Passings: Thomas A Brooks

Tom "Brooksie" Brooks

Wilmington, DE (June 9, 2013) -- The Delaware Fire and EMS community has lost an experienced colleague and great friend. Thomas A. Brooks, Sr has passed away at the age of 76.

"Brooksie" served in a variety of positions, both administrative and fireline, as a life member of Elsmere Fire Company (45 years) and Cranston Heights Fire Company (35 years), where he also served as one of Delaware's first "paid" volunteers. Tom was a wealth of information when it came to Fire-EMS, likely because of his experience on the street. Although I have no numbers, it would be safe to assume that Brooksie responded to well over 10,000 Fire-EMS calls during his career. 

As a former member of Mill Creek Fire Company, I responded on many mutual aid calls with Tom, and I count him as a valued colleague and good friend. His smile and laugh will be missed. RIP Tommy.

A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 pm on Wednesday June 12th at the McCrery and Harra Funeral Home, 3710 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington. A Funeral Service will be held at the funeral home at 10:30 am on Thursday June 13th. Burial will follow in the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Bear with full fire and military honors.

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations in Tom’s memory to the Seasons Hospice, 1212 Foulk Road, Wilmington, DE 19803.

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Extended Extrication

Christiana, DE -- Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics treat a patient who was trapped upside down in a small pickup following a single vehicle accident on Northbound I-95 near the Churchmans' Road overpass. Rescue Units from Christiana, Minquas and Wilmington Manor Fire Companies conducted the extrication, then handed the patient over to medics from New Castle County EMS.

photo: Lou Angeli


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Update: 6 Dead, 14 Injured in Philly Collapse

Philadelphia firefighters search brick by brick for survivors and victims at collapse site.

REUTERS Philadelphia, PA (June 6, 2013) -- Engine and Truck Companies are rotated in as Philly firefighters pick through the heaps of concrete chunks, bricks and splintered wood at the collapse scene on Philadelphia's busy Market Street. As of Thursday morning the toll stood at 6 dead and 14 injured with still no estimate of the missing.

Mayor Michael Nutter suggested at a late night news conference on Wednesday that the number of casualties could rise.


"We still do not know how many people were inside the thrift store or possibly on the sidewalk" at the time of the collapse, Nutter said. "If someone else is in that building, they will find them."

Moments after the Mayor made those comments, a 61-year-old woman was pulled from the rubble alive, more than 12 hours after the collapse, and taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The collapse took place when a 4-story building, which was being demolished, collapsed onto the two-story Salvation Army Thrift Store, located next door.

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Four Houston Firefighters Remembered During Memorial

Memorial participants will march under the tower of honor before entering Reliant Stadium

AP Houston, TX (June 5, 2013 )-- Thousands of firefighters from across the country, many with badges shrouded in black, joined Houston residents Wednesday to honor the four firefighters killed last week in a massive hotel fire.

The Houston firefighters who lost their lives during a building collapse are:

-Captain EMT Matthew Renaud (35) of Station 68
-Engineer/Operator EMT Robert Bebee (41) of Station 51
-Firefighter EMT Robert Garner (29) of Station 68
-Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan (24) of Station 68

As many as 40,000 people gathered in Reliant Stadium to remember the four who died Friday - the deadliest day in the Houston Fire Department's 118-year history. Before it began, dozens of fire trucks and emergency services vehicles from New Orleans, Dallas and elsewhere formed a long procession on flag-lined streets leading to the stadium.

 Opening and closing prayers were led by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Investigators at the scene of the five-alarm blaze at the Southwest Inn have said they are focusing on an attic and the kitchen area of a restaurant connected to the motel. Deputy Chief Ed Arthur, who heads the department's arson division, said Tuesday he expected the physical examination of the rubble to take about 10 days but a report of the findings could take months.

"The investigation is dedicated to our heroes, our fallen firefighter friends," he said.

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14 Rescued From Philly Building Collapse

 Philadelphia firefighters rush a victim to a waiting medic unit.

Philadelphia, PA (June 5, 2013) -- A four-story building that was being demolished apparently fell onto Salvation Army store in central Philadelphia at about 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, city Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers says.

A witness, Ari Barkin, told CNN that a part of an unoccupied building set for demolition fell onto a one-story Salvation Army building. Debris also hit three cars and a sidewalk, he said.  Another witness, Jordan McLaughlin, told CNN affiliate KYW that a number of people were in the Salvation Army building, and that he helped pull two people from the rubble.

At 12:40pm, two people were still believed to be trapped beneath the rubble, and companies from the Philadelphia Fire Department's Collapse Rescue Team were working feverishly to remove them from the debris. Twelve people had been taken to hospitals.

 “This is an active search and rescue. It’s ... delicate and dangerous.” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter told reporters.

 "Keep in mind we did not know, and we do not know, how many people were actually in the thrift store this morning when the wall collapsed this morning," and that's why the search continues, Nutter said.

A 2:45pm update revealed that 14 people had been removed from the debris with 13 being transported to local hospitals.

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