Lieutenant Kevin Kelley

Lt. Kevin Kelly has been identified as the Firefighter killed in yesterday's crash involving Ladder 26 on Huntington Ave. Kelley was a 30 year veteran and tha father of 3 children. Funeral details will be posted as they are confirmed. Rest in Peace Kevin.

Boston Firefighter Killed In the Line of Duty

I have just come back from one of the worst scenes I have witnessed in 24 years of photographing emergency incidents. A Boston Firefighter was killed and another is in critical condition following a horrific accident on Huntington Avenue and Parker Hill Street. Boston Ladder 26 crashed into a high rise building after striking another vehicle. At least 3 other Firefighters have been injured but are in good condition. The scene is still very active and the cause is under investigation.

I will not publish any photos of the accident itself out of respect for the Firefighters and their families. The news teams already have the TV flooded with images that should remind us that the men and women who serve as Firefighters are never on a routine call. Life is precious so embrace it. That is all for now and I will post a tribute to the fallen Firefighter later.

Friday So Far

So here it is about 2:30pm and I have not really left the computer since I got up at 7am. A lot of work to do for the IFPA such as program development and recruiting. This plus my own photography is winding up to be about a 90 hour a week job.

The scanner has been quiet with the exception of a 3 alarm fire in Lynn. I saw some photos that fellow photographers took and it was a tough job. It is COLD out here and now another snowstorm for the weekend. Record cold temps expected next week too. Fun stuff!!

Hopefully I will have another post tonight if I catch anything good. Stay safe all.

It has been a very quiet afternoon and so far all I have caught was this manhole fire in Brookline at 124 Harvard Street. Not much to shoot action wise but it provided a good opportunity to practice available light photography. The night is young and it is getting cold outside. All that rain will freeze over.

FDNY Black Sunday Mayday Audio

Audio tapes were released from the Black Sunday Fire in the Bronx, NY. An entire company was forced to jump from the 4th floor of an apartment fire. Read the story and listen to the audio here: http://www.thebravest.com/FDNYNewsArchive/0109/5e.htm

The audio might be disturbing to some people. The photos above are Lt. Curtis Meyran and Firefighter John Bellew who were killed in the fire. Photos courtesy of the FDNY.

Ice Storm Again

We are getting yet another ice storm today and so far the morning has been busy in some communities. Several overturned cars, cars hitting poles and now Salem has a partial building collapse. The state will be lucky to survive this winter.
Last night in Worcester there was a fatal fire on Haynes Street. Paul Shea and Kevin Soucie have articles and photos on http://www.1rbn.com/ . Let's see what the day brings for me! Stay safe.

4 Alarm Fire in Boston

Boston Firefighters battled a stubborn 4 alarm fire on Peterboro Street near Fenway Park about 3am this morning. The fire burned out 7 businesses and 23 people had to be evacuated from an apartment building next to the fire. At least 2 Firefighters were injured and very cold temperatures and ice were a huge obstacle. This boy did not get out of bed and now I am kicking myself. I guess I can be lazy every once in awhile.

Stupid People

Having photographed the emergency service business for several years, it never ceases to amaze me the comments you hear bystanders make at scenes. Everyone seems to be an expert with the exception of the personnel working the scene. I know you find that everywhere and in any business but it still reddens my Irish butt when I hear it. At the recent fire in Brookline I heard a person say that he couldn't understand why the fire was being fought from the outside. I was like "WHAT?" in my mind but chose to keep my mouth shut. Then I read a comment about the fire from a person wondering why Brookline needed firefighters from outside towns to "fight a house fire". Again, I was furious but I was able to curb the urge to respond. I have faith in what goes around comes around and some lessons will be learned the hard way. Someday it might be one of these people that I am called to photograph and the "lazy" firefighters, police officers and paramedics will be the ones saving their collective butts. Take a look at the photo above and tell me why the fire was fought from the outside. The one who guesses right gets a prize! The top photo is the house before the fire. Hint...look at the 3 chimneys and then look at the roof during the fire!