FireWhat - Close Calls & Line of Duty Deaths

TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. â A paramedic from Hurley was seriously injured Saturday morning when the ambulance he was driving collided head-on with a pickup on state Route 32 near the Ulster-Rosendale town line, according to the Ulster County Sheriffâs Office.A passenger in the ambulance and the two people in the pickup also were hurt, deputies said. They said there were no patients in the ambulance at the time and that the vehicle was not an emergency call.The accident, at 6:55 a.m. on Route 32 near Platt Lane, involved a Mobile Life Support Services ambulance driven by paramedic William Spadafora, 43, of 191 Russell Road, Hurley, and a 2002 Dodge pickup driven by Marco Ochoa, 18, of 16 Oak St., Kingston, the Sheriffâs Office said.The crash caused extensive front-end damage to both vehicles.Spadafora was flown by helicopter to Albany Medical Center with multiple serious injuries, deputies said, and a passenger in the ambulance, Gigi Williams, also of 191 Russell Road, Hurley, was taken to Kingston Hospital with a head injury. Their conditions were not available.Sheriffâs Sgt. Wallace Fulford said Williams, too, is a Mobile Life employee.Deputies said Ochoa suffered a minor leg injury and was taken to Kingston Hospital and that a passenger in the pickup, Reyes Lucero, 21, also suffered minor injuries.Andrew LaMarca, director of development for Mobile Life, said Spadafora and Williams are boyfriend and girlfriend and were on duty at the time of the crash, moving the ambulance from one Mobile Life station to another.The Sheriffâs Office said the cause of the accident remained under investigation. ... ...

By Leonard SparksULSTER â A Mobile Life Support Services paramedic is in critical condition and an emergency medical technician was injured after their ambulance collided head-on with a pickup truck Saturday on Route 32, the Ulster County Sheriff's Office said.William Spadafora, 43, of Hurley, had to be extricated from the ambulance he was driving after it collided with a 2002 Dodge pickup at about 6:55 a.m. near Platt Lane in the Town of Ulster, officials said.He was then flown to Albany Medical Center with multiple serious injuries, police said.Gigi Williams, an EMT riding with Spadafora, was taken to Kingston Hospital with a head injury.Williams, also of Hurley, was then moved to Albany Medical Center in stable condition, said Andrew LaMarca, director of development for Mobile Life.The driver of the pickup, Marco Ochoa, 18, of Kingston, also had to be extricated, police said.He and a passenger, Reyes Lucero, 21, were both taken to Kingston Hospital with minor injuries, according to police."To the best of our knowledge, Gigi is stable," LaMarca said. "Bill has undergone surgery, and I guess there will be a number of procedures."The ambulance was traveling north on Route 32 when it collided with the pickup truck heading south, Bloomington fire Chief Kevin Keller said."It was significant damage to both vehicles, and the ambulance had a slight engine fire," Keller said.In addition to Bloomington fire personnel, both the Kingston and Rosendale fire departments responded with extrication equipment, Keller said.lsparks@th-record.com ... ...

By Kyle MaroneyHOLLAND, MI -- Three people were taken to Holland Hospital Friday night with nonlife-threatening injuries after the car they were in struck an American Medical Response ambulance on Waverly Road near 16th Street, according to police dispatchers and ambulance company supervisors.The ambulance was southbound on Waverly Road when the crash occurred about 8:55 p.m. on Friday, May 17, according an AMR dispatch supervisor. It is unknown at this time who caused the collision.The ambulance was not responding to an emergency at the time and did not have a patient inside, the dispatcher said.The driver of the ambulance was being examined for minor injuries.Email Kyle Moroney at kmoroney@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter orFacebook ... ...

Adrienne BroaddusINDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - No injuries were reported after an ambulance and a car crashed near downtown Saturday night.Medics traveling eastbound on 16th Street and a driver heading northbound on Meridian Street collided. 24-Hour News 8 crews at the scene learned the ambulance had just left IU Health Methodist Hospital and had its lights and sirens activated. No injuries were reported in the crash and no patients were inside of the ambulance. Traffic was being diverted while the crash was cleared.&nb... ...

One person is dead and five firefighters injured after an early-morning blaze on Clairmonte Avenue in Syracuse.Investigators tell NewsChannel 9 that four firefighters were burned and one firefighter's finger was injured during the blaze. All of the firefighters were treated and released from Upstate Medical Center.Investigators found the body of an unidentified victim inside the home at 354 Clairmonte Avenue around 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning.... ...

HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) - Holland emergency crews responded to a two-vehicle crash involving an ambulance and a car Friday night.The crash happened before 9 p.m. Friday on East 16th Street near Waverly Rd.Authorities say three people were in the car. They were all taken to the hospital, but they only have minor injuries.The ambulance did not have its lights on before the crash and did not have a patient inside it. Two paramedics were inside the ambulance during the crash, but were checked out on scene and released.&nb... ...

