Re: ICC- Episode 1 - The Fire in the Hole
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2021 3:13 am
OCC- Couple of things. Waiting for Mr. Handy to post. I will send him a pm.
As to the equipment, the gear is available from the rescue teams nearby, Wade has some gear as well or you can assume you have some of your own. Conroy, for instance, probably has access to this kind of gear that might actually be better.
IC_ The Group gathers near the house-
Fire Inspector Salvaggio turns back when he hears the question. He looks back at the explosion site and shakes his head. "The dust seems to be settling but seems to have been blown out from the house because of the explosion. With all the rain it's been settling down outside and hasn't been that much of a problem. Or at least that was true at first. But as we keep working the site, we've kicked up some of the dust back into the air. The stuff seems almost resistant to water. So yeah... we think the explosion blew out a big pile of dust into the air, kind of like a big puff of air would send dust airborne. To be honest, it's been a pain in the ass and has a habit of gunking up the air filtration systems. We've had a few of our people who have been here all evening step back because the dust has gotten into their lungs. No doubt it will be worse under the house. "
Salvaggio points towards one of the trucks nearby. "If you need gear, we got some spare kits you can use. Just make sure you get fresh filters and air tanks. The dust out here isn't so bad, but it seems to have been denser at the site. We think that once we break into the basement the air down below will be especially dense, in part because the moisture in the air hasn't yet settled it down and the air is probably dense with it. We expect the air to be basically unbreathable down in the basement and will continue to be so until it settles or we find some way to remove it."
He shakes his head, considering. "But someone seems to be still down there, or at least the dogs seem to think so. Damn dogs won't be helpful once we get in thought because they won't be able to work in that environment. We'll need rely on our sensors."
"From what we've found out, the dust seems to be pretty harmless, at least up here. Our samples suggest it's mostly chlorides, sulphates and calcium carbonates, but flakey and dry. One of the guys said it was like being in a dust storm in Iraq or Afghanistan, the kind that would be blown in from their deserts and would just cloud up and get into everything. But we found no dangerous residue of poisons. There weren't even dangerous heavy metals in any concentrations that would be dangerous. Truth is, the dust seems to be almost free of any industrial pollutants at all. We don't think its from NY but was brought in for God knows what reasons."
"But if you are asthmatic, you might want to back away. It's annoying, but a lot of our guys have been exposed to worse than this over the past year with all these fires. At least it doesn't have any airborne poisons or heavy metals that will poison your lungs. Still better to be careful"
The investigators are all aware that since the election and Trump's re-election, fires repeatedly been lit many of the poorer regions of New York City, especially among the housing projects. In many ways, the fires have been considered reminiscent among older residents of fires once set in the Bronx during the 1970s and 1980s, when buildings would be put aflame by the residents and the firemen would need police to protect them.
(OCC- for a bit on the fires in the Bronx of the 1970s and 80s- here is a video on a recent documentary on this period https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Tyj0AQu0o or for more- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF_mIsGFTXc )
Salvaggio nods but also notes the others prepping to go in. "You guys might want to reconsider going in, and if you decide to go in, hold on and take it easy. This isn't a commando raid but a search and rescue in an environmentally tricky and unstable area. It's going to be pretty cramped in there and we're going to try to get the survivor. The collapse of the building has made getting in kind of tight and the damage has left much of the structure very unstable. We've got to worry about the rest of the building coming down and if it does, it will likely crush anyone underneath. So the rescue team has to go in first. You guys will need to follow and we won't be able to allow all of you in. Your investigation has to follow the rescue of the living, sorry, but that has to be priority.
“But when you go in, be careful. From what we can tell, some of the first and second floor may have fallen in and there simply won't be enough room down there. With all the dust, visibility will be virtually zero. Which means its cramped, visibility is cramped and a bad move could bring the whole structure down and crush anyone caught underneath it. Seriously, visibility is likely to be crap. I mean, you'll be lucky you can see your hand in front of your face. Imagine diving into a wreck 100 feet below the ocean and the current kicks up the muddy water and you can't see where you are or what you are doing. And you can also forget about that AR. With all the dust, it's just going to get dirty and probably jam up to hell. You'll need to clean it before you can really use it again. I'd leave it be because there isn't anyone down there worth shooting. If you insist on a weapons, do like tunnel rats, bring a pistol. Besides, we ran a heat sensor over the site and, from what we can tell, there is only one live body down there and it doesn't seem they are moving. We think the person might have survived the blast but might be unconscious and near death."
He pauses, "If you got any other questions? I got to check in with the Sergeant. The rescue workers are about to get in."
Marshall Wade has paused to listen to Salvaggio finished. She then says, "I got some gear in my truck if you need it. But I'd say only 1 or 2 of you should go in, tops. Let the rescue folks do their work. Remember, local PD still has jurisdiction and we follow their lead. As for this little toy." She puts her hand on the drone. "I was thinking we'd fly it overhead and see what we can see from above. There are heat sensors on this machine that can pick up unusual heat sources, primarily body heat. It's not quite as good as using hound dogs to trace, but it has sensors that will allow us to see what's going on."
Marshall Wade continues to prepare the machine and continues, "You folks have been suggesting something of a meth lab around here that might be cooking up. With all the fences up around the properties, we can't see it from the street but we might be able to see something from above. So I'm thinking do a fly over and peek over the fences to see what the neighbors are up to. We’ve used this to track fugitives in the bush, to scope out a building before a raid, so maybe we can find out where your meth lab is, and if we can find the meth lab, maybe we can find those bangers who we think set this fire."
