Fire damages Derry home

By Jarret BencksStaff Writer (Derry News)

DERRY — A fire was quickly extinguished Wednesday at a Fordway Extension home.

Only a few small flames and burning embers remained when firefighters arrived at 195 Fordway Extension shortly after 5:30 p.m.
The homeowner, whose name was not available, threw a bucket of water on the fire as soon as she noticed it, according to fire Lt. Jim Richardson. No one was hurt.

The fire began when embers cleaned from a wood stove earlier in the day ignited starter logs near the stove. There was minor fire damage and moderate smoke damage to the living room.

Heroes of the flames: firefighters are everyday heroes, putting their lives on the line. Here's what it takes to be one!

The sight of a fire truck barreling down the street, sirens wailing, and lights flashing, always captures the attention of people of all ages. For decades, firefighters have ranked among the nation's greatest heroes, but never more so than after the attacks on the World Trade Center, when more than 300 of them lost their lives. As Ronald Siarnicki, president of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, says, "I can only hope that our nation never forgets those individuals, what they have done for us, and most of all, what they represent to our life, our society; and to our nation."

Becoming a firefighter takes a unique combination of skills--physical stamina, emotional strength, incredible courage, and quick thinking. According to Dean Bradford, an Arizona firefighter and teacher, it also requires a good sense of morality and ethics.

"Good firefighters have certain traits," he says.

"They are honest, responsible, accountable, and self-disciplined. They have to be--because a mistake made at a fire can be fatal."

Bradford explains with a perfect example of how firefighters show these qualities--and more.
"Firefighters do a lot more than just put out fires," he says. "For example, in Arizona, we are also emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Not long ago, a man had a heart attack while he was repaying his driveway. Firemen arrived with the ambulance, and after the man was on his way to the hospital, we stayed behind and finished his cement job before it could dry."

Firefighters are trained to deal with a variety of disasters. "We are there to protect life and property and be willing to give our lives for it," says Bradford. "In other words, we are called on to do everything you would want us to do for your mom or dad. We work as paramedics, and we are deeply involved with the community; providing education and tours for the public." Bradford teaches a variety of classes about fires to high schools, nursing homes, and churches through the station's Community Outreach and Partnership Programs.

Pierce Manufacturing, Harley-Davidson Support Families of Fallen Firefighters

APPLETON, Wis. - One firefighter is killed in the line of duty every 72 hours in America. That startling statistic only hints at the pain and loss endured by the loved ones left behind. That's why Pierce Manufacturing, Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) company, with Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, is launching a nationwide campaign to raise money for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and assisting firefighter families.

Through April 26, 2009, participants can enter to win a custom, one-of-a-kind Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Firefighter Special Edition motorcycle by visiting NFFF.FullThrottleSupport.com.

"Every firefighter death is a great tragedy, but the families take comfort in knowing the nation is grateful for their sacrifice," said Ron Siarnicki, executive director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. "The NFFF Full Throttle Support campaign is truly a unique way for the country to come together to honor the families of America's heroes."

Throughout the four-month campaign, individuals can log on to NFFF.FullThrottleSupport.com to make a $10 donation, which will enter them for a chance to win the custom, one-of-a-kind Harley-Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle. Visitors to the Web site can learn more about families who have benefited from NFFF.

"Firefighter safety is a top priority for Pierce, and we have a long, proud history of commitment to giving back to those who risk their lives to protect our communities," said Wilson Jones, executive vice president of the Oshkosh Corporation Fire & Emergency group and president of Pierce Manufacturing. "We will continue to help advance the work of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and support the families of our fallen heroes."

The deadline for entering the sweepstakes is April 26, 2009, coinciding with the final hours of the Fire Department Instructor's Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis. The winner of the NFFF Full Throttle Support sweepstakes will be announced in May 2009.

