the Sandy Oak Fire Department responded to the scene of a previous crash in Southern Bexar County. An 18-wheeler somehow lost control and slammed into the fire truck at the intersection of Highway 281 and Mogford Road. The impact of the collision spun the fire apparatus around 180 degrees and spilled fire hoses out onto the highway. EMS sent a 49-year-old firefighter to University Hospital and a 30-year-old firefighter to Methodist Hospital. The 59-year-old driver of the big rig was taken to Southeast Baptist Hospital. There is no word on their conditions.

And in Brooklyn, A 23-year-old FDNY Firefighter was killed in Brooklyn yesterday when he fell four stories while fighting a small blaze ignited by a cigarette that had been left on a windowsill.  The Firefighter, Daniel F. Pujdak, 23, fell outside a four-story brick building, a onetime warehouse, and landed on the pavement.

Firefighter Pujdak had grown up not far away, in the heart of the heavily Polish Greenpoint neighborhood. The son of a schoolteacher, he had been in the department for 19 months. He was the first to die in the line of duty in the city since August and the 1,135th killed in FDNY's history. The fire was confined to the windowsill. The white walls in the apartment showed no signs of damage from smoke, but the exterior of the building had smoke stains.

Fire Commissioner Scoppetta said FF Pujdak slipped on a parapet atop the building as he was climbing down. He said Firefighter Pujdak had been the “roof man” yesterday — assigned to carry the 40-pound saw to the roof and cut a hole to vent the fire. FC Scoppetta said that when the firefighters arrived, the blaze appeared more serious and extensive than it turned out to be. Heavy smoke was showing from the window when fire trucks took up their positions in the street. The room where the fire started was an artist’s studio. It was on the top floor of what was once an industrial building, but tenants said the structure had been illegally converted to lofts more than 10 years ago when the neighborhood began to draw younger residents. We have posted more info and photos on our home page, scroll down to news/updates.

Take Care-BE CAREFUL.

BillyG

The Secret List 6-22-07 / 0651 hours

www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com