Andrew J. Campa
Los Angeles Times
(TNS)

Two of eight Orange County firefighters injured in a freeway crash last month transitioned from hospital care to rehabilitation on Wednesday, the Orange County Fire Authority announced.

That means six members of the Santiago Hand Crew, tasked with helping battle the massive Airport fire, are now home or in rehab. Two unnamed firefighters continue to be hospitalized at Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo and Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana.

Firefighter Andrew Brown, whose condition was not released by the OCFA due to a family request for privacy, received a cheerful sendoff as he was discharged from Mission Hospital and transferred to Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., on Wednesday morning.

“Like all eight of the OCFA patients, Andrew continues to show the same strength and courage that makes him a tremendous hand crew firefighter,” OCFA Capt. Thanh Nguyen said in a video statement. “That excellence was on full display during the Airport fire as Andrew and the rest of the OCFA’s Santiago Hand Crew put their life on the line to protect life and property.”

Brown received a round of applause from colleagues and hospital staff, while some waved handmade support signs, as he exited the facility’s elevator, according to a video clip provided by the OCFA. He was accompanied by a family member and was wheeled out in a gurney by fellow firefighters. The OCFA said a procession of vehicles followed Brown to John Wayne Airport.

Brown, who wore a neck brace and foot restraint, was taken via ambulance to an awaiting jet, according to the video clip. On the tarmac, a cadre of firefighters stood watch until he was placed in the jet and it departed.

He’ll receive treatment at the Englewood facility, which refers to itself as a world-renowned, premier center for specialty neurorehabilitation and research for people with a spinal injury and brain injury.

Brown received a greeting from OCFA and Colorado firefighters upon his landing, according to the OCFA.

Another member of the eight firefighters, which the OCFA did not name due to a family request for privacy, transferred from Orange County Global Medical Center to Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center in Downey.

Chris Hamm, president of the 1,200-member Orange County Professional Firefighter Local 3631, is asking anyone interested in helping to support the injured fighters and their families to send donations to www.fallenfirefighterrelieffund.org/ocfahandcrew.

The firefighters were injured Sept. 19 when their vehicle crashed and flipped over on State Route 241. They were returning from fighting the Airport fire, which has burned thousands of acres in Orange and Riverside counties.

The driver’s vehicle swerved to avoid a ladder on the freeway just north of Portola Parkway in Irvine. Seven were taken via ambulance and one on a helicopter to local medical facilities.

Two of the eight firefighters were released that evening, while another two returned home the next day, according to the OCFA.

The Airport fire began on Sept. 9 and was 95% contained as of Thursday, according to Cal Fire.

The fire burned a total of 23,526 acres and ultimately involved 191 personnel, five

The Clyde Volunteer Fire Department made the following Facebook post after Hurricane Helene hit:

“The fire department like many others suffered major damage. We have been fortunate to find a temporary home while we navigate this difficult path with our community. We are staffed and have and will continue to answer the calls for assistance with in our district.

“Thank you for all the support from other agencies particularly Junaluska Fire Department who spent the day with us.”

The Clyde Volunteer Fire Department services the Town of Clyde and Central Haywood Fire District.

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Ryan Oehrli
The Charlotte Observer
(TNS)

People in Clyde were rebuilding Saturday — again.

For many residents, it was their second time getting hit by a storm and having to start over. For some, it was the third. In 2021, Haywood County got hit by Tropical Storm Fred. Before that, Ivan in 2004.

But neither compared to what they saw after Helene, residents told The Charlotte Observer. Helene, which struck Florida as a Category 4 hurricane before dumping historic rain totals on western North Carolina as a tropical storm, washed out roads and brought untold damage to a swath of the state. Cellular networks and internet access remained limited.

The water line from flooding nearly reached the ceiling of a home on Broad Street in Clyde, where Brandon Patterson raked mud and trash out of his stepfather’s home.

Patterson’s stepfather, Tomas Quiroz, bought the house after Fred flooded it in 2021, hoping to fix it up.

Now he is back to square one, and his family says they will rebuild there.

Others on Broad Street were dealing with the same, familiar issues.

“We lost everything in the house just about,” said Denise Dean, who lived just a few doors down from Quiroz, and who’s lived on Broad Street for about eight years.

Unlike Quiroz, she’s moving somewhere with higher ground. She’s staying across

The new C-40X-2 Mobile Command Vehicle enhances law enforcement capabilities with cutting-edge features and technology.

APPLETON, Wisconsin (October 3, 2024) – Frontline Communications, a division of Pierce Manufacturing, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) business, announced the delivery of a C-40X-2 mobile command vehicle to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia. The vehicle was featured at the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) Conference in Oklahoma, showcasing its state-of-the-art options and upgrades, making it an essential asset for the Sheriff’s Office.

Sold through Frontline Communications dealer Atlantic Emergency Solutions, the new mobile command vehicle is built on a Peterbilt 548 chassis and measures 38’ 8” in length and 12’ 6” in height. It includes two slide-outs and a 20kW generator, providing ample power for its extensive features. The vehicle is equipped with two entrances, a spacious rear interview room/workstation area, and a forward conference room with seating for eight, ensuring a versatile and functional environment for various operations.

Major Craig Schleiden of the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office stated, “This vehicle represents a significant advancement in our ‘Step Up Strategy’ to enhance safety, service, technology, efficiency, and professionalism. The integration of this mobile command unit to our Frontline Communications/Pierce fleet will enable us to better serve our community and improve our collaborative efforts with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.”

