Detroit Fire Department

Teen electrocuted after coming in contact with live power line on Detroit’s west side

May 8, 2020 By Motor City 911

15 Year Old Electrocuted

Detroit’s West Side: Detroit Police, Detroit Fire and Detroit EMS were dispatched to 14333 Woodrow Wilson this afternoon at 6:12PM on reports of an electrocution.

Detroit Fire’s Engine 40 discovered the 15 year old, identified as Manuel Pelayo Jr, had come in contact with a live power line while on the roof of the building. Family members stated that he had been at the building helping a family friend secure the building against break-ins.

Detroit Fire’s Engine 40 notified Central Dispatch that DTE was needed on the scene ASAP to deal with the live wire. Detroit Fire’s Ladder Truck 17 was also dispatched to gain access to the roof.

DEMS Medic 1 had the run with DEMS Supervisor 1105. Detroit Fire’s Senior Chief 203, Deputy Chief 201 and Arson Car 811 also responded.

DEMS Medic 1 pronounced the young man deceased on the scene.

DEMS Supervisor 1105 terminated incident command @ 9:35PM.

Detroit Fire battles multiple alarm fire on Detroit’s east side.

May 7, 2020 By Motor City 911

Winds Spread Fire On East Side

Detroit’s East Side: At 11:28AM Thursday morning, Detroit Fire’s 1st & 6th Battalions responded to 3737 Beaufait on reports of a fire. The call was first dispatched as a ‘check for a fire’ but was immediately upgraded to a Commercial Box Alarm. Battalion Chief 1 arrived on scene and reported smoke showing.

The fire started in a pallet yard @ Beaufait & Pulford and winds, or an arsonist, spread the fire quickly through the east side neighborhood. Detroit Firefighters fought 6 fires, 3 commercial structures and 3 dwellings. One firefighter was injured at the Beaufait & Pulford fire scene and was conveyed by DEMS. Firefighters had to fight not only the fires in 6 separate locations but also citizens who harassed them, blocked traffic and basically made things more difficult for those fighting the fires.

The fire scene’s were in order of alarm:

3737 Beaufait, J&J Pallet & Trucking

3601 Bellevue, Total Bus Care

Sylvester & Bellevue– Commercial Building

3627 Helen– 1 vacant dwelling, 1 occupied exposure.

3654 Concord– Dwelling

Companies assigned to the Commercial Box Alarm:

Engines 1, 17, 41, 46. Ladder Trucks 27/6/7. Squads 2 & 3. Battalion Chiefs 1 & 6. DEMS Medic 8 & DEMS Supervisor 1104.

Dispatch Audio Initial Box

Initial Commercial Box Assignment – 1128AM 5/7/2020

Engines companies started to dump their monitors once positioned.

Engines Dumping Monitors –

Battalion Chief 6 warns companies on scene there are propane storage tanks on the fire scene, then they start exploding.

Propane Tanks Explode

Companies began to position themselves in the safest positions to fight the fire.

Companies Positioning

Battalion Chief 6 positioning Ladder Trucks.

Ladder Truck Positioning

Photo of Ladder Truck 7 Courtesy of SE MI Fire & Weather

Battalion Chief 6 notifies Central Dispatch more DPD units are needed due to citizens on fire scene.

Detroit Police Needed For Crowd Control

Battalion Chief 6 calls for another box for the fire @ 3601 Bellevue, just south of the current fire @ 3737 Beaufait.

Companies Assigned: Engines 52 39 32 Ladder 31 Squad 6 Chief 5

Box Alarm 3601 Bellevue

Senior Chief 203 assumes command on 3737 Beaufait fire scene, calls for a 2nd Alarm.

Companies assigned to 2nd Alarm on Beaufait: Hamtramck Engine 1, Hamtramck Ladder 1, DFD Engine 33, DFD Squad 4, Battalion Chief 9

Senior Chief 203 Takes Incident Command

Senior Chief 203 requests DPD to Sylvester & Beaufait due to citizens harassing firefighters on fire scene.

Senior Chief 203 Calls For DPD

Power was shut off in the area during the firefight by DTE.

The fight continues on both fire scenes. 2nd Alarm companies staging @ Mack & Beaufait. Deputy Chief 201 arrives on 3601 Bellevue, cancels box alarm, cites smoke from Beaufait fire scene, but Chief 5 is still stretched and continues box.

Deputy Chief 201 Arrives

Battalion Chief 6 notifies Central Dispatch, Senior Chief 203 that a cell tower at Sylvester & Beaufait has been compromised and may collapse, moves DTE crews from area. The tower is in the same block as J&J Pallets & Trucking where the pallet fire began.

