Two firefighters are dead, two more wounded in ambush

Two firefighters are dead, two more wounded and a police officer was hit by shrapnel by a convicted double murder with a gun.

Gunman ambushes, kills two firefighters at New York blaze
By Catherine E. Shoichet and Chuck Johnston
CNN
December 24, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Two firefighters were killed and two were injured before the gunman shot himself, police said
NEW: Police: The suspect had been convicted of killing his grandmother, and his sister may be missing
NEW: Seven houses were destroyed in what police described as an "inferno"

"It does appear that it was a trap that was set," the police chief said (CNN) -- A man convicted of killing his grandmother decades ago allegedly ambushed firefighters on Monday, fatally shooting two of them as they arrived to battle a blaze in upstate New York, police said.

Two other firefighters were wounded in the attack in the Rochester-area town of Webster. Investigators believe the suspect, (the shooter), 62, deliberately lured them to a house fire, Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering said.

Police: Gunman set trap for firefighters

Authorities do not know how (the shooter) who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, obtained the weapon he used in Monday's shooting or why he opened fire, Pickering told reporters.
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Firefighters shot while battling New York fire

Two firefighters killed in Bridgeport CT

2 Conn. Firefighters Killed at Scene of House Fire

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (July 24) - Officials say two firefighters died while battling a house fire in Connecticut.

Bridgeport Deputy Fire Chief Robert Petrucelli says the two men were found unconscious Saturday on the top floor of the three-story house after they sent out mayday calls.

Steven Velazquez and Michael Baik were pronounced dead at the hospital.

Officials say Velazquez and Baik were searching for people in need of rescue and ventilating the house.
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2 Conn Firefighters Killed at Scene of House Fire

Two firefighters die in burning building in Buffalo

Buffalo mourns loss of 2 firefighters

Story Highlights
Two firefighters die in burning building in Buffalo, New York

Mayor: "Today is a very tragic day in the city of Buffalo"

Firefighters responding to reports that person was trapped in building

Dead identified as

Lt. Charles "Chip" McCarthy, 45, and

Jonathan Croom, 34

(CNN) -- Flags were being lowered to half-staff Monday in Buffalo, New York, after two firefighters died inside a fire-engulfed building, city officials said.

The firefighters were responding to reports that at least one person was trapped in the building.

"Today is a very tragic day in the city of Buffalo," Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said at a news conference. "Our hearts are broken right now, and we are all saddened by this terrible tragedy."

The cause of the blaze is under investigation, and the remains of the building are being searched to determine if anyone else perished inside, Buffalo Fire Commissioner Michael Lombardo said.

Emergency officials received a call around 3:50 a.m. that "someone [was] banging on a wall and calling for help" from inside the burning building, Lombardo said. Video footage showed the top level of the two-story brick building fully engulfed in flames. A convenience store was on the building's first floor.
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Two firefighters die in burning building in Buffalo

Inquiry Lays Out Chain of Failures in High-Rise Fire

Inquiry Lays Out Chain of Failures in High-Rise Fire
By AL BAKER
Published: August 20, 2008
Contractors tearing down the contaminated former Deutsche Bank building in Lower Manhattan never had a formal demolition permit, even though they were undertaking one of the most complicated efforts ever to dismantle a skyscraper.


When a fire broke out last Aug. 18 at the tower, it took roughly 80 minutes to get water on the flames, in part because workers there waited some 13 minutes to call 911 and then gave firefighters inaccurate information about whether emergency equipment at the site was working.

And communication lapses further disrupted the firefighting response. Walkie-talkies failed, and critical calls for help went unheard. Men were lost in the confusion. One firefighter’s radio problems forced him to crawl to the building’s edge to report that two imperiled colleagues — Robert Beddia, 53, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33 — were trapped by stairwells that had been sealed off. Both men were killed.
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One month from today, 9-11 7 years later

This is one of the sites the Bush administration would rather you did not see when you remember the day heroes rushed in while others were running away. They came from all over to help after one of the most traumatic events this nation had ever seen and many did it without pay then or pay back after. They are the police, firemen and first responders who spent weeks on end searching for the remains of the fallen and the civilians. They have been paying for it all ever since. They were volunteers for the most part and are not compensated by workmen's comp. Their health has kept far too many of them from working and most of them have received no financial help at all. All of this after they were called heroes after 9-11. They breathed in air the government knew could kill them and then deserted them. When the bell tolls a month from today, when the names are read of the fallen, remember these men and women and those who paid the price for their service to NY that day. They died and are dying for attention but no one wants to remember any of them in the position to take care of them.

There were contractors who rushed in from all over the country as well just trying to whatever they could and they are dying as well. Who is doing anything about any of this after all this time?

Here is just one picture you'll see on this site.