No purchase necessary. Age for eligibility is subject to entrant's State law. Complete rules for entering and for eligibility are available at NFFF.FullThrottleSupport.com. Employees of Oshkosh Corporation, Pierce Manufacturing, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and their families are not eligible for the sweepstakes. Sweepstakes void where restricted or prohibited by law.

About Pierce Manufacturing Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, is the leading North American manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. Products include custom and commercial pumpers, aerials, rescue trucks, wildland trucks, mini-pumpers, elliptical tankers and homeland security apparatus. In addition, Pierce designs its own foam systems and was the first company to introduce frontal airbags and the Side-Roll Protection system to fire apparatus. To learn more about Pierce, visit http://www.piercemfg.com.

About Harley-Davidson Motor Company Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories and general merchandise. For more information, visit Harley-Davidson's Web site at http://www.harleydavidson.com.

About National Fallen Firefighters Foundation The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization with a Congressional mandate to honor all firefighters who die in the line of duty in the United States. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is the only fire service organization that represents every facet of the American fire service - career, volunteer and wildland. The Foundation has launched major initiatives to reduce firefighter deaths. The Foundation has no allegiance to any special interest. For more information, visit http://www.firehero.org.

Derry Firefighter Trains To Climb Stairs For Cancer Research

Video Footage

http://www.wmur.com/video/18693900/index.html

Derry Firefighter Trains To Climb Stairs For Cancer Research

DERRY, N.H. -- A Derry firefighter will climb 68 flights of stairs next month to raise money for cancer research and to help a local girl involved in her own battle.

Ed Gannon is training for an international competition in Seattle where 1,500 firefighters will climb the stairs to help cancer research.

"I got involved in it last year in a competition between me and another firefighter over fitness, and I was training for the firefighter combat challenge, and I found the competition out in Seattle and felt it would be fun to go out and climb the building," Gannon said.

Three days a week, Gannon rises at 5:30 a.m., works out in a gym and then dons his full firefighting gear and hits the stairs. He climbs about 35 to 40 flights before moving to a Stair Master. Then, he finishes by pulling a 50- to 90-pound sled.

Gannon said he works so hard because of 8-month-old Abigail Crooker, who was born with cancer in her lower back. Through surgery and chemotherapy, she's doing well. Half of the $6,000 Gannon has raised is helping her family with expenses.

"Obviously, her medical bills are expensive," said her mother, Lea Crooker. "It's been such a help. It gives you comfort just to know you don't have to worry about that on top of everything else you're already going through."

The event is expected to raise more than $500,000 for cancer research. Gannon said he trains through the pain to relieve the suffering of others.

"Failure is not an option -- bottom line," he said.

Check out "The Battalion TV" Web Television.

http://www.thebattalion.tv/home

Staying Healthy

Kyle Jameson, Derry Fire Department paramedic, checks the blood pressure of Barbara Chapman, deputy assessor for the Town of Derry, at Friday’s Health and Wellness Fair, which took place at the Derry Municipal Center. Chapman, who is also the chairperson for the town’s Health and Safety Committee, has organized the event since it began three years ago. This year’s event attracted 15 vendors and has grown every year.

Derry Councilor thanks First Responders

I want to take a minute to thank all of you for your response to yesterday's accident on Rt. 93, the largest motor vehicle accident in NH history.

Your expertise, dedication, and training truly made an enormous difference in such an extraordinary situation. I appreciate your work, and I am sure all those involved in the accident appreciated what you did.

Please forward my thanks onto anyone I may have accidentally left off this list.

Sincerely,
Brent Carney

Umass Boston Woman's Hockey team Thanks Derry Firefighters

WOMEN'S HOCKEY POSTPONED VS. CASTLETON STATE
The Women's Hockey team will be back in action on Friday vs. Holy Cross
Jan. 11, 2009

DERRY, NH -- The University of Massachusetts Boston women's ice hockey team's game at Castleton State College, which was scheduled for today at 2:00 p.m. in Castleton, VT, has been postponed. There has been no make-up date planned at this point.