Battalion Chief 6 Cell Tower Notification

Senior Chief 203 calls for a 4th Alarm for another commercial building sparking up @ Sylvester & Bellvue, apparently we skipped a third, maybe Mack & Bellevue counted as the 3rd, I dunno.

Companies Assigned to 4th Alarm: Engine 44, Hazmat 1, Hamtramck Ladder 1, Ladder 31, Squad 4 & Chief 9.

Senior Chief 203 Calls For 4th Alarm

The fight continues, companies are being transferred from current assignments to the 4th Alarm fire @ Sylvester & Bellevue. Then the winds start up, another fire has poked its ugly head up at 3627 Helen, Arson Car 809 reports a vacant dwelling on fire but with an occupied exposure next to it. Meanwhile, Battalion Chief 9 starts towers ops up @ Sylvester & Bellevue.

Companies Assigned to the Helen Fire Scene: Engines 44, 58, 50, 56 Ladder Truck 23, Deputy Chief 201, Battalion Chief 7

3627 Fire Scene

Companies respond to the Helen Fire Scene, companies continue to shift back and forth according to the winds and Ladder Truck 7 gets an attaboy. Meanwhile, another fire on Concord starts up in the rear of a dwelling at 3624 Concord. Deputy Chief 201 sends Engine 56 heads over to check things out from the Helen fire scene. Deputy Chief 201 requests the water board due to water pressure issues, all of the fire scenes are working off the same water main. Engine 56 reports they’re stretching on the rear of a dwelling on Concord, Arson Car 805 and Engine 58 are also on Concord fire scene. Chief of the Department 200 makes the scene of the multiple.

Operations on all fire scenes and Concord lights up.

More operations, Chief of the Department 200 assumes command at the Beaufait & Pulford fire scene. Fire on Helen is out, Chief 7 leaves the scene and responds to a possible jumper.

Detroit Fire’s Chief of the Department explaining the current situation on Detroit’s east side.

A firefighter is injured on the Beaufait & Pulford fire scene and conveyed to the hospital by DEMS. All fires scenes are either under control or will be shortly.

Firefighter Injured

Detroit Police Response

Detroit Police arrived on the scene tasked with traffic control, crowd control and went on a hunt for someone flying a drone in the area. Detroit Police Thunderbird Command received a call from tower ops @ Coleman Young stating that a person was flying a drone over the fire scene, was not in possession of an FAA permit and would need to be downed. The Drone Dude was located and detained. The DPD also dealt with bystanders who for some odd reason felt it their right to interfere with fire operations, they were quickly dealt with and herded out of the area.

Detroit’s 7 Precinct, 11th Precinct, 5th Precinct and other units are directed to the fire scene, skillfully, by Rock & Roll Joe, a well known DPD dispatcher.

Initial Detroit Police Response

Detroit Police’s 7th Precinct ++ Respond To Fire Scene

More units are directed toward the scene of the fires, a Motor Unit reports the dwelling fires on Helen.

The Helen Blaze Fires Up

A citizen runs back into a burning dwelling on Helen, Detroit Police discover another fire on the roof of the Sha-Sha’s Kiddy Korner Daycare on E Grand Blvd.

More DPD Dispatch Audio

Information comes into the DPD that an arsonist may be at work in the area. Units are looking for a Black male in a red hoodie, carrying a gas can. Area of Seminole & E Canfield.

Arsonist Sought

Detroit Police hunt down the Drone Dude, flying his drone over a fire scene without FAA clearance.

Dude with a drone…

Companies continued fighting the fires, power lines, citizens etc until around 7:00PM Thrusday evening. Except for some rekindles, the fires were extinguished.

Early Morning Fatal Traffic Accident W 7 Mile & Gilchrist

May 2, 2020 By Motor City 911 Leave a Comment

1 Killed, 1 Critical In West Side Crash

Detroit’s West Side (4:15AM): Scouts from the DPD’s 8th Precinct responded to reports of a 2002 Dodge Caravan striking the rear of a semi-trailer early Saturday morning at W 7 Mile & Gilchrist. The Detroit Fire Department dispatched Engine 59 & Squad 1 to the scene. Upon arrival, DFD’s Squad 1 began extrication assisted by Squad 5.

Detroit EMS dispatched Medic’s 3 and 22 along with DEMS Supervisor 1105.

