Who let the MORON drive Ladder 13?

**jcdfde5** · March-03-10, 07:48 AM

3 Children Die in Detroit Fire
Two Other Children Are Hospitalized With Injuries
POSTED: Tuesday, March 2, 2010
UPDATED: 7:35 am EST March 3, 2010
DETROIT -- Three children died Tuesday night when fire swept through a house on Detroit's west side.
The victims were two boys and a girl, all under the age of 5.
Two other children who were taken from the house on Bangor Street were hospitalized in critical condition.
Three of the oldest siblings tossed their baby sister out of a second story window to neighbors below and then jumped out the window themselves.
"It was crazy. It happened so quick," said neighbor Beverly Burg.
Neighbors told Local 4 the mother of those children was not at home. She was contacted by cell phone and arrived at the scene.
Investigators said an adult was home at the time.
Detroit Fire Department Battalion Chief Larry Lauer said firefighters found the young victims in the house.
"They made a quick attack upstairs, located one child, brought her down, found two more and firemen administered CPR," Lauer said.
Relatives say the house had no natural gas but it had electricity, and the landlord had provided the family with a space heater.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Copyright 2010 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

**Mikeg** · March-03-10, 11:26 AM

Too many back rig drivers and Monday morning fire fighters. Let he with out stones cast first.

Let me say this about that. My father was a firefighter and he'd be the first to acknowledge that not all of the men he served with had the same training, nor were they equally capable in their performance levels nor did they all possess the same amounts of common sense - and I knew enough of the men he served with to be able to make that statement.

As long as these individual's differences were minor and manageable without increasing the risk to their fellow firefighters and the public, the subject was never discussed publicly. The focus was on continuous improvement through internal corrective actions, improved training, etc.

However, what happened yesterday was a serious breakdown in execution involving on-scene management, discipline, and use of equipment. Besides the emergency responders, the public was also placed at risk and you cannot explain it away by the "budget cuts", "goofball driver" or "tunnel vision" excuses, nor can you wish it away by stifling public comment. The DFD deserves the "black eye" they are getting from this preventable incident.

**Gannon** · March-03-10, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by Michigan

Too many back rig drivers and Monday morning fire fighters. Let he with out stones cast first.

LOL, I'm pretty sure you've got that quote wrong. But I like it!

You're like the Haiku Savior...

I don't recall ever parking on train tracks, so I guess I can still criticize.

Cheers!

**MustangMan** · March-03-10, 01:54 PM

I was in line at the Telway on Michigan near Lonyo, when I turned to see a Fire Truck with his light's flashing no siren pull up to the red light and stop, this seemed weird and I told my friend with me " what's this guy doing? ", my friend also thought how weird that he was waiting for the light to turn green, we guessed that he just didn't relize that his light's were on. The light turned green and away he went, toward's John Kronk. Later at work we heard about the accident and how it was just minute's after we saw the truck, then we started to wonder if the driver was not familiar with the area and ended up on the track's? This does seem like a pretty bone headed thing to do, but then running into a burning building to rescue people you don't know seem's pretty bone headed too, but they do it without thinking about themselve's or their family if something should happen to them, God bless them all. Accident's happen, the world goes on...

**Gannon** · March-03-10, 02:23 PM

That is a curious observation, MustangMan. Thanks for sharing.

Adds some mystery to it. There may be a deeper story.

SO glad nobody got killed.

As one who will be a Detroit resident again soon, I'll gladly give the department a dollar towards a new truck...if another 599,999 folks chip in.

**jtf1972** · March-03-10, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by Mikeg

Why wasn't the apparatus parked on the side of the tracks opposite of the spill and the hoses laid across the track?

Because if a train came along the hoses would be ruined. Duh!

Michigan · March-03-10, 02:58 PM

Haiku saviour, I likey!

**bdglsmn** · March-03-10, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by jtf1972

Because if a train came along the hoses would be ruined. Duh!

Now thats funny!

**detroitbred** · March-03-10, 03:38 PM

I can't help but wonder......might the air traffic controller who let his kid direct air trafffic in the tower [[ story on the news today ) be related to the fire fighter who parked his rig on the tracks? Both stellar decisions from professionals.

**Scottathew** · March-03-10, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by Michigan

Too many back rig drivers and Monday morning fire fighters. Let he with out stones cast first.

