Investigators don’t yet know whether the incidents are related. The fire did about $20,000 in damage, and arson is suspected, according to a news release from the Arlington Fire Department.

Vandals also cut some copper tubing. Members said they believe the vandals thought the tubing was for natural gas, but as it turns out, the tubes were water lines.
Read article here.

The pitching legend visited William Tyler Morris, 25, of Rio Vista on Wednesday afternoon as he recuperated at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth from what has been described by his family and the team as a fractured skull and a sprained ankle. He was injured Tuesday night while watching the Rangers play the Cleveland Indians.

Ryan said he was surprised at how well Morris, a Lake Cities firefighter, was doing. Ryan said Morris, whom he described as a “a die-hard Rangers fan and lifelong Rangers fan,” was in good spirits.

“If you think about what happened to him and where he is today, it’s pretty remarkable,” Ryan said. “I think being a firefighter and being in the shape he’s in probably worked in his favor.”

Longtime friend Ben Westcott, 25, a Watauga firefighter who is speaking on behalf of the Morris family, agreed with Ryan’s assessment.

“He’s doing well compared to how he should be doing,” said Westcott, who has known Morris since they were 10 and played baseball together in Johnson County. “He is a really strong-willed person, and I don’t doubt a bit that his stubbornness is helping him through this.”

Morris went to the ballgame with his firefighter buddies. During the fifth inning, a foul ball hit by Nelson Cruz sailed three rows above Morris’ head and caromed back toward the field. Morris lost his balance when he reached for the ball and went over the railing on the club level. He fell onto the ribbon video board on the face of the lower-suites level and somersaulted forward toward the lower bowl, landing in the lap of a couple from the Houston area.

Ryan said Morris told him that he thought he was going to catch the ball.

“He thought it hit off the tip of his fingers, but he didn’t really remember,” Ryan said. “The next thing he knew, he was falling.”

Ryan said Morris remembered that one of his friends tried to grab him and that he tried to grab the friend. The last thing he remembered was hitting the ribbon board and trying to grab the rail.

“He said after that it’s all a blur to him,” Ryan said.

Ryan said club officials met Wednesday morning to discuss the incident.

‘Eyes on the ball’
Westcott, who wasn’t at the game, said he believes that Morris was doing what they were coached to do when they were kids.

“We grew up playing baseball, and the coach always said, ‘Keep your eyes on the ball,’” said Westcott, who grew up in Keene. “From what I get from the guys there was that he wasn’t really paying attention to anything but the ball.”

Besides the fateful ball, the Rangers gave Morris several other items, including a Josh Hamilton bat and a ball signed by Vladimir Guerrero.

“I think he was as thrilled about [receiving the ball] as anything, because he felt like he was going to catch the ball,” Ryan said.

Bouncing off the ribbon board and landing on the couple softened Morris’ fall, said David Stapp, the Arlington Fire Department battalion chief who oversees medical operations at the ballpark.

“It beat falling directly on a seat back or the concrete,” Stapp said. “There’s no way to prove it, but I think the sign and the people below saved his life.”

Stapp said Rangers medics on the level where Morris landed were the first to arrive. Stapp, who did not see the fall, was there within a minute.

“Initially, I thought he was a dead man,” Stapp said. “You don’t fall like that and have a good outcome.”

But Morris was conscious and able to move his arms and legs.

The couple and two other people suffered minor injuries and were treated at the first-aid center at Rangers Ballpark. They declined to be taken to a hospital, according to reports.

Policy review
Ryan said club officials met Wednesday morning to review policies and the height of the railing. Ryan said he was pleased with how the security guards and paramedics responded, and Westcott said Morris felt the same way.

On the day the ballpark opened in 1994, Hollye Minter of Plano fell while posing for a picture after the game. The railing on the upper deck of the home run porch was then raised to 46 inches. Minter sued the Rangers and the architects who designed the stadium.

Ryan said the railing where Morris fell is 30 1/4 inches high, more than the 26 inches called for in the international building code. The railing is 42 inches high at the bottom of the aisles.

