An 18-year-old man who was struck by a Chicago Fire apparatus fire responding to a call in the West Side Austin neighborhood this afternoon was hospitalized in “very serious” condition. The man was hit around 1400 hours near the intersection of West Chicago and North Central avenues by an engine responding to a fire. The engine had its lights and sirens activated. The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was in “very serious” condition. The 18-year-old man reportedly ran between two parked vehicles and was hit by the fire apparatus, which was on its way to call with its lights and siren on....

  A police investigation has begun after an ambulance crashed into a lamp post, injuring three people. The crash happened on the A17 at Sutton Bridge on Tuesday afternoon. The East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) ambulance was taking an elderly woman to hospital at the time. The patient suffered minor injuries. One of the ambulance crew suffered a fractured cheekbone, cuts and bruises. The other sustained bruising. Normal speed The three people were taken to hospital for treatment. A spokesperson for EMAS said: "Although both staff members sustained injuries as a result of the collision, they immediately summoned assistance and then went to the aid of the female patient. "Police are investigating the cause of the collision and as such it is not appropriate for us to make further comment at this stage." The ambulance was travelling at normal speed at the time, police said....

  Hey, If you have not yet had a chance to view this "first due on arrival" video from Collingdale (PA) this week, then this VIDEO clip is a MUST: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pp1KMNaTJg The above clip makes for an excellent "size up, command and control on arrival" review for any of us.   That video shows the series of explosions and heavy fire conditions at a welding supply company on Wednesday that injured 5 people and forced evacuations with black smoke showing over the area. The fire and explosions at Scully Welding Supply happened around 1300 hours in an industrial area about seven miles southwest of Philadelphia, MORE from Philly Fire News: http://www.phillyfirenews.com/content/firewire/detail/4568.php     STATE TROOPER STRUCK AND KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY: CONNECTICUT Because it could have been a FF or an EMT, we are reminded again of the dangers of any of us operating on the roadways. Yesterday, Connecticut State Police said the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into the rear of Trooper Kenneth Hall’s cruiser had been traveling at a high rate of speed and crossed two lanes of traffic when the crash occurred about 4 p.m. Trooper Hall had been sitting in his cruiser (which, in our field could be a staff car, an EMS response unit, etc) writing out a ticket after pulling over another vehicle. Trooper Hall, a married father, was taken to a trauma center where he was pronounced dead. Our most sincere condolences to all affected. HERE is a photo so you have an idea of the devastation of this crash: http://tinyurl.com/2vgp5u9     RESPONDING FIRE APPARATUS ENDS UP IN A HOLE Firefighters in Zadar (Croatia) were responding to a fire. While responding, the front of their apparatus suddenly dropped into an empty septic tank 2.6 meters deep. It was an illegal dump site and was covered with camouflage. NOTE the t-shirts that the Croatian FF's are wearing. Firefighters suffered minor injuries. VIDEO HERE: http://www.vatrogasni-portal.com/news.php?readmore=5163      BILLING FOR FIRE & RESCUE SERVICES: Here is an interesting article related to fire departments that bill for non-EMS details, such as vehicles crashes. This is another example of how communities are attempting to come up with creative alternative funding, and the reaction some have to that attempt. HOW is this related to FF safety, health and survival? Fire departments require funding. Career. Volunteer. Call. Whatever. It has to come from somewhere or the public needs to start getting used to serves that look much different than in children's story books. HERE is the article: http://tinyurl.com/2bh7ht3 USE CAUTION THIS WEEKEND IF COLLECTING FOR MDA. Take Care-BE VAREFUL, BillyG The Secret List 9-3-10 / 1708 Hours www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com...