I'd like my wife to be remembered as a person who wasn't afraid to do her job, and her most important thing was the kids. Really, everything she did was for our two kids. When it came time to do her job she did her job, no questions asked. She was a very good mother, a good wife, and an excellent paramedic." - Husband David Reeve, FDNY Paramedic

The wake for FDNY Paramedic Deborah Reeve, who died of cancer from working at Ground Zero after 9/11. The Bronx, New York, 3/19/2006.

http://www.sohoblues.com/9-11-Still-Killing.html

Remains at helicopter crash site to be recovered soon

Copter rose too slowly, hit a tree
Kelly Zito,Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, August 8, 2008

(08-08) 17:21 PDT REDDING - -- The helicopter that crashed Tuesday evening in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest killing nine and injuring four firefighters lifted off from the helipad and moved forward at a slower-than-average speed, federal officials said today.

National Transportation and Safety Board officials said Friday they also recovered the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder - in better-than-expected condition - and rushed it to a Washington D.C. lab, which is expected to examine the device Saturday.

After rising 40 or 50 feet the nose of the helicopter hit a tree, the rotor blades also struck trees and branches before the craft slammed to the ground on its left side. The cabin quickly filled with thick, black smoke, said Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board, who spoke today at a press conference in Redding.

Higgins said the details came from 10 witness interviews, and were consistent.

Officials were working with coroners from the region and expect to recover the remains of the victims by the end of the day.
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Downed copter continues to burn; two firefighters' conditions upgraded

Downed copter continues to burn; two firefighters' conditions upgraded
John Koopman,Kelly Zito, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday, August 7, 2008
(08-07) 12:25 PDT REDDING - -- The wreckage of a helicopter continued to burn in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest last night, hampering efforts by authorities to recover and identify the remains of a team of firefighters who crashed on takeoff after helping to fight a wildland fire.

Joe Fields, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, said the National Transportation Safety Bureau was on the scene and attempting to start its investigation, but extreme heat from the burning aviation fuel and smoldering remains of the helicopter prevented access to the site.

The crash seriously injured three firefighters and the co-pilot of the helicopter. Three of the injured were transferred to UC Davis Medical Center, while the fourth remained at Mercy Hospital in Redding.

There were nine other people on board the aircraft. The Trinity County Sheriff's Department confirmed one death yesterday but the other eight are listed as missing. They are presumed to have died in the crash.

Ten of the 11 passengers worked for Grayback Forestry of Merlin, Ore., a private contracting firm. It was unclear who the 11th passenger on board the aircraft was, but some reports indicated that it was an official with the Forest Service.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/07/BA4N12709I.DTL&tsp=1

'I lost all my friends,' says helicopter crash survivor

'I lost all my friends,' says helicopter crash survivor
By Times staff writers 12:17 p.m.
Amid a somber mood, firefighters press on against Shasta-Trinity fire after 9 are believed to have been killed. Witnesses are debriefed and grief counseling is made available.

By Maria LaGanga, Joe Mozingo and Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
12:17 PM PDT, August 7, 2008
JUNCTION CITY, Calif. - Firefighters continued battling fires in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest today as federal officials began arriving to investigate the cause of a deadly helicopter crash and grief counselors descended on the base camp here to debrief witnesses and offer aid to crew members.

It was a somber day in the Trinity Alps. At an early morning briefing for firefighters, Jeff Currier, a member of the air support group, told the assembled crowd that when "it feels like you've been kicked in the head . . . you have to move on. We'll be 100% on the move."


Mike Donch, a human resources specialist with the firefighting effort, said that two "critical incident management teams" are arriving today to begin debriefing crew members who witnessed Tuesday's helicopter crash that was believed to have killed nine people and injured four. Grief counseling would also be available for any firefighters who need it, he said.
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9 believed dead, 4 injured in firefighter helicopter crash

9 believed dead, 4 injured in firefighter helicopter crash
Story Highlights
Helicopter carrying 11 firefighters, two crewmen crashes in California, officials say

Nine people missing and presumed dead

Firefighters had been assigned to battle wildfires

Forest Service spokeswoman: Injured four -- including pilot -- hospitalized
(CNN) -- Nine people were missing and presumed dead and four were hospitalized Wednesday after a helicopter carrying firefighters crashed the night before in northern California, aviation spokesmen said.


A Sikorsky S-61 similar to this crashed in California while carrying firefighters assigned to battle wildfires.

The Sikorsky S-61 helicopter had entered a remote area to pick up firefighters battling wildfires, said Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration. The crash happened about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 35 miles northwest of Redding in the Trinity-Alps Wilderness Area.

Two crew members and 11 firefighters were aboard, Gregor said. Three of the injured were contract firefighters, and the fourth was the pilot, said Sharon Heywood, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/06/helicopter.crash/index.html