DFD busier than usual on Angels Night?

**Carey** · October-31-10, 06:01 AM

A friend who is a Detroit firefighter texted me at 11:07, saying: "It's off the hook tonight! 'D' Night is back!"
So I began listening to the online DFD radio transmissions, and it certainly seemed busy, especially in northeast Detroit. At 12:48, the dispatcher told firefighters the commissioner was cancelling their 20-40 minute "rehab" periods after fires "due to the volume of calls."
Anyone have any information? The fires must have broken out after reporters went to bed. The DFP and DN sites have nothing.

**East Detroit** · October-31-10, 06:12 AM

Yay, detroitno.com !

**Meddle** · October-31-10, 07:08 AM

Can't say. All I know is when I looked at the web link to DFD radio, there were over 1,100 listeners so I didn't bother connecting.

Activity always took off later in the night though. There was one surge mid evening, but the bigger stuff was 1 or 2 AM and later after the press went home.

**Left_For_Texas** · October-31-10, 08:09 AM

I was listening at radioreference.com, and it seemed pretty busy. There was a long period of time Saturday night where the firefighters were complaining about low water pressure. At one fire the a firefighter ran down to the next block to try to find a hydrant with more pressure. My favorite exchange between a dispatcher and a firefighter occurred on Friday night. Someone on the the truck looking for a fire that was called in radioed back asking what they were supposed to be looking for. The dispatcher just said, "A fire!"

Buy American · October-31-10, 09:43 AM

A very close relative who is a firefighter came home this morning totally exhausted because they were running from fire to fire in Northeast Detroit. After midnight it accelerated...after the "volunteers" went home. The thugs and arsonists were out in full force so don't let Detroit give you a snow job...they will fudge the numbers like they always have.

**Gannon** · October-31-10, 10:19 AM

Who in the administration is a hold-over from previous years...able to proportionately 'fudge' the data?

I was expecting more noise over here on the east side. Heck, when that large fire happened on Jefferson a month or so ago...the water pressure in GPP went to almost NOTHING.

I didn't notice the same over the weekend.

We saw one pair of trucks on Mack get a bit confused on Friday night, while picking up some Mama Rosa pizza...but that was the extent of my witness of any DFD activity. They drove east from Alter, got almost to Yorkshire, then actually TURNED AROUND on Mack and had a pow-wow in the middle of the street.

I was actually shocked to see flashing yellow lights on volunteer vehicles driving through GPP...do ANY of the other inner-ring suburbs do the same?!

Cheers anyways...far as I know, no firefighters were injured over the weekend...which I consider the greatest victory. Sure it would be great to have this tradition dead, but until the city does something to reverse the decades-old evacuation of the populace [[due their mismanagement and corruption)...it will be in force.

Buy American · October-31-10, 10:34 AM

I don't think any firefighters were injured last night and I thank God for that.
As I have said before, I worked Devil's Night back in the 80's when the fire count was the highest in history. Since then, the administration has been fudging the numbers by eliminating garbage fires, garage fires, car fires and so on down the line. The present administration will do the same, simply because Detroit has such a bad reputation and they want to let everyone know that the volunteers kept the fire count down. I can tell you, maybe it kept some fires from being lit when they were present, but when they went home, the thugs and arsonists were out in force. When you get information directly from the firefighters who were out fighting the fires last night, it is hard to hide what happened.

**English** · October-31-10, 11:21 AM

So how many fires were there?

**Jimaz** · October-31-10, 11:52 AM

Weird. I couldn't find anything about it in section A of the Free Press. There were just a couple paragraphs about free fire detector batteries.

Did I overlook it? That's kind of spooky.

**Gannon** · October-31-10, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Weird...That's kind of spooky.

At least they are timely with it! 'Tis the season of weird spooks, right?!

**DetroitHabitater** · October-31-10, 01:08 PM

Didn't hear a single siren in my neighborhood

Blarf · October-31-10, 01:19 PM

Why do people keep calling it Angles' Night? It's called Devil's Night.

**Meddle** · October-31-10, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by Blarf

Why do people keep calling it Angles' Night? It's called Devil's Night.

Sanitized for your protection.

woodwardboy · October-31-10, 02:23 PM

I thought 6 months ago W. Robinwood was the worst... but it seems the cancer has spread in all directions. Went to Scotty Simpsons Fish and Chips last week, Fenkel/Telegraph/Lasher area.
My God,.. entire blocks burned/abandoned....
I can only imagine what this city will look like after Halloween....

