Change in the Fire Service

Actually this post is all about changes in our blog. The blog here is going to experience some changes. I have been promising this for a long time but it finally coming along and I will be changing the method and location of the website and I will be changing the way the information is gathered and displayed.

Please be patient.

Fire Prevention Week

I have been very busy taking care of some changes that are coming on this site and with life in general. I absolutely forgot Fire Prevention Week. Did you know that the week for prevention was brought about by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871? This year would mark the 135th anniversary of the fire.

On October 9, 1871 the conflagration took place and resulted in sweeping changes throughout the fire service. The death and destruction that resulted aside, the initial fire was, unfortunately, a grand event and one of the best things to happen to the fire service. I know that the destruction of someone’s personal property and the seemingly needless and tragic death of civilians can hardly be viewed as a good thing.

If you think about this from another perspective, try to imagine how the world changes due to tragedy. When thinking about this fire consider the changes that were effected. Wooden chimneys and thatch roofs were banned. Walls were ordered to be built of stone and mortar rather than wood. Fire codes were enacted. Fire Prevention Week was instituted and fire education became a paramount of municipal departments across the country.

In every disaster there are lessons to be learned and problems that are resolved. Yes, the people of the moment are affected and yes they suffer tremendously, but one of our greatest assets is the ability to adapt and overcome.

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 has been rumored to have been started by Mrs. Oleary’s cow when it knocked over a lantern. This is an urban legend born of misinformation and speculation by unknowledgeable individuals. What did start the fire? No-one knows exactly. There has been many theories and conspiracy theories abound. One thing is for sure the men of the Chicago Fire Department worked tirelessly in a futile effort to contain and extinguish the fire.

For more information on this and other historic fires from Chicago’s history look to the websites noted to the right of my blog. There are, as with any event, many websites dedicated to this fire and ones like it.

Tomorrow is September 11, 2006. Unless you have been living in a coma or under a rock for the last 5 years you know it is the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Five years ago I was firmly planted in a training class to become a CPR instructor again. When the attacks happened we all gathered in our rescue supervisor’s office and watched and waited just like everyone else in the country. We were transfixed at the sight of the 2 tallest buildings in the world set aflame by 2 planes. Then the unimaginable happened, they collapsed. All of this and the many stories on 9/11 have been played out millions of times on many levels and a lot of people have voiced their experiences.

I went to NYC a 3 days after 9/11 with a group of volunteers from my hometown in an effort to help in any way I could. We spent 3 days in New York and didn’t get to participate in the rescue efforts or help much at all. I can tell you that the sights coming into the city were horrible, the colorful city I had seen in previous visits was gone, and the buildings all around the parts of Manhattan I saw were a dull lusterless gray and held an eerie silence that just wasn’t right. The men and women of FDNY were concerned with the lost and dead but still had a cordial tone about them. I was able to listen as the men of a particular engine company discussed a missing guy that had transferred to another company and was lost in the collapse. Due to his status and the sensitive nature of this I will not include company names or personal names, the stories are the same all across the city and the department. Good men were lost and good companies were broken up. As the fifth anniversary draws nigh I wonder how many of the guys I met are suffering with the media attention and the memories that haunt most of the responders from that time. I have been thinking about this posting for several weeks and I have intentionally not posted for a while trying to do justice to the victims and citizens of New York. The tragic details have played across many TVs and movie theaters all around the world. Some jackasses have tried to put an evil spin on the response to the attacks and tried to call the FDNY a group of ‘cowboys’ that rushed to their deaths needlessly and that the fueding with the police was part of the reason for so many dead first responders. They were partially right, they did die needlessly not because of the squabbling but because of the cowards that planned and carried out the attacks.

There is really nothing I can post on, having witnessed the post attack destruction first hand and having men I had previously met perish. The fact is that thousands of people died in the attacks and millions of people have similar stories and I cannot do justice to the memory of the dead and the event.

I have decided to focus on some other events and try to focus on some more upbeat historical events of September 11. Personally, my sister's birthday is tomorrow.

On September 11 1991 2 other planes crashed 1 went down near Houston, the Contenential Express crashed and resulted in the death of 14 commuters. The other plane crashed at Djeddah, Saudi Arabia and killed 263 people. In 1950 33 died in a train crash in Coshocton, Ohio. And obviously pay respect to the over 3,000 people that died in the 2001 attacks.

On brighter notes September 11 is the anniversary of the last baseball game at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, the game was between the Yankees and the Os. It is also the date that Ty Cobb played his last game and popped out against the Yankees in his last plate experience. Coincidentally, it is also the same date that Pete Rose got his 4,192nd hit off of Eric Show of the San Diego Padres to beat Cobb’s record. It was the beginning of an 86 year drought for the Boston Red Sox and the start of the curse. Unfortunately the curse ended.


If you are interested in the events of 9/11 from a FDNY firefighters point of view please visit here for a great site for FDNY inside information and a unique look at everything FDNY and an insiders stance on 9/11. I would also suggest visiting CNN's website, they have a great deal of coverage and live video from 9/11/01 and interviews with various people.

There are other events of the past that should be noted but the important fact is that so many gave their lives in defense of the citizens of New York and they deserve a hero’s remembrance. Some people have tried to ban the french film-makers video from being aired on CBS. I think it is up to the men and women of FDNY and the widows of the guys that gave all that day to decide if it should be aired. Myself, I think it should be viewed often so the images and sounds don't fade and the patriotism stays the way it was for the few months following the attacks and everyone remembers the price some gave for them.

