Monday, May 10, proved to be quite an eventful day for the Department and the 'B'-Shift tasked with providing emergency response services for our city. The first of three noteworthy events occurred just after 2:30 PM with the report of an overturned tractor-trailer rig near the post office on King Street. When crews arrived at the scene they discovered the driver to be relatively unharmed: the rig, however, was leaking nearly 40 gallons of diesel and coolant, a double threat that was precariously close to a nearby storm drain. Making matters more difficult and adding an element of expediency to the proceedings was the cargo located in the trailer: 1,700 cases of shrimp from China, a value approximating nearly $500,000 and dangerously close to being wasted without precious refrigerant restored or applied within a few hours. Acting with the usual proficiency and speed always attributed to their performance, HAZMAT 7 and the firefighters from Station 4 soon had the leak contained, the remaining product siphoned off the road and the entire rig ready for lifting by the on scene towing agency. The entire process was achieved in a little over two hours, allowing the rig with its precious cargo to be towed to a nearby warehouse equipped with cooling refrigeration. As the day crept along and gave way to the evening hours, firefighters were summoned to the report of a structure fire just before 9 PM at 1943 College Circle South. As Engine 7 pulled up to the scene, the crew could see flames bursting through the front of a single story, single family brick house, with heavy smoke coming out of the back and swirling around an adult male standing outside on the lawn. As the firefighters approached the home, the male indicated that another adult male was still in the house, trapped in a front bedroom directly where the flames were emanating from. Moving forward through a hallway and bravely confronting the heat and smoke filled atmosphere, the firefighters soon discovered both the room and the victim but immediately realized that all of their efforts had been in vain, with the male already deceased and sprawled across a bed that was being completely consumed by the violent blaze. With the fire rapidly extinguished and confined to only that one bedroom, the subsequent investigation could begin with one tragic bit of irony promptly discovered: the adult male who directed the firefighters into the home was, himself, an aspiring firefighter currently enrolled in the Firefighter Minimum Standards program at the First Coast Technical College in St. Augustine. While still on scene, department members heard the dispatch of another reported fire on the other side of town, more specifically the Islamic Center on St. John's Bluff. Apparently during evening prayer, some time before 10 PM, the congregation heard the sound of an explosion from the back of the complex. Upon opening the rear doors a few of the members discovered a fire clinging to an exterior brick wall, a fire that was soon put out with an extinguisher. Following dispatch and arrival at the scene, firefighters would initiate a request for an investigator for this suspicious looking fire. As per protocol the investigator, in turn, immediately and correctly activated the Arson Task Force for this fire involving a place of worship, a scenario falling within applicable federal statutes pertaining to 'hate crimes.' The corresponding investigation would result in the gathering of local, state and federal agencies in an effort to collaborate and collectively use all available resources in order to solve this crime. In hindsight, May 10 most assuredly presented a sampling of the diversity of incidents emergency responders can expect to encounter on any given day in the city of Jacksonville.
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