Three Nashville firefighters had to be taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Wednesday after they were hurt on the job, and a fourth was treated at the scene of a blaze in South Nashville, officials said.  "It is unusual. I can't remember us having this many (injuries) in one day," said Nashville Fire Deputy Chief Maggie Lawrence. Crews arrived at the scene of a fire at a duplex on Hill Court in South Nashville about 1:30 p.m. to find most of the roof covered in flames. They were inside battling the blaze when a small part of the roof fell in on them. All four were burned, but the extent of their injuries was not known, Lawrence said. A mother and small child at home when the fire began were not hurt. Separately, a fifth firefighter was injured about 11 a.m. while responding to a Bellevue house fire. The home on Harpeth Road had burned to the ground by the time crews arrived, Lawrence said. No one else was hurt. It wasn't clear how the firefighter got hurt or how bad his injuries were, but Lawrence said he wasn't burned. He was taken to Vanderbilt for treatment. Both the home and duplex were a total loss.  ...

By Chris Mckenna - Times Herald Record MONROE — A volunteer ambulance driver veered off Route 17M and rolled his rig on the roadside early Monday morning while taking an idle spin, according to Village of Monroe police. Paul Casson, 30, told police he had taking the sleeping drug Ambien before his fateful ride, which ended in a grassy field at about 12:55 a.m. They are awaiting toxicology tests to confirm that account. Casson, who was not responding to a call at the time, has been charged with driving while impaired by drugs and unauthorized use of a vehicle – both misdemeanors – and released to await further court action. He lives in the Bronx but has continued to drive for the Monroe Volunteer Ambulance Corps, according to Monroe Police Chief Dominic Giudice. The accident happened across the street from the ambulance corps garage. Police say the vehicle appeared to be totaled.  ...

By JOAN LOWY (AP) WASHINGTON — An accident this week in Arkansas has boosted to 21 the number of people that have been killed so far this year in medical helicopter and plane crashes, renewing concerns about the safety of such operations. An Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter crashed Tuesday near Scotland, Ark., killing the pilot, a nurse and a paramedic. It was the fourth fatal accident this summer: A medical helicopter crash in Tucson, Ariz., killed three people on July 28; a crash near Kingfisher, Okla., on July 22 killed two people and seriously injured a third, and an air ambulance plane crashed July 4 in Alpine, Texas, killing five. "This is very alarming," National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said in an interview. "The safety board continues to be very concerned about the safety of this industry." The number of deaths represents a sharp spike from last year, when only six people were killed in one plane and nine helicopter accidents. There were 28 people killed in 2008 in EMS helicopter crashes — the most medical helicopter fatalities in any year, according to NTSB records dating back to 2000. There were 31 people killed in 2004 in a combination of medical helicopter and plane accidents, the most deaths in a year in the air medical industry in the last decade, NTSB records show. The increase in accidents and fatalities reflects, in part, the growth in the emergency medical transport industry, which took off in the early 1980s. Today, there are about 800 helicopters and about 150 planes, according to an industry trade organization. Sumwalt said he is concerned that the Federal Aviation Administration hasn't implemented numerous NTSB recommendations aimed at increasing the safety of the air medical industry. The board made a series of recommendations to the FAA in 2006, and then moved the recommendations to their "most wanted list" of safety improvements in 2008. Last year, Sumwalt chaired a three-day public hearing on the issue. That resulted in about 30 more recommendations. FAA officials told Congress in April 2009 that the agency would propose new regulations addressing the safety issues by early this year. "We have worked very hard to make sure the proposed rule responds to all the issues important to air ambulance safety, and we expect to publish the rule very soon," FAA spokesman Les Dorr said. The board wants the FAA to require EMS helicopter operators to install Terrain Awareness Warning Systems (TAWS) on helicopters. The system warns pilots when helicopters are in danger of crashing into the ground, mountains or tall buildings. The board has pointed to several crashes that happened at night or in poor visibility that might have been prevented if the helicopters had had the warning systems. Another recommendation is that EMS flights that carry only medical personnel, like the one in Arkansas, to follow the more stringent safety rules that apply to flights carrying patients and organs for donation. An NTSB study of 55 emergency medical helicopter or plane crashes between January 2002 and January 2005 found that 10 crashes involving the transport of medical personnel only could have been prevented if the more stringent rules had been followed. NTSB also wants a formal evaluation be conducted before an EMS flight to determine if the flight is too risky. Fifteen of the 55 crashes could have been prevented if such an evaluation had been made before takeoff, the board said. The causes of the most recent accidents haven't yet been determined "so it would be premature to say these accidents would have been prevented by the NTSB recommendations," said Dawn Mancuso, executive director of the Association of Air Medical Services, which represents more than 80 percent of the industry. The industry has "come a long way" in the year and a half since the NTSB hearing, Mancuso said. About 40 percent of EMS helicopters are now equipped with the terrain warning systems, with most of the equipment installed during that time, she said. But the fact that 60 percent of EMS helicopters don't yet have the warning systems shows the industry can't be counted on to voluntarily implement safety recommendations, Sumwalt said. The proposal the FAA is working on will include requirements for the terrain warning systems and flight risk evaluation programs, Dorr said....

