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MAY 2007

HOUSE FIRE ON DOUGLAS FIR IN GREEN TOWNSHIP

5/30/07: On Wednesday, May 30th at 8:02 PM, Fire & EMS units responded to a house fire on Douglas Fir Court. Engine 55 and Medic 55 (from the Monfort Heights Fire Station) arrived first to find the attached garage engulfed in flames with the fire starting to spread into the dwelling portion of the house. A quick attack on the fire limited the spreading of the flame damage from the garage, but the entire house was heavily damaged by smoke. Damage is estimated at $75,000.00 between structure and contents. The fire was determined to have been started by a riding lawn mower that had just been parked in the garage. We were assisted at this fire by Colerain Township Engine 26 through our AMR program. Units: Engines 26, 54, 55   Ladder 53    Medic 55 Command: District 53 (Thomas)

54's FIRST DUE FOR HOUSE FIRE ON EYRICH RD

5/19/07: On Saturday, May 19th at 5:50 PM, Fire & EMS units responded to a house fire on Eyrich Road. The first arriving units, Engine 54 and Medic 54 found a fire burning in the kitchen of the residence. The fire was quickly extinguished by Engine 54’s crew. The fire was determined to have started in a toaster oven on the kitchen counter. Damage is estimated at $35,000.00 between structure and contents. We were assisted by Quint 16 from Cheviot Fire Department through our AMR program with them. Units: Engines 54, 107     Ladder 16    Medic 54 Command: District 53 (Wagner)

COLERAIN UNITS RESPOND TO DOUBLE FATALITY CRASH ON BUELL RD

5/29/07: Hamilton County investigators say careless driving likely caused the crash that killed two Northwest high school students. Fourteen-year-old Lauren Dietz and Miranda Phelps, who had just turned fifteen, died Tuesday when the car they were in crashed along Buell Road in Colerain Township. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office has released more information about Tuesday's deadly Colerain Township crash which killed two Northwest High School students and injured three of their classmates. Police say a 16-year-old male driver operating a 1995 Chevy Cavalier lost control of his car in the 3000 block of Buell Road – west of Pippin Road – and went off the side of the road and struck several trees. The driver and two other male passengers, ages 16 and 14-years-old, were transported to Childrens Hospital. Police say two 14-year-old female students, who were rear seat passengers, did not survive and were pronounced dead at the scene by the Hamilton County coroner. Police say alcohol and drugs were not factors in the crash, however, speed may have been a factor. Police also say both front-seat passengers were wearing seatbelts, but that none of the rear-seat passengers had their seatbelts on. (wcpo.com) Units: Command:

CAR CRASHES INTO HOUSE ON WOOSTER PIKE

5/28/07: In Mariemont, police are investigating a hit-skip, in which the driver hit a house. Police said early Monday morning a woman failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Wooster Pike and Plainville. The car then plowed into a couple's home in the 6700 block of Wooster. After hitting the house, police said the woman then backed up and headed back to Wooster where she began driving on the wrong side of the road. That's when police caught up with her. They believe alcohol is a factor in the crash. Nobody inside was hurt. (wcpo.com) Units: Command:

4 ALARM APARTMENT FIRE IN WOODLAWN

5/16/07: Fire investigators say a cigarette thrown into mulch may have been what sparked a fast-moving fire that destroyed a Woodlawn apartment building. The fire broke out at about 4 p.m. Tuesday at "The Commons" apartment complex on Springfield Pike. It started outside in a mulch bed and quickly spread to bushes, then onto the apartment building. More than 10 fire departments and 100 firefighters responded. They arrived to find flames shooting from the roof of the three-story building. Everyone was able to get out of the building. The only injury was a firefighter who injured his ankle. There were 24 units in the two buildings involved in the fire. All of those residents have to find new homes because the buildings were so damaged, they'll have to be torn down. The Red Cross is providing hotel rooms and other assistance for the victims, some of whom lost everything. (story: wcpo.com, Photos: Z) Units: Command: Video of Fire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OnHMfbP2_4

TWO PLANES CRASH AND LAND IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS IN SHARONVILLE

5/11/07: Rescue crews are responding to a possible plane crash near Reed Hartman Highway and Kemper Road in Sharonville. The call came in for the crash just after 3 p.m. Friday. Dispatchers say they originally received calls for a plane down near Reed Hartman, just north of I-275.Crews are just now approaching the scene to investigate. Hamilton County dispatchers have confirmed that two aircrafts crashed and now at least two people are confirmed dead. One aircraft went down near Reed Hartman Highway, while the other crashed near the Copperfield subdivision. There are now three confirmed dead in the plane crash, although it's not clear if all three were in the two planes or if any of the victims were on the ground at the time of the crash. (wcpo.com) Units: Command:

