Boston Fire Department

As many of you saw yesterday, there was confusion on the Boston Fire Department Twitter feed. I am a Boston Firefighter, and not knowing that the city was intending to set up an official Twitter feed, I set one up to keep those interested informed of fire department happenings around the city. Upon learning that an official Twitter feed was set up, I shut mine down.

Shortly after 3 p.m., Boston Fire tweeted:

Report on Box 3547: Confirmed Building Fire, L6 reports heavy fire on roof, 1 line charged at this time

Which is a little meaningless unless you happen to be either right there or in possession of a list of Boston fire boxes.

Firebufffeed to the rescue: Whoever runs that does have a list of Boston fire boxes and translates the above to: a three-story apartment building at 563-565 Norfolk St. (in Mattapan).

UPDATE: The feed is now gone. A Boston firefighter had set it up after seeing what the Boston Police Department was doing, not knowing BFD was about to launch an official site, at twitter.com/bostonfire.

The Boston Fire Department is now on Twitter.

Earlier:
Boston Police jump on Twitter.

Following the success of the Boston Police, The Boston Fire Department is now on Twitter.

www.twitter.com/Boston_Fire

This Twitter feed will be updated with information on citywide fire related emergencies whenever possible. Come join us!

The Globe reports the Fire Department's truck maintenance just completely sucks (story has a link to the complete report).

But the Herald thought it warranted the front page to announce a mutual admiration society between upset Hub jakes and Michael Flaherty.

In 1968, firefighter William Carroll rescued a baby, Evangeline Harper, from a burning building:

A newspaper photograph captured their image - a white firefighter from South Boston with his lips pressed to the mouth of a black baby from the Roxbury public housing development - at a time when riots sparked by racial tensions were burning down American cities.

Over 40 years later, they are reunited.

Globe front-page piece today, "40 years' worth of thanks," by Maria Cramer. With sentimental video, "Joyful reunion," by Dina Rudick and Scott Helman.

NECN reports on a hearing called by City Councilor (and mayoral candidate) Sam Yoon; firefighter union head Ed Kelly blames Menino for Kevin Kelley's death.

They're giving away some cool stuff, free.

Channel 4 reports that Engine 22 (South End) and Ladder 21 (East Boston) were pulled out of service for repairs today.

That makes nine trucks taken out for emergency repairs following the death of Kevin Kelley on Jan. 9.

Fire officials say the Peterborough Street fire was probably caused by a short circuit in the ceiling of Thornton's and that the fatal crash of Ladder 26 was probably caused by brake failure.

The Globe calls up Raybo (who, you may recall, had a special relationship with firefighters, who let him do stuff like run into burning buildings).

This map shows ladder and engine trucks that have had to be removed from service since the Jan. 9 crash that killed Lt. Kevin Kelley (click on an icon to a link for more info; note that one of the icons is obscured by the word "map," move the map to see it). Most have been returned to service after repairs. The Globe reports Mayor Menino has ordered the Fire Department to hire licensed mechanics to maintain the trucks, rather than outsourcing maintenance to private companies.

Thanks to Brett for the suggestion to do a map. If I'm missing any trucks, let me know.

This time, Ladder 18 from South Boston and Ladder 24 from Beacon Hill, WBZ reports.

After an outside consultant hired by the local firefighters union found problems yesterday, the Globe reports.

Globe: Thousands gather for firefighter's funeral.

The Globe reports on what has now become obvious after three incidents - one fatal - over the past few days. Keep reading the story to see how maintenance is, naturally, a football between the city and the firefighters union, with each blaming the other for the problem.

The Herald, meanwhile, talks to a friend of Lt. Kelley's widow, who thinks the accident was preventable and interviews a mechanic who helped inspect Ladder 26 last year about the potential for "icing" problems in the brake lines.

Channel 4 reports that Ladder 14 in Allston, built in 1993, was pulled from service this morning.

Photo of Ladder 14 outside station 41 at 460 Cambridge St.

Earlier:
Another Boston ladder truck careens out of control - Sunday.
Did Lt. Kelley die due to bad brakes?

The Herald reports Ladder 15 crashed into a parked car on Mass. Ave on the way for some maintenance today. Nobody hurt.

The Globe reports it's looking more and more like Kevin Kelley died because the brakes on Ladder 26 failed on steep Parker Hill Avenue.

The Herald talks to some of the kids in a computer class when the firetruck smashed into their building.

Jared Molton posted photos from the scene.

UPDATE: One firefighter dead.

Channel 7 reports multiple injuries in the accident at 835 Huntington Ave..

The Globe reports.

Kevin McCrea and his wife went down to Suite in the Alley off Boylston last night for some dancing. Then the fire alarms started blaring. For 10 minutes. Firefighters arrived. And the whole time the DJ kept playing music and almost nobody left:

... People from the club were telling people trying to leave that this problem had happened before and that everything would be fixed in a couple minutes. By now the alarms had been going on for about 10 minutes. A few people were in the lobby trying to decide to come or go, looking a bit concerned but also peer pressured into going in as they had paid their cover charge. Then three fire fighters came in the front door, with full regalia. They were escorted by one of the nightclub workers and they went down the side hall not seeming to mind there was a nightclub full of people in front of them with the alarms going off and no one leaving. ...

Of course, you know what happened about a mile away basically right around the corner.

Boston Police report arresting Albert Arroyo on charges he kept harassing a Roslindale woman who had taken out a restraining order against him.

Arroyo, himself a Roslindale resident, was arrested at 7:51 p.m. yesterday in the emergency room at Faulkner Hospital, where he was being treated for an unspecified ailment. Because of his condition, officers spent the night with Arroyo rather than transporting him to the lockup at the West Roxbury police station. He remains in the hospital this morning, police say.

According to police, the woman got a restraining order against Arroyo on Oct. 28, but told police he continued to call her repeatedly and:

Victim further stated that suspect continuously comes to her home by car and hides behind hall door. Victim states that she is very scared of suspect.

Innocent, etc.