The team was traveling North on snowy NH-interstate 93, when all traffic stopped due to an accident in Derry, NH. The accident resulted in a 59-car pile-up, which included the bus that the team was being transported in. There were no injuries sustained to any of the players or traveling personnel with UMass Boston.

"We'd like to thank the New Hampshire state police officers and Derry firefighters for all of their help today," said Head Coach

Maura Crowell. "They were all extremely helpful and did an outstanding job in making sure that our safety was paramount and that we were taken care of."

The Beacons will be in action again on Friday, January 16 when they host College of the Holy Cross at 7:00 p.m. at the Clark Athletic Center.

CNN News Footage of I-93 pile-up

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/01/11/greenberg.nh.193.pile.up.whdh

7 News - Boston I-93 Crash

7 News Boston Video Footage

http://wn.whdh.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=3325402&h1=BREAKING%20NEWS%3A%20Charter%20bus%2C%20cars%20collide%20on%20snowy%20NH%20highway%20%2801/11/09%29&vt1=v&at1=Station%201&d1=289467&LaunchPageAdTag=Station%201&fvCatNo=&backgroundImageURL=&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www1.whdh.com/&rnd=95244762

51 Vehicles Collide In I-93 Pileup

WMUR News Footage

http://www.wmur.com/video/18457248/index.html

Fire Dept. Search Car By Car For Injured

Derry NH - Interstate 93

Seventeen ambulances were called to the scene and initially transported 19 people with injuries. Eight were taken to Parkland Medical Center, four were taken to Elliot Hospital and another two were taken to Catholic Medical Center.

All were treated for minor injuries. It was not clear where the others may have been taken. Derry Fire Chief Jack Webb said the most common injuries were broken ankles and legs.

"It was a team effort. They dealt with people who needed to be dealt with immediately. Luckily, no life-threatening injuries," New Hampshire State Police Capt. Robert Quinn said.

Rescuers spent more than an hour trying to pry a man out of his truck after he slid underneath a tractor-trailer. Firefighters pried the man out from underneath his dashboard and he is expected to recover from his injuries.

At the height of the accident, some drivers got out of their own cars to help other people caught in the mess. Brian Milosavljeic, of Cambridge, Mass., nearly early got hit.

"I can say that I'll have the image of an 18-wheeler coming at me full speed, out of control for the rest of my life, burnt into my memory," Milosavljeic said.

51 Vehicles Collide In I-93 Pileup

DERRY, N.H. -- Dozens of vehicles collided on Interstate 93 in Derry, injuring nearly 100 people and shutting down the northbound lanes for hours Sunday.

"Once we were stopped, it just kept on happening -- you just heard crash, after crash, people screaming and yelling," said Jerry Siegel, of Wilmington, Mass. "Then, you just heard, 'Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.''

Witnesses said a bus filled with Boy Scouts from Massachusetts tried to avoid a car stopped on the highway. When the bus slowed, drivers behind it started sliding at nearly 50 mph. Snow was seen on the highway, but officials did not immediately identify a cause.

Derry fire officials said 46 cars, three buses and two tractor-trailers were involved in the Sunday morning crash between exits 3 and 4. The northbound lanes remained closed for about five hours as crews cleared the wreckage, reopening the interstate at about 1:30 p.m.

WMUR News 9's Aaron Kellogg reported that another bus transporting the University of Massachusetts women's hockey team was also involved in the crash. Some of the women inside the bus wrote on a dry-erase board "We are OK" as a car blocked the door of the bus, preventing anyone from getting out.

"I was sleeping and heard this girl say, 'We're going to hit someone," said Whitney Fraleigh, who was aboard the UMass bus. "I just heard a bunch of booms and figured we just crushed a bunch of cars."

"It looks like a movie scene, really. It's unbelievable," said Steve Dukeman, of Westwood, Mass. "People are hurt, some of the hurt people came off and got on our bus, and now they're using our bus as a staging area to get the emergency equipment in here."

