Ray Burney has been promoted to battalion chief in the Oak Ridge Fire Department.
Burney, who has recently served as an Oak Ridge Fire Department captain, takes on the new role following Eric Rackard’s promotion to fire marshal last month, the city said in a press release.
Burney will be battalion chief of the ORFD’s A Shift.
“I truly do appreciate Chief (Travis) Solomon for giving me this opportunity in my career, and I look forward to working with everyone,†Burney said.
[Read more…]
A wildfire burned about 18 acres of federal land in west Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 2017. The fire was on the Oak Ridge Reservation, U.S. Department of Energy land, south of Whippoorwill Drive and west of Wisconsin Avenue, in the area below (to the left of) the water tower pictured above. Smoke from the fire is visible near the water tower. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
A wildfire burned about 18 acres of federal land in west Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon.
The fire was reported on the Oak Ridge Reservation, U.S. Department of Energy land, at about 12:27 p.m. Saturday. It was west of Wisconsin Avenue and south of Whippoorwill Drive.
Firefighters initially reported it as about a five-acre fire in a cut between two ridges, said Ray Burney, Oak Ridge Fire Department captain. There is a trail down there, Burney said.
The fire was below East Ridge Boundary Road near a water tower in west Oak Ridge. It emitted smoke that could be seen hanging over neighborhood streets and above the trees from several miles away.
At about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oak Ridge Fire Department crews were cutting fire lines with hand rakes, Burney said. To contain fires, firefighters rake down to the dirt in a containment line that is about three to four feet wide. [Read more…]
A woman and three children evacuated and no one was injured in a kitchen fire on Jefferson Avenue on Sunday, June 19, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
A woman and three children evacuated and no one was injured during a kitchen fire on Jefferson Avenue on Sunday, authorities said.
The fire was reported at about 1:27 p.m. Sunday. It was believed to be the result of unattended cooking, authorities said.
Oak Ridge Fire Department Captain Ray Burney said the fire was contained to the kitchen. It burned cabinets, the stove, and the ceiling area, Burney said. There was also smoke damage in the house. [Read more…]
No one was injured when a Buick LeSabre crashed into the laundry room of a home at 104 Everest Circle at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 26, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Two vehicles hit two homes in Oak Ridge in the past week, and one car crashed into a brick landscaping wall at the new drive-through at ORNL Federal Credit Union.
In the most recent crash, a four-door Buick LeSabre crashed into the laundry room of a home at 104 Everest Circle at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
No one was in the laundry room at the time, and no one was injured, authorities said. A dog and cat in the house were also reported to be okay, according to a neighbor.
The cause of the single-vehicle crash had not been determined. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge firefighters check apartments at Rolling Hills Apartments after a carbon monoxide leak was found in one building on Tuesday night, Dec. 15, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was updated at 10:05 a.m.
A three-story apartment building was evacuated and a 56-year-old woman was taken to the hospital after firefighters found a carbon monoxide leak in a boiler in the basement of the building on Tuesday night.
The cause of the leak in the boiler on Vanderbilt Drive wasn’t immediately clear. The boiler is used to heat water in that building, and it won’t be used again until it’s repaired and re-inspected, authorities said.
At about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Oak Ridge Fire Department received a call that a woman who lives directly above the boiler at Rolling Hills Apartments was dizzy and throwing up. Her father, who uses oxygen, told ORFD Captain Ray Burney that the family’s dog was “acting funny.” [Read more…]
Linda Bridges has a hug for co-worker Michael Beehan, who started CPR when she experienced cardiac arrest. (Submitted photo)
Linda Bridges has returned to her desk at MS Technology Inc. after a four-month absence.
To Kurt Oschman, MSTI president and chief executive officer, that is a miracle resulting from the training and collaboration of her co-workers and the first responders from the Oak Ridge Fire Department who saved her life.
The story of Bridges’ miracle began Feb. 25, when she collapsed at her desk. Co-workers quickly called 911, and two co-workers began assessing her vital signs. At one point, she had stopped breathing and had no pulse.
“With excellent collaboration on decisions about appropriate first aid for Linda’s condition, Michael Beehan began administering CPR, with Karen Hamilton providing on-the-ground assistance,†Oschman wrote in the company’s recent newsletter. The two determined that Bridges needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and then Hamilton continued to check Bridges’ vital signs as Beehan provided CPR. [Read more…]
