An investigation uncovered an alleged frat house environment at a Columbia (SC) Fire Department station at which five firefighters were recently fired, reports thestate.com.

The crew members were fired earlier this year—for, among other things, nudity, rough-housing, and “inappropriate touching,” FirefighterNation reported in June—following an investigation into Station 8, at 933 Atlas Rd.

The investigation found that the conduct may have been occurring for as long as six to eight months prior to coming to light, the report says, though it alleges that station leadership permitted the actions.

In addition to a firefighter who walked off the job, numerous other Station 8 employees requested a transfer due to the allegations, the report says.

Fire officials conducted 29 interviews during the investigation, the report says. The report says the five dismissed employees were Battalion Chief Christopher Gates, Capt. Brandon Cook, Capt. Jason McIntyre, Fire Engineer Dustin Ailes, and Senior Firefighter Patrick Humphries.

Officials say there haven’t been any further reports of inappropriate activity at Station 8.

A Saturday early-morning crash on I-75 involved a number of vehicles, including Estero (FL) Fire Rescue’s Engine 43.

A motorcycle and sedan crashed on I-75 northbound around 1 a.m., the department said on Facebook. The operator of the motorcycle was up and alert when crews arrived on scene and was taken to the hospital, while the other driver was not injured.

An ensuing crash occurred when a separate vehicle struck the motorcycle, which was still in the roadway; the driver of that vehicle was not injured either.

While on the scene, Engine 43 was sideswiped by a semi. The apparatus suffered damage to its mirror and bumper, but there were no injuries.

A truck traveling through smoke and fog in an emergency scene on Highway 93 Saturday morning hit and totaled a Victor (MT) Fire and EMS structure engine.

Nobody was killed, though a report on nbcmontana.com says four people—including two firefighters—were taken to the hospital; two passengers in the truck suffered unknown injuries and a male and female firefighter had minor injuries—all were treated and released.

The accident happened two miles north of Victor and north of Bell Crossing at about 7:30 a.m., the report says. Firefighters were on the scene because someone was burning a nearby field and the smoke moved to the highway; fog also hurt visibility.

A 50-foot tire mark could be seen from the truck that hit the apparatus, the report says. Officials say driving at 10 miles per hour would be too fast for the conditions, though vehicles were traveling at speeds upwards of 60mph.

By Alan M. Petrillo

The Snyder (NY) Fire Department wanted to replace a 20-year-old heavy rescue truck, and had some pretty specific ideas about what they wanted to carry and where the equipment would be placed on their new rescue. The truck committee examined heavy rescue trucks displayed at the Lancaster County (PA) Firemen’s Association annual Fire Expo in Harrisburg, and later looked at a neighboring department’s heavy rescue. After doing its due diligence, the department chose Rescue 1 to build a new walk-through heavy rescue.

Jack Bills, territory manager for Colden Enterprises, who sold the heavy rescue to Snyder, says he was introduced to Snyder chief Mark Van Horn at the Harrisburg show, and they talked about what was possible on a heavy rescue and what wasn’t. “Then they looked at the heavy rescue that Rescue 1 had built for Getzville (NY) Fire Company, and decided they wanted Rescue 1 to build their new truck,” Bills says.

Van Horn points out that the new truck is on a Spartan Gladiator chassis and cab with a 24-inch raised roof and seating for 11 firefighters. “There is seating for the driver, officer, three rear-facing firefighters, and six firefighters in the interior walkway, all in self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats except for the driver,” Van Horn says. “We’ve bounced back and forth between walk-around and walk-through rescues. Our first rescue was a 1950s Ward LaFrance walk-around, followed by a 1974 walk-through, then a 1990s Chevy walk-around, the Sutphen walk-around, and now the Rescue 1 walk-through.”

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