Hanging Around: Kirkwood Area, Other Firefighters Train on Ropes

The Clayton Fire Department hosted the training last week.

A fire in a high rise building is a rare occurrence, but area firefighters spent last week training for just such an occasion.  The Clayton Fire Department hosted a high angle rope rescue class for firefighters from Clayton, Brentwood, Crestwood, Frontenac, Kirkwood, Maplewood, University City and St. Louis City. The firefighters learned how to rescue people from high places using rescue ropes. The training included mock drills on how to get people up and down narrow spaces, like elevator shafts.  Join Kirkwood Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Kirkwood's Texas Roadhouse Back Open Monday After Fire Sunday

No one was injured in the fire that closed the restaurant late Sunday morning.

Kirkwood's Texas Roadhouse is open for regular business hours Monday after a fire left smoke and water damage at the restaurant Sunday morning.  READ: Texas Roadhouse Shuttered by Fire on Mother's Day; May Open Monday No one was injured in Sunday's fire, which was extinguished even before business hours, according to reports from Patch news partner FOX2 News. Potential customers were given vouchers for free appetizers after the restaurant had to keep its doors closed Mother's Day, a planned busy business day. Monday's hours at Texas Roadhouse are 4 to 10 p.m.

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Kirkwood Fire Adds Emergency Medical Dispatching

Emergency medical dispatching starts with a series of questions from dispatchers called “Structured Call Taking.”

Kirkwood Firefighters Assist in Chlorine Leak

Hazardous material technicians responded to a water treatment plant after employees noticed a green haze.

The following information was provided by Kirkwood Fire Chief Thomas Openlander. At midnight on Monday December 31, Kirkwood Fire Department hazardous material technicians were dispatched as part of a Haz-Mat Task Force to assist the Monarch Fire Protection District on a chlorine leak at the Missouri American Water Plant at 901 Hog Hollow Road in Chesterfield. Technical Decon Unit HM-15 and Mini-Pumper 1539 from Kirkwood Fire Station 3, along with three hazardous material technicians and Command Officer 1502 from the Kirkwood Fire Department responded. The Kirkwood units arrived on scene and were advised to set up next to Haz Mat Response Unit HM-23 from the Creve Coeur Fire Protection District. Missouri American personnel at the plant …

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UPDATE: Kirkwood Fire Ruled Suspicious

A garage fire that lasted from 1-3 a.m. Tuesday is under investigation.

A fire that destroyed the detached garage of a Kirkwood home Tuesday morning has been ruled suspicious, according to Kirkwood Fire Chief Thomas Openlander. Firefighters worked from 1-3 a.m. Tuesday to put out the blaze at 424 Monroe Place. "The cause of the fire is undetermined, but ruled suspicious because there was no electric or gas service to the garage to serve as an ignition source for the fire," Openlander told Patch in an email Tuesday. The owners of 424 Monroe Place were at home at the time of the fire, but no one was injured as a result of the incident. The fire remains under investigation. PREVIOUS STORY: Firefighters Battle Early Morning Blaze in Kirkwood

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Kirkwood Fire Combats Drug Shortage

A sedative used in emergency situations is hard to come by this month, but the Kirkwood Fire Department has found a solution.

Deputy Fire Chief of Emergency Medical Services David Smith is in a perpetual race to secure needed drugs for Kirkwood Fire Department trucks.  "I call three times a week...and constantly keep an ear out when shipments come in," he said. Drugs go fast as fire departments and hospitals across the region rush to stock up. At the moment, Kirkwood fire is short on etomidate, an injectable drug used to induce general anesthesia. "We use the medication to sedate people who have airway problems and are fighting us. It helps us gain control," he said, adding the department also uses it in extreme cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). But Kirkwood fire finds innovative ways to work around drug shortages with the help of Medical …

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CITY: Watering During Drought Could Up Bills and Hurt Firefighters

If you water your lawn constantly, expect lower pressure, higher bills and knowing that you could be draining firefighters of essential supplies.

The following article was submitted by the City of Kirkwood. The City of Kirkwood, which operates its own water utility company providing water service to its residents, asks residents to take care and to use restraint in watering outdoor lawns and gardens during the current heat wave. There is no way to know how long the region’s current drought-like conditions will continue.  It is critical for public safety that water storage tanks remain full for firefighting needs. Typically, grass watering drops significantly when customers realize the futility of trying to maintain a green lawn in the middle of a heat spell. Additionally, many residents may begin to see lower water pressure and higher-than-normal water bills if outdoor watering …

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Ron G.

2:42 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

Great questions. I recv'd a 'robocall' today from the city, asking we stop watering LAWNS...but nothing about flowers or shrubs....I certainly don't want to lose them either and a slow drip for a tree or shrub uses little water and is recommended in this drought...   more ›

Hockey Players to be Recognized for Life-saving Action

Three hockey players jumped into action during a game at the Kirkwood Ice Rink to help save the life of a fellow player who went into cardiac arrest.

The Kirkwood City Council will recognize a group of hockey players whose prompt and decisive action saved the life of a fellow player during a game at the Kirkwood Ice Rink. The Jaguars and the Renegades, of the Hockey North America League, were playing at the rink Nov. 14 when the Renegade's goaltender, Stephen Spiros, collapsed at 10:14 p.m., according to a statement from the City of Kirkwood. Ice rink manager Mike Krafft quickly called 911. Brian Robinson, of the  Jaguars, performed CPR on the victim while Craig Merrifield, of the Renegades, retrieved a public access AED machine (automatic external defibrillator). Don Guenther, of the Jaguars and who was trained in using an AED, applied the device. Following audio instructions from the …

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Police Clarify Dubray Court Fire in Kirkwood

A fire bomb was not involved in a blaze in Kirkwood Tuesday morning, police say.

A fire bomb was not involved in a blaze Tuesday morning at a home in the 1200 block of Dubray Court in Kirkwood, the Kirkwood Police Department says in a statement released Tuesday. The statement follows reports by local media that the Kirkwood Police Department was investigating a fire-bombing at the Kirkwood home. This is not the case, according to the statement. Kirkwood police are investigating a gas can that was set on fire during the early morning hours of Tuesday, the statement says. The fire did not result in damage to any structures or vehicles, and no injuries were reported by citizens or firefighters who put out the blaze, police say. The investigation is ongoing.

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