The 1967 riots did nothing compaired to this latest slash/burn destroy mode.

Detroit has got to be the most destroyed city in the western hemisphere.
Port Au Prince has nothing on the D.

**detroitbob66** · October-31-10, 02:25 PM

I did not hear a thing over in the Cass Corridor. I had my widow open a crack and can always hear sirens, gunshots, horns, people yelling, etc. Last night on Devil's Night it could not have been any quieter after the Temple Bar Costume Party. The silence was amazing, i hear on the news that there were only fifteen more fires this year then last year. The news said it wasn't too bad last night at all. I guess thats positive news

**DetroitTeacher** · October-31-10, 02:27 PM

May Angels watch over our FFs tonight [[and always). My thoughts are with you tonight, ladies and gents!

**Carey** · October-31-10, 03:58 PM

Free Press web story.

http://www.freep.com/article/2010103...g-Angels-Night

**Philbo** · October-31-10, 09:53 PM

Every hour the dispatchers would annouce " All companies use extreme caution when responding to fires, there are outside agencies assisting the volunteers." Thats weird, I've followed devils nights for years and never heard that before. Anybody know whats behind it?

DetroitPole · October-31-10, 10:12 PM

Okay, so how many people here actually volunteered to make things better?

It is no pancea, but anyone who has lived here know that eyes and ears make all the difference. The administrations may use it as a PR tool but we are really looking out for our neighborhoods.

So next year quit your bitching and grab a flashlight.

All was quiet on the eastern front. We encountered children and people raking their leaves. It was the early shift, mind you, but serenity reigns in pockets of Detroit.

**detroitbob66** · October-31-10, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPole

Okay, so how many people here actually volunteered to make things better?

It is no pancea, but anyone who has lived here know that eyes and ears make all the difference. The administrations may use it as a PR tool but we are really looking out for our neighborhoods.

So next year quit your bitching and grab a flashlight.

All was quiet on the eastern front. We encountered children and people raking their leaves. It was the early shift, mind you, but serenity reigns in pockets of Detroit.

I DID! I helped watch the area around Cass Tech and Mariners Inn.

**Fnemecek** · October-31-10, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPole

Okay, so how many people here actually volunteered to make things better?

It is no pancea, but anyone who has lived here know that eyes and ears make all the difference. The administrations may use it as a PR tool but we are really looking out for our neighborhoods.

So next year quit your bitching and grab a flashlight.

All was quiet on the eastern front. We encountered children and people raking their leaves. It was the early shift, mind you, but serenity reigns in pockets of Detroit.

Attitudes like this really piss me off.

This may come as a shock to you but, in most cities across the United States, it isn't necessary for volunteers to do anything in order to prevent a few hundred arson fires from breaking out.

And - by the way - those other cities have a tax burden that is half of Detroit's.

At what point to we stop blaming the victims and start talking about the basic competency of the folks in city hall.

woodwardboy · October-31-10, 11:26 PM

just walked my hood for 3 hours.. damn its cold out there tonight... all quiet so far...

**Meddle** · November-01-10, 03:10 AM

All I can say is, they're still going and have been all night.

**softailrider** · November-01-10, 04:29 AM

Originally Posted by woodwardboy

I thought 6 months ago W. Robinwood was the worst... but it seems the cancer has spread in all directions. Went to Scotty Simpsons Fish and Chips last week, Fenkel/Telegraph/Lasher area.
My God,.. entire blocks burned/abandoned....
I can only imagine what this city will look like after Halloween....

The 1967 riots did nothing compaired to this latest slash/burn destroy mode.

Detroit has got to be the most destroyed city in the western hemisphere.
Port Au Prince has nothing on the D.

Shoot, Brightmoor has looked terrible for at least a decade. I can't ever remember the commercial strip along Fenkell to be viable. Actually a friend of mine grew up there in the late 50's and 60's. He said it was a rough area back then too.

**Lowell** · November-01-10, 06:30 AM

The reports I heard said there were a few more fires than last year -- but than ten -- for around 80 total for the 24 hour period. That is less than 10% from the peak of the Devil's Nights years and not much more than a normal day.

Congratulations, thank you and [hugs] to all our angels! Bless you and our fire fighters and public safety personnel.

The good guys win again.