Last night, units from the Charleston Fire Department in South Carolina responded to a structure fire at a sofa warehouse. Crews were inside the building performing a search and rescue mission when the roof suddenly collapsed on them, killing 9 firefighters. Our department is a small close net department of men and women who answer the call to service very often. I cannot fathom the idea of losing 1 yet alone 9 firefighters on a scene. On many scenes, I am the officer in charge or the operations commander and am directly responsible for everyone coming home safely, a burden I proudly take on. A lot of people have negative perceptions of the Owingsville Fire Department and some of its members, and please, kindly, leave those comments off this thread. Take a moment to reflect on the lives that are forever changed in Charleston, the families left behind, the fire department, and the city as a whole. These are the first in the line of duty firefighter deaths since 1969 for Charleston, South Carolina. This can happen anywhere, and we do our best to prevent it, but the Lord has other plans beyond our control. Our thoughts and prayers are with Charleston as they try to cope with this tragedy today. (Jun 19, 2007 | post #1)
S.C. Warehouse Fire Kills 9 Firefighters
As a firefighter for the last 15+ years, it gets to me everytime a firefighter is lost in the line of duty. My department is a small town volunteer station with about 35 members and they are all brothers and sisters to me. As far as your question, yes a collapse of this type is a distinct possiblity on any structure fire. The type of building construction and the fire load (what's burning inside and the heat it produces) contributes to this factor. For example: The type of building in this incident probably had a wire-frame type of ceiling truss design, much like in factories or warehouses. The interior was loaded with couches, chairs, etc, which puts off a great deal of heat and can cause the expansion of metals in the truss system, eventually pulling the ceiling away from the supporting walls. That, with the top load of air units and such on top of the roof, can be disasterous, as we have seen today. I hope this answered your question. The Owingsville Volunteer Fire Department in Owingsville Kentucky offers their condolences to the families and department. Firefighters face crisis everyday, and face danger and death in all forms. When a tragedy of this level strikes, we must comfort ourselves in knowing these brave firefighters lost their lives doing their duty to protect and preserve life and property. Hold their memories high with respect and honor. God bless them all in Charleston. Rob Kiskaden, Assistant Chief Owingsville Fire Department (Jun 19, 2007 | post #7)
HA HA I know you now....been a long time, I think the last time I saw you was when I played with Doug Crouch at the Lion's Club last summer..... (Jun 13, 2007 | post #146)
Ummm...I remember playing Atari with a few people....you have myspace? or somewhere you can reveal yourself other than here? (Jun 13, 2007 | post #139)
Oh Lordy, I have made the forum!!!!! Yes, I am taken, happily, I must add, and I dont' like to brag, but I do have a rather handsome little baby boy. You guys make me blush....Austex has known me for a great many years, but tootsie...you got me stumped on this one. The Rob T is single if anyone is interested. He's even housebroken...LOL (Jun 13, 2007 | post #136)
Sup? The time has come at last To throw away this mask So everyone can see My true identity... Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto, domo...domo and who might this be? (Jun 7, 2007 | post #94)
Late Night Accident Shuts Down Slate Avenue
Yeah, it did...I submitted it the next evening and never saw light of it until now. Sorry for the old news folks, but it wasn't my fault.... (Jun 7, 2007 | post #6)
I sent my ex back to Germany as part of the divorce agreement....no postage required. (Jun 4, 2007 | post #86)
From Everything.com: "At approximately 2 p.m. on March 3, 1876, for a period of a couple of minutes, big chunks of fresh red meat three to four inches square fell on a 100 by 50 yard area, near the home of Allen Crouch, near Olympia Springs, in Bath county Kentucky The "Kentucky Meat Shower", as it came to be known was the cause for serious debate and scientific interest. The story was featured in several major national publications at the time, including the New York Times, and Scientific American. The meat appeared to be beef, but when two area men (yes this really happened) tasted the meat, they said it was either mutton or venison. Theories on the meat shower where varied, ranging from frog matter blown into the air to "nostoc" , a form of vegetable matter. A Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton appeared in Medical Record, stating that he and Dr. J.W.S. Arnold had made a microscopic examination of the material from the Kentucky Meat Shower. They had identified the substance as lung tissue from a human infant or a horse ("the structure of the organ in these two cases being almost identical"). Out of the seven samples that eventually where examined, two were of lung tissue, three were muscle tissue and two were cartilage. The most probable theory for the meat shower was that a large pack of buzzards flew over the area after having eaten what was apparently a couple of freshly dead horses, and when one of them spontaneously disgorged itself, all the others (as apparently is customary amongst buzzards), followed suit. " yes, folks this really happened. It is chronicled in John Adair Richards' book 'A History of Bath County', and in various newspapers from the era. The incident still remains a mystery despite the theories that were suggested at the time. So, there, your history lesson for the day. (Jun 3, 2007 | post #22)
this is the picture that was supposed to show up...sorry... [IMG]http://i74.ph otobucket.com/albu ms/i260/joe_jr_is/ fallensoldier21.jp g[/IMG] (May 26, 2007 | post #2)
So often, we get caught up in everyday life and forget some of our most important people. This weekend, take the time to remember those loved ones who have passed and remember the troops who have fallen giving their all to their country. Take the time to put aside your thoughts about how right or wrong the war is and focus on those who aren't coming home to continue their lives as best they can. Thank those in uniform for what they do, and support those who have came home early from their tours and are trying to learn to live with their injuries. Our service men and women need all the support they can get from everyone here, so when they arrive at an airport or bus stop, welcome them home with open arms and not criticism, as they were doing what they had to do. [IMG]http://i74.ph otobucket.com/albu ms/i260/joe_jr... [/IMG (May 26, 2007 | post #1)
