Pleads "Not Guilty"

REBECCA "BECKY" BRYAN WAS FORMALLY ARRAIGNED ON MURDER charges Tuesday, accused of killing her husband Fire Chief Keith Bryan last September 20.  The Nichols Hills, Oklahoma, fire chief was shot in his own home and Rebecca reported to the police that a man intruded into the house and said something about not being hired before killing him.

Her story quickly fell apart when detectives found the gun, ammunition and gloves inside the clothes dryer.  Several witness statements also refuted her story and she was arrested two days later and charged with first-degree murder.  Firegeezer reported on the crime and following activities at the time and you can read the story and following events HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.  She has been held without bail since then.

At yesterday's appearance Bryan, 53, pleaded not guilty to the charges.  The judge set a motion hearing for June 26 and ordered her to remain jailed.  He also set a tentative trial date for September 10.

The Oklahoman has this latest REPORT.

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Read letter from Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Kristopher Baumann and D.C. Firefighters Association President Edward Smith to the Office of the Inspector General

Previous coverage of this story

There are many unanswered questions about documents found burning at the DC Fire & EMS Department training academy last Friday. It is truly one of the more unique and bizarre incidents involving public safety in the Nation’s Capital that I have seen.

In the latest news coverage, an email sent a week ago this morning from a Metropolitan Police Department training official mentions a file burn for the next day. The head of the police union believes the documents are related to its attempt through the courts to get police department recruiting records. But, so far, that doesn’t explain why fire department records were part of the burn and what role fire officials may have played in this unusual disposal of documents.

Besides the big picture of trying to figure out a motive for destroying the documents, you can’t help but wonder about the legality of conducting such a burn, whether its city documents or yesterday’s newspapers.

Alan Suderman, Washington City Paper Loose Lips columnist:

A deputy director of the department’s recruitment bureau wrote to his staff on May 17 that there was to be a “file burn” the next day and the staff should get the items ready that they wanted destroyed. (See the email below.)

The next day, a fire engine company was called to the training academy to put out three burning dumpsters and an abandoned car that had been set on fire. The firefighters noticed what looked like personnel records of firefighters and police officers in the blazing rubble. Police and fire union officials asked the city’s Office of Inspector General yesterday to investigate.

Police email via Washington City Paper.

Andrea Noble, The Washington Times:

In an email Wednesday, Fraternal Order of Police Chairman Kristopher Baumann alleged that the file burning was an attempt by the department to avoid providing responses to a Freedom of Information Act request. The order filed a lawsuit against the police department May 14 seeking the release of information about recruiting matters.

“We are looking into whether any records retention protocols have been violated,” department spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump said.

Fire department spokesman Lon Walls on Wednesday said, “The whole matter is under investigation,” and declined to comment further.

In March, Chief Burke was one of those chastised by a D.C. Superior Court judge for making “transparently false” statements in an effort to prevent the release of police documents and policies.

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]]> http://statter911.com/2012/05/24/dc-police-official-sent-email-about-file-burn-day-before-records-found-on-fire-at-fire-department-training-academy-fire-police-unions-trying-to-shed-light-on-whats-behind-document-disposal/feed/ 1 http://firegeezer.com/2012/05/24/spectacular-fire-at-colorado-pallet-factory/ http://firegeezer.com/2012/05/24/spectacular-fire-at-colorado-pallet-factory/#comments Thu, 24 May 2012 14:40:18 +0000 firegeezer http://firegeezer.com/?p=88642

Seen Throughout the City

Greeley Tribune

A FIRE AT A GREELEY, COLORADO, WOOD PALLET manufacturer consumed thousands of pallets covering a city block-sized area Wednesday aftenoon.  The 2-alarm fire was dispatched to Et&t Pallets at 3:45 pm Mountain and was contained within an hour.  But the fire continued to burn for several hours due to the fire load and air spaces between the stacks.  The Greeley Tribune tells:

No habitable structures were burned — the wooden pallets, stacked in piles 12 feet high, were stored out in the open, spanning a city block. A few sheds, six vehicles and two semi trailers were lost, but a house on the property, as well as a building on the lot to the north, were saved.

