Firefighters Cut Up Wrong Car During Drill!!

[sconfire]

I found this and thought I would share...

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Firefighters Cut Up Wrong Car During Drill
Man Finds Car Missing Roof, Doors

FRAMINGHAM,MA: Imagine this driver's surprise.

Firefighters in Framingham, Mass., who were practicing with the Jaws of Life ended up making a big mistake -- by cutting up the wrong car.

It all started Friday, when Antonio Rocha parked his car behind the Fire Department's headquarters -- right next to two other cars that firefighters planned to use for their drill.

Firefighters never gave it a second thought.

When Rocha returned, he found his 1998 Honda Accord minus a roof and doors.

Firefighters learned of the mistake when the employee of a nearby body shop called the fire chief to tell them a man had come by complaining his car had been cut up.
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I AM LAUGHING MY ***** OFF!!!!!! I guess it could happen to the best of us!

[5pts384]

OOOOOPS

[Adze39]

I guess that guy learned his lesson about trying to find "free parking" at a fire station.

[mdffemt]

Sir uh Sir you can't park there. Bets on him ever parking within a mile of a fire dept again.

[SFDAJL52]

When Rocha returned, he found his 1998 Honda Accord minus a roof and doors.

He should be thankful to the fire department for giving him that convertable he's always wanted.

[hwoods]

Happened in a Northern Virginia county some years back, too. (I was told which county, and I would mention it here, but I don't know how to spell Fairfax)I guess it's kinda like burning the wrong house for training......(Of course, THAT never happened to anyone)...Stay Safe....

[Engine101]

Gosh I wish I could of seen the look on his face when he saw his car, Although I don't think I would of wanted to see the look on the Chief's face after finding out about it
Good thing it wasn't the Chief's car

[PAVolunteer]

Obviously, they shouldn't have been parked there. But, didn't anyone ever think to ask why they were cutting a car that was only 4 years old?

Stay Safe

[Adze39]

*in Hanz & Franz voice* Cut now, ask questions later!

[Dalmatian90]

And, what you've all been waiting for, the photos:



KO'd car actually an '86 model: Man's Honda Accord was accidentally used in Jaws of Life drill

By Kit Kadlec / CNC staff writer
Monday, November 11, 2002

FRAMINGHAM - A case of mistaken car identity has touched off a flurry of criticism, but firefighters say the facts show it was almost impossible to tell the difference between a Honda left by a resident and a Honda left by junkyard owners.

The firefighters mistakenly demolished a car parked behind their property off Irving Street Friday morning because they assumed it was sent for use in their rescue drills.

In practicing their response to an emergency in which they remove the top of a car with the Jaws of Life hydraulic cutting tool, they left a local man's black 1986 Honda Accord windowless and its roof and doors detached.

According to police, Antonio Rocha, 32, parked his car in the lot next to two other cars belonging to the Fire Department, then walked over to the Adesa car auction on Western Avenue. Rocha, who has a Framingham address, couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.

Police said when Rocha returned to his newly destroyed vehicle, he walked across the street to Tofani Coachworks Inc., an auto repair shop, and a worker notified police.

The property where the three cars were parked belongs to MCI-Framingham, the state prison for women, according to Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Barbieri. There are no markings on the property other than a street sign indicating the dirt road as Robert E. Byrne Drive.

"We usually leave cars there for training purposes because our quarters are so tight," Barbieri said.

He said he had received dozens of calls from residents angered by earlier reports that the car was a 1998 model, and thus seemingly hard to confuse for junk.

Police on Saturday told a News reporter the car was a 1998 Accord.

Rocha's vehicle, being 16 years old and having faded paint on its front hood, was easily mistaken as one from a junkyard, Barbieri said.

Rocha had parked next to another Honda Accord, which was red and had no year identification in view, and a white Toyota Corolla.

Rocha's car was the only one of the three that was operable before the Friday morning drill, and the only one firefighters used for practice. It was parked closest to the street.

All three cars were still on the small slice of state property yesterday afternoon. The red Honda had its rear bumper sitting in the front seat and its front window was smashed. The white Toyota had one of its front wheels badly smashed, making it impossible to drive.

Kelley's Blue Book lists on its Web site that a 1986 Accord sedan, if in fair condition, with 100,000 miles, could be valued at $1,300.

[rcrompm46]

OOPS!!!!!!

I love it. And even better it was the only car of the 3 they cut up.

One of the two best parts of backdraft is when the car is setting in front of the hydrant and the pass the LDH through the windows.