By Paula OwenLEOMINSTER â A rollover on Route 2 in the westbound lane Wednesday night may be the cause of a four-car accident that occurred only moments later close to the same location that involved an Athol Fire Department ambulance, according to state police spokesman David Procopio. There was no patient on board the ambulance at the time of the accident, he said. State police received a call around 3:40 p.m. of an accident slightly west of the Abbott Avenue exit, Mr. Procopio said. Four minutes later, one of the troopers who responded called in a second crash that occurred as a result of first crash, he said. The first crash involved only one vehicleâa 2005 Chevrolet Aveo driven by Mary Brigham, 54, of Westminster who was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center â University Campus in Worcester for non-life threatening injuries, he said. According to a preliminary statement from a witness, Ms. Brigham lost control of her car when a car in front of her slowed down to allow another vehicle to merge onto Route 2, Mr. Procoio said. "Her car swerved to avoid striking the woman who slowed down," he said. Ms. Brigham didn't hit the car that slowed down, but lost control when she swerved and rolled her vehicle over into the trees and was trapped, he said. The Leominster Fire Department had to extricate her from her car. She was wearing a seat belt, he said. No one was found at fault and no citations were issued in that crash, he said. Details are not available on the second crash, he said, that is still under investigation. In that crash, an Athol Fire Department ambulance operated by firefighter Arthur Shepardson Jr., 47, of Athol, was involved in a four-car accident near the same location as the first. Athol firefighter Kevin Kaczmarczyk, 35, was a passenger in the ambulance. The other vehicles involved were: a 2006 Toyota Rav4 driven by Benjamin J. Mbwambo, 41, of Leominster; a 1998 Subaru Legacy station wagon driven by a 32-year-old Princeton woman, transporting her 31-year-old husband, and two sons 2 and 4; and a 1999 Olds Mobile driven by a 33-year-old Gardner man. The family was not injured, but the others involved were transported and treated for minor injuries. Contact Paula Owen at powen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @PaulaOwenTG. ... ...

PHOENIX FIREFIGHTER KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY-Apparatus Incident (Video Below) The Secret List www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com We regret to pass on to you that the Phoenix FD lost a Firefighter in the Line of Duty early this morning. Firefighter Bradley Harper, age 23, was caught between 2 fire department vehicles near the scene of an outside fire (large mulch fire) late yesterday. Other firefighters rescued him, treated him at the scene and transported him to the hospital where he tragically died about 0100 this morning. He reportedly had 2 years on the job and is married and is survived by his wife and parents. HERE is some news and related video from the scene: http://www.azfamily.com/news/Firefighter--208038261.html Our sincere condolences to the PFD and all affected. More details to follow. Take Care-BE CAREFUL. BillyG The Secret List 5-19-13 / 0935 Hours www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com ... ...

We regret to pass on to you that the Phoenix FD lost a Firefighter in the Line of Duty early this morning. Firefighter Bradley Harper, age 23, was caught between 2 fire department vehicles near the scene of an outside fire (large mulch fire) late yesterday. Other firefighters rescued him, treated him at the scene and transported him to the hospital where he tragically died about 0100 this morning. Our sincere condolences to the PFD and all affected. More details to follow. ... ...

paramedic from Hurley was seriously injured Saturday morning when the ambulance he was driving collided head-on with a pickup on state Route 32 near the Ulster-Rosendale town line, according to the Ulster County Sheriffâs Office.A passenger in the ambulance and the two people in the pickup also were hurt, deputies said. They said there were no patients in the ambulance at the time and that the vehicle was not an emergency call.The accident, at 6:55 a.m. on Route 32 near Platt Lane, involved a Mobile Life Support Services ambulance driven by paramedic William Spadafora, 43, of 191 Russell Road, Hurley, and a 2002 Dodge pickup driven by Marco Ochoa, 18, of 16 Oak St., Kingston, the Sheriffâs Office said.The crash caused extensive front-end damage to both vehicles.Spadafora was flown by helicopter to Albany Medical Center with multiple serious injuries, deputies said, and a passenger in the ambulance, Gigi Williams, also of 191 Russell Road, Hurley, was taken to Kingston Hospital with a head injury. Their conditions were not available.Sheriffâs Sgt. Wallace Fulford said Williams, too, is a Mobile Life employee.Deputies said Ochoa suffered a minor leg injury and was taken to Kingston Hospital and that a passenger in the pickup, Reyes Lucero, 21, also suffered minor injuries.Andrew LaMarca, director of development for Mobile Life, said Spadafora and Williams are boyfriend and girlfriend and were on duty at the time of the crash, moving the ambulance from one Mobile Life station to another.The Sheriffâs Office said the cause of the accident remained under investigation.... ...

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Line of Duty Deaths and Close Calls
Provided by The Secret List

Hurley man, a paramedic, seriously hurt when ambulance, pickup crash on Route 32 near Ulster-Rosendale line - New York

Paramedic critically injured in head-on accident - New York

Ambulance crash injures three people in Holland - Michigan

No injury in crash involving ambulance - Indiana

5 SYRACUSE FFS INJURED AT FATAL FIRE

Car crashes into ambulance in Holland - Michigan

Route 2 rollover, ambulance accident may be linked - Massachusetts

PHOENIX FF LODD-Pinned Between 2 FD Vehicles (The Secret List)

PHOENIX FIREFIGHTER KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY-Apparatus Incident

EMS Crash Leaves Medics Seriously Hurt in NY