One of Wednesday's multiple motor vehicle accidents involved an ambulance and two other vehicles traveling on I-495.  A Medstar ambulance, transporting a patient, hit another vehicle causing a chain-reaction accident.  Emergency personal transported three individuals to area hospitals following the incident....

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Several firefighters in High Point are concerned a toxic mold problem that was discovered at fire station on Barrow Road could be more widespread. A former firefighter who worked at Fire Station 13 off Eastchester Drive said he saw mold inside his fire station. The Fire Chief said officials are inspecting all other stations for similar mold problems. Fire Station 12 on Barrow Road in High Point was shut down late last week after officials discovered toxic mold in the ceiling tiles above a sleeping area inside the building. Firefighters first noticed the mold early last week and informed the city. Inspectors tested the mold and confirmed it was dangerous. The fire station was closed last week while crews work to remove the mold. "Their health and safety is our number one concern. When they noticed it, and informed us, we made a decision to take them out of this environment for a period of time," said Fire Chief David Taylor. The fire station originally opened in 2002. Tim McKinney, who works with Facility Services, said the mold inside the 8-year-old building was likely caused by too much moisture brought in by the air conditioning system....

A Firefighter was hurt on the job this afternoon in Nashville. He was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with second degree burns. The fire happened at a duplex in South Nashville. A mother and her young child were home at the time of the fire, but they were not hurt. When crews arrived, most of the roof was on fire. The firefighter was injured when a small part of the roof fell in on him....

The NFFF has advised that they have secured an exclusive $500,000.00 sponsor for the development of the "next critical step" in firefighters survival risk management: The Firefighter Vulnerability Assessment Tool (V.A.T.) . The tool, (an online and computer based system) which will be made available to EVERY FD in the United States in partnership with the USFA, will allow a fire department to scientifically (vs emotionally) determine their risk potential in firefighter injury or death. Honeywell First Responder Products (HFRP), a division of Honeywell Life Safety (HLS), and the makers of Morning Pride and Ranger protective clothing for firefighters, have stepped up and will be the exclusive corporate sponsor for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s  new Vulnerability Tool. The USFA will also be providing significant funding as well. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (with support from the US Fire Administration, a part of FEMA) is developing the Vulnerability Assessment Tool.  It will be made available to every fire department in America.   Based on a questionnaire and a study of trends and data, the tool will help fire departments to understand how their firefighters are most vulnerable.  Each department that participates will receive specific recommendations to reduce firefighter injury and deaths. Honeywell Life Safety and Honeywell First Responder Products, as the exclusive corporate sponsor of the program, will contribute $500,000 over a four-year period to fund and support the Vulnerability Assessment Tool.  Sponsoring this program is a natural fit for both HLS and HFRP since our missions are to reduce firefighter deaths and injuries, improve fire response performance, and help departments assess the threat their communities face.  “We are very happy to assist in this critical effort started by the U.S. Fire Administrator Kelvin Cochran,” said HFRP President Jeff Morris. “Our communities are very well served by brave firefighters who routinely risk everything to protect people and property. This tool will give firefighters the information they need to prepare for every contingency.”  For more information on the Vulnerability Assessment Tool, contact the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation (www.firehero.org)....

