This video may be disturbing for some viewers.
It was one of Kansas City’s deadliest fires. Six men were killed fighting a massive blaze at a gas station on August 18, 1959. Firefighters ran for their lives when a gas tank exploded sending a huge fireball across Southwest Boulevard. 500 men from both sides of the state line were dispatched to the fire near State Lane Road in Kansas City, Kan. 100 people, mostly firefighters, were injured.
The men who died battling the blaze were Capt. George Bartels, Capt. Peter Sirna, firefighter Virgil Sams, firefighter Neal Owen, firefighter Delbert Stone and civilian Francis Toomes. A monument paying tribute to their sacrifice was dedicated on Dec. 18, 1999.
KMBC-TV photographer Joe Adams shot this famous footage of the explosions and fire. Veteran Kansas City newsman Charles Gray narrated the report and is seen in front of the KMBC studios at the beginning of the film. Jeremy Hubbard’s report on the memorial ceremony in 1999 is also included here.
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Deputy director Ken Melson explains to CNN’s Abbie Boudreau why he blocked a website that is a vocal critic of the ATF.
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The Kentland Fire Department is 100% volunteer and has won awards every year for saving lives. You can find their Series at www.TheBattalion.tv This is one of the few fire companies in the world where firefighters live in the station house 365 days a year.
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Shawnee Fire Chief Jeff Hudson honors fallen firefighter John Glaser, remembering him as a good friend and a great dad to his two children. KMBC 9’s Marcus Moore reports.
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VIDEO: Water Tower Fire: Inspection Update 5-17-10
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VICTORIA – The City of Victoria is removing driftwood from Gonzales Beach, in an effort to prevent beach fires.
Crews are collecting pieces less than two meters long, and thirty centimeters wide. The driftwood will be chipped and used on city paths, and in flower beds.
Each year, the Victoria Fire Department responds to nearly 200 beach fires. The Fire Department says a lot of unnecessary effort and resources are poured into fighting these fires. Deputy Fire Chief Paul Bruce says firefighters are often injured accessing the fires in the dark.
The City says the fires also have a serious impact on vegetation and the remnants are dangerous to beach goers. Beach fires are a violation of a Parks Regulation Bylaw, and can result in fines up to $2000.
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ERRINGTON – The BC Forest Service is gearing up for an intense fire season on the coast. Fire crews have been called back to work at the Coastal Fire Centre in Errington two weeks ahead of schedule.
Fire information officer Donna Macpherson says this summer could be as busy as last year’s record-breaking fire season. Long term weather indicators very similar to last year, when there were more than 500 fires and the Coastal Fire Centre’s budget swelled to $50 million dollars.
Macpherson says people need to be careful about backyard burning this spring – it’s drier right now than most people might think and it doesn’t take much to start a wild fire.
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Terre Haute Fire Department News Clip – Firefighter Training
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The French navy fregate Nivose, taking part in the EU NAVFOR Atalanta mission, earlier this month stopped two vessels off the Somali coast in the Gulf of Aden and arrested their crew members under suspicion of piracy. This video footage was made available to broadcasters via the Council of the European Union.
It’s not clear what happened to the pirates filmed in this particular video. It’s likely there were taken to the Kenyan port of Mombasa. Pirates have been released on several instances because there is unclarity over where to put them on trial. Kenya, which already holds more than 100 suspected pirates in custody, has been complaining about having to share an “unfair” part of the burden.
Also read:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iDB_Q9Xfx9klHkrwDqsBQC_yP-RQ
http://arabnews.com/world/article26351.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7054575.ece
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/889976/-/vrw9dl/-/
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LANGFORD – When Canadians saw the devastation in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, they reached into their pockets giving millions to the international relief effort.
But one Vancouver Island community saw a need for more than just money. Langford Mayor Stew Young wants to use local development expertise to help homeless Haitian orphans. And young has assembled a group of people who are about to travel to Haiti to make it happen.
/A\ News will follow the Langford group and show how an international disaster hits home and what any one of us can do.
/A\ News reporter Stephen Andrew and videographer Brendan Strain begin a special assignment.
They call themselves “Team Haiti ,” an eclectic group of individuals from Langford.
There’s a building inspector, a police officer, a developer, his wife – the emergency social services coordinator, and a Fire Chief.
Tomorrow they leave their self-described comfortable lives destined Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital devastated by a massive earthquake on January 12th.
It is a city of disaster, death, and despair.
It seems an unlikely place to attract the attention of Greater Victoria’s fastest growing municipality, but it’s where Langford’s Mayor sees part of his city’s future.
“It moved me and I know it moved a lot of people,” says Stew Young. “You know, I have to be very supportive as the Mayor when people are coming forward in my community and saying we should do something. So, I think the time is right.”
Young’s first call was to his Fire Chief to look for ideas. It did not take long to find project.
Within days Bob Beckett was staring into the eyes of children who had lost not only their parents, but for many the only home they knew.
Young and Beckett say it became clear that a Catholic orphanage run by two elderly nuns and adopted by RCMP officers serving in Haiti would be the perfect place to start.
And Beckett says that plan was made easier because the RCMP officers were inviting them to come down.
“There was no despair,” says Beckett “But there was some degree of urgency identifying that they desperately need to have their orphanage rebuilt. They told us they were so pleased that the Langford community is interested to help and they asked how they can make the project work.”
For that Beckett turned to a man he knew he could count on; Langford’s Chief Building Inspector.
“I know Bob and I trust him,” says Dan Reynolds. “I said ‘Yeah’. I didn’t even think about it.”
Reynolds soon discovered Langford’s Mayor is not just looking to re-build the orphanage – he wants it built to a post disaster standard within months.
Reynolds will play a key role in the trip. He will assess the damage and see if the plan can be achieved.
“At first I thought maybe it would be better if you sent an engineer,” Reynolds explains. “If there had of been building codes, if there had been building inspections, maybe the disaster would have been mitigated down to what Chile is experiencing right now. I now think it is right to send a building inspector first just to find out what is available, what are the capabilities of the trades there and what materials do they have to work with. I can then work with the engineers and the builders like I do here every day.”
If Team Haiti is to succeed, it knows money is important.
For developer Terry Young, being asked to join the project could not have come at a better time. He has considered retiring for some time, but jokingly asks to what? Now he knows. Between playing with his grandchildren, Young will be raising funds.
It’s a task that he says will be easy by showing potential donors local communities can change the lives of people who live thousands of kilometers away.
“I see myself as just a vehicle to do that,” Young says. “If I go to someone for a donation I think I’m doing them a favour – in letting them let me take their money to spend it in a proper fashion.”
The team acknowledges it is an ambitious goal, but Langford’s mayor believes will be met.
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