Most Read, Most Important

Perhaps starved for a well done, action packed movie about firefighters, the stories of the filming of Ladder 49 in Baltimore this spring and summer, drew a lot of interest.

Starring John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix, the movie was filmed in city locations including a rejuvenated firehouse and blazing abandon warehouses. Producers heavily involved consultants from the Baltimore FD to assure accuracy, and both Travolta and Phoenix went through good portions of the training academy which Phoenix followed up by riding calls with Ladder 10.

Ladder 49 also drew hundreds of firefighters to the production. Casting calls posted on Firehouse.com drew hundreds of firefighters hoping to become extras for scenes throughout the film. It worked. One day of shooting on the city streets involved scores of department honor guards, which came from across the nation to stand at attention for hours while scenes were shot and re-shot. The movie is to be released in the fall of 2004.

Ladder 49 Crew Blazes into Baltimore

Renovations Start on Historic 'Ladder 49' Station As Actors Begin Fire Training

Travolta to Star in Blockbuster Firefighter Movie

Portraying Firefighters, Blazes Accurately Key for Ladder 49 Crew

PhotoStory:Ladder 49: First Weeks of Filming Intense

In February, the West Warwick, Rhode Island Fire Department received a call from the police department that there was a significant fire at "The Station" bar and club. Hundreds were in the club listening to a live band that used pyrotechnics in their act. They rushed to the exits when flammable wall material caught on fire. Scores died quickly and the eventual toll reached 100.

Questions of fire inspections and the laws governing the use fire inside buildings were immediately brought forward. Lawyers and legislators got involved in the discussions that covered entertainment venues and even restaurants, across the nation. Lawsuits were brought and criminal charges have been placed against bar owners and band members. The incident will no doubt serve as impetus for fire code changes similar to those generated from the fatal dorm fire at Seton Hall University in New Jersey several years ago.

PhotoStory:Harrowing Inferno, Heroic Rescues on Arrival

First Hand Accounts of Responders Told of Tragedy, Heroism and Horror

First-In: Heroic Rescues
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Death Toll Rises to 97

At Least 96 Dead in Inferno

Rescuers Struggle with Horror

Fire, Smoke Turns Club Into Hell

IBS Scene SlideShow

ABC: The Fire Starts

WJAR Video Feedroom

Story Five - Massachusetts Firefighter Missing, Killed in Farmhouse Fire Read the Full Story Here Goldfeder Commentary: Poorly Timed Priorities Lamb Editorial: Are Buildings More Important Than Us Slideshow: Funeral for Mass. Firefighter Killed in Farmhouse Fire Other Line of Duty deaths captured the attention of the world's bravest in 2003, here are the most read 2003 stories about our fallen heroes: Firefighter Charged with Homicide by Vehicle in Teen Fire Explorer's Death Mass. Firefighter Missing, Killed in Farmhouse Fire Firefighters Pay Tribute To Two Killed in Ohio Silo Explosion Cincinnati Mourns Fallen Firefighter Texas Firefighter Killed As Fire Surrounds Crew OSHA Fines Ore. Fire Department $50K in Fire That Claimed Three Firefighters Mower Accident Claims Illinois Firefighter Pa. Firefighter Killed in Reported Collapse at Fire Quebec Firefighter Ejected, Killed in Crash While Responding Two Memphis Firefighters Lost After Being Trapped in Mall Fire Racine, West Virginia Firefighter Killed In Truck-Related Backing Accident View All 2003 LODDS Again, the number of Line of Duty Deaths has surpassed 100 for the year. Stories of these incidents, where lives of the Bravest are lost, are very important to our readers both in the sorrow felt for fellow comrades and also the issues that surround the death. The first on January 8, was Firefighter Lattie F. Collins, III, Donalsonville Fire Department who died heading to the station in response to a motor vehicle accident alarm call when his personal vehicle was struck in an intersection. There were several incident this year that took the lives of at least two firefighters. In June, Memphis FD Lieutenant Trent Kirk and Private Charles Zachary died from injuries received when he became trapped inside of a burning Family Dollar store. The fire was determined to be a case of arson. US Forest Service Firefighters Jeff Allen and Shane Heath were killed in July when fast moving flames on the Cramer Fire in the Salmon - Challis National Forest, trapped them. And also in July, BIA Fire Management Pilot Jess Pearce and Firefighter Randall Bonito, Jr., were both killed when their helicopter crashed while taking firefighters from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to begin an initial attack on a fire in the Aspen Ridge area of Arizona. Wildfires took the lives of several who were fighting them. New Bremen German Township Fire Department, Ohio, Firefighters Kenneth Jutte and John Garman were killed when while hosing down dust in a lumber company silo in an effort to avoid an explosion. One occurred, killing them and injuring others. Wildfire contractor First Strike Environmental of Oregon lost eight firefighters on their way home from fighting a wildfire in South Fork, Idaho when their van collided with a tractor-trailer and exploded in flames, killing all inside and injuring the two people in the semi-trailer in August. Story Six - 2003 FireAct Grants Help Many Departments It was another year of grant writing by thousands of departments in hopes of snaring some cash for their multiple needs, and then waiting for the phone to ring. The last round in 2003 brought the total for this grant year to nearly 7300 fire departments and over $564 million. There is still about $140 million to distribute in the grant program and then the applications for over $700 million in the next program will begin. Data Released On 2003 Grant Apps | View List of 2003 Recipients Story Seven - 2003 Emergency Vehicle Accidents The loss of apparatus in accidents is a well-read problem area. This year there were some interesting incidents that luckily cost few lives. In another related area, the Detroit News newspaper did a series on the safety of ambulances during transport that garnered federal interest. >> Detroit News - Unsafe Saviors Among the Most Read: FDNY Fire Truck Crashes Into Brooklyn Building Pierce Truck Destroyed In Colorado Crash Ohio Engine Destroyed by Tractor Trailer Rescue Squad Responds to Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Ambulance Rollover Story Eight - Port Authority Transcripts of 9/11 Communication & WTC Design Proposals Two full years after 9/11, the haunting images emerged as the Port Authority released 2,000 pages of transcripts from emergency calls and radio transmissions. They provide a fierce first glimpse behind the scenes in the moments after the deadliest terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, New York City, in U.S. history. View 9/11 Port Authority Transcripts In a related area, the memorial to be located on the footprint of the World Trade Center remains a question. Eight designs have been chosen as finalists, but groups differ on what the final sacred place should look like. Dennis Smith: WTC: Memorials Without a Memory Design Proposals For WTC Memorial To Be Unveiled Wednesday Morning View Design Proposals Story Nine - Pennsylvania Fire Department Quits Pennsylvania Fire Department Quits Story Ten - Firehouse Dolls Too Risqu