Fire units remained on the scene all night and into this morning knocking down the hot spots.  This is the second major fire in 18 months at the plant.

Greeley Tribune

The Greeley Tribune has a photo gallery and the FULL STORY.

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No Weapons or Nuclear Reactor Threatened.

FIRE BROKE OUT ONBOARD A NUCLEAR SUBMARINE Wednesday evening in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

AP

The alarm was dispatched at 5:40 pm to the USS Miami SSN 755 that was in the shipyard for routine maintenance and repairs.  It has been reported that seven people were injured fighting the fire.  Fox News reports:

Rear Adm. Richard Breckenridge, commander of Submarine Group Two, said that three shipyard firefighters, two civilian firefighters and two crew members received minor injuries and were in good shape.  (They were primarily heat exhaustion….ed.)

Breckenridge called their efforts heroic, saying the extreme heat and smoke in the contained spaces made it very challenging for them. "Their efforts clearly minimized the severity of this event," he said at a brief news conference.

Breckenridge said the fire started in the four forward compartments, which include living and command and control spaces. The sub's reactor, isolated in another part of the sub, had been shut down for a few months at the time and was unaffected. Breckenridge said it "remains in a safe and stable condition."  No weapons were on board.

At 4 am this morning it was announced that the fire had been extinguished.  It has also been reported that a foam unit from Boston's Logan International Airport, 60 miles away, was added to the dispatch.

Fox News has shared this video report from the scene:

The cause of the fire and the amount of damage have not been determined, but considering the military security needed, there may not be much disclosed anyway.

The USS Miami was commissioned in 1990 and is based in Groton, Connecticut.  It has been in Portsmouth since March 1.  It normally carries a crew of 13 officers and 120 enlisted men.  It normally is armed with torpedos and Tomahawk cruise missiles.  The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard was established on June 12, 1800, and is the oldest continuously operating shipyard run by the Navy, according to Gary Hildreth, a public affairs officer for the facility.

The AP has provided some raw video of the fire:

Assistance provided by Mark D.

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Thanks to LAFD’s Brian Humphrey for finding this quite interesting video. Here’s some of what Brian wrote on the LAFD News & Information site:

While filming the premiere episode of Pet Sense, Yogi the “cleaning-supply-hating” Corgi bit into a spray can, which led to an explosive kitchen fire captured on video.

We’re pleased to say the 8 year-old pet, humans and Los Angeles household survived the interaction between flammable paint fumes and a kitchen ignition source. Yogi’s owner Hali Hudson explains more in a thought-provoking interview video that followed the fire.

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Thursday Morning – Check Your Invoices

Last month we told about a scam that is being tried out on fire departments across the U. S.  There is a shady outfit that calls itself Century Manufacturing from someplace in New York that is sending gallon jugs of liquid labeled Wetter Water to fire departments unsolicited and then billing them for $114 (price varies, but always close to that).  Apparently their hope is that whoever gets the invoices will assume that the chief ordered it and they will go ahead and pay it.  Sometimes the jerks phone first and try to generate a sale for several gallons and if the chief says "No" they go ahead and send one anyway along with the invoice.  If you missed this warning the first time around, then click HERE and HERE to review our initial lookouts.

After those postings we receive a few emails from other FD's that had experienced the same irritating contact with Century.  Yesterday another email arrived that I will share with you:

Just to let you know I received a bill for the free gallon of Water Wetter. It was half full due to being damaged in transit. The salesman called and since it was damaged he would send me another for free. This time I got a 2 gallon bucket. This was seven weeks after I talked to him when we were billed for four gallons and they will not take it back, so it is now in the hands of the Attorney General for Arkansas. Stay away from Century products.

