BRUSH FIRE IN ALPINE, NEW JERSEY EXTINGUISHED

MAY 3, 2015

ALPINE, NEW JERSEY

Crews were battling a large brush fire along the Palisades cliffs late Saturday night, police said. 

On Saturday evening, May 2nd 2015 the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department received numerous calls from Westchester County residents reporting smoke and fire on the side of the Palisades cliffs in the Alpine NJ Section. 

Officers responded as well as the Alpine NJ Fire Department.   Alpine Fire discovered a heavy smoke condition coming from the cliff north of Alpine Boat Basin and south of State Line Lookout. 

Crews deployed on foot into the woods to find the seat of the fire.  Additional fire marine assets were requested for water supply and manpower assistance.  

The fire continued to travel up the cliff as well as north and south of the original area.  Due to the treacherous conditions, firefighters were delayed in getting control of the fire before it could consume a 300x300 area.  The fire was brought under control shortly before midnight.

Fortunately, no one was injured during this incident.

 Fire boats also responded from New York to help control the flames, authorities said. 

Firefighters advising area is on the side of the cliff in the Alpine NJ section approximately 300x300. Marine assets assisting.

— ParkwayPolice (@ParkwayPolice) May 3, 2015

Local Fire Department operating at a brush fire on the trails along the Hudson River North of the Alpine Boat Basin.

— ParkwayPolice (@ParkwayPolice) May 3, 2015

MAN KILLED IN PARAGLIDER CRASH AT UTAH LAKE WAS PRACTICING IN-FLIGHT EMERGENCY ‘DRILLS’

MAY 1, 2015

UTAH COUNTY, UTAH

A 59-year-old man from California died after crashing a paraglider into Utah Lake near Saratoga Springs Friday evening.

According to information from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, search and rescue crews were dispatched just after 6 p.m. on a report of a man who crashed into Utah Lake while paragliding. The release states the man was about 150 feet in the air while being towed behind a boat near the south end of Saratoga Springs when the crash occurred.

The victim has been identified as Siegfried C. Muhlhauser of Murrieta, California.

Witnesses told emergency responders the man was, “conducting ‘drills’ designed to simulate responding to in-flight emergencies when something happened and the paraglider fell into the water.”

The man was under water for several minutes before witnesses were able to get him into a boat. He was not  breathing and bystanders began CPR. Personnel from Saratoga Springs Fire and Rescue and Lehi Fire responded and tried to revive the man.

Rescue efforts were not successful, and the victim died at the scene. The body will be taken to the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.

UNCONSCIOUS 3-YEAR-OLD RESCUED FROM POOL; FIRE OFFICIAL SAYS ALL PARENTS SHOULD TAKE CPR CLASS

MAY 2, 2015

WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH

West Valley City Fire Department officials said a near drowning that occurred Saturday serves as a reminder of how important it is for parents to know how to perform CPR, as a young boy who was found floating in a backyard pool was resuscitated by his family.

Battalion Chief Chris Beichner, West Valley City fire Department, said they were called shortly after 8 p.m. after a 3-year-old boy was found unconscious in a pool.

Beichner said the child’s parents were getting the children in their family ready for bed when they realized they couldn’t find the 3-year-old boy. After searching around they found him floating in a pool in the home’s backyard.

The parents pulled the child out, and he was unconscious and not breathing. 

Beichner said they estimated he was in the water for no more than five minutes.

CPR was begun immediately, and the child began to breathe and cough up water. By the time paramedics arrived, the child’s vital signs were normal and after 20 minutes of observation at the scene the child was taken to a hospital to be checked out as a precaution. The child was driven there by his parents in a personal vehicle.

Beichner said this situation stresses the importance of knowing CPR, and he encouraged all parents to take a CPR class.

Source: fox13now.com

WARNING: ACCIDENTS INVOLVING BIKERS SPIKE WHEN WEATHER WARMS UP

MAY 2, 2015

BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah

The Cottonwood Heights Police Department hosted the Canyon Bike Festival Saturday to raise awareness about the dangers motorcyclists and bikers face on Utah’s busy streets, as police report a spike in motorcycle and bike accidents in Utah during the spring and summer months.

“It seems to increase this time of year as the weather warms up; more riders are out on the road,” said Mark Askerlund from the Cottonwood Heights Police Department.

Roads were closed after a fatal collision between a motorcycle and a vehicle in Ogden Monday night. And a man from Kaysville was killed when he crashed his motorcycle into the back of a semitrailer in Wasatch County on Highway 40 last Sunday.

Saturday, a man suffered critical injuries after a motorcycle and car collided and officials believe the driver of the car did not see the motorcyclist.

Askerlund said it’s important for both drivers and bikers to be aware.

“Have common courtesy, give plenty of room to the bicyclists when you’re passing,” he said.

Helen Knipe with the Utah Department of Public Safety talked about strategies drivers can use when they encounter a motorcycle.

“Motorcycles are smaller than cars,” she said. “They’re harder to see, so if you’re leaving a driveway or making a turn, you do a quick check.”

Motorcyclist Dave Palazzolo talked about some common mistakes bikers make.

“We’re good at using the throttle, we’re good at twisting the throttle and getting a go fast, but we’re not always good at using the brakes and using the brakes appropriately,” Palazzolo said.

The Utah Department of Public Safety is offering motorcycle safety courses, which Knipe says come highly recommended for anyone who owns a bike.

“It teaches them life-saving skills and strategies to ride safely among all the car traffic that’s out there,” Knipe said.

They offer the courses at various locations around Utah. For more information, click here.

Source: http://fox13now.com