By Elizabeth Sweetman A MAN was handed a suspended prison sentence after punching a paramedic three times in the face. Tomasz Delgiado, aged 40, pleaded guilty to assault by beating and failing to attend an earlier hearing at Worcester Magistrates Court. Matt Dodson, prosecuting, read a statement from the victim Liam Hurds, who said he and a colleague had been called to the defendant’s home in Worcester Road, Malvern, at 10.30pm on December 21, 2009, to reports a man had taken an overdose. He said: “We found the defendant in the upstairs flat, swaying around and very unsteady on his feet.” A number of observations were carried out and “tow-ards the end they checked his blood pressure; he started to become a little agitated and a little aggressive.” Mr Dodson said: “The defendant had a strange look in his eyes. He was looking angry then leant forward. Mr Hurds saw the defendant’s clenched fist, the right fist, which came towards his face hitting him in the left cheek. “He was shocked because he had not provoked the assault, but the defendant struck out a further two times. He gathered his senses and spoke to his colleague who restrained the defendant. They then called the police.” Reading a statement by Delgiado, Mr Dodson said: “In relation to the allegation of assault, I can confirm that I committed this offence. “Friends believed I was having a seizure. “I had not taken an overdose. When I have a seizure I don’t know what’s happening. I recover but I’m extremely scared.” Defending, Jason Patel said: “He had little recollection of what had gone on, but he regrets his actions.” Delgiado was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for two years. He was made subject to a 12-month community order, with a supervision requirement and 120 hours of unpaid work. He was ordered to pay the victim £80 compensation and court costs of £100, as well as a £15 victim surcharge. For the Bail Act offence, Delgiado was fined £55. ...

By Chuck Bartels, Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A helicopter ambulance crashed early Tuesday amid the hills of central Arkansas, killing three crew members who were trying to reach a person injured in a traffic accident. The Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter went down near the Scotland community in Van Buren County at around 4 a.m., according to the company and the Federal Aviation Administration. The Bell 206 helicopter, built in 1978, was registered to Air Evac EMS Inc., based in West Plains, Mo., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Air Evac spokeswoman Julie Heavrin said pilot Kenneth Robertson, flight nurse Kenneth Meyer, Jr., and flight paramedic Gayla Gregory all were killed in the crash. Van Buren County Coroner Dorothy Branscum said the victims were killed on impact. "I would say they might of seen it coming, but that was it. The helicopter was just melted and it was just in pieces," Branscum said. The state medical examiner's office will perform the autopsies, she said. The helicopter hit the ground just outside the yard of a home. Less than a mile away, people were camped out for the annual National Championship Chuckwagon Race scheduled for Friday. Air Evac Lifeteam President and CEO Seth Myers said in a news release that the helicopter was equipped with night vision gear.   "This is a tragic day for us here at Air Evac Lifeteam," Myers said. "These were members of our family and we are devastated at this loss. Our focus at this time is on providing support for the family and friends of these crew members." Investigators from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were traveling to the crash site, Lunsford said, who is based in the FAA's regional office in Fort Worth, Texas. Lunsford said there apparently was no distress call and the cause of the crash wasn't immediately known. Scotland is about 10 miles southwest of Clinton and some 80 miles north of Little Rock in central Arkansas. Air Evac has experienced several fatal crashes in recent years. In 2008, an Air Evac helicopter crashed in an Indiana cornfield killing three people. In 2007, another three-member crew was killed when an Air Evac helicopter crashed in Colbert County, Ala. In 2006, an Air Evac helicopter crashed in Gentry in northwest Arkansas, killing a patient being transported and injuring the three-member crew. Last month, an Air Evac helicopter made a forced landing near Tulsa, Okla., after the aircraft's hydraulics failed. No one was hurt.  ...