This fire official's contact began right at the time of our first alert so he was already on guard for it, and his department isn't out any money on this one.  Make sure that your FD doesn't get slammed by these shysters and check your invoices before you pay them.  If any of you are contacted by this outfit, please write and let us know.

Before we start rummaging through the mail pile, we'd better get started with the equipment check.  You know where I'll be, then we'll meet back in  the day room.

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NHL Playoffs – Conference Finals

Last night's game in Madison Square Garden was a seat-gripper for fans of both teams.  New Jersey score the first goal just 2:43 into the game, added another one less than two minutes later, and by the midway point of the first period they had a 3-0 lead in what looked like a runaway in the making.  But the Rangers dug in and began a comeback by getting their first goal six minutes later.

The Rangers attack continued with a second goal just 32 seconds after the start of the 2nd period and then their 3rd unanswered goal was scored 17 seconds into the 3rd, tying the game up.  (Fans standing and cheering).  The game remained tied until the Devils scored their go-ahead goal with 4-½ minutes left in regulation.  The sealed the deal with an empty-netter at the end to take a 3-2 lead in the series and a chance to take it when they return home to Newark tomorrow night.

Western Conference – Los Angeles (8) vs. Phoenix (3)
Game One: Los Angeles – 4, Phoenix – 2.
Game 2: Los Angeles – 4, Phoenix – 0.
Game 3: Los Angeles – 2, Phoenix – 1.
Game 4 Phoenix – 2, Los Angeles – 0.
Game 5: Los Angeles – 4, Phoenix – 3 OT.

Los Angeles wins series 4 games to 1.

Eastern Conference – New Jersey (6) vs. New York (1)
Game One: New York – 3, New Jersey – 0.
Game 2: New Jersey – 3, New York – 2
Game 3: New York – 3, New Jersey – 0.
Game 4: New Jersey – 4, New York – 1.
Game 5: New Jersey – 5, New York – 3.
Game 6: Friday 8 pm Eastern, NBCSN.

New Jersey Devils lead series 3 games to 2.

Highlights from last night's game:

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His vitals were as follows:

• HR:    104 and regular
• BP:     118/68
• RR:     20 and regular
• Skin:   cool, pale and clammy
• Lungs: clear bilaterally
• SpO2:  99% on O2

After a short time, the patient was given another treatment and entered the following rhythm:

• What do you think happened?

• What is the rhythm?

• What do you think they did next?

Listen as Father/Son firefighting team are on the rig together. The father is on the pump, the son is on the line. “lets go, lets go, Dad this thing is #$@#ing going lets go”…

It looks as though a 1 3/4″ is pulled off the rig first. Not my first pick for a fire like this…

RedBankGreen.com: 

Firefighters described the blaze as one of the fastest-moving they’d seen in years, though they managed to largely confine it to the northern half the structure at number 46. Northwesterly winds pushed heavy smoke to the ground for blocks around.

Something to think about at TOTWTYTR's place. He's got more in the tank than most folks begin with.

At the risk of sounding like a jerk, I can tell within seconds if a new EMT or paramedic "has it."

You can't buy "it," you can't learn "it," and you definately can't fake "it."

"It" is either there, or it isn't.

We are all human. I've lost "it" a number of times, but "it" always comes back, usually when I least expect it.

The thing about "it" is, when you have "it," it's never out of reach.

Sometimes "it" seems like it's gone, and isn't coming back.

That is when people like TOTWTYTR come through.

Even an old goat like me needs a little inspiration and straight  talk now and then.

Thanks, man. You too, Skip.

Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.

Check out the size of this rig.  Not sure what the specs are on this unit or what it is utilized for but we wanted to pass it on. We know it's from Nobleton, Ontario, Canada. It looks like it is some sort of parade piece or something used to entertain the kids with a ride on a fire truck. But where is the parade and why is it coming down the street with lights and siren? Someone please let us know.