I don't see how the Monday morning quarter back situation applies. No matter what, looking forward OR backward...

YOU SHOULD NEVER, EVER, EVER PARK A LADDER TRUCK ON RAILROAD TRACKS, PERIOD.

The "Monday Morning Quarterback" saying applies to a situation where you had many different decisions you could of made, do you pass the ball, do you throw to the guy on the right, do you throw to the guy on the left, do you go long, etc... In the heat of the moment without the benefit of frame-by-frame replay the QB doesn't know what his best option is.

In this case there was no decision to make because you should never, under any circumstance, park a ladder truck on railroad tracks.

**wolverine** · March-03-10, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Let's not be too hard on this driver. He had to be highly qualified to drive one of these rigs. It was only his parking that sucked. If this wasn't such a near disaster, it would have all the plot lines of a comedy, with Ladder ~13~ and all...

OK Let's excuse stupid behavior then. Does a school bus full of children make it funnier?

I don't think so.

Let's say that train derailed and one of your family members was on board. What would your opinion be of the truck driver? Oh we was a great guy, let em off?

**j32885** · March-03-10, 11:19 PM

The DFD fire company operating that fire truck should have known better than to park their rear end on a set of railroad tracks. Who ever was at the helm of this fire truck should be taking a course in railroad safely presented by Operation Lifesaver.

**East Detroit** · March-04-10, 06:42 AM

Perhaps the driver is used to the City of Detroit and all the non-working railroad tracks, unlike many of the Armchair QBs on this forum?

Michigan · March-04-10, 07:34 AM

I just don't understand why this particular case of stupidity, when taken among the sea of stupid things that happen in Detroit, is making people so outraged. WTF? Where is all the public outrage every day about basically everything that is going on in Detroit?

**Gannon** · March-04-10, 08:16 AM

Maybe the vague and general stupidity is easier to accept because it is generated largely by non-professionals who we don't trust with our lives?

I really think this juxtaposition is the root of the whole discussion here.

**Scottathew** · March-04-10, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

Perhaps the driver is used to the City of Detroit and all the non-working railroad tracks, unlike many of the Armchair QBs on this forum?

Armchair QB's? Like I said before, you NEVER EVER PARK any vehicle on railroad tracks, period.

Stop making excuses, you sound like a union member or a firefighter yourself wanting all union members to have ZERO consequences and accountability for their actions.

Why does someone have to die in order for people to see the stupidy of the actions of the driver.

**cman710** · March-04-10, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

Perhaps the driver is used to the City of Detroit and all the non-working railroad tracks, unlike many of the Armchair QBs on this forum?

This is not really an excuse. A firefighter should know with certainty that a track is not active before deciding to park on it.

Retroit · March-04-10, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

Perhaps the driver is used to the City of Detroit and all the non-working railroad tracks, unlike many of the Armchair QBs on this forum?

You can tell if rails are being used because they are not rusted on top. [[Although it would not be smart to park on rails even if they were.)

**dawn26** · March-09-10, 07:53 PM

i was a volunteer firefighter for 6 years...not only was the driver responsible for the accident, but there would have been a captain or lieutenant there who should have realized that parking on a traintrack was a bad idea!! scene safety was something we spent a lot of time studying, and having drilled into our heads!!

**Mikeg** · March-22-10, 05:21 PM

Here's video of the crash as viewed from the cab of the train.

**downtown_racine** · March-22-10, 06:21 PM

Cannot keep up with the moron count in that video. Amazing.

**Rocko** · March-22-10, 08:43 PM

I didn't realize till watching the video that the cop car was also parked on the tracks, so the DPD just barely squeaked out out of a mess. Good thing the track speed through here isn't 70!

**mam2009** · March-23-10, 08:08 PM

I just find it hard to believe that there were at least two public safety professionals who made the same incredibly dumb decision on the same day in the same city at the same scene. I try to give folks the benefit of the doubt, but I'm still waiting for the explanation that makes me say, "Ok, I could see why they might have done that". Oh, please let someone explain to the citizens how this could have ever made sense in anyone's mind. EVERYONE knows not to daudle on train tracks. Why would both of these professionals do something so obviously foolish? Monkey see, monkey do, I guess.