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Welcome!

Greater Houston Fire Buffs is a organization of individuals with a common interest in the Fire Department and Fire/EMS activities throughout the Houston area. Membership is $12 paid annually. The group meets every other month, usually on a Saturday. Fire photos and descriptions are emailed out on a regular basis; and the end of year Houston FD Multiple-Alarm Report is also sent to current members.

I.F.B.A. 2010 Region 5 Meeting

The I.F.B.A. Region 5 meeting will be in held in Houston, TX from March 26 - 28. Additional information and registration form is availble in the document linked here: 2010 I.F.B.A Region 5 Meeting Announcment

I.F.B.A. 2009 Convention Report

Members Charlie Womack, Tom McDonald, and Wally Banks represented GHFB at the 57th annual IFBA Convention held August 11-15, 2009 in Washington D.C. Wally holds dual membership with his hometown club, Box 4, in Dallas as well.

The weather cooperated for the most part in D.C. as approximately 150 attendees enjoyed four days of tours, fellowship, seminars, and fine meals arranged by the host club, The Friendship Fire Association of D.C. Convention coordinators Vito Maggiolo, Walter Gold, and Chris Oliphant did a wonderful job planning and executing the show.

The opening ceremonies were held Wednesday at the host hotel, The Liaison, just two blocks north of the capital. That evening, a Potomac River cruise and seafood dinner at the waterside Phillips Restaurant made for a wonderful time. Attendees headed to the DCFD academy on Thursday where the entire day was spent observing area apparatus and D.C. firefighter trainees conducting live fire demonstrations. On Friday, tour buses took attendees to Alexandria, VA to see what is probably the oldest fire museum in the country. That evening, the buses stopped at the famous Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad where an excellent dinner was served and the rescue apparatus pulled out for display. Five one-hour-long educational seminars made up most of Saturday's program, but, that evening, the annual awards banquet was extra special.

Legendary journalist and fire buff Hal Bruno was presented with the 43rd annual Henry Wilwers Fire Buff of the Year Award. Bruno, the former political director for ABC News, long-time columnist for Firehouse Magazine, as well as a volunteer firefighter himself over the years, was presented the award by Phil Reid, the IFBA Award Chairman. The Fire Chief of the District of Columbia, Dennis Rubin, was also on hand to help present the award. Bruno, confined to a wheel chair, gave a heartfelt thanks to a standing ovation.

The IFBA convention in 2010 will be held September 22-25 in Nashville, TN, hosted by the Box 55 Association. The IFBA's new President, Ron Huff, will be coordinating what will surely be a wonderful event.

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Members of the Texas delegation at the convention's closing banquet. Top row (L-R): Evelyn Banks, Charlie Womack, Tom McDonald, and Darrell Scott. Bottom row: Wally Banks, Pat Kempe, and Bill Kempe. Wally Banks was sworn in as the new Region 5 (LA & TX) Vice President at the closing banquet.









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Washington political journalist and life-long fire buff Hal Bruno is awarded the 43rd annual Henry Wilwers Fire Buff of the Year Award on the convention's last night by IFBA Award Committee Chair Phil Reid as the District of Columbia's Fire Chief Dennis Rubin looks on, right.











GHFB Members Have Cover Article in August Firehouse

GHFB members Brandon Jacob and Tom McDonald have seen their frequent contributions to Firehouse magazine appear once again, this time on the cover of the August 2009 edition and in a five-page article inside about the 4-alarm fire on May 21 at the Gallery Furniture warehouse at 6006 North Freeway.

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Jacob's spectacular cover shot shows the crew of Ladder 74-B setting up a ladder pipe on the New Haven Street side of the fire about thirty minutes into the incident. A panoramic view of the same scene just minutes before forms the opening spread of the article on Page 90. "The Firehouse people did a wonderful job joining two of my shots together in what looks like a single panoramic photo," said Jacob.

For McDonald, this was his ninth article in the magazine, and his third collaboration with Jacob. Their last work together appeared in the June 2007 Firehouse, again with a cover shot by Jacob. In that photo, HFD firefighters are shown rescuing occupants of a mid-rise atrium office building that was destroyed in an arson fire on March 28 of that year killing three workers.

Jacob is a Houston CPA and firefighter with the Houston VFD. McDonald retired in 2008 as a Senior Captain on Ladder 59 after a 26-year career with the HFD. More of Jacob's photos can be found on his web site at www.fouralarmphotos.com. McDonald says his web site is "under construction" (and he's been saying that for 15 years).



Images from Harlow/Hobbs Memorial Service, April 16, 2009

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The members of the Houston Fire Department (HFD) are mourning the loss of two of their own at a tragic Easter morning house fire. Captain James Harlow and Firefighter Damion Hobbs, both assigned to Fire Station 26 in southeast Houston, were killed shortly after midnight on Sunday, April 12, 2009.







