fire department

NSF Building Evacuated in Ballston After Apparent Lightning Strike

By ARLnow.com

The National Science Foundation building at 4201 Wilson Boulevard in Ballston was evacuated after an apparent lightning strike caused an electrical fire.

At least one witness reported hearing a popping sound as power went out. Rancid-smelling smoke spilled out of the building’s parking garage as a large fire department response surrounded the building.

While firefighters investigated the smoke, dozens of office workers stood outside in the light rain, waiting for the building to be reopened. Fire equipment blocked the westbound lanes of Wilson Boulevard.

There are reports that another building across the street was evacuated due to the smell of smoke. Firefighters believe the smoke was coming through an underground tunnel from the NSF building.

Much of Ballston, including Arlington Central Library, is currently without power.

Update at 2:20 p.m. — Most of the fire crews at the NSF building are packing up their gear. The actual fire investigation seems to be on the P2 level of the NSF parking garage.

Update at 2:25 p.m. — Wilson Boulevard has now reopened.

Update at 9:10 p.m. — From NSF spokesperson Dana Topousis: “The National Science Foundation (NSF) will be closed on Thursday, October 28, due to a power outage. Employees are encouraged to check NSFAlert.com for updates.”

Update on 10/28 — Dominion’s Le-Ha Anderson sheds more light on why the NSF building is closed here.

Barcroft Home Goes Up in Flames for TV Show

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) A house on the 4600 block of 8th Street South in the Barcroft neighborhood was deliberately set on fire this afternoon.

Arlington firefighters set the house on alight then put out the flames for the filming of a CBS Early Show segment on fire safety. The house was condemned and set to be torn down before the controlled burn was arranged, firefighters tell us.

After the home was fully engulfed, it took about 15 minutes for firefighters to put the fire out.

CBS News correspondent Susan Koeppen, who along with the rest of the TV crew came down from New York for today’s shoot, says the segment will show that sleeping with your bedroom door closed at night could save your life in the event of a fire.

More photos after the jump.

(more…)

Tree Trimmer Rescued After Branch Hits Power Line

By ARLnow.com

A tree trimmer had to be rescued by the fire department after a falling branch made contact with electrical lines. The incident happened around 12:30 this afternoon, near the intersection of 24th Road and Shirlington Road in Nauck.

The man was about 25 feet up in the tree when the branch made contact. Dispatchers were told that he was receiving electrical shocks every time he tried to move.

An Arlington County Fire Department ladder truck, rescue squad and medic unit were on scene as Dominion shut off power to the wires and the surrounding neighborhood. The ladder was then directed toward the man, and he was hoisted into the basket by two firefighters. Back down on the ground, the man handed his chainsaw off to firefighters and walked into the back of the ambulance, apparently in good health.

1/9

EXCLUSIVE: County Has ‘Critical’ Shortages of Ambulances Daily

By ARLnow.com

Nearly every day, the number of Arlington County ambulances ready to respond to calls reaches zero, prompting dispatchers to broadcast a warning to supervisors while they scramble to find medics that can be put back into service.

While there are often other options available in the event a call comes in while all ,paramedic units are busy, Arlington Fire Chief James Schwartz says it’s a problem the department is aware of and trying to address.

“EMS is one of my highest priorities,” Schwartz said. “Almost every day we run out of available medic units.”

Medical calls make up about 60 percent of the fire department’s call volume, according to Schwartz. At any given time, about seven paramedic units are on duty in the county. Of those, two or three are usually out at a hospital, delivering patients or restocking their supplies.

When the number of paramedic units reaches the ‘critical’ level — one or none — the first order of business is usually to see if any units out at the hospital can be put into service. Another option is to take advantage of the county’s mutual aid agreement with the Alexandria, Fairfax County and Reagan National Airport fire departments.

It’s a common, daily occurrence for Fairfax medics to respond to calls in the western part of the county, or for airport ambulance crews to respond to calls in the Crystal City area. Every day, Arlington fire and medic units will also respond to calls outside the county.

