Emergency Response @ MindSay 
I was at home when the call came out for a brush fire which a resident was unable to control and it was approaching a structure.
I checked google maps to see where it was. Yesterday I responded from my TN residence to my GA fire department in my car to another brush fire and had to stop and ask directions : "Hi, I'm a new member of the volunteer fire department. Can you tell me where Creek Road is? I have to go to a fire." LOL!
I was enroute to the Bishop Road scene today when the chief, who was already there with Tanker 41 (it carries 3000 gallons of water and a booster line for smaller fires) called for additional manpower from the station. I detoured and headed to the fire hall figuring I'd get there with others and respond with them. As I crested the hill and started down towards the fire house, Engine 4 came into view and went on the air with two personnel.
Looks like I was on my own and I first thought I'd just grab my gear and respond to the scene in my pickup when over the station radio I heard "Engine 4 to personnel at Station 4. Please respond with the tanker".
Woo-hoo!
I threw my gear into the passenger seat, unplugged the charger, started 'er up and waited for the air to build up in the brake system. Meanwhile the Chief was calling and I was uncertain if I should answer since the unit wasn't responding yet and I still had not been assigned a member number to use on the radio.
After what seemed like forever the air came up, I released the brakes, hit the lights, flipped in the siren and grabbed the mike "Tanker 4 responding, Dade".
Knowing about yesterday's event, the Chief who recognized my voice came on the air again and asked "Tanker 4, are you familiar with this address?" LOL!
"!0-4, Tanker 41. I'm enroute, status 1" (driver only) I replied.
I tried, I admit, to get my camera going as I went past the truck stop, air horn blaring, siren screaming, creeping up the long grade at 30mph with the overweight vehicle, but I must have 'double-clicked' the shutter button as the video started and stopped without my knowing it.
A flatbed 18 wheeler pulled out in front of me with a load of steel rebar and refused to pull over as we both picked up speed before making the steep grade of Hooker Hill. I was on his bumper but could not pass him and he simply would not go to the shoulder knowing it would force him to gear down and start over again. So thank you asshole trucker. Lights and siren, I had to gear down and come to a stop on the steep grade as he slowed to 5mph and I still couldn't go around him.
I let him gain a hundred yards or so and then began the slow uphill climb again. By the time I came to the turn off I was on his bumper again siren and horn blaring at him the whole way. A column of smoke was clearly visible above the treeline.
Not much of a fire - a previous fire had taken an old uninhabited trailer to its metal frame and the owner of the property simply treated the whole thing as a dump. Somehow he had started a grass fire that worked into the old debris and while he tried to control it with a garden hose, it spread across about a 1/4 acre of land next to his home and adjacent to the woods.
People, CALL 9-1-1 FIRST, then try to fight the fire if you think it is safe to do so! A fire can double in size every minute.
The main fire had been knocked down by John with a handline off Engine 4, Tanker 41 was still running a booster line into the wooded perimeter manned by a Georgia Forestry firefighter who also had responded, and the yellow 3" line hooked to my Tanker 4 to supply the masterstream with Ryan operating it.
I hooked up to the Engine and supplied its 500 gallon tank with my additional 2000 gallons as well as supplying Ryan's "blitz" line, a heavy duty master stream that can pump hundred of gallons per minute through its nozzle onto a fire.
Then a quick disconnect, a shuttle to a hydrant a block from my Lazy B property, and back to the fireground to hit the hotspots. Afterwards I refilled Tanker 4 a second time and chatted with a neighbor and by then the others had returned to the station and gone back to work.
Not much excitement, but at least I finally have my first response as an emergency driver and a pump operator under my belt - it only took a year!bigb.
Public Safety Technology News Recap (January 10, 2008)
Border Patrol Ready To Test 'Virtual Fence' Towers
Arizona Daily Star, (12/8/2007), Brady McCombs
Border Patrol agents in the Altar Valley southwest of Tucson have been given "conditional possession" of the prototype system of camera towers that spans 28 miles of border territory. The system, which was turned over to the Border Patrol for a 45-day test, was designed by Boeing. Each tower is equipped with video surveillance and radar sensors, and the information gathered by the towers is sent to command centers and to agents' vehicles.
