Building with many violations collapses in Brooklyn

VIDEO: Cleanup was underway Thursday at a multistory health club shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic that collapsed into a heap of rubble in Brooklyn a day earlier. Videos posted on Citizen app show FDNY trucks, an ambulance, and numerous police officers and other first responders near a pile of rubble and debris where the three-story building in Carroll Gardens used to stand at the corner of Court Street and Union Street. The FDNY said that the call came in around 4:38 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they encountered a man who said he had escaped from the second floor of the building just before it came crashing down. The man was taken to an area hospital in stable condition. There was no indication of an explosion, added FDNY officials.
WNYW-TV FOX 5 New York

Off-duty FDNY EMT helps rescue neighbors from house fire in Queens

An off-duty FDNY EMT jumped into action and helped rescue his neighbors when a fire broke out in Queens Wednesday evening. FDNY EMT Daniel Marcano was in his backyard when one of his neighbors ran and told him about a house fire close by. “I was in my backyard and one of my neighbors ran to the back and told me that there was a fire close by. He knew I was in the FDNY. I ran to the front of the house and saw the smoke. As I got closer, I realized that the house that was on fire was occupied by my neighbors and they were inside. I started kicking the front door and finally got it to open,” Marcano said. Marcano made his way into the house, found one of his neighbors and carried them out. He was then told their friend was still inside.
WPIX-TV CW 11 New York

Long Island Teen Credited With Saving Family From House Fire

VIDEO: On Long Island, a quick-thinking 15-year-old is credited with saving her family from a rapidly moving house fire. The fire happened early on June 26 at a home on Stuyvesant Lane in Smithtown. Hailee Hurtado smelled smoke and alerted her father. Her dad discovered the flames coming from the garage. He rushed to get his wife and other daughter out of the house while Hailee went to help her grandmother. The teen got her grandmother out and bed and got her to the stairs. From there, Hailee’s dad helped her get her grandmother to safety. “A minute later, everything just went right up. She truly is a hero, this young lady,” one neighbor said. Neighbors weren’t the only ones to credit the teen for her heroism. The Smithtown Fire Department is now planning to honor Hailee with an award for her actions.
WLNY-TV 55 Riverhead

Piermont Fire Department Wins $72K Coronavirus Grant

The Piermont Fire Department will receive $72,900.95 through the federal coronavirus relief act for personal protective equipment and related supplies to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Piermont is a small village that relies on a 100 percent volunteer Fire Department and EMS service. It has been challenging to manage the additional COVID protocols on regular calls as well as the volume of COVID calls, while keeping our residents as safe as possible," said Mayor Bruce Tucker. "Securing appropriate PPE and sanitizing supplies has created an enormous unforeseen expense, and without this support, we might not be able to provide the safest level of care for our residents, and safest conditions for our First Responders throughout this crisis." The small supply of PPE that Piermont had on hand went quickly when the outbreak began in March.
Nyack-Piermont Patch

House fire under investigation in Ithaca

The Ithaca Fire Department is investigating the cause of a blaze early Wednesday morning on Coddington Road. According to a release, two women were staying at the home, but managed to escape without injuries. Tompkins County 911 Dispatchers received a call around 2:20 a.m. from a woman at 628 Coddington Road, saying smoke was filling up in the house and there was an odor of burning plastic. Firefighters knocked the fire down from outside the house and then went in to search for any occupants. There were no other people in the home. Authorities say smoke was ventilated from the building. The Ithaca and Brooktondale Fire Departments remind those staying the night somewhere new to always make sure the location has working smoke detectors.
WENY-TV ABC/CBS/CW+ 36 Elmira

DEC issues fireworks warning ahead of July 4, amid several burning wildfires

Ahead of Independence Day, the Department of Environmental Protection issued a fire danger warning on Wednesday morning. This follows days of storms capping off an extended dry period while adding another layer to the widespread fireworks problem in the area. DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos says that, in spite of sometimes torrential rain, enduring dry conditions during Independence Day fireworks displays will represent an increased fire hazard over the holiday weekend. “The majority of lands across the state remain very dry,” Seggos says. “Remember that, in addition to being dangerous and in some cases illegal, fireworks can start wildfires.” There are three active wildfires in New York on Wednesday: one in St. Lawrence County, another in Herkimer County, and the third in Tompkins County. These fires are burning as much as 11 acres of land, requiring a pump operation that uses huge volumes of water.
LocalSYR.com