So often, we get caught up in everyday life and forget some of our most important people. This weekend, take the time to remember those loved ones who have passed and remember the troops who have fallen giving their all to their country. Take the time to put aside your thoughts about how right or wrong the war is and focus on those who aren't coming home to continue their lives as best they can. Thank those in uniform for what they do, and support those who have came home early from their tours and are trying to learn to live with their injuries. Our service men and women need all the support they can get from everyone here, so when they arrive at an airport or bus stop, welcome them home with open arms and not criticism, as they were doing what they had to do. [IMG]http://i74.ph otobucket.com/albu ms/i260/joe_jr_is/ fallensoldier21.jp g[/IMG] (May 26, 2007 | post #1)
April 16, 2007...Black Monday There are many dates in history that stand out for various reasons, a few good, but for the most part, very bad. April 16, 2007 will now forever be etched into our minds. Yesterday, as most everyone knows by now, a gunman took the lives of over 30 people on the Virginia Tech Campus in Blackburg, Virginia, just over the Kentucky border. This person also injured more than 20 people and left many others traumatically affected. And now we ask why...how...when again. Not since the 1960's has the nation been riveted by such campus violence. Charles Whitman climbed a clock tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin and killed 15 people, wounding 31, before police shot him dead. Yesterday surpassed this act. Perhaps the reasons will never be fully known, many factors contributed, but only the gunman is the one who knew exactly why he did such a horrific act. Some ask, "How did this happen," and honestly, there are no right or wrong answers. The fact is that it did happen. Again, many factors contributed to this violent act, only time will sort it all out. The focus should be now to take care of everyone involved and not point fingers so soon. Too often, we focus our attention away from those in need during a critical time and point fingers or say what could've been. There's a time and place for everything. Finally, we ask, "When again?" Sadly, in this day and age, it will probably happen again. We just hope to be better prepared and try to stop the carnage earlier in the fight. Hopefully, everyone will take notice to something that seems just not quite right and let someone know about it. There's no way to predict when and where the next incident will happen. In closing, I would like to interject some personal commentary on the state of the world as we know it. It seems that everywhere we look, there's violence. We constantly see images of war and destruction in the media and have become softened to it all. What would have sparked outrage at one time is now mainstream. Children's games are becoming more violent, the evening news is plastered with death and dismemberment, the attitude in general these days is a more aggressive tone. Freddie Mercury once sang, 'Is this the world we created?' Sometimes I think so. We have created this monster of mayhem and said it's okay, that the beast will lay down eventually. But in reality, we do nothing more than place it's seeds into our being and sit back and watch it grow. My heart goes out to those affected directly and indirectly in yesterday's tragedy. May you find some type of comfort in each other and your families during this time of need. The world sometimes don't make a whole lot of sense and can be quite cruel sometimes. We've just got to pick up the pieces and put them back together the best we can, and gradually move on, keeping the good memories of our fallen loved ones close to us. "Gone, only in body, but the spirit remains forevermore.... " (Apr 17, 2007 | post #1)
April 16, 2007...Black Monday There are many dates in history that stand out for various reasons, a few good, but for the most part, very bad. April 16, 2007 will now forever be etched into our minds. Yesterday, as most everyone knows by now, a gunman took the lives of over 30 people on the Virginia Tech Campus in Blackburg, Virginia, just over the Kentucky border. This person also injured more than 20 people and left many others traumatically affected. And now we ask why...how...when again. Not since the 1960's has the nation been riveted by such campus violence. Charles Whitman climbed a clock tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin and killed 15 people, wounding 31, before police shot him dead. Yesterday surpassed this act. Perhaps the reasons will never be fully known, many factors contributed, but only the gunman is the one who knew exactly why he did such a horrific act. Some ask, "How did this happen," and honestly, there are no right or wrong answers. The fact is that it did happen. Again, many factors contributed to this violent act, only time will sort it all out. The focus should be now to take care of everyone involved and not point fingers so soon. Too often, we focus our attention away from those in need during a critical time and point fingers or say what could've been. There's a time and place for everything. Finally, we ask, "When again?" Sadly, in this day and age, it will probably happen again. We just hope to be better prepared and try to stop the carnage earlier in the fight. Hopefully, everyone will take notice to something that seems just not quite right and let someone know about it. There's no way to predict when and where the next incident will happen. In closing, I would like to interject some personal commentary on the state of the world as we know it. It seems that everywhere we look, there's violence. We constantly see images of war and destruction in the media and have become softened to it all. What would have sparked outrage at one time is now mainstream. Children's games are becoming more violent, the evening news is plastered with death and dismemberment, the attitude in general these days is a more aggressive tone. Freddie Mercury once sang, 'Is this the world we created?' Sometimes I think so. We have created this monster of mayhem and said it's okay, that the beast will lay down eventually. But in reality, we do nothing more than place it's seeds into our being and sit back and watch it grow. My heart goes out to those affected directly and indirectly in yesterday's tragedy. May you find some type of comfort in each other and your families during this time of need. The world sometimes don't make a whole lot of sense and can be quite cruel sometimes. We've just got to pick up the pieces and put them back together the best we can, and gradually move on, keeping the good memories of our fallen loved ones close to us. "Gone, only in body, but the spirit remains forevermore.... " (Apr 17, 2007 | post #1)
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