Upcoming Fire Scene Photography Article

Hi all, I just wanted to give a heads up for everyone to be on the lookout for an upcoming article we’ll be publishing about taking photos on a fire scene.

I have secured an interview with an Allegheny County Fire Marshal this week and will be going over the do’s and dont’s of taking pictures on scene regarding interfering with arson investigations and similar concerns.

If there are any specific questions that any of the visitors have, be sure to email me at support@hoopieworld.com and I will do my best to get them included in the article.

Fire Headlines: ATV crash, MVAs, Suspended PBF FF

Here are your western PA firefighting news headlines for Tuesday, June 30th, 2009.

• Green Twp and Indiana Borough, both in Indiana County, were the scenes of two accidents, with the Green Twp accident proving fatal. [WTAE]

• Jefferson Hills firefighters responded to a vehicle over an embankment with entrapment call on Route 51 near Elliot Drive.  The patient was taken to Jefferson Regional Hospital and then later flown to a Pittsburgh hospital in critical condition.  [KDKA]

• The Pittsburgh Firefighter that was charged with making false calls and then robbing the station has been suspended and possibly terminated. [Tribune-Review]

• And finally, crews rescued an ATV rider that was injured near the Shenango River Lake.  [The Herald]

Slow news day so far, lets hope it stays that way

In Response to FireGeezer . . . The Meaning of Hoopie?

First off, I want to thank FireGeezer from FireGeezer.com for the article about Hoopie World in his Morning Lineup yesterday.  You can read that Hoopie World announcement here.  For those that haven’t visited FireGeezer.com before, I highly recommend his blog as a great source of Fire Rescue news.

Since FireGeezer was asking where the name Hoopie World came from, and others have asked the question as well, I want to try to clarify and explain the origin.  I am not the original owner of the site, I took over in 2006 from Mike Krysik, so Mike is the one that actually came up with the name.  Since the site already had a pretty loyal visitor base, and the site name was unique, I decided not to change the name.

In these parts of the country, the words Hoopie and Whacker are often interchangeable and used to describe a person that is too wrapped up in the fire service.  To the worst extreme, when used in derogatory terms, these are the guys that have the full-size light bar on a little Yugo where the light bar costs more than the actual car.

To the lesser extreme, Hoopies are just guys that enjoy firefighting, enjoy taking pictures on scene and reporting on incidents, and enjoy discussing the incidents both past and present.

Our HoopieWorld.com Tshirts even feature a Top 10 “You know you are a whacker when . . .”  as a funny way to kind of laugh at some of the funny things firefighters do.  Here is the back of the shirt, see how many apply to you

Fire Headlines: More River Rescues, Fatal House Fire, Fatal MVA, Vehicle Flip on I-376

Here are your western Pennsylvania news headlines for Monday, June 29, 2009.

• Now that the water is warm and boating is in full effect in the area, it has been a busy few weeks regarding river/water rescues.  Last evening Pittsburgh crews pulled a person out of the water near the 6th Street Bridge in the Allegheny River last night. [WTAE]

• Speaking of River Rescue, the Tribune-Review did a nice article on Pittsburgh River Rescue and law enforcement relating to the upcoming Regatta and G-20 Summit. [Tribune-Review]

• File this one under the “Since traffic on the Parkway East isn’t bad enough” file, a car flipped onto its roof on I-376 in Forest Hills yesterday evening on the outbound side.  Per reports, there were only minor injuries.

• East Franklin and Worthington-West Franklin firefighters and Kittanning Ambulance responded to a vehicle over an embankment yesterday in East Franklin.  Unfortunately, the vehicle crashed at approximately 4 am and no one was aware of the crash until about 4 pm the next day.  The driver died at the scene.  Crews performed a search as baby clothing was found in the car, however it was confirmed the driver was alone.  Authorities investigating the incident are saying speed was a factor. [Leader Times]

• Finally, there was a fatal house fire in Lawrence Park, Erie County yesterday morning.  The victim was 19 years old and was found right inside the front door. [WICU12]

Fire Headlines: Fatal Cycle MVA, River Rescue, Tractor Trailer Rollover

Here is a look at your Western PA Fire Rescue news for Sunday, June 28th, 2009.  Pretty slow weekend all things considered.  Hopefully things will stay quiet for a while.