"DRANO" BOMBS FOUND IN MONTGOMERY, BLUE ASH, AND SYCAMORE HIGH SCHOOL

5/10/07: Four teenage boys have now been arraigned in Hamilton County Juvenile Court on charges of criminal mischief and inducing panic for allegedly exploding plastic bottle "bombs" in Montgomery streets, parks and in the parking lot of Sycamore High School. Montgomery Police say there may have been as many as 16 of the homemade "bombs" the 16 and 17-year-old boys had made. Three of the arrested are underclassmen at Sycamore High School, while the fourth attends St. Xavier High School. Police say the boys got the idea of mixing household chemicals and foil in a plastic bottle, after watching videos on the YouTube internet service. The incidents started about 8:30 p.m. Thursday night, when residents reported smoke coming from a sewer on Deershadow Lane. Some residents thought a group of teens in a car had released a smoke bomb in a sewer. The boys were later found at Sycamore High School, where police say they admitted to exploding the devices. Two of the plastic bottles were found in the school's parking lot. Police had to evacuate the school, which was filled with students, teachers and parents taking part in after school activities. No suspicious items were found inside the school itself. Sycamore High School says the boys who attend there could potentially face disciplinary action for the alleged "bomb" making. (wcpo.com) Units: Engine 13     Ladder 73        Rescue 73       Medic 73 Command: Unified 7306 (Morgan) & Police Lt. Beitman

COLERAIN MEDICS RESPOND TO A NEAR DROWNING ON AMBASSADOR DR

5/9/07: Some Colerain neighbors are praying for a toddler who nearly drowned in a backyard pool Wednesday afternoon. The swimming pool sits behind a home on Ambassador Drive. Investigators say the two-year-old wandered away from a nearby home and ended up in the pool, unbeknownst to the pool's owners, Delores and Edward Thomas. Mr. Thomas said their dog, Goldie, saw someone in the backyard and started barking. Mr. Thomas wasn't home at the time, but he says his wife went to see why the dog was barking and saw a man performing CPR on the little boy. The neighbor who was having work completed on her home told 9News that the boy's father asked if it was okay to bring the boy to work with him for the day. The toddler somehow was able to get around a fence and ended up in the pool. The child was rushed to Children's Hospital. Emergency crews said they were able to establish a pulse on the child before transporting him. The young boy who was rescued from a Colerain Township pool on Wednesday has died at Children's Hospital.(wcpo.com)

CINCINNATI FIREFIGHTER SENTENCED FOR FATAL CRASH ON INTERSTATE 71

5/8/07: Former Cincinnati Firefighter Joseph Dance has been sentenced to a prison term of four years. Dance was off-duty at the time of the crash and investigators said he admitted being at GameDay Cafe for a holiday gathering with other firefighters just before it occurred. Prior to sentencing, Dance addressed Judge Ralph E. Winkler and said, "I'm sorry." Dance said, "None of us should be here today. What I did was stupid and irresponsible." "It was a terrible lapse in judgment, but I never meant to harm anyone," Dance added. Attorney Jeffrey Bakst spoke on behalf of the Kruetzer family asking the court to be fair. "It's a very difficult time for the Kruetzers and the Dance family," Bakst said. "We just want him to remember Sydney" (Kruetzer's daughter). "Drinking and driving took Dance from a good citizen and firefighter to a common criminal," Judge Winkler said, adding that may be harsh, but it reflects what has happened. The judge also suspended Dance's driving privileges for life. (wcpo.com)

MEDIC 73 DELIVERS BABY ON INTERSTATE 275 AT MONTGOMERY RD

5/5/07: For an Amelia couple expecting to deliver a baby any day, all of their planning for that special moment went out the window in an instant Saturday morning--the car window that is. That's because they delivered their son in their car along Interstate 275 at the Montgomery Road exit. Hours after the roadside delivery they recalled their story first to 9News.Even being born a month early wasn't fast enough for little Christopher Helmer. As his parents rushed to deliver him at Bethesda North Hospital around 9:30 Saturday morning, he instead decided that Interstate 275, roughly a mile away from the delivery room, better suited him. "I was screaming at Matt, saying, "you've got to hurry, you have got to hurry up. And then my water broke, we called 911 and pulled over and this little man decided to pop out", said Barbara Helmer, the new mother. All of that took place in just 10 minutes, barely enough time for police and paramedics to reach the scene. They did get there with just seconds to spare as Barbara's husband Matt watched his son delivered. "I was still shaking like crazy; she did much better than me," said Matt Helmer. The roadside delivery even shut down the interstate for a short time, but Barbara Helmer tells us that was the last thing on her mind this morning. "[I] didn't even think about it. All I did was scream, that is all I did was scream," Barbara Helmer said. With mother and baby doing just fine, Matt Helmer told 9News at first his thoughts weren't on the impending birth--but rather the upholstery in their Ford Focus. "I thought this was going to be tough, it [staining] is going to be tough to get out. But then I saw the head and thought to myself there are more important things going on right now," said Matt Helmer. The new father credits a 911 dispatcher with Hamilton County from talking him through the ordeal. (wcpo.com) Unit: Medic 73 (Bracher, Reeder, Ashpaw)