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A McKinney, Texas firefighter wipes his brow as the procession honoring Capt. James Harlow and Firefighter Damion Hobbs passes. That department brought an engine and crew almost 300 miles to the memorial service on April 16, 2009.









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Thousands of firefighters from all across Texas, many parts of the country, and even some from other countries filled the huge sanctuary of Grace Community Church on I-45 South.









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Closed-circuit television images on two huge screens inside the church gave everyone in attendance a front-row view of the emotional service. In the TV image, fellow Station 26 firefighters District Chief Albert Escamilla and Senior Captain Mike Davis console Mrs. James Harlow.









 

Recent Photos

  • Finchwood - 03/05/10
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    HFD firefighters stretch hoselines into a two-story residence on the southwest side where five victims -- three children and two adults -- were rescued from the house and taken to local hospitals. The 1-11 fire at Finchwood & Concourse appeared to have started in the garage area, and two automobiles parked in the driveway were fully engulfed. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and the condition of the victims has not been released. -- Tom McDonald
  • Northwood - 03/04/10
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    Houston FD crews worked for about 45 minutes to free a female driver of an SUV that crashed head-on into a tree about 5:30 AM at Northwood & Gardner on the city's near north side. She was transported to the hospital with multiple injuries. The extrication was conducted by "B" shift crews from Tower 6, Heavy Rescue 11, and Rescue 42. -- Tom McDonald
  • Smith - 03/04/10
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    Downtown firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a former house converted to an office at 2405 Smith St. before dawn. The fire got in the walls of the building and took about 45 minutes to control. -- Tom McDonald
  • Homestead - 02/27/10
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    A vacant building at 11,924 Homestead Road & Winfield Rd. in unincorporated northeast Harris County, Texas went up in flames around 3 AM. The Eastex VFD had primary jurisdiction for the 100 x 300 ft., one-story commercial property, but about ten other FDs responded on mutual aid, including Houston, which sent a full first alarm assignment. Shown here, flames blow out of the store front while four aerial master streams are trained on the fire, three from HFD and one from the Westfield VFD. Half of the structure was destroyed. -- Tom McDonald
  • Milam - 02/15/10
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    Firefighters from HFD Tower 6 remove a ladder for use at a 2-11 fire at Milam & Francis on Feb. 15, 2010. The popular Mai's Vietnamese Restaurant was destroyed by the pre-lunchtime fire which spread from the kitchen to the attic and second floor. -- Tom McDonald
  • Sherman - 02/12/10
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    An old two-story apartment building on Sherman & Lenox, east of downtown, went up in flames around 1 PM. The fire quickly went to 2 alarms, but when an HFD firefighter issued a Mayday call several minutes later, a 3-11 was dispatched, per HFD policy, bringing a total of more than 100 firefighters to the scene. The member was rescued from a second-floor window shortly after the Mayday. -- Tom McDonald
  • Memorial - 02/12/10
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    HFD firefighters were called to assist the Village FD on a house fire at 10,938 Memorial Dr. around 3:30 AM. The Village FD is the only FD to which Houston routinely provides automatic aid, and vice versa. However, this particular morning, the VFD was at another house fire when this one came in, so HFD ended up arriving first to find the large home fully engulfed, but the residents were all safely outside, including a baby. -- Tom McDonald
  • West Montgomery - 02/04/10
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    HFD District 77 Chief Pete Rouse, beside another firefighter, coordinates the "C" Division of a defensive-mode 2-11 fire at West Montgomery Road and Dolly Wright in far northwest Houston around 10 PM. The large building, a former store converted to a church, was destroyed. -- Tom McDonald
  • Tangley - 01/31/10
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    HFD truck crews from Stations 16 and 33 work to ventilate a heavily involved apartment building at 2415 Tangley near Rice University. The fire was reported about 8:30 AM and heavily damaged 3 units. HFD summoned a 1-11 alarm bringing 5 engines, 3 trucks, and numerous chief and support units. -- Stephen Lasley
  • Stella Link - 01/26/10
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    Southwest Houston firefighters arrived at this occupied apartment complex on Stella Link near South Loop 610 about 3 AM to find heavy fire blowing out of the office, and two second-floor units, with the blaze running through a common pitched-roof attic. After pulling 3 alarms, they were able to contain the fire to about 12 units. This photo shows first-arriving crews attempting to knock down the large body of fire that greeted them. -- Tom McDonald
  • Katy Freeway - 01/18/10
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    Houston fire fighters used multiple aerial streams and ground multiversals to suppress quickly a fully involved building at a west-Houston car dealership. The 2-11 fire broke out just before 3 PM on January 18, 2010 at Katy Freeway & N. Kirkwood in a building that was formerly a car showroom, but used lately as a parts warehouse. -- Brandon Jacob
  • Beverly Hills - 01/03/10
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    HFD crews work to extinguish a three alarm fire in a printing warehouse that started around 10:15 PM at Beverly Hills and Bering Drive. The blaze consumed the entire warehouse and lasted for over two hours before the fire was under control. -- Stephen Lasley