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CNN.com:

The preliminary rating of damage created by the tornado is at least EF4 (winds 166 to 200 mph) — the second-most severe classification on a scale of zero to five

I have read a lot about it being a “recovery” effort instead of a “search” effort. I am not sure that the firefighters have the same thoughts on the ground. Word is that Tennessee Task Force 1 is being deployed to the area to assist (news link).

Moore Fire Department

Just to give you a snapshot of the Moore FD, they operate with 72 firefighters out of 4 firehouses covering 22 square miles.

The area is no stranger to tornadoes. In May of 1999, there was another huge tornado that killed dozens and recorded wind speeds of 302 miles per hour (the fastest recorded on earth).

Links and Coverage:

• Moore, OK Fire Department
• STATter911.com Coverage 
• Oklahoma City Fire live
• CNN.com Coverage
• KFOR-TV Coverage

Video

PASSAIC, N.J. (WABC) – Two firefighters were hurt while battling a large apartment fire in Passaic, New Jersey. The fire started at around 8 p.m. at 77 Lafayette Avenue and quickly spread to a third alarm. Mutual aid was called in from several surrounding towns. “I look outside and see ashes forming on my window,” said Michael Fortuna, a witness. Residents say the fire started in apartment 4B and then spread from there. It didn’t take long for the building to become almost completely engulfed in flames.

Video by: demonracer2

Video by: eng641

Video by: bmxking1504

Firefighter Paul Way, a 28 year veteran of the Shawnee Township Fire Department, was terminated last December for abusing his sick leave. He was observed to have been drinking beer in a sports bar while off sick on September 12, 2012 and again on September 14, 2012.

The sick leave was taken just days after Way had been demoted from platoon chief to firefighter for what has been characterized by the department as his spreading negative information within the department via emails. He received a written warning about the emails in July of 2012.

Way’s attorney, Fazeel Khan, claims his client was wrongfully terminated over relatively minor disciplinary offenses in retaliation for his complaints about blatantly offensive and discriminatory conduct with the department. He claims that Fire Chief Todd Truesdale is routinely given a “Heil Hitler” salute by members of the department, and was once given a cake adorned with a Swastika. That cake included small figurines that were “marching into an oven”.

Way and his attorney have provided the EEOC with a number of photos of members giving Chief Truesdale the salute (exhibit A, exhibit B), as well as photos of the Swastika cake as proof of what he alleges is occurring. They claim the department discriminates against religious minorities, homosexuals and women.

According to attorney Khan “We believe Mr. Way was targeted, harassed and treated unjustly simply for his opposition to discriminatory practices and a general culture of bigotry rampant at the Fire Department.”

However, platoon Chief John Norris provided an entirely different version of events to reporters from Channel 4 in Columbus earlier this month. Chief Norris claims that  Way was the one who started Nazi salute for Chief Truesdle. Quoting from a transcript of the Channel 4 interview:

Norris: "Mr. Way started this over 10 years ago as a joke against his shift officer, who is now the chief of the department."

Norris also claims that it was Paul Way who instigated the "Heil Hitler" salutes

As for this cake, which is now part of the EEOC complaint, Norris says it is 10 years old. He admits it was made for Todd Truesdale, before he was chief, and claims Paul Way was instrumental in acquiring it.

Norris: "Everybody knew he was not happy at all with that. And chief has told me that right after that, he talked to Mr. Way in regards to that being inappropriate and that was to never happen again."

Way denies Chief Norris’s claims. The EEOC filing is a necessary predicate to filing a discrimination claim in court.

More on the story.

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Live updates from KFOR-TV

Oklahoma City Fire live 

A meteorolgist at KFOR-TV said a short time ago the devastation from today’s tornadoes in Oklahoma will dwarf the infamous May 3, 1999 tornado outbreak. KFOR-TV’s live coverage of the aftermath, and the continuing outbreak is above.

Particularly hard hit is Moore, Oklahoma where there are reports of two schools leveled, with searches of those schools continuing.

AP:

Authorities say an elementary school in an Oklahoma City suburb took a direct hit from a mile-wide tornado.

Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department says there is no word of injuries from the elementary school. Knight says the school suffered “extensive damage” on Monday afternoon. He did not say which school was hit.

Neighborhoods in Moore, Okla., are flattened and blown apart, with shards of wood and pieces of insulation strewn everywhere. Television footage also showed first responders picking through rubble and twisted metal in the suburb south of Oklahoma City.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The suburb of Moore was hit hard by a tornado in 1999. The storm had the highest winds ever recorded near the earth’s surface. 

More from AP:

A mile-wide tornado churned through the Oklahoma City suburbs, destroying homes for the second day in a row Monday, as part of a severe weather outbreak that was expected to spread in other parts of the Plains and Midwest.

A massive black-and-blue cloud dragged across the landscape just south of Will Rogers World Airport.

Television video showed debris from homes and businesses being carried aloft as the twister rolled through Moore, a community on the south side of Oklahoma City. There were no immediate reports of injuries. 