Take a moment of silence to reflect on this date and say a prayer for the living and the lost.

William 'Billy' E Obenchain poem

If you want to be a clown
you'd better be lookin' for a circus.
If you're lookin' for a free ride,
here's a dollar call a cab.
If you want to be a showman
Vegas will welcome you with open arms.
If fullfillment of an ego is high on your priority list
Might I suggest Hollywood.
And if you want to be a millionaire
by all means this ain't for you.
But, if you don't mind hard work, sweating in freezing weather,
getting back less than half of what you give, and finding
your name at the bottom of your own priority list, then stick around!

I believe you could be a firefighter!!!


The above poem was written and delivered to every recruit over the last 25 years. This was delivered off the cuff and used to relieve the tensons of new guys. The author, Bat. Chief Obenchain has been battling Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma for a couple years. Recently, he has become hospitalized because of secondary effects of this disease process. I thought I would make this a post for all to enjoy and reflect. The simple nature of the poem reflects the light hearted and fun loving nature of Chief Obenchain.

Chief Obenchain is without doubt the most respected officer, the most respected fireman in Roanoke City Fire Department. His dedication and contribution to the fire service is so far above par, that acheiving the status as his peer is almost impossible. He has truely set the bar for those of us that attempt to follow in his footsteps. Chief Obenchain has taught classes throughout the state of Virginia and is known for his abilities and contributions to the fire service.

RoanokeFire.Com has this post on a fund raising effort for research on his particular disease. Please visit RoanokeFire's site and if possible place an order for a T-Shirt.

August 9th events in history

August 9, 1965 A fire at a Titan II missile base near Little Rock, Arkansas killed 53 construction workers. This is one of relatively few accidents with related deaths in our space program. The program as a whole has experienced several injuries and deaths but when compared to other occupations and the overwhelming number of people that have and currently work for the various agencies it is amazing they do not have more.

August 9, 1841 Erie boat in Buffalo New York catches fire; 242 die. I haven't found much information on this event.

On August 9th 1987 9 people were shot dead & 17 more injured as 19-year old Julian Knight opens fire at random in the 'Hoddle Street Massacre' in Clifton Hill

Recent Anniversaries of LODDs

Aug. 4, 1949: 13 firefighters were killed in a wildfire at Mann Gulch, Montana

Roseburg, Oregon - 18 Fire Fighters lost their lives on August 7, 1959 when a truck loaded with fertilizer exploded as they were attacking a fire at a truck shop.

I didn't want to let the dates get lost while I was on a recent vacation.

Often we focus on the bigger events of 9/11 and other headline grabbing events like that. The events that happen in wildfires and single incidents that claim the lives of firefighters are overlooked and that is the true tragedy.

LAFD TalkRadio

I just found this website on Firehouse.com

The Site is supposed to be news and events related to LAFD and their area.

It may be worth visiting. Give me some feedback on it.

2 months in 1889

In a matter of 2 months in 1889 Washington State experienced 3 major fire that changed the face of Spokane, Ellensburg, and Seattle.

On June 6, 1889, around 245pm in Seattle a man (John E. Back) accidentally started a fire in a building at the southwest corner of Madison & Front (renamed 1st Ave). The reports indicate that a pot of glue erupted in fire. By prompting new development and construction, this fire, known as the Great Seattle Fire, ironically transformed Seattle from a town to a city. By morning, the fire burned 29 square blocks of wooden buildings and about 10 brick buildings, including almost all of the business district, all but 4 of the city’s wharves, & its railroad terminals. The area covered by the fire extended over 64 acres. In a miracle no one died, but it was rumored that a million rats were killed in the fire. The fire began in Clairmont & Company cabinet shop, located in the basement of the wooden Pontius building at 922 Front Street at the southwest corner of the intersection with Madison St. In under a year the city population jumped from 25,000 to 43,000.

The evening of July 4, 1889, a devastating fire swept through the town of Ellensburg, destroying approximately 200 Victorian-era homes & leveling 10 business blocks. The fire began about 10:30 p.m. in a grocery store & spread to frame buildings nearby. Despite efforts by townspeople to fight the fire using the town’s limited mid-summer water supply, the morning of July 5 saw Ellensburg in ruins. The Ellensburg National Bank and the City Hotel survived the blaze. A tent city sprang up & like many towns destroyed by fire, the town quickly rebuilt using less flammable materials. I have no information on injuries during this blaze.

On Sunday, August 4, 1889, a fire destroyed most of downtown Spokane Falls. It began in an area of flimsy wooden structures & quickly spread. Property losses were huge, & 1 death was reported. The fire began shortly after 6PM. The most believable account of its origin is that it started at Wolfe’s lunchroom. Water pressure issues & the main operator of the water control system was away & unavailable. Firefighters fought desperately to control the fire but were unable & had to begin dynamiting buildings trying to deprive the fire of fuel, but flames jumped the open spaces & created a firestorm. In a matter of a few hours the Great Spokane Fire destroyed 32 square blocks, virtually the entire downtown. There were reports of many injuries & property damages of $5-10 million were reported. After the fire, as with all major events like this city officials banned wooden structures in or near the new downtown area, installed an electric fire alarm system, & established a paid fire department, with modern horse-drawn equipment.

The sad fact of the historic fires such as these 3 is that, in any city, your mine or wherever, a major incident, with huge loss of life & property has to happen before most governments will make positive changes & hire more firefighters.

Photos & more information on this post can be found on this website.