Key features of the new mobile command vehicle include:

• Side and rear entrances
• 360-degree backup camera system
• Four 15k BTU rooftop air conditioners
• 100A shore power upgrade
• 20’ electric awning
• Will-Burt 42’ mast with matching shroud
• Exterior monitor compartment with 43″ anti-glare monitor

The vehicle’s technology includes:

• Axis perimeter camera system with 16-channel recorder
• AvL 1.2m Ku-band VSAT and Winegard Trav’ler DirecTV
• Wireless PA system and Firecom radio intercom system
•  Extron 16×16 video switcher with Frontline Communications touchpad controller
• Eight 24″ monitors, four 22″ monitors, and one 65″ Ultra HD monitor
• Dual thermal/HD Color Pan Tilt Zoom mast camera
• Two PCs, eight docking stations, and a printer
• Trendnet 52-port network switch and 5G network with Cradlepoint cellular router

 “This project highlights our commitment to providing law enforcement with one of the most advanced mobile command units available,” said Steve Williamson, vice president of sales with Frontline Communications. “Having the vehicle in our booth at the NSA Conference allowed us to directly engage with a broad span of representatives from many organizations and discuss its innovative features. We’re proud to support the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office as they enhance their capabilities to ensure the safety and well-being of their community.”

To learn more about Frontline Communications and the latest mobile command vehicles, visit www.frontlinecomm.com.

A rural fire department in Winnipeg (Canada) is getting creative in its efforts to raise money to replace two fire apparatus that have reached the end of the line – and it could mean a big win for one lucky person, winnipeg.ctvnews.ca reported.

The Winnipeg Beach Fire Department says it needs to retire its 1993 pumper and 1979 tanker, the report said.

“Help us spread the word,” Winnipeg Beach Firefighters said in a Facebook post. “This is a provincial wide lottery. Anyone in Manitoba can buy tickets. $100 a ticket for your chance to win $1,000 a week for a year. Only 2,000 tickets printed.”

Tickets can be purchased online at http://Rafflebox.ca/raffle/wbfd.

Replacing the apparatus will be around $800,000 per vehicle, the report said. The department secured a provincial grant to cover the cost of one rig, but is on the hook for the rest, according to the report. It’s a cost that would typically be covered through a tax hike, but the department wanted to avoid that.

“Winnipeg Beach Fire Department is excited to announce our Take-A-Year-Off Lottery,” the department said in a Facebook post. “Tickets are limited and proceeds will be used for the purchase of new fire trucks and other departmental equipment and supplies. It’s a great way to give back to your community with the added chance of giving back to your wallet. Thank you for supporting this event.”

The Manitoba-wide lottery comes with a grand prize of $52,000 or $1,000 a week for an entire year.

The lottery launched in mid-September, with the final draw set for Nov. 2.

The department hopes to have the new apparatus up and running by fall of 2026.

Ethan Colbert
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
(TNS)

ST. CHARLES — Trouble for Jimmie Bates III started Monday morning when Bridgeton police reported finding him in a stolen truck. Within hours, he was in another — this one, investigators said, belonging to a St. Charles firefighter out on a call.

The 28-year-old was first arrested around 9:30 a.m. that day after officers spotted him in the driver’s seat of a truck that had been stolen from a Bridgeton business. Bates was taken to the St. Charles city jail on an outstanding warrant, said St. Charles City Police Detective Gage Gruenenfelder.

He was released shortly thereafter pending new charges, but Gruenenfelder said before Bates left the area trouble called to him again: Within about an hour he had walked less than 400 meters and found himself at the St. Charles City Firehouse 5 on Hawks Nest Drive.

“I don’t believe he was staking it out,” Gruenenfelder said. “I believe he was in the area of the fire department and observed that there wasn’t a fire truck there. He said he went there to get help and realized that nobody was there, so he just helped himself.”

That help, Gruenenfelder said, included stealing a St. Charles City handheld radio and several items belonging to firefighters: a GMC Sierra pickup truck, a firefighter’s jacket, AirPods, a backpack and a pair of Crocs.

Gruenenfelder said the fire station was hit while firefighters were out responding to a traffic crash.

The plainclothes detective told the Post-Dispatch he was called to investigate the firehouse burglary Monday. Instead of heading to the station, Gruenenfelder said he set out on a hunt for the suspect as the fire captain tracked his AirPods on his phone and gave the location to detectives in real-time.

The left earbud was pinging at Boone’s Colonial Inn, Gruenenfelder said. But a security guard there told him the GMC truck had left about 15 minutes ago.

The right earbud had pinged about 8 miles from its counterpart near the Northwest Airport Inn in St. Ann in the 3700 block of North Lindbergh.

Police reportedly found the stolen truck parked behind bushes and trees in the area in “an attempt to conceal it.” Gruenenfelder said they watched the car for about five minutes before they saw Bates walk to the truck and get in.

“I would like to say from the time I received the phone call to handcuffs being on Jimmie, it was about an hour and a half,” Gruenenfelder said. “Using AirPods — that was a first. It was a weird one.”

Bates was arrested shortly before midnight wearing the firefighter’s jacket and both AirPods. Bates later told Gruenenfelder that he had heard police talking about tracking him on the stolen St. Charles City handheld radio and knew they were headed his way.

Everything taken from the fire station was recovered undamaged inside the truck.

Bates told police that he knew it was wrong to take the items, and that he was only borrowing the truck, investigators said in court documents.

Bates, of St. Charles, was charged Tuesday with one count of second-degree burglary, one count of stealing a motor vehicle, and one count of stealing items valued at more than $750, related to the St. Charles thefts.

All the charges are felonies.

Police in Bridgeton are also expected to seek criminal charges against him for car theft and property damage.

Bates, who has previous convictions in Minnesota for aggravated robbery, fleeing police, and drug-related crimes, is being held at the St. Charles County Jail. St. Charles County

Associate Court Judge Dwayne Johnson has set Bates’ bond as $10,000 cash-only.

Bates has