Anita Tucker Van Buren County Democrat CLINTON — A medical helicopter en route to pick up a patient crashed early today near Scotland in Van Buren County, killing all three crew members aboard, authorities said. The crash occurred about 4 a.m. as the Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter, based in Vilonia, was on its way to Crabtree to meet an ambulance to pick up a patient, Air Evac spokeswoman Julie Heavrin said. She identified the victims as pilot Kenneth Robertson of Searcy, flight nurse Kenneth Meyer Jr. of Center Ridge and flight paramedic Gayla Gregory of Clarksville. The crash was the fourth for Air Evac since 2005, bringing the death toll to nine crew members and a patient. The Bell 206 helicopter went down about 30 feet off Arkansas 95 in the Walnut Grove community, near a church. Debris was scattered along the highway. The cause of the crash was not immediately determined. Federal Aviation Administration officials arrived at the scene at mid-morning to begin its investigation. The area was cordoned off and people were asked to stay away from the site. Witnesses reported hearing pieces of debris falling through trees, followed by an explosion. Van Buren County Emergency Management Coordinator Jeana Williams said 911 Dispatch heard a call about 3:53 a.m. from Air Evac, saying, “Air Evac 30,” but got no response when the dispatch radioed back. Within three minutes, 911 was inundated with calls of a fire, an explosion and a crash, and the Walnut Grove Volunteer Fire Department was called out, Williams said. State police and Van Buren County sheriff’s deputies also rushed to the scene. The helicopter had been flying through fog, according to witnesses. It was not immediately known if weather played a role in the crash. Van Buren County Sheriff Scott Bradley said the accident could have been worse as people gathered in the area for the annual National Chuckwagon Races. The craft also cleared several houses in the area of the crash site. Williams said the patient the Air Evac crew was to have pick up, a 50-year-old man, was transported by ambulance to a hospital. According to its website, Air Evac Lifeteam is the largest independently owned and operated membership-supported air medical service in the United States, conducting its operations with 90 air medical bases across 14 states. Air Evac was formed in 1985....

NORMAN PARK, Aug 31, 2010 (The Moultrie Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- An ambulance responding to a call Thursday afternoon was damaged in a two-vehicle accident and will be out of service for a few weeks. Georgia State Patrol Trooper First Class Chad Wynn said he was called to an accident at the Cool Springs Road and Doc Darbyshire Road intersection in Norman Park at 2:18 p.m. Thursday. A Colquitt County EMS ambulance, driven by William Houston, 30, of Norman Park, was driving on Cool Springs Road responding to a medical call. As the ambulance was driving on Cool Springs Road, Wynn said a Windstream work van, driven by Timothy Morgan, 47, of Moultrie, was stopped at the Doc Darbyshire Road intersection. Morgan told Wynn he had stopped to make a left turn onto Doc Darbyshire Road while Houston stated he thought the van was stopping to let him pass. As the ambulance went to pass the van, Wynn said Morgan began to make the left turn, and the two vehicles collided. The right front corner of the van hit the left rear corner of the ambulance, and the van spun around, and both vehicles went onto the shoulder of Doc Darbyshire Road. The van overturned following the collision, and Morgan was taken to Colquitt Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. A hospital spokesperson said he was treated and released Friday. Morgan stated he did not see or hear the ambulance coming as he turned even though its lights and siren were activated, Wynn said. Neither driver was charged, but it was determined both were at fault in the collision. Morgan was cited for making an improper turn and Houston was cited for not showing due regard for other vehicles. The van was totaled in the collision and was towed from the scene, but Wynn said the ambulance was able to be driven away. A second ambulance was needed to respond to the medical call. Colquitt County EMS Director Amy Williams said the ambulance involved in the collision is out of service for repairs, which should take two to three weeks to complete. Even without the ambulance, EMS has enough ambulances available and in back-up to respond to all medical calls without any interruption of service to residents....