Following a lengthy extrication, DEMS Medic 3 conveyed 1 critical patient to Sinai-Grace Hospital. The second victim, a 24 year old male and the passenger in the vehicle, was pronounced deceased at the scene and was conveyed to Sinai-Grace Hospital by DEMS Medic 22.

The Detroit Police Fatal Squad is investigating.

Dispatch Audio: East Side Firebombing Kills One, Busy Night For Detroit Fire…

January 30, 2020 By Motor City 911

Firebombing Kills One, Multiple Fires

Detroit: Multiple fires kept Detroit Fire busy Thursday morning, The Detroit Fire Department responded to 5 fires between the hours of 1:30AM and 4:00AM. One of those fires claimed the life of a 41 year old father. The fires and dispatch audio of each of those fires is below.

Freud & Navahoe – 1:30AM

Detroit Fire’s 6th Battalion responded to a vacant dwelling fire @ Freud & Navahoe at 1:30AM Thursday morning. Companies experienced hydrant problems on the fire scene.

Dispatch Audio

Companies: Engines 41 32 52 Ladder 31 Squad 6 Chief 6 DEMS

9590 Whittier-Arson-2:10AM

Detroit Fire’s 9th & 8th Battalions responded to reports of an occupied apartment building fire @ 9590 Whittier at 2:10AM. Battalion Chief 9 called for a 2nd Alarm shortly after arriving, reporting multiple rescues in progress. Battalion Chief 9 also requested an arson car to the scene following information a recently evicted tenant started the fire. DPD’s Arson Car 805 responded.

Dispatch Audio

Companies on scene: Engines 46 50 58 60 Ladders 20/23 Squads 3/4/6 Battalion Chief’s 9/8 Senior Chief 203 Arson Car 805 DEMS

Mayfield & Chalmers-Fatal Firebombing

Detroit Fire responded to reports of an occupied dwelling fire @ Mayfield & Chalmers early Thursday morning @ 2:30AM. Upon arrival companies found the dwelling fully involved and ordered a defensive posture. Unfortunately a 41 year old father lost his life in this fire, reportedly started when an unknown person threw a firebomb into the dwelling. Arson Car 805 & 810 responded to the fire scene. The structure collapsed during the fire.

Dispatch Audio

Companies on scene: Engines 56 44 Ladder 20 Squad 2 Battalion Chief 8 Arson Cars 805/810 DEMS

Beaverland & Tireman – Arson – 3:30AM

Detroit Fire responded to Beaverland & Tireman on reports of an occupied structure fire at around 3:30AM. Battalion Chief 2 requested arson to scene.

Dispatch Audio

Companies on scene: Engines 53 55 57 Ladder 27 Squad 1 Battalion Chief 2 DEMS.

Gratiot & Knodell – Commercial – 4:00AM

Detroit Fire responded to Gratiot & Knodell on reports of an occupied commercial building fire @ around 4:00AM.

Dispatch Audio

Companies on scene: Engines 46 41 52 32 Ladders 31/6 Squads 6/5/4 Chief 9 DEMS

Detroit Fire Department 1927 Packard Ambulance Restored

March 4, 2019 By Motor City 911

STERLING, Virginia (NBC Washington) – An ambulance thought lost to history has been resurrected thanks to the passion of one local man and a team of experts at Sterling Hot Rods.

The one-of-a-kind Packard ambulance was first donated to the Detroit Fire Department back in 1927 by a local philanthropist, where it was used for about 30 years. Many assumed the ambulance was scrapped after it outlived its usefulness.

But in 1974, Brant “Doc” Vitek discovered the rusted ambulance at a Pennsylvania car show for $2,000.

He bought it, always expecting to bring back the vehicle’s grandeur, but the ambulance languished for another half-century.

Finally, Vitek found some help in 2016.

After three years of work, Sterling Hot Rods helped refurbish the ambulance — and they even made it driveable.

Tom Sweeten, who helped lead the repair process, was emotional thinking about how happy the project made Vitek.

I’ll never forget when I first started and the smile on his face,” Sweeten told News4. “He was a really happy guy.”

Despite years of disuse, the ambulance still has its original fenders, wheels, bumpers, steering wheel, dashboard and more.

Retired Detroit firefighter Cheryl Fox now tracks the history of the department, and she was shocked to find out the ambulance still exists.

“I was literally jumping up and down like a kid I was so excited,” Fox said. “It’s such a unique piece of Detroit fire history.”

Vitek plans to take the ambulance to car shows now that it’s running again.

As for how much it cost?

“I wouldn’t want to say because my wife is probably gonna see this,” he said