“We feel like what we have is adequate,” Ryan said. “We feel like this was strictly an accident. The ballpark, when it was built, was built above specs as far as what is accepted, so we feel good about it.”

Morris, who lives with his wife, Katy, in Rio Vista, served as the best man at Westcott’s wedding, and Westcott did the same for Morris. Westcott said the incident puts what they do as firefighters into perspective from the other side.

“For us to find ourselves in this situation [being hurt and rescued] has kind of put a whole new light on this,” he said. “It’s a whole other side of the coin.”

Westcott says Morris’ days of trying to snag a foul ball might be over.

“I don’t know if we’re going to allow him to do that again,” he said.
__________
By Jeff Wilson in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The fan who fell from the second deck at Rangers Ballpark on Tuesday is listed in fair condition at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. William Tyler Morris, 25, of Rio Vista is a firefighter for Lake Cities Fire Department. A spokesman for the Corinth Fire Department told the Star-Telegram Wednesday afternoon that the Morris family had asked that they not comment on the firefighter.

Morris was responsive to paramedics and had movement in all his extremities after falling an estimated 30 feet from the club level at Rangers Ballpark into the lower level during Tuesday night’s game with the Cleveland Indians.

He was transported to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth after his fall, which occurred during the fifth inning. The game was delayed 16 minutes, and players were taken off the field as emergency personnel treated the fan.
Read entire story here.
__________
Read story from The Dallas Morning News
__________
Read story from WFAA News, Dallas Fortworth

“It was obviously sinking; they were screaming for help,” said Brad Joseph.

“We were on the shore and we heard the kids screaming and waving their hands in the air, and we just ran on our boat and went on out,” added Eric Chinchilla.

They said none of the children aboard the boat had been wearing life jackets.

“We knew we had to get to them reasonably quick,” Joseph said. “The two females further out were obviously not going anywhere; there’s no way they would’ve made it in by themselves.”

“I’m not sure what we’re going to do,” said owner Sunny Graham, who bought the building from UT-Arlington’s Delta Upsilon Foundation in 2006. “The whole purpose of buying the house is to keep its historic integrity, but all of that may be gone now.”

Most of the structure appeared to be damaged by fire, smoke or water, Graham said, watching as water dripped from the ceiling. The cause of the 2 a.m. blaze was still being investigated Monday.
“>Read story here.

There were no word of injuries and investigators are working to determine what caused the fire.

They envision the day that they will don kilts and full Scottish regalia and represent their city and department at memorial holiday events, funerals and stately ceremonies in North Texas and maybe beyond. But it’s still early.

“We’re horrible, dude,” said Billy Hirth, a 17-year firefighter/paramedic and co-founder of the project. “But we’re getting there. We’re better than we were when we started.”

The idea came about last year, the brainchild of Hirth, two fellow members of the Fire Department Honor Guard — firefighter Bryan Friend and Capt. Tom Harvey — and firefighter Steve Pruitt, an experienced bagpiper who has since retired from the department.

They came from different musical backgrounds but respected the sobering sound and tradition of pipe bands during solemn events that the firefighters attended in their honor guard roles. They felt that it was time Arlington had its own pipe band.

“I’ve been to so many different ceremonies and funerals, and we’ve always understood the need for it, the importance of it,” said Harvey, a 27-year firefighter. “We’ve always had the desire to represent ourselves.”

Financial boost
They are following the lead of many North Texas fire departments — including those in Dallas, Lewisville, Mansfield, Grapevine and Plano — that have adopted a pipe band tradition steeped in centuries of military history.

The Arlington band’s recruitment effort started about nine months ago with an e-mail that drew responses from at least a dozen of the department’s 300 firefighters. It got a boost in February when the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant that the corps will use to buy instruments and uniforms.

(Organizers emphasize that the band is separate from the Fire Department and uses no tax funding, on-duty manpower or other resources, other than a room at the Fire Training Center in west Arlington for occasional rehearsals.)