Too bad there are not pictures or video of the guys reaction.

[CALFFBOU]

Originally posted by PA Volunteer
But, didn't anyone ever think to ask why they
were cutting a car that was only 4 years old?

PA...We finally agree on something. As a Firefighter,
I would hope they would have thought a couple of
seconds and atleasted asked someone. (Would have cost,
a whole wopping 5 minutes???)



PS- Long live the quint...

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Framingham is the next town over from us...and calling it a town is a misnomer...while it has a town meeting form of government, it is actually a city...a population of 70K+, everything from housing projects to multimillion dollar homes, a large retail area (Route 9) and all kinds of industry.

As far as the "convertible"...a little note on the facility holding the auction.

Adessa is a automotive auction company. Every Friday, there is a huge auction of used vehicles. Adessa is housed in the former General Motors Assembly plant (they used to build Buick Centurys and Oldsmobile Cieras there, my father in law retired from GM Framingham) The building itself covers 27 acres..the site is 110 acres.

Now ask yourself a couple of questions...with 83 acres of open space, why didn't the owner of the Honda (which was a 1986 Accord, not a 1998 as stated in the article..the MetroWest Daily News printed the corrected story on the car this morning, on Page 1 no less!) park there instead of behind Framingham Fire HQ and walking the 1/3 of a mile distance?

Why did he park his "poop" box in the training area (which is state property) next to the two wrecks?

Why did he go to a nearby auto body shop to ask about his car instead of the Framingham firefighters (the station is manned 24/7)

Something seems really fishy to me...it sounds like someone is trying to get a free car out of the Framingham FD!

PS: the Kelly Blue Book value of a 1986 Accord in good condition is only $1300..from thje description of the car, this thing was probably worth more as scrap.

[Adze39]

Originally posted by CALFFBOU
[B]

PA...We finally agree on something. As a Firefighter,
I would hope they would have thought a couple of
seconds and atleasted asked someone. (Would have cost,
a whole wopping 5 minutes???)

Brett, read the article Dal posted. It wasn't a 4 year old car but a 16 year old car. I'm sure its a mistake that most departments would have done.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Not for nothing, but...

We beat up departments like Lairdsville for poor decisions and management during training operations regularly. Doesn't this incident point up the same types of supervision and management questions? Are you telling me that the FFD just goes out and cuts up any car parked near the training area?

I would think that someone would have performed some sort of safety inspection on the vehicles to be used in the training exercise...remove all fluids, DC the battery, drill the pnuematic shocks on the bumpers, etc. If that happened, shouldn't someone in charge have realized that this car was not "prepared" for the drill?

Seems like you guys might be jumping on the "blame the victim bandwagon a little too quickly.

PS: No, this is not the same as Lairdsville. But there is a similar lack of managerial leadership during training exercises.

[Bones42]

The property where the three cars were parked belongs to MCI-Framingham, the state prison for women, according to Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Barbieri. There are no markings on the property other than a street sign indicating the dirt road as Robert E. Byrne Drive.

If it's FD property, why would there not be any markings of any type? Sounds to me like the guy say other cars parked there, with no markings of any type, and figured it was safe to park there. I also agree with George, why would no one check to make sure the car is "prepared". I know it's a first step we take when doing similar drills.

[PAVolunteer]

Originally posted by Adze39
read the article Dal posted. It wasn't a 4 year old car but a 16 year old car. I'm sure its a mistake that most departments would have done.

Finding out that it was a 1986 Accord certainly makes it a little more understandable. Unfortunately, it sounds like simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Should the FD have investigated more? Probably. Will they next time? You can bet your 1986 (or 1998) Honda Accord on it!

In the meantime, what do they do about this permanent convertible? I'm glad I don't have to make the decision.

And CALFFBOU - you had to throw in the quint comment, didn't you?

Stay Safe

[CALFFBOU]

Adze and PA, I saw the updates. I see it is a
1986 car and the the poor department got slammed
with phone calls as well.

Getting the big picture on this and not being
their, it is basiclly hard to get the pulse
on the whole this now. After wondering why
the guy parked near some other wrekers.


PA...har-har..you love the quint...

[cdevoe]

Seems to me that somebody should have seen the plates on the car. Wouldn't that be a dead give away.

[bfcf623]

Not every vehicle destroyed in extrication training is a visual junker. I have had the pleasure to help rip apart operating vehicles that were donated. I thought "Why are they getting rid of this?". The solution for the future is to mark the cars to identify them in some way. Just for the record I agree with Captain Gonzo, this does not add up.