• Yesterday there was a fatal motorcycle accident in Moon Township.  [Tribune-Review]

• Chartiers was the scene of a fatal vehicle accident overnight.  The driver was killed despite wearing a seatbelt, and a passenger was injured and flown to Allegheny General Hospital.  [Tribune-Review]

• Four people were rescued from the Beaver River in Taylor Twp, Lawrence County yesterday. Reports are that one of the people pulled out has died though.  Apparently the boaters were in a canoe that capsized.  KDKA has the report and some video on their site. [KDKA]

• A police officer crashed his cruiser in North Braddock last night. [WTAE]

• Lastly, in Erie a tractor trailer hauling materials for “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” had a little trouble and rolled over on his side.  Luckily no one was hurt, but most of his load was destroyed pushed the project back a little bit.  I hate when that happens! [WICU12]

Gator’s Old Flames – Ross Twp Baron-Wheeler Inc. Fire 5/28/1985

Berkeley Hills, Laurel Gardens, and Perrysville responded in the middle of the night to a Commercial Structure Fire at Baron-Wheeler, Inc. on Babcock Boulevard in Ross Township.

Read more

Fire Headlines: Lightning Causes Fire in Robinson Twp, Warren FF Training

Here are your fire headlines for Saturday, June 27th, 2009:

• Lightning hit an apartment building in Robison Twp last evening, causing a fire.  The fire displaces four adults and two children. [WTAE]

• An SUV and Special Needs Bus collided on Route 51 near the Liberty Tunnels yesterday afternoon. [WTAE]

• Lastly, there is a nice article related to a training class that Warren firefighters were having using their new Holmatro Rescue equipment that was purchased via a FEMA grant. [Times Observer]

Pittsburgh Firefighter Accused of Setting False Alarms & Then Stealing From Fellow Firefighters

[WTAE] is reporting a firefighter, Vincent Manzella, is being accused of setting false alarms while off-duty in the Lawrenceville section of the city.  While the crew from Engine 6 were out investigating, he allegedly went into Station 6 and stole small amounts of cash from his fellow firefighters.

Investigators knew it was an inside job since there was no forcible entry made.  After reviewing the county 911 tapes of the false alarm cars, investigators recognized Manzella’s name on the tapes.

The motive behind his actions were reportedly to fund a heroin addiction.  He was caught performing the false alarms and thefts on three different occasions.  He admitted taking small amounts of cash, just enough to purchase some heroin,$10 off a kitchen counter, $25 from two firefighters, an $50 from a firehouse water fund collection.

The thing that struck me as odd was Manzella was still on the job stationed in the Sheraden station.  At first, I was surprised to find he wasn’t suspended, but I’m sure Chief Jones is still reviewing the whole situation to get both sides of the story.  Hopefully PBF can give him the help he needs to get off the heroin and straighten his life out.  Sometimes the wrong choices are made in life, and hopefully people can be supportive of our fellow brother to get him the help he needs.

Gator’s Old Flames – Stowe Twp Structure Fire – 12/04/1986

West Park, Flemming Park, Presston and McKees Rocks responded in the early evening hours for a residential structure fire in the 500 Block of Woodward Avenue, Stowe Township.

Read more

Fire Headlines: 3 y/o killed, Gambling Fines, Tractor Trailer Fire

Here are your western PA fire headlines for Friday June 26th, 2009

• A 3 year old was hit and killed after darting onto the street in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh yesterday. [Tribune-Review]

• Four South Connellsville VFD firefighters were fined for having 8 illegal video gambling devices.  The state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement also seized the machines.  [Tribune-Review]

• A man from Houston, Texas lost his truck and belongings to a fire in Hermitage, PA. [The Herald]

Pretty slow news day, lets hope it stays that way over the weekend!

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