MichiganHuntr1 Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 This morning at one a.m. I get a loud knocking at the door. Its my neighbor Danielle saying her house is on fire. Call 911! So I get on the phone and Dial 911 and tell them a fire is happening. I then sprint with her husband Ernie, and see if we can get his Jimmy (SUV) away from his house, and see if we can get anything out of the house. So we bust a window, and stick our heads in. The back left corner of the house was up in flames, and smoke was just pouring out of the windows. So we try getting in, but we realize the smoke is just too thick. We then hook up a tow strap from his truck to his Jimmy, which is in park, the keys are in the house, and the strap breaks! Then we realize propane tank in on in the back, and we better go sprint to it and shut it off. It was just filled full! We get his truck out of the area, but we have to leave his new Jimmy. Their Chihuahua (Spelling??) Saved them, he started barking when they were sleeping, and they looked at what he was barking at and seen the back of the house was on fire. This is the sad thing. There is a fire station a half mile from our place. It took them twenty minutes to get here. Then, It took another 20 for them to start spraying it. Then, They sprayed the side of the house that wasnt on fire. They didnt even know the back of the house is on fire. Ernie has to yell and tell them the back is on fire. They then realize it, and by then, half the house is on fire before they start spraying it By the time they get it contained, its 5:30, and the house is basically destroyed. I have an uncle that was a firefighter, and I talked to him, and explained him what happened, and he said the fighters didnt do anything right. It wouldve been only a minor fire, but they let the whole house basically be taken over. I respect firefighters, but theses guys didnt look like they knew what they were doing. I dont know, maybe im Just sad that my 24 and 25 year old neighbors lost their first house, and all of their possesions. The good thing is nobody got hurt, their two kids (4 yrs and 1 yr) are ok and so is the chihuhua. (superdog!) Breathing that smoke was not good, I can still smell it, and my lungs didnt like it. It was really scary having to see this. And to think, they had 5k in christmas gifts, and theyre all gone. It stinks this had to happen, but around christmas?? Why? And 45 hours with no sleep doesnt help either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJR Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire That whole thing is really sad! Sometimes I have seen where the fire departments are worse than the fire. Fires are terrible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dartonman Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire This is a horrible story.....thank god they are alive...I have alot of boys clothes, please let me know if I can ship anything they can use.....I will go buy them the basics if need be.....please keep us on the Realtree forums updated, or if there is a bank taking relief monies.......I made this a sticky, and hopefully we can help in some way..........never did like those nervous rat dogs, but now I guess that one deserves a kudos..............al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire That's terrible. Let us know somewhere we can send any donations from toys/clothes for the kids or financial assistance... Anything. What are the sexes of the kids? And what kinds of toys do they enjoy? What size clothes to the kids and parents wear? And like Al said, is there anywhere being set up for financial aid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganHuntr1 Posted December 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire They have insurance, and hopefully theyll be covered. I think theyll be alright with clothes. Thank you though. Red Cross came and gave them six hundred dollars last night, so they could get some clothes. Theyll stay with their parents, they plan on bulldozing whats left, and putting a new modular home in place. Toys wise for the kids, their grandma already went out and got the kids some toys to play with, shes a doctor, and one of the nicest ladies ive ever met in my life. The one thing that made me sad, is one of the guys came in our house, and Little trent, whose four said "why are you letting my house burn down?". I dont understand this, they put a fan up to stop the fire, but it seems like it helped spread the fire. Thanks for offering your help, its greatly appreciated. If they need anything I will definetly ask you guys. But it looks like things are pretty well covered so far. Theyve been on the news and in the paper as well. Thanks again, Dustin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire WOW Dustin ...How terrible, especially at Christmas time. It's good to hear no-one was hurt. Sounds like that little muttly is a gift from God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYBUCK Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire Wow that is horrible, again especially around this time of the year. We will pray for them and if you need anything let us know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuntingInMaine Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire What a terrible thing to happen! Thank God they have insurance. Is your fire department volunteer or paid? We live in a very rural area, so our fire and rescue people are all volunteers. This means no one is waiting in the fire house when a call comes in. Dispatch has to radio to the volunteers, wait for them to answer, get enough people to the fire house to respond safely, and then FINALLY get to the fire. I have heard tone after tone go out for rescue calls and it can take 1/2 an hour just to get someone to respond. Not making excuses for your fire department, but if they are also volunteers then you must, unfortunately, wait longer than if your town could afford a full time fire department. Glad to hear the family is all safe, it could have been worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire THAT'S A REAL BUMMER.AT LEAST EVERYONE MADE IT OUT SAFE.IT'S A GOOD THING THAT THEY HAVE NEIGHBORS LIKE YOU.KEEP US POSTED IF THEY NEED ANYTHING. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimT Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire Thats horrible. Very sad to hear that. I am glad everyone made it out ok. Sounds like the fd there needs better training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muff Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire WOW thats is a horrible thing...if your Dept. is volunteer I agree with huntinginmaine...it takes time to get to the calls...also if it is,now is the time to sign up if you are that near to the dept.try not to come down so hard on volunteer fire fighters...I am one and not like other depts...we do not get a cent for our time...we have meetings two times a month and I also run a big golf tourny in the summer with all the money going to the dept...we work hard and try to do our best to help people in need...glad everyone is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganHuntr1 Posted December 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire Insurance Adjuster comes out today. Hopefully they get everything. As the the F.D. its Volunteer, but most of the F.D. lives right in the little town, which is only about a half mile big. I understand it should take some time, but twenty minutes, maybe a little too much, then it took more just for them to start fighting. I Respect all firefighters though, maybe theres another reason. And once again, i will definetly ask you guys for help if needed. You guys are