In advance of the storm, the Oklahoma House of Representatives stopped work so Capitol employees could take shelter in the basement. Television and radio broadcasters urged residents to take shelter because the storm’s strength and size.

“We’re just waiting to see what happens. It’s a mile-wide tornado. It’s still grinding out,” said Mark Meyers, a spokesman for the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. “We are currently on standby for tornado response. Whatever happens, we’ll be ready to respond.”

The strongest winds on earth — 302 mph — were recorded near Moore during a tornado May 3, 1999.

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman had predicted a major outbreak of severe weather Monday in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Storms on Sunday killed two people near Shawnee, about 35 miles southeast of Oklahoma City. Gov. Mary Fallin earlier Monday took a tour of the areas hardest hit and she expressed concern that, with power out, Oklahomans might not receive warnings about the new round of storms.

Pottawatomie County Sheriff Mike Booth said a 79-year-old man, who was later identified as Glen Irish, was found dead Sunday out in the open at Steelman Estates, a mobile home park near Shawnee. The state medical examiner’s office said Monday that a 76-year-old man, Billy Hutchinson, was found dead in a vehicle.

The office said both men lived in Shawnee, but the city wasn’t hit by the tornado and it wasn’t immediately clear if either or both lived in the mobile home park, which is near the city.

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More links and coverage:

• STATTer911.com
• Dallas Fire Rescue
• IAFF Local 58
• WFAA.com

Dallas Firefighter Stanley Wilson

KXAS-TV:

The body of a Dallas firefighter who radioed for help after becoming trapped in a burning condominium has been recovered.

The firefighter, whose name has not yet been released, was among the 100 Dallas firefighters who responded to a six-alarm fire at the Hearthwood Condominiums at 12363 Abrams Road Monday morning.

When firefighters arrived shortly before 3 a.m., smoke was seen billowing through the roof of the complex. Dallas Fire-Rescue’s Jason Evans said firefighters initially started to attack the fire offensively, but moved to a defensive posture due to how fast the fire was growing.

At about 5 a.m., one of the firefighters radioed that he was trapped inside the building and that he wasn’t sure where he was. Evans said crews had not been able to reach the firefighter by radio since that message.

At about 9:15 a.m., the body of the firefighter was found. He was removed from the rubble, covered in an American flag and carried to an ambulance as dozens of firefighters and onlookers flanked either side, removed their helmets and saluted the procession.

The fire broke out about 1:45 p.m. The cause has not yet been determined, but Webster Groves Battalion Chief Tom Yohe said it was “possible” the fire was sparked by one of the school’s solar panels.

Departments from around the area responded to the 2nd alarm call. The fire was contained within 15 minutes, Yohe said.

Officials said there may be some water damage to the school’s third-floor classrooms from fighting the fire. No firefighters were hurt, and any damage to the building was minor.

The school’s seniors graduated Friday, but Yohe said because access to the roof was difficult he “seriously doubted” the fire could have been started by students.  The school is expected to be open Monday.

Original Story Link: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/fire-at-webster-groves-high-school-quickly-put-out/article_8b4794f7-eafe-54ec-b47d-711ab62d548b.html

From POTUS

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 19 through May 25, 2013, as Emergency Medical Services Week. I encourage all Americans to observe this occasion by sharing their support with their local EMS providers and taking steps to improve their personal safety and preparedness."

hmm, says cynical me

May 20, 2013

From RCOPFD

"Now, therefore, I Michael Morse, Rescue Captain of the Providence, RI Fire Department, by virtue of the authority vested in me by, well- me, do hereby proclaim May 19 through May 25, 2013 as Emergency Medical Services Week. I encourage all Americans to observe this occasion by asking themselves if they want to continue having competent, trained medical help available and mobile and ready to respond to their emergencies. If so, please share your support with your local EMS providers by asking for emergency help only if there is actually an emergency happening. If not, allow the nation's EMT's and Paramedics to continue their march toward visiting nurse status."

And its not just the citizenry destroying our emergency medical response capabilities. A strong push from EMS Royalty to water down EMS into Mobile Community Health providers is underway. I have nothing against Mobile Community Health providers at all, but we have doctors and nurses for that.

Not EMT's. Not Paramedics

EMS is transforming right before my eyes. What was an emergency response system for medical emergencies and trauma is becoming a big part of the economic machine. We are churning out EMT's and Paramedics quicker than we can provide jobs.

What to do?

-Keep the money train rolling by "transforming" EMS.

-Find ways to stay relevant.

-Create opportunity.

-Provide jobs

I'm not buying it. We are what we are, and that is emergency responders. I want nothing to do with blood pressure clinics, elderly screening or visits to the neighborhood day care.

This year's proclamation reads:
 

In every corner of our country, emergency medical services (EMS) practitioners are hard at work delivering hope and care to Americans in dire circumstances. In the face of chaos and tragedy, their steady hands provide vital, life-saving services, and their calm under pressure delivers comfort to neighbors in need. During Emergency Medical Services Week, we pause to offer our gratitude to these remarkable men and women, whose dedication is fundamental to our society's well-being.