4-alarm blaze tears through Bronx parking garage: FDNY

Nearly 170 firefighters battled a four-alarm fire that ripped through a Bronx parking garage early Wednesday morning, according to officials. The FDNY said a call came in around 2 a.m. reporting a car fire in the two-story parking garage located at 1959 Jerome Ave. in the Morris Heights section of the borough. The flames could be seen shooting through the roof of the building and the walls collapsed as the flames raged into the morning. According to the FDNY, 168 firefighters from 39 units responded to work the large blaze. There were no reports of injuries but there are likely numerous destroyed vehicles. Around 5:45 a.m. the FDNY said the main body of the fire had been knocked down and it was not expected to escalate any further.
WPIX-TV CW 11 New York

First Responders Spotlight: ’Firefighter Mike’ teaches Henrietta youth

The Henrietta Fire District responds to about 4,500 calls per year. Fire Chief Mark Strzyzynski says that number could be higher, if it weren’t for the efforts of one man: “Firefighter Mike”. Captain Michael Dinsmore of the Henrietta Fire District has spent over 20 years as a firefighter. He teaches hands-on fire safety at various schools in Henrietta as “Firefighter Mike”, something he says is critical for youngsters. “It’s important. They don’t get that education at school, it’s not part of their math or English, it’s life saving,” says Dinsmore. Cinthia Aceto works at The School of the Holy Childhood in Henrietta and nominated Captain Dismore. She says he not only took the time to teach students there, but also the staff with manual learning. “He came to our after school program. The kids can hold on to the hose, and have the water pour out of it and have fun,” says Aceto. Dinsmore also gives the kids a trailer full of simulated smoke to walk through, and taught how to crawl on the floor during a fire.
Rochester First

Recruiting And Retaining Emergency Response Volunteers Remains A Hurdle In Broome County

The coronavirus outbreak brought out the importance of emergency response volunteers in communities across the United States... And the need for more volunteers. The shortage of volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and other organizations is nothing new. It's been an issue communities have been facing for several years now. In Broome County, officials are trying to find ways to not only recruit more, but hang on to those who answer the call to serve. “There’s a major time commitment in becoming a volunteer firefighter," says Jeffrey Buckler, Fire Coordinator with Broome County Emergency Services. Buckler says when he started his career, there was about 30 hours of required training, now that's over 100 hours. He says this is for good reason. “There's a lot at play, but changing demographics, changing lifestyles. Both people in a household are working, some are working multiple jobs to make ends meet," says Buckler.
WICZ-TV Fox 40 Binghamton

Skydiver killed in Gardiner; landed without chute in fire department parking lot

When licensed skydiver William “Bill” McCartin jumped out of a plane on Sunday afternoon, it started out as uneventful. McCartin had some 200 jumps until that point, but because it had been a couple of months since his last jump, he was accompanied by a coach, which is part of the FAA-approved skydiving licensing system. The jump was the final step for McCartin to again be allowed to skydive solo, but it ended in tragedy when he landed in the parking lot of the Gardiner fire department, sans his parachute harness. One nearby resident described the impact that killed the New York City resident as sounding like a “shotgun blast” in a Facebook discussion. Instructor John Kieran had been on the plane with McCartin, but made a separate skydive after McCartin and the coach. The plane was flying at about 14,000 feet when McMartin and his coach jumped, and the two separated to give make room to open the parachutes.
Hudson Valley One

Syracuse crews rush to early-morning fire

Syracuse Fire crews rushed to a home in Syracuse’s far north side early Tuesday morning. The Syracuse Fire Department says the call went out just after 2 a.m for a house on the 400-block of Burdick Avenue, off of Murray Avenue. When crews arrived, they found a large fire in the back of the home, spreading from the bottom floor up to the attic. Everyone in the home safely evacuated before crews arrived, according to the fire department. There were no injuries to the residents or firefighters. Some residents of the home were displaced and are being taken care of by the Red Cross. The house did have working smoke detectors. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
LocalSYR.com

Route 219 potholes in Limestone cause concerns for potential accidents

As a volunteer firefighter, Jesse Montgomery recalls going to a car accident on U.S. Route 219 to find an elderly driver whose tire had blown out in a pothole. Limestone’s Montgomery said the potholes along the highway have gotten worse, and he fears more accidents — even fatalities — will occur. He said a particularly bad spot for potholes can be found just north of the Interstate 86 West exit near Sassy’s Truck Stop. Montgomery, who reached out to the media with his concerns, said he remembers answering a call with the Limestone Volunteer Fire Department and encountered an older woman who had a car accident on Route 219. “She said, ‘I don’t know (what happened), I hit something and then all of a sudden my tire blew out,” Montgomery said in sharing the conversation. “It crashed into the guardrail … I mean this road is ridiculous.”
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