Karen Kucher
The San Diego Union-Tribune
(TNS)

A San Diego battalion chief who crashed a fire department pickup on an east Texas freeway last month, leaving himself and two colleagues injured, may have fallen asleep while driving, according to a Texas law enforcement crash report.

The three were part of a 48-member team that had been heading to assist in hurricane relief efforts in North Carolina.

The report, released by the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Aide Barbat was driving east on Interstate 20 shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 29 in the fast lane when he drifted into the center median, overcorrected and steered to the right and ran up an embankment. The Ford F-350 then rolled over numerous times before coming to rest facing northeast in the roadway at the bottom of the embankment, the report said.

A front passenger, identified as Capt. Greg Davies, got out of the truck and attempted to alert drivers that the disabled vehicle was in the roadway. Minutes later, however, the truck was hit by another vehicle with Barbat and Capt. Jesse Schultz, a rear-seat passenger, still inside, the report said.

“The rear passenger stated that the driver… may have fallen asleep,” the report said. “The right front passenger stated that (the driver) ran off of the road.”

According to the report, drug or alcohol use was not suspected. It was unclear if anyone in the second vehicle was injured.

The crash occurred near the border with Louisiana, and all three were transported to a hospital in Shreveport.

San Diego Fire-Rescue officials initially had reported that the crash occurred around 2:45 a.m. and that all three were transported by helicopter. The Texas crash report said one person was transported by Life Air Rescue and two were taken by ambulance.

The team had planned to do water rescue-type work and provide other assistance in Charlotte, N.C. After the crash, the remaining members — which include firefighters from San Diego and other local agencies, emergency-room doctors, a structural engineer and a mechanic — returned to San Diego after staying several days in Texas.

Davies, 51, returned Oct. 4 after being released from the hospital and is recuperating at home, said a fire department spokesperson. Schultz, 49, returned on Oct. 7 and has since been sent to an out-of-state facility to continue his recovery. Barbat, 45, returned Oct. 11 and was being treated at UCSD, the spokesperson said.

“The Davies, Schultz and Barbat families sincerely appreciate all the love, support and kind words of encouragement. They ask for continued privacy as they navigate what may be long roads to recovery,” the department said in a recent Facebook post.

©2024 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

New England has a variety of station designs, ages, and locations. East Litchfield Fire Company’s station had a few challenges when it was designing its newest pumper, among them the height and width of the bay door as well as the rig’s angle of approach. The fire company turned to 4 Guys Fire Trucks to build an engine that would accommodate these restrictions, ending up with beaver tails at the top rear of the apparatus. Representatives from the manufacturer, dealer, and fire department sit down with Chris Mc Loone to discuss the rig and its design in depth. Also see our article on this rig at: 4 Guys Fire Trucks Builds Pumper to Fit 1949 Fire Station.

New England has a variety of station designs, ages, and locations. East Litchfield Fire Company’s station had a few challenges when it was designing its newest pumper, among them the height and width of the bay door as well as the rig’s angle of approach. The fire company turned to 4 Guys Fire Trucks to build an engine that would accommodate these restrictions, ending up with beaver tails at the top rear of the apparatus. Representatives from the manufacturer, dealer, and fire department sit down with Chris Mc Loone to discuss the rig and its design in depth. Also see our article on this rig at: 4 Guys Fire Trucks Builds Pumper to Fit 1949 Fire Station.

Cassandra Day
The Middletown Press, Conn.
(TNS)

Oct. 18—MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown Fire Department is looking into the feasibility of establishing a third station in the northern area of the city near the Cromwell town line not only to improve response time but also to handle new developments popping up on Route 3.

An analysis of the department and its infrastructure needs will be conducted to determine the best way to proceed.

A few things generated the idea, including the time it takes for downtown engines to travel to calls via Newfield Street (Route 3), a main route that is often congested, according to newly appointed Fire Chief Dave Albert.

Lack of space is also a significant consideration.

Middletown High School and other school buses cause heavy traffic on Route 3 twice daily, accidents can tie up two-lane Newfield Street, and rush hour often reduces travel to a crawl.

Like the city’s emergency dispatch center for fire, police, and medical emergencies surpassed its space capabilities years ago, causing cramped conditions, Albert said, so has the aging 533 Main St. firehouse built in 1899.

“We’re trying to come up with creative ways to maximize the space we have for the most frugal price,” he said.

A third station in the northern portion of the city has been needed for the past 15 years, the chief said. “It’s a big bite of the elephant to take on, per se,” he admitted.

“Tuttle Road, Little River (Lane), Woodlot (Lane) — that’s pretty much at the Cromwell line. Now, with all the developments going in on Newfield Street and added traffic, it’s even more imperative that we finally get that third station to make sure our response time meets industry standards,” he explained.

One of those developments is Springside Middletown off Newfield Street, where a 148-unit campus of apartment buildings and townhouses is under construction.

“Two cars a unit, maybe more, families are living there, husband and wife — all those on Newfield Street, plus more developments. That engine right now comes from downtown, and it’s got to go all the way to Tuttle Road,” some 4 miles away, the chief said.

“With more cars comes more chances of it happening,” Albert continued. “It’s only a two-lane road, and you’re going to add a lot more traffic there just for our fire trucks to get down safely. That’s another reason we want that third station on the opposite end.”

Fire vehicles often use busy Washington Street (Route 66) to get to Route 3. “We have to make sure we are eliminating that risk and making sure we can respond in a timely manner to any emergencies out that way,” he said.

Engine 1 at the Main Street station serves the downtown, North End, and some of Church Street, while Engine 3 covers Washington and Newfield streets to Tuttle Road.

Middletown Fire’s Cross Street Station 2 responds to emergencies at Wesleyan University, the blue section of the Wesleyan Hills housing development, South Main Street, Long Hill Road, and Wadsworth Street.

It’s out-of-date, has far outgrown its footprint, and was built some 50 years ago, Albert said.

“These stations once only housed four people max, where at (headquarters), we have seven to eight that live here 24/7, plus eight additional day staff members, so the (foot traffic) all day long is pretty high,” Albert said.

Cross Street has seven staff members plus several dispatchers, he said.

“We need a new roof, better air handling systems. Everything is very out