In recent weeks, we have again seen the critical role EMS professionals play in times of crisis. When explosives went off at the Boston Marathon, EMS personnel rushed toward the blasts and, with selfless disregard for their own safety, immediately tended to the injured. Alongside countless volunteers and ordinary citizens, they demonstrated the very best of the American spirit — a spirit that EMS professionals display every day. My Administration remains dedicated to providing these courageous first responders, emergency medical technicians, 911 dispatchers, law enforcement officers, volunteers, and others throughout our health care system with the support they need to aid the American people in their darkest hours.

When Americans find themselves in times of crisis—from car accidents to national tragedies—our robust network of EMS professionals ensures that quality medical care is only moments away. This week, let us recommit to supporting EMS personnel and thanking them for their heroic contributions to our lives.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 19 through May 25, 2013, as Emergency Medical Services Week. I encourage all Americans to observe this occasion by sharing their support with their local EMS providers and taking steps to improve their personal safety and preparedness.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

 ~ BARACK OBAMA

 

We've come a long way in a little over thirty years, but we are still in the awkward adolescence of our profession, still full of hope and swagger and dreams, with no clear idea yet of what we want to grow up to be.

So for these seven days in May, we focus our efforts on telling the world how great we are. For some of us, our supervisors and administrators will show their appreciation by handing out a few awards, maybe a grilling burgers for us one day this week. The local Emergency Departments may hand out a few pens or other schwag, maybe buy pizzas for the crews…

… and of course, the night shift will get what pizza remnants are left behind by the day crews, ED nurses and housekeeping staff.

But hey, it's all good. It's a celebration of who we are, and the service we provide, even though, personally, I think we're doing it all wrong.

And at the end of the week, we go back to being the healthcare system's afterthought for the other 358 days of the year.

If it sounds like I'm bitter, I'm really not. I love my job, even when it doesn't love me back.

Tonight, I'll talk to a group of EMS people as part of their EMS week celebration. I'll try to be funny, and educational, and inspirational, and hopefully I'll pull it off. This one holds a little more pressure for me, because it's not that often people show up at an event specificially to listen to me.

But one things always guaranteed to banish the butterflies is the knowledge that you guys are my tribe. The privilege of hanging out with EMS people is what keeps me doing it. I'm just a simple medic who writes a blog. I have no answers, no profound truths to share. But I do understand brotherhood, and I am proud you are part of mine.

Happy EMS Week.

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Previous coverage of this story

Dallas Fire Rescue

IAFF Local 58

KXAS-TV:

The body of a Dallas firefighter who radioed for help after becoming trapped in a burning condominium has been recovered.

The firefighter, Stanley Wilson, was among the 100 Dallas firefighters who responded to a six-alarm fire at the Hearthwood Condominiums at 12363 Abrams Road Monday morning.

According to Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Louie Bright III, Wilson was a 28-year-veteran of the fire department. Wilson was a native North Texan and a Lake Highlands graduate.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said of Wilson, “he’s a hero. As I told his boys, they should be very proud.”

Wilson is survived by a wife and two sons.

Christina Rosales, DallasNews.com:

Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans says the firefighter, who has been identified as 28-year department veteran Stanley Wilson, radioed in shortly before 5:30 a.m. that he was trapped and lost, at which point his radio went dead. It’s believed he became trapped when one of the floors collapsed. Almost three hours later his body was recovered from the wreckage.

The body was draped in an American flag as it was removed from the wreckage. Firefighters lined the path from the wreckage and saluted as Wilson was carried into an ambulance to be taken to the medical examiner’s office.

Wilson, 51, is survived by his wife and two sons. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said Wilson was a 1980 graduate from Lake Highlands High School, a few miles away from the condo complex where he died. 

WFAA-TV:

At 11 a.m. Monday, Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Louie Bright, III confirmed that 28-year veteran Stanley Wilson was found dead inside the rubble of the fire hours after a radio message was heard from the firefighter saying, “I’m trapped.”

“A longtime member with the department,” Bright said. “A hard worker, certainly a hero with us for all of his efforts today.”

At about 8:30 a.m., a gurney set up for the missing firefighter was moved and firefighters formed a line around the burnt out building. The firefighters saluted as Wilson’s body, draped with a United States flag, was carried to an ambulance.

In addition to pulling the boy from the rubble, firefighters were able to rescue five other people during the blaze, Evans said.

Two Dallas firefighters, both with leg injuries, were taken to a hospital and a resident was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.

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RecordOnline.com: Plattekill Fire Department, with assistance from area agencies were called to battle a fully involved house fire in a home at 50 Prospect Hill Road in Wallkill on Tuesday afternoon, May 14, 2013. According to Plattekill Fire Chief Chris Mancuso, the fire was discovered when City of Newburgh Fire Chief Mike Vatter, who lives nearby, noticed smoke on his property and went to investigate. Departments quickly responded, and the blaze, which started in half of the house, was put out quickly. Damage is extensive, and fire inspectors were called in to investigate as to the cause of the fire.

STATter911.com also has info on the fire here.