At an orientation meeting this month, enthusiasm over the grant helped swell the ranks of potential members to 28, said Friend, who has spent 14 of his 20 firefighting years in Arlington.

Now the focus is on finding those who will dedicate themselves.

“We explained to them the commitment,” Friend said. “It’s all volunteer, you’re not going to get paid, it’s going to cost you money. It’s kind of an awareness thing for all the people who think, ‘Yeah, I want to do this.’”

‘Amazing Grace’
Experience is very limited. More than half of prospective members showed interest in the bagpipes, but none had played them before. A few who sought drumming duties had played in high school drum lines.

Some have bought their own instruments — bagpipes commonly cost $1,500 to $2,000 and drums $1,000 to $1,500 — and are taking lessons at their own expense.

Bagpipes are a challenge, said Fort Worth bagpipe teacher Virginia Smith, whose students include firefighters from Arlington and other cities. Among its limitations, the bagpipes produce only nine pitches, compared with 12 notes on the piano and most other popular Western instruments.

That eliminates The Star-Spangled Banner from the playlist, but it works for America the Beautiful.

And it’s perfect for Amazing Grace, the Stairway to Heaven of bagpipe music and one of the first that newcomers to the instrument learn. Smith also teaches Scottish favorites like Scotland the Brave and Green Hills of Tyrol.

Although she acknowledges that the pipe-band sound isn’t for everyone, Smith believes that more would fall in line behind the piper if only they heard the instrument played expertly. In person, that doesn’t happen often enough.

“It’s difficult to play in general,” Smith said.

When will the Arlington Fire Pipe and Drum Corps be ready for prime time?

“Everybody asks us that,” said Hirth, who lived two years in Scotland during his Navy service.

“Like anything in life, it’s how much you’re willing to put into it. Right now, everybody’s pretty motivated, though.”

Their apartment was heavily damaged by the fire, whose cause is still undermined. But both women recovered. In an emotional reunion Wednesday, Manuel gently leaned her head against Whitfield’s arm and thanked him and his crew for his bravery.

“I love this man. I wouldn’t be here without him. My mother wouldn’t be here without him, either,” said Manuel, 59. “They are my heroes.”

At a ceremony inside Station No. 9, city leaders recognized Whitfield, McLaughlin and apparatus operator James Evans for their roles in the women’s rescue.

“I am so proud of every man and woman in the fire department for what they do every day for you and me,” Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said. “Thank God we have people like that. They are willing to do anything to protect our lives, our city and our structures.”

Whitfield said luck was on their side that evening when he and McLaughlin began crawling through the thick smoke searching for victims. By chance, the men veered left inside the apartment.

“Had we gone straight or gone right, we would not have located them. We picked the right direction that day,” said Whitfield, who said he had never been involved in that type of rescue before.

In most cases, firefighters never again interact with the people they save. But on Wednesday, Whitfield said the chance to talk with Manuel and her mother was so special it was nearly indescribable.

“To know what kind of difference we’ve made in her life is tremendous,” Whitfield said.

Arlington Fire Chief Robin Paulsgrove will retire in May after 13 years as the city’s top firefighter and director of emergency management.

Paulsgrove, who was appointed chief in 1997, helped guided management and planning of homeland security to address threats in the city’s growing entertainment district, including developing a public safety plan for the new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium, according to the city.

Paulsgrove also promoted the mayor’s CPaRlington CPR training program, introduced public access defibrillators and pushed for better partnerships between fire stations and neighborhoods through the “Out of the Station, Into the Community” program.

“I will miss Arlington and the outstanding men and women working here a great deal,” Paulsgrove said. “The challenges of the last decade have been exciting and I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of something grand.”

Before coming to Arlington, Paulsgrove served 22 years as fire fighter and fire chief with Austin’s fire department.

Assistant Fire Chief Don Crowson will become interim chief May 1. Interim Chief Don Crowson will assist in the transfer of leadership

“Chief Paulsgrove has been instrumental in building a first-class fire department,” said Arlington City Manager Jim Holgersson. “His attention to detail, employee development and mission orientation has created a sophisticated and exemplary fire department.”

