Recent content by fltpara16

I have communicated with IC of yesterday’s Virginia Incident this morning. He is an excellent instructor and I am going to urge him, once all the information is in, to get out and present this incident to as many firefighters as possible. Maybe he can recruit someone from Loudoun to join him. We...

This is still under investigation, but it is leaning toward a propane explosion. I responded to this neighborhood many times for gas leaks and investigations. Very large houses all serviced by propane, no natural gas service to most of the homes. After arrival and the explosion, companies...

One more photo from the scene from a drone.

House explosion, most likely from a propane leak. 1 civilian fatal, 1 civilian critical. House of origin completely destroyed. At least 7 others damaged. All primaries and secondaries complete and negative except for the fatal found in the house of origin. This is the Department I retired from...

A lot going on in the video you do not see very often: ladder pipe operation, 6" supply line deployed from the satellite hose wagon, and the use of the ramps over the 6" hose to get the Rescue back in service.

Eddie was my friend and neighbor in Virginia. I was at his home on Monday when he passed. He was surrounded by family and friends including his wife Teri and one of his sons. It was an honor to get to know him over the past 15 years. Ed was always pleasant without a complaint, and we enjoyed...

Rest in Peace Cap.

The small Department in Virginia I started with had Sergeants. When I was hired, the Department only had 22 personnel and the Officers included a Chief, two Lts. And a Fire Inspector. As the Department grew, there was a need for more officers to maintain the span of control. The City Manager at...

Happy New Year everyone. Here's to a great 2023!

I was driving the first due Engine Company to a structure fire yesterday in our community of Lake Monticello, Virginia. I grabbed a picture with Lenny Smith, retired FDNY LT, who retired from his final assignment at Rescue 2 in 1983. Since his arrival in Virginia many years ago, Lenny has been...

Mack, Thank you for posting this. Both of the firefighters involved would say they were just doing there jobs, and they were. They were also placed in the situation where they were far out in the county with no back-up nearby, and the closest staffed Engine Company 16 miles away. The...