In the event that a paramedic crew is temporarily unavailable, a fire engine can be sent ahead. Since the county’s fire trucks are often staffed with trained paramedics and equipped with advanced life support gear, sending the engine first means there is no delay in a patient’s on-scene medical treatment. But an ambulance is still needed to take the patient to the hospital.

In a real pinch, a “surge unit” in the Clarendon/Courthouse area can be put into action by moving a fire crew to an unstaffed ambulance.

Schwartz said he’s unaware of any instances in which medics were delayed and a patient was harmed as a result.

The paramedic situation was discussed during this year’s budget, Schwartz said, adding that county policymakers are aware of the problem and often ask about it. He suggested that the department will seek funding for another medic unit during the next round of budget talks.

“I would expect that it would be a topic of this year’s process,” he said.

A Tribute to Our Firefighters

By ARLnow.com

In honor of National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, we asked Arlington Fire Chief James Schwartz to write a guest column.

This weekend, the nation’s fire service will honor those firefighters
 who died in the line of duty during 2009.  The names of 80 fire fighters
 who lost their lives in service to their communities will be added to
 the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in an annual ceremony at 
Emmitsburg, Maryland. The names of 25 firefighters who died in previous
 years will also be added. The plaques surrounding the Memorial, which
 was established in 1981, contain the names of more than 3,400 
fire fighters. Firefighters and fire department honor guards from across 
the country will gather to pay tribute to the lives of their fallen
 comrades.

Unfortunately, firefighting remains a dangerous profession.  Despite a 
reduction in the number of fires nationally, effective fire and rescue
 operations require firefighters to be in harm’s way.  Firefighters are frequently exposed to high temperatures and toxic products of combustion and they work around heavy, fast moving objects, all while wearing protective gear and equipment that weighs in excess of 60 pounds.  Rates of cancer and heart disease are higher among firefighters.

Firefighters 
accept a measure of risk when they take the job, understanding that the 
ultimate sacrifice may be required to save the life of another under
 extreme circumstances. They do not accept this risk cavalierly. As a 
whole, the fire service continues to work tirelessly toward improvements 
that will reduce the number of firefighter injuries and fatalities.

Arlington County Fire Department has been fortunate; we have not
 suffered a line of duty death since 1982 when Firefighter Mike Miller
 lost his life.  Before the loss of Firefighter Miller, the department
 lost two captains in separate incidents.  On October 19, 1964 Captain
 Archie Hughes was lost after becoming trapped in the flashover of an 
attic fire. Captain Charles Theodore died of smoke inhalation while 
fighting a fire on June 24, 1961.  In a ceremony earlier this year, the 
department retired their badges.

Jim Schwartz, Chief
Arlington County Fire Department

EXCLUSIVE: College Pro Painters Fined Following Electrical Accident

By ARLnow.com

(Updated on 9/30) Citing “serious” violations of occupational safety laws, Virginia’s Department of Labor and Industry has slapped Massachusetts-based College Pro Painters with a $14,875 fine for a near-fatal electrical accident in Ashton Heights on June 16.

A painter in his mid-20’s nearly died after the ladder he was using touched 19,900 volt power lines at a home on North Highland Street. The employee was burned and knocked back nearly 9 feet by the electrical shock. He was without a pulse when paramedics arrived on the scene, but was resuscitated and eventually transported to the MedStar burn unit in DC.

At the time, College Pro Painters president Rodney Larmand told ARLnow.com that the company was “deeply concerned” and was “investigating the circumstances” that led to the accident.

According to a citation obtained by ARLnow.com under the Freedom of Information Act, state safety inspectors determined that the company “failed to ensure employees did not perform any work” that would cause ladders or other equipment “to be placed within 10 feet of any overhead high voltage line.”

The company also failed to work with the power company to make temporary safety arrangements before the work was performed, and “did not ensure first aid supplies were easily accessible,” according to state inspectors.

The company has the right to contest the citation, which was issued earlier this month. Larmand declined to comment on the fine, citing a scheduled meeting with state occupational safety officials on Wednesday.

He did, however, point out that College Pro Painters has a safety record that is “significantly better than industry standard.