By Steve Whitworth - The Telegraph GODFREY - A Cottage Hills woman was injured Tuesday when her sport utility vehicle sideswiped an ambulance on Humbert Road and came to rest in the back yard of a residence, authorities said. The collision occurred at 1:55 p.m. Tuesday in the 4600 block of Humbert, said Capt. Marc McLemore, commander of the Madison County Sheriff's Department's Patrol Division. He said Dawn M. Cawvey, 36, the first block of Manor Drive in Cottage Hills, was driving a black 2002 Mercury Mountaineer north in the inside northbound lane of Humbert when, for reasons that remain under investigation, she swerved into the inside southbound lane of the road. Cawvey's SUV sideswiped a southbound Alton Memorial Ambulance, breaking axles on both vehicles, McLemore said. The Mountaineer veered off Humbert, traveled through a yard and came to rest in a back yard in the 4600 block, McLemore said. The ambulance came to rest in a grassy area in front of the Rock Gate subdivision, said Assistant Chief Eric Cranmer of the Godfrey Fire Protection District. Cranmer said there was no patient inside the ambulance at the time of the collision. He said the ambulance EMTs ran about a block to the spot where Cawvey's SUV had stopped in order to assist her. A second Alton Memorial Ambulance was called to the scene and took Cawvey to Alton Memorial Hospital with what McLemore described as "non-life-threatening" injuries. He said sheriff's deputies were attempting to interview her in the hospital Tuesday evening. None of the ambulance employees was injured, Cranmer said. One lane of Humbert in each direction was closed briefly while authorities removed debris and the vehicles from the scene, he said. McLemore said he expected citations to be issued in the incident, the latest in a series of traffic collisions on Humbert Road in the last two weeks. One crash last week resulted in the death two days later of a 17-year-old Alton High School student, and another involved a school bus that was trying to exit the school's parking lot. swhitworth@thetelegraph.com...

That's what the headline would read!  Yep - Parades are FUN, BUT IS THE RISK REALLY WORTH IT?...

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Kristopher O'Brien and Fred Klotzer returned the Mint Hill Fire Station Sunday afternoon just one day after a different training exercise went horribly wrong. "Adrenaline rush - it was an adrenaline rush. I mean, I've never been in that situation before," Klotzer said. The two firefighters were inside the Old Idlewild Country Club building during a controlled burn Saturday. The fire was intentionally set as part of a demolition project at Queen's Grant Prepatory School. The school plans to rebuild and expand on the land. But in a flash, the fire grew out of control. "It was a very, very big structure and the room we were working in was very large. "There wasn't a lot of supporting beams," O'Brien said. "Out of nowhere, the ceiling just came down. And when it came down, the fire came down with it too." O'Brien's metal helmet became twisted from the damage. "This helmet saved my life," he said. O'Brien was knocked to one knee, but was determined not to fall on his stomach and get trapped. Klotzer said he escaped the building a better firefighter. "I'm kind of glad that I was in it. I'm kind of glad that I experienced that, because that's once in a lifetime. That's every firefighter's nightmare. And I experienced it, I learned from it," Klotzer said. Both firefighters said their perspective has changed since the near disaster. O'Brien has a seven month old son, and Klotzer has been on the job for less than three months. "It makes you enjoy every day, and live every single day out," O'Brien said. Officials said a burn instructor from Central Piedmont Community College was also hurt. Idlewild Fire Assistant Chief Brian White said weeks of preparation and training beforehand helped to ensure all three people made it out with only minor injuries. "We had all the backup procedure rescue teams and so forth in place. They were able to evacuate all firemen out of building very quickly,” White said. The firefighters suffered minor burns, while another person suffered a sprained ankle. Several of Queen's Grant teachers and families were also outside to witness the fiery action. Parent Ric Allen said he hopes the experience was an eye-opener for the young onlookers as well. "I tried to get a lot of these kids out there to understand how dangerous fire can be. I think it's a really good lesson for the kids to see exactly the type of damage that can take place,” Allen said. Nearly 70 firefighters and EMS from Matthews, Mint Hill, and Matthews participated in the fire training exercise. story...

