Another Smoking Related Death

What a tragedy.

Heroic efforts of YPD Officer Marc Thibeault acknowledged during Tuesday news conference



WEST YARMOUTH - A press conference was held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the Yarmouth Police Department to acknowledge the heroic efforts of canine officer Marc Thibeault.

46-year-old Sharon Wetherbee is still in critical condition after being pulled from her burning home by Officer Thibeault early Tuesday morning.

After being stabilized at Cape Cod Hospital Wetherbee was flown by Medflight to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Wetherbee is being treated for severe burns and smoke inhalation.

The Canine Officer who pulled her from her burning house on Bradford Road, Marc Thibeault, was treated for smoke inhalation at Cape Cod Hospital and released. According to the Yarmouth Police Department, another police officer and firefighter were also treated and released.

According to investigators from the Yarmouth Police and Fire Deparments, careless disposal of the contents of an ashtray is believed to be the cause of the fire.

During the news conference, Yarmouth Fire Chief C. Randall Sherman described the fire conditions and praised Officer Thibeault. He then answered questions from the local media, and most of the Boston news outlets also present.




UPDATE: Sharon Wetherbee was pronounced dead Tuesday evening

Full story here

Dangerous Smoke - A Rant and Wild Ravings

Tonight we nearly had another tragedy directly related to cigarette smoking. No, not a medical call (Can't breathe, on oxygen, still puffing on a butt). I'm talking about the guy who didn't extinguish his freaking cigarette. Apparently he'd been smoking a butt while sitting in his recliner in the living room. Got up to go to bed and while he lay sleeping in his bed, the cigarette he didn't put out, fell into a crack in his cloth recliner and set it ablaze. The only reason he's alive tonight is because his daughter, who stays with him, woke up in time to call us. No smoke detectors in the house, no fire extinguishers, nothing. Tell you what, if I was that guys daughter, I'd take that old man's smokes away from him! In a HEARTBEAT! No three strikes you're out. You f'd up, almost burnt the house down, nearly killed both of us, that's it old man! It never ceases to amaze me how careless John Q. Public can be. How many times have you been driving down the road and see some fool in the car in front of you, toss his cigarette out the window? (The world is my ashtray). Hmmmmm.... very dry season, flammable object tossed upon dry grass and leaves.... BRUSH FIRE! Oh how I wish I had a dang dime for every one of those calls (Fire in the median on the highway, fire in the woods, fire in the mulch in a parking lot)! Never mind the countless calls for house fires and oops I dropped a cigarette on my lap while I was driving.... and crashed my car. JEEZ people! The worst calls are the ones involving children; accidentally burned by a cigarette or worse, a lighter left carelessly lying within reach. I can tell you from first hand experience, these are all too familiar events. My message to all those ignorant, careless, smokers: STOP IT!