www.azstarnet.com/metro/215338
With New Device, Police Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Washington Post, (10/29/2007), Allison Klein
In order for law enforcement to respond to emergencies quickly, agencies have traditionally relied on lights and sirens. With the added distractions of loud music and cell phones, police need a little something more to get drivers' attention. In 49 cruisers across Washington, D.C., police have added the Rumbler, developed by Federal Signal, to go along with traditional lights and sirens. When activated, the Rumbler emits a low frequency vibration that lasts about 10 seconds and can be felt by drivers up to 200 feet away, allowing officers to get through traffic safer and faster.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/28/AR2007102801465.html
PSU Considers High-Tech Van
Daily Collegian Online, (12/12/2007), Alex Weisler
A $1 million van, nicknamed the Network Emergency Response Vehicle (NERV), will hopefully become part of Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology's program as their "extreme events laboratory." The van would serve as a learning tool for students in the program, and would provide them the chance to go through various security scenarios involving potential campus-related terrorist targets, such as the football stadium. NERV comes equipped with voice over Internet Protocol (IP), radio over IP, video over IP, a hi-definition video conferencing system, and a wireless mesh incident network. NERV has been used after such disasters as Hurricane Katrina and the San Diego wildfires.
www.psucollegian.com/archive/2007/12/12/psu_considers_hightech_van.aspx
Gordon's Meth Cleanup Bill Passes
Times-Gazette, (12/13/2007)
Legislation to assist localities with the clean up of former methamphetamine lab locations is closer to becoming law. The Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act (H.R. 365) will require the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a set of guidelines that can be used in an effort to reclaim meth lab locations and make them safe for habitation. This effort is needed because of the toxic nature of the chemicals used to create meth and their ability to permeate into walls and carpeting, which presents a health risk for those who later live in the dwelling. This bill also authorizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct research into the development of meth detection equipment for use by officers and first responders to quickly detect active meth labs and determine contamination levels.
www.t-g.com/story/1297300.html
Sweden: Volvo Group Invests in Tiredness-Detection Technology
Automotive World, (12/19/2007), Glenn Brooks
Due to collision investigation research conducted by Volvo Group, Volvo Technology Transfer has invested in Seeing Machines. Seeing Machines, from Australia, has created a system capable of detecting and alerting drivers to fatigue warning signs. The company has experience with technology capable of tracking and analyzing head movement, eye movement, and facial expression. The system is equipped with a video camera that is trained on the driver and records driver activity at the wheel. The recorded information is passed to an on-board data processing unit that recognizes the signs of distraction and fatigue and signals the driver.
www.automotiveworld.com/ACM/content.asp?contentid=65402
Technocops Learn How To Dig for Cell-Phone Clues
The Express Times, (12/14/2007), Tom Quigley
Warren County Community College in New Jersey conducted training on digital evidence collection from cell phones for investigators from State and local jurisdictions as well as private investigators. Students learned about concepts such as "nibble switches," codes, and the task of digging through a cell phone's memory to find things that criminals thought were deleted. The techniques taught are designed to ensure the admissibility of any evidence that is found.
www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/nj/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1197609719295300.xml&coll=2
Facial Recognition Security Launched in Metro Schools
NewsChannel5.com, (12/5/2007)
In an effort to make Metro Nashville Public Schools more secure and safe, the district has implemented facial recognition cameras in one metro school, with two additional schools and district administrative offices set up to become active in the coming weeks. Cross Match developed the system, which stores facial images in a database and alerts a staff member if a facial scan matches an individual on the school's watch list. The district plans to use mobile units at after-school events. If this initial phase produces positive results, the district plans to add additional camera units to more schools in the coming years.
www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=7455047
Intensified Efforts To Combat Identity Theft
HSDailyWire.com, (12/19/2007)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provided the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security with testimony that indicated identity theft as one of the commission's high priorities. FTC efforts in this area include consumer/business education, as well as being a key participant on the President's Identity Theft Task Force. Since 2001, the commission's law enforcement efforts include 14 cases against businesses that had not enacted measures necessary to protect consumer information. The commission, along with 16 agencies on the President's task force, has developed 31 initiatives, most of which have been or are in the process of being implemented. Also, the FTC informed the House Judiciary Committee that it received up to 20,000 calls weekly seeking assistance with guarding against or recovering from identity theft. In addition, the FTC is pursuing actions that involve the National Do Not Call Registry.
hsdailywire.com/single.php?id=5256
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