“Our safety program is excellent and we plan to continue our current program with improvements and updates for 2011 that will take into consideration our learning from this unfortunate incident,” Larmand said.

Firefighters Respond to Animal Welfare League of Arlington

By ARLnow.com

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington, which just completed a $1 million renovation, was briefly evacuated twice this morning due to light smoke in the building.

The second time firefighters were called, just before noon, they reported finding a malfunctioning air conditioning unit.

No people or dogs animals were reported to be sick as a result of the smoke.

The building is located at 2650 South Arlington Mill Drive in Shirlington

Update at 1:50 p.m. — The building is cool, engineers are working on the troublesome A/C unit, and all the animals are fine, according to executive director Neil Trent.

Arlington FD Missing From Nats 9/11 Heroes Day

By ARLnow.com

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with new information that has come to light since it was originally published.

On Saturday, the Nationals held a special ‘Heroes Day’ in remembrance of 9/11. The DC Fire Department was a major participant — DCFD firefighters were on hand, players wore specially-made DCFD hats with the Nationals logo in the center, and Nats general manager Mike Rizzo and catcher “Pudge” Rodriguez were recognized as Honorary DCFD Fire Chiefs.

But the Arlington County Fire Department — the first to arrive at the Pentagon on 9/11 — was not invited.

Fire Chief Jim Schwartz, who led the incident command at the Pentagon for 10 days after the attacks, says the department did not receive an invitation from the Nationals to participate in the ceremony. Nor, to his knowledge, did any of the numerous Maryland and Virginia fire departments that assisted Arlington on 9/11. Instead, Schwartz says he only received a flyer advertising discounted tickets for firefighters, after it was forwarded by a colleague at DC Fire.

“I’m definitely disappointed that there wasn’t more of an outreach on the part of the Nationals organization,” Schwartz said. “I assume they have a communication operation over there that ought to know the lay of the land, and I would put this on them for not reaching out and making some sort of formal invitation.”

He said that despite all the other events ACFD was involved with on Saturday, the department would not have had trouble finding firefighters interested in participating in the Nats’ ceremony.

Schwartz recalled a ceremony at a Redskins game two months after 9/11, which made a point of featuring numerous local fire departments.

“I know that we have taken great pains to acknowledge the assistance of all of those other fire departments,” Schwartz said, while noting that he did not fault the DC Fire Department for taking part in the ceremony by themselves.

“It’s not their job to do the outreach to other departments,” he said.

The Nationals have not returned a call seeking comment.

Photo by @natsnq via @welovedc. Hat tip to @katekirk.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Obama Marks 9/11 Anniversary at the Pentagon — On the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, President Obama visited the Pentagon and called for tolerance and strength in the face of terrorism. More from Fox 5 and a transcript of the president’s speech from CBS News.

Arlington’s Fire Chief Remembers 9/11 — WTOP talked to Arlington Fire Chief Jim Schwartz, who was incident commander at the Pentagon on that fateful September day. “Every time I look at it, it still looks the same to me as it did that morning. I can still see the visions of the gash in the building, the column of smoke, the casualties laying out on the West Lawn,” Schwartz said.

More Teacher Diversity at APS — Arlington is trying to hire teachers who better reflect the student body’s racial make-up. Still, the 190 teachers hired for this year are 73 percent while, when the student body is only 48 percent white. More from the Sun Gazette.

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Hazmat Response at Lyon Village Shopping Center

By ARLnow.com

Arlington firefighters and the hazardous materials team responded to the Lyon Village Shopping Center around 12:20 this afternoon for a strong chemical odor. Several people in the Starbucks reported feeling ill as a result of the odor.

Firefighters went up to the roof and came down with a bucket of epoxy that was being used for some sort of roofing work.

A building inspector and a health inspector are on their way to the shopping center to evaluate the situation.

The Starbucks appeared to be closed, but all other stores in the shopping center — including popular lunch spots The Italian Store and BGR The Burger Joint — are still open.

Update at 12:55 p.m. — The building and health inspector are on the scene, and fire crews are packing up.

1/6
View More Stories