Mayor Robert Cluck called Paulsgrove a “tremendous asset for Arlington. His compassionate approach and genuine desire to help people is reflected in the professionalism he has instilled in our Fire Department.”

A frequent author and public speaker, Paulsgrove was elected President of the International Metro-City Fire Chiefs’ organization and was appointed to the Board of Directors for the National Fire Protection Association. Before coming to Arlington, Paulsgrove served with the City of Austin Fire Department for 22 years as a firefighter and later as Fire Chief.

The City will initiate a recruitment and selection process to name a new Fire Chief by late May or early June. The City plans to consider both internal and external candidates.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/15/2040891/arlingtons-top-firefighter-to.html#ixzz0iHgnLC8a

“She was asleep,” said John McKnight, who helps care for his disabled mother. “She would have been dead from smoke inhalation if they hadn’t shown up.”

On that, there is no dispute. The Arlington Fire Department told Mayor Robert Cluck “that lady would not have survived” without the actions of Petty Officers Matthew Castleberry and Brandon Gonzalez, who were minutes ahead of the first fire engine.

On Thursday, Rear Adm. Craig Faller pinned a Navy and Marine Corps Medal on each of the men, the highest award the service can give for noncombat heroism. Very few sailors or Marines receive the medal, which is higher than the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

“I’ve never presented one in 27 years,” said Faller, who came to the Navy’s district recruiting office in Dallas for the ceremony.

Castleberry, 25, an Arlington native back home for a recruiting tour, described the attention showered on him as “surreal” but “pretty cool. It took a lot of time and effort to put this together, just for us,” he said.

About 9 a.m. on March 20, 2009, Castleberry and Gonzalez, 31, a Grand Prairie native, had shown up to work at their recruiting station. Castleberry is an aviation mechanic who has done three deployments on aircraft carriers. Gonzalez serves as a sonar technician aboard submarines.

“We were going to head out, hit the streets and see what we could find,” Gonzalez said.

They remarked to Chief Petty Officer Aaron Wilson that smoke was coming from an apartment building across the street. “I told them it was probably someone barbecuing,” Wilson said.

Within a few minutes, flames were shooting out of the roof. Castleberry and Gonzalez took off across Collins Street. Wilson called 911. After leaping the iron fence around the complex, Gonzalez started banging on doors. Castleberry headed for the apartment next to where the flames were the worst.

“I jumped into her balcony,” he said. “I was yelling, and I could hear her in there. But she wouldn’t come to the door.”

He jumped back over the patio fence and ran to Mamie McKnight’s front door, which, luckily, was unlocked. Wicked black smoke poured out and made Castleberry gag. He grabbed a piece of clothing off the floor and held it to his face.

As he found her wheelchair, Gonzalez came running into the apartment, having seen Castleberry go in by himself. They helped her into the wheelchair and got her into the parking lot.

Then they banged on more doors until they were satisfied that everyone was out. Within minutes, firetrucks arrived, and an ambulance took McKnight to a hospital.

Gonzalez and Castleberry, though, went back to work.

“My lungs hurt for the rest of the day, but it wasn’t anything major,” Castleberry said.

John McKnight said the Fire Department determined that a child playing in an adjacent apartment had accidentally started the fire with a lighter. His mother, who worked for General Motors for 30 years, had hoped to attend the medals ceremony. But she was too nervous about getting out in the snow.

As thrilled as John McKnight is with the medals for Castleberry and Gonzalez, who were nominated by Wilson, their supervisor, he isn’t done with his one-man gratitude campaign. He has written to U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, Gov. Rick Perry, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, Chief Justice John Roberts and the White House. He’s even e-mailed Oprah.

“I wrote letters to all those people asking them if they knew what kind of character it takes to run into a fire,” he said. “These guys need to be recognized for what they did.”

About 30 minutes later, and just a few blocks away, Arlington firefighters battled another blaze at the Southern Hills apartments in the 2600 block of Southern Hills Boulevard. Investigators said the fire began in a kitchen. No injuries were reported.