Deadly fire

April 26, 2013 7:02 am

Deadly fire engulfs hospital outside Moscow

By Courtney Weaver in Moscow

©AP

A fire engulfed a psychiatric hospital outside Moscow early on Friday, killing 36 of the patients, most of them in their sleep, and two of the institution’s staff.

The tragedy is the latest example of poor fire safety in Russia, where buildings rarely have fire exits or planned exit routes in place, resulting in horrific deaths at hospitals, apartment buildings and nightclubs.

Precious photograph ........

Bobcat kitten and 3-day old fawn take shelter together after the Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara, CA

A RARE opportunity in Ohio

Rarely do voters in any state get to confront the arrogance and greed of public employee unions at the ballot box.


When taxpayers get that chance, as in Wisconsin (the birthplace of government worker unions), they vote to defeat government of, by and for the staff and re-institute government of, by and for the people.


Such an opportunity is now before the voters of Ohio.

Issue 2 on the Nov. 8 ballot is a referendum by WeAreOhio.com of Senate Bill 5, which was championed by Ohio's new Republican governor, John Kasich, and passed last March by the new Republican majority in the Ohio Legislature.

S.B. 5 removes pension and health issues from collective bargaining while retaining collective bargaining rights for wages and hours for about 400,000 government workers in Ohio.

S.B. 5 prohibits public worker strikes, prohibits government unions from charging "fair share" dues to employees who opt out of union membership, and authorizes increases in government employee contributions (up to 15 percent) for health insurance and pensions.

A "yes" vote will keep S.B. 5, and a "no" vote will repeal it.

A similar reform effort in Wisconsin resulted in a nationally televised confrontation but has resulted in "unexpectedly" balanced budgets in school districts and city governments. School teachers have not been fired, cops are on the beat, firefighters at the ready.

Wisconsin has fallen out of the national media because Gov. Scott Walker and the Republicans were right and the unions were wrong. Reform has saved teacher jobs that were in jeopardy because of falling tax revenues.

Some Summer Tips

Some "TIPS" I got from a blog by 1st Response they are a complete full service contractor in Newark, Ohio, serving a large portion of Ohio.

1. Reduce the cooling load by employing cost-effective conservation measures. Provide effective shade for east and west windows. When possible, delay heat-generating activities such as dish washing until evening on hot days.


2. Over most of the cooling season, keep the house closed tight during the day. Don’t let in unwanted heat and humidity. Ventilate at night either naturally or with fans.

3. You can help get rid of unwanted heat through ventilation if the temperature of the incoming air is 77 F or lower. (This strategy works most effectively at night and on cooler days.) Window fans for ventilation are a good option if used properly. They should be located on the downwind side of the house facing out. A window should be open in each room. Interior doors must remain open to allow air flow.

4. Use ceiling fans to increase comfort levels at higher thermostat settings. The standard human comfort range for light clothing in the summer is between 72 F and 78 F. To extend the comfort range to 82 F, you need a breeze of about 2.5 ft/sec or 1.7 mph. A sow-turning ceiling-mounted paddle fan can easily provide this air flow.

5. In hot climates, plant shade trees around the house. Don’t plant trees on the South if you want to benefit from passive solar heating in the winter.

6. If you have an older central air conditioner, consider replacing the outdoor compressor with a modern, high-efficiency unit. Make sure that it is properly matched to the indoor unit.

7. If buying a new air conditioner, be sure that it is properly sized. Get assistance from an energy auditor or air conditioning contractor.

8. Buy a high-efficiency air conditioner: for room air conditioners, the energy efficiency ratio (EER) rating should be above 10; for central air conditioners, look for a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) rating above 12.

9. In hot, humid climates, make sure that the air conditioner you buy will adequately get rid of high humidity. Models with variable or multi-speed blowers are generally best. Try to keep moisture sources out of the house.

10. Try not to use a dehumidifier at the same time your air conditioner is operating. The dehumidifier will increase the cooling load and force the air conditioner to work harder.

11. Seal all air conditioner ducts, and insulate ducts that run through unheated basements, crawl spaces, and attics.

12. Keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees F or higher if using ceiling fans. Don’t air-condition unused rooms.

1st Response - A Full Service Contractor

Dog Submerges Herself In Bathtub To Survive Fire

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. -- A dog survived a raging house fire for six hours by hiding in a water-filled bathtub, according to firefighters.

The house that burned was in the relatively new Beaumont subdivision off State Park Road near Mt. Creek Baptist Church.

Piedmont Park Fire Capt. Duane Brock said the fire was extremely difficult to extinguish because of the size of the house and the intensity of the flames.

Firefighters were able to rescue the dog, a 1-year-old Belgian Malinois named Mia, from the basement of the burning home, according to Brock.

Mia's owner, Chris Brumby, was amazed at how the dog survived, but said he knew she was smart.

"She acts like a human for most things," Brumby said. "And that kind of showed it. She knew where to go and hide."

He said Mia was able to get to a bathtub on the lowest level of the house, where she waited as firefighters doused the home with water. As the water ran down into the basement, it filled the bathtub and soaked Mia, keeping her safe from flames, Brock said.

Brumby said the dog has learned how to open doors throughout the house, and that she had to open four doors to get to the bathtub where she was found.

He said when firefighters brought her out of the house, she was wet, dazed and covered in soot.

"She literally had steam coming off of her," he said.

1st Response

Restoration and Reconstruction specialists in Newark, Ohio.

Specialists in Water, fire, smoke, storm and mold damage.

WEBSITE

740-345-4911

285 Manning Street
Newark, Ohio 43055