Traffic backed up for miles as crews tried to locate and remove injured people. At least one man had to be pulled from his vehicle after it slid under a tractor-trailer. A school bus helped transport people off the highway, Kellogg reported.

Driver injured when van flips, lands in Beaver Brook

Published: January 08, 2009 Derry News

DERRY - Winter weather struck again on Wednesday closing schools and making an icy mess for drivers in southern New Hampshire.

One man lost control of his service van and crashed into Beaver Brook Wednesday afternoon on the Fordway, leaving police and fire officials hours of work cleaning up after the accident. Mark Hetzel, 42, of Candia, lost control of his van at 12:45 p.m. and flipped over the guardrail, landing in the brook. Matt Stone was riding a forklift just up the street at New Hampshire Boring when he heard a loud bang and saw Hetzel's van hit the guardrail and flip into the brook. A co-worker, Ken Smith, called 911 as soon as they saw the car land in the water.

"Nobody would have even seen him if I hadn't been there," Stone said.
Stone said that was the third vehicle he saw hit the guardrail that day while working only a couple hundred yards away.

Derry firefighters pulled Hetzel through the passenger side window of the vehicle within 30 minutes of the accident. To help extricate him, two firefighters donned wetsuits, helping the others to position a ladder between the vehicle and land.

Before being put on a stretcher and taken to Parkland Medical Center, he sat on the passenger side of his van with a bloody face but conscious. He was treated and released later that day, according to a hospital spokesperson.

USFA Releases Provisional 2008 Firefighter Fatality Statistics

EMMITSBURG, MD. – The United States Fire Administration (USFA) announced today there were 114 on-duty firefighter fatalities in the United States as a result of incidents that occurred in 2008. During this period, there were firefighters lost from 34 states and one from the Virgin Islands. North Carolina experienced the highest number of fatalities (11), while Oregon (9), Pennsylvania (9), California ( 8), New York (7), Illinois (6), Missouri (6), and Ohio (6) each suffered more than 5 on-duty losses.

“The tragic losses of on-duty firefighters in 2008 are a reminder of the necessary commitment and efforts by firefighters in all fire departments across the United States to focus on and improve our operational safety. We understand all too well that many of these losses are preventable. The USFA remains dedicated to continuing our efforts to ensure 2009 is a year where we reduce these losses so that firefighters can return home safely to their families and continue serving their communities.”

-United States Fire Administrator Greg Cade
As the USFA continues to collect and evaluate information regarding the 2008 on-duty firefighter deaths, here are some of the early known facts:

Preliminary estimates indicate that heart attacks and strokes were responsible fo r the deaths of 50 firefighters (43.8%) in 2008. This shows a decrease from 54 of the 118 (45.7%) firefighters in 2007.

In 2008, 26 on-duty firefighters died in association with wildland fires.
This loss is more than double the 11 wildland firefighter fatalities in 2007.

The 2008 toll is also above the annual average of 21 wildland fire-associated fatalities over the past 10 years, 1999-2008.

For 2008, 64.9% of all firefighter fatalities occurred while performing emergency duties.

Twenty-nine firefighters died in 2008 as the result of vehicle crashes.

Fourteen of these deaths involved aircraft crashes.

Fifteen firefighters died in motor vehicle crashes.

Six firefighters were killed in crashes involving their personal vehicles and three died in water tender (tanker) crashes. These two vehicle types have historically been most often involved in crashes that take the lives of firefighters.

Speed and a lack of seat belt use historically contribute to these incidents.

These fatality statistics for 2008 are provisional and subject to change as the USFA contacts State Fire Marshals to verify the names of firefighters reported to have died on-duty during 2008. The final number of firefighter fatalities will be reported in USFA’s annual firefighter fatality report and is expected to be available by early July.

For additional information on firefighter fatalities, including the annual fatality reports from 1986 through 2007 and the Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study 1990–2000, please visit the USFA Web site.