CLOSE CALL 1 Do not be fooled by complacency or bad habits. No matter how much smoke there is it is dangerous. The photo's attached were taken at small kitchen fire that was actually extinguished before the arrival of the first due units. An elderly occupant that was unable to escape the structure was trapped on the second division in a bedroom. The ladder company quickly threw a ladder to the second division and brought the occupant down the ladder. The moderate smoke condition was ventilated and readings were taken using the HCN meter. At the time metering began the first division had a fair amount of natural ventilation that had occurred, so readings did not exceed 7ppm which is just about the department's action level of 5ppm. The second division saw higher numbers that were as high as 22ppm. These readings were taken once the fans were started and after natural ventilation had a chance to remove some of the smoke. Imagine what the levels were while the elderly occupant was waiting to be rescued. By looking at the photos it is hard to imagine numbers this high. This is only stresses the importance of utilizing SCBA and monitoring before removing it. Do not commit into the dangerous smoke filled environment because it doesn't look that bad, because looks are deceiving. CLOSE CALL 2 At a recent incident 2 City firefighters were taken to the Hospital with the possibility of Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) exposure. A policy was in place to avoid this issue which was not followed. One of the reasons I’m sure was the size of the fire. We were on the smallest kitchen fire you could ever have. Very little smoke and the fire only left the stove and exposed the cabinet directly above. I don’t even think the ceiling was sooted up. It was one of those fires that we would have had cleaned up and been back at the station in a few minutes in days past. With that established we have been running a HCN detector with the Township for close to a year. We typically run the unit though with a CO monitor after knockdown to make sure air quality is good enough to remove our masks. In this case we found High levels of CO over 100 ppm and HCN near 50 ppm in the building. With the IDLH of HCN being around 4 and the fire being out for 10-15 minutes already you can see where we were confused. We already had a Gas Powered Honda PPV fan in the front door ventilating so we gave it more time and sent a few guys in packs to the second floor to begin to strategically open windows. The two guys who had been on initial attack and following had removed their masks were seeing all this from outside and reported feeling a little nauseous. They were checked out by medics and as a precaution transported to the hospital to be checked out. Again there was absolutely no visible smoke in the structure at the time they removed their masks. They were later released with no ill effects. We learned while still on the scene that when the fan was started in this case the choke was left partially on. You couldn’t tell as the fan was not sputtering and appeared to be running normally. With the readings not really coming down with close to 30 minutes of continuous ventilation already under our belt, we decided to put one of our electrical fans in the doorway in a PPV configuration to see if we could get the property ventilated. The levels slowly began to go down on the first and second floor but we were still finding pockets of higher readings. I opened up a small bathroom that had been closed from the start and got a quick reading of over 20 ppm. This home approximately of 2500 square feet had a basement with a secondary stair with Bilco doors. This door had been opened early on yet the door to the basement had been closed. As everyone who has vented a house knows this didn’t let air from either operation push into the basement. We were still getting readings of HCN near 40 ppm down there. Once we made sure that we had the door open and an exhaust from the basement it took around 10 minutes to get the area totally cleared out allowing us to clear the scene. This would have been one of those events that we would have cleared in 20 minutes and gave back to the family to occupy prior to using our HCN Detector. As you can expect we had a lot of questions resulting from this call. To try to get a better idea of what had happened we took our fan down to our training building to run a few tests. First, we took readings of both CO and HCN and got 0’s. We then ran the fan in a PPV configuration into the space at full throttle for 15 minutes and took readings. We got really no readings on HCN and 17 ppm on the CO meter. We then ran the same fan at about half choke at full throttle for 15 minutes. Following this time we took a second set of readings. The HCN was up to 21, which is 5 times the IDLH number and the CO was at 96 which is also above what is acceptable for any length of time. Our monitors were located approximately 15 feet inside the multi room structure, one room past the room the fans were directly charging. We had one window open at the back side of the space with good air flow from the vent. In closing I have been doing this job for over 25 years. I have choked on my fair share of smoke over that time. I was even taught to breath off the nozzle in my early years. Since we began using this detector it has really opened my eyes to the prevalence and pervasiveness of this gas. It doesn’t seem to be very predictable to date. All I can tell you is that we have been breathing it more than we thought over the years.  ...