great. Dustin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire That is terrible, glad they were ok. Had a guy I used to work with who his family lost their house to a fire just before Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archerjg Posted December 28, 2004 Report Share Posted December 28, 2004 Re: Fire Glad no one was hurt. It is a sad thing that this had to happen, my thoughts and prayers go out to them. I hope that they can get everything straightened out and ge their house rebuilt soon. Archerjg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billygoat Posted December 29, 2004 Report Share Posted December 29, 2004 Re: Fire What a terrible story and no worse time for something like that to occur (as if there is a "good" time) Thank God, no one was hurt... our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricfirefighter Posted December 29, 2004 Report Share Posted December 29, 2004 Re: Fire one problem all volly fire dept have is training it is hard to juggle work family and volunteer i know ive been doing it for about 7 yrs sorry for there loss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganHuntr1 Posted December 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2004 Re: Fire I was just talking to Ernie Half an hour ago. Well guess what. He asked the cop why in the heck are they letting my house go. You know what the cop said. If you guys would pay more taxes they may do a better job. What a great thing to say. im so ticked off....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 Re: Fire [ QUOTE ] I agree with huntinginmaine...it takes time to get to the calls... [/ QUOTE ] I was a firefighter for almost 20 years, all volenteer(sp?). I seen some of these type of calls, where you cant get nobody! I am just glad everybody made it out ok!!! My monitor sometimes goes crazy because they keep hitting for next due stations to respond!!! A few years ago behind my house there was a bad fire, and it seemed nobody wanted to get the line and attack this thing head on! Everyone stood back and was throwing water from a distance. It was right after Xmas too! I was ticked because I knew what should have been done! But the MAIN thing is!!!! EVERYONE IS SAFE!!! BTW....DID THEY HAVE ANY SMOKE DETECTORS???????????????????????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY911Bowhunter Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 Re: Fire sucks Being a FF, past Lieutenant and Training Officer for many, many years, it is easy to sit back and second guess other departments actions. This is one of those cases. While you state that it took them 20 minutes to get there and 20 more to "put the wet stuff on the red stuff", under the circumstances time can seem like it is literally standing still! Don't get me wrong - I am not doubting you, just adding persepctive. On the other hand - time seemed to do the complete opposite for the first fire officer there I'm sure!!!! Many factors come into play once a unit arrives before water can be sprayed. Things need to get done, water source secured, (engines or pumpers only carry so much), a coordinated attack with ventilation crews must be coordinated, hoselines stetches and placed, stupid 2 in 2 out rule needs to be complied with(right!), and most importantly - members arriving need to properly don their potective equipment and air paks. A fire at that time of day (night) - the first priority is always life - and you never take anyone's word that all people are out - a search must be conducted! That too can delay the fire attack. However - I wasn't there so I cant say for sure - maybe they are a bunch of bumbling oafs! In any case the whole situation sucks. [ QUOTE ] Breathing that smoke was not good, I can still smell it, and my lungs didnt like it. [/ QUOTE ] Yeah - you get kinda used to that, then you crave it. Our air paks pretty much alleviated that problem though. Our department makes you go to EMS Prison - rehab - after 1 bottle. To avoid that I take a toot of air when I need it - go bare faced as much as I can. Not a smart thing to do. [ QUOTE ] I dont understand this, they put a fan up to stop the fire, but it seems like it helped spread the fire [/ QUOTE ] The purpose of this - positive pressure ventilation - is to displace the smoke filled air with clear air, and must be done in a precise manner to avoid the introduction of too much oxygen to the fire - which causes the fire to be fed. That is apparently what you saw. It is a great technique when done right. Now that the firefighting lesson is over ( for those of you who are FF's, that could count as 2 hours of OSHA training time! ); Let me also offer anyhting in the terms of clothes or toys for the infant - we have TONS of stuff - mostly new an unused too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nut Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 Re: Fire Sorry to read about your neighbor Dustin. I can understand on how they feel.( Back in 1988 I suffered through the same thing except it was summertime.) Glad they got out all right. That is all that matters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browning_gold_12 Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 Re: Fire NY911, very well spoken sir, i was getting very irritated as i read down through the replies.some people just do not realize everything that has to go on before an attack can be made. i am a 10 year captain on a paid dept. and it truly does seem like time stands still while you are waiting on a engine company to go 97. as for the rest of you guys out there, if you really want to make a difference in the response times of volunteer departments, join one! the next one of you whose neighbors house catches fire, you will be right there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muff Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 Re: Fire well said browning!!!...volunteer,time well spent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Re: Fire What a great example of what is really important...I have no doubt that if you ask one of those parents....the children. D-man...I agree with you about the dog....that little one proved they are good for something after all SuperDog for sure!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbonhunter Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Re: Fire [ QUOTE ] NY911, very well spoken sir, i was getting very irritated as i read down through the replies.some people just do not realize everything that has to go on before an attack can be made. i am a 10 year captain on a paid dept. and it truly does seem like time stands still while you are waiting on a engine company to go 97. as for the rest of you guys out there, if you really want to make a difference in the response times of volunteer departments, join one! the next one of you whose neighbors house catches fire, you will be right there! [/ QUOTE ] Had the same thing happen this year during a turkey spotting trip. The people who new what to do ran into the house and we got the outside under control with a standard garden hose. I understand it takes a bit, but at the same time ya have to feel regret for the family sitting there waiting for a hose truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Re: Fire being it was 1 am...the first responders would take a bit to get there......how far from the fire station was the house??? 20 minutes isnt all that long. Most of todays firfighters are pretty well organized and trained..its law. The more info that was called into dispatch the faster they can be in getting a battle plan in place. Please dont be so quick to jump them. They are only human. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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