The only local policeman is Mooreland who has also been suspicious of the local cops. Dowd, the NY Port Authority detective is near the container waiting for the others to breach the lock. A quick glance can tell he’s getting impatient. There is little reason why the investigators can’t check the container while one or two enter the basement of the house to look for the survivor.
Mooreland catches Gonzales considering whether to share intel and says, "Seriously? You think I'm the crook in this rotten precinct?" Gonzales has to make a judgement call on Mooreland.
Lapis looks at Gonzales and says, "Mooreland is alright Gonzales, you can trust him. I’ve worked with him before and will vouch for him."
After Gonzales discloses his info Mooreland nods and adds, "Pagans are mostly out in Nassau and Suffolk County, out on Long Island, and they have been defending their turf from Hells Angels and other locals gangs. They wouldn't venture this way without risking a turf war and that would hurt their business interests. The Angels around here would not take kindly to them setting up shop. But they aren't above the meth trade, so they could buy from an independent contractor. So that kind of makes sense."
Moreland continues, “But according to Parchese, one of these local bangers just got snuffed a few blocks from here. Could be payback, but if the other of the Ruby Street boys are around here licking their wounds, than there is a chance that who ever whacked their boss is likely to want to finish the rest of them off. I think we need to find the rest if we want to make any arrests for this particular crime, and maybe get some witnesses about what happened, at least before they get put down.”
As to the equipment, the gear is available from the rescue teams nearby, Wade has some gear as well or you can assume you have some of your own. Conroy, for instance, probably has access to this kind of gear that might actually be better.
IC_ The Group gathers near the house-
Fire Inspector Salvaggio turns back when he hears the question. He looks back at the explosion site and shakes his head. "The dust seems to be settling but seems to have been blown out from the house because of the explosion. With all the rain it's been settling down outside and hasn't been that much of a problem. Or at least that was true at first. But as we keep working the site, we've kicked up some of the dust back into the air. The stuff seems almost resistant to water. So yeah... we think the explosion blew out a big pile of dust into the air, kind of like a big puff of air would send dust airborne. To be honest, it's been a pain in the ass and has a habit of gunking up the air filtration systems. We've had a few of our people who have been here all evening step back because the dust has gotten into their lungs. No doubt it will be worse under the house. "
Salvaggio points towards one of the trucks nearby. "If you need gear, we got some spare kits you can use. Just make sure you get fresh filters and air tanks. The dust out here isn't so bad, but it seems to have been denser at the site. We think that once we break into the basement the air down below will be especially dense, in part because the moisture in the air hasn't yet settled it down and the air is probably dense with it. We expect the air to be basically unbreathable down in the basement and will continue to be so until it settles or we find some way to remove it."
He shakes his head, considering. "But someone seems to be still down there, or at least the dogs seem to think so. Damn dogs won't be helpful once we get in thought because they won't be able to work in that environment. We'll need rely on our sensors."
"From what we've found out, the dust seems to be pretty harmless, at least up here. Our samples suggest it's mostly chlorides, sulphates and calcium carbonates, but flakey and dry. One of the guys said it was like being in a dust storm in Iraq or Afghanistan, the kind that would be blown in from their deserts and would just cloud up and get into everything. But we found no dangerous residue of poisons. There weren't even dangerous heavy metals in any concentrations that would be dangerous. Truth is, the dust seems to be almost free of any industrial pollutants at all. We don't think its from NY but was brought in for God knows what reasons."
"But if you are asthmatic, you might want to back away. It's annoying, but a lot of our guys have been exposed to worse than this over the past year with all these fires. At least it doesn't have any airborne poisons or heavy metals that will poison your lungs. Still better to be careful"
The investigators are all aware that since the election and Trump's re-election, fires repeatedly been lit many of the poorer regions of New York City, especially among the housing projects. In many ways, the fires have been considered reminiscent among older residents of fires once set in the Bronx during the 1970s and 1980s, when buildings would be put aflame by the residents and the firemen would need police to protect them.
(OCC- for a bit on the fires in the Bronx of the 1970s and 80s- here is a video on a recent documentary on this period https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Tyj0AQu0o or for more- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF_mIsGFTXc )
Salvaggio nods but also notes the others prepping to go in. "You guys might want to reconsider going in, and if you decide to go in, hold on and take it easy. This isn't a commando raid but a search and rescue in an environmentally tricky and unstable area. It's going to be pretty cramped in there and we're going to try to get the survivor. The collapse of the building has made getting in kind of tight and the damage has left much of the structure very unstable. We've got to worry about the rest of the building coming down and if it does, it will likely crush anyone underneath. So the rescue team has to go in first. You guys will need to follow and we won't be able to allow all of you in. Your investigation has to follow the rescue of the living, sorry, but that has to be priority.
“But when you go in, be careful. From what we can tell, some of the first and second floor may have fallen in and there simply won't be enough room down there. With all the dust, visibility will be virtually zero. Which means its cramped, visibility is cramped and a bad move could bring the whole structure down and crush anyone caught underneath it. Seriously, visibility is likely to be crap. I mean, you'll be lucky you can see your hand in front of your face. Imagine diving into a wreck 100 feet below the ocean and the current kicks up the muddy water and you can't see where you are or what you are doing. And you can also forget about that AR. With all the dust, it's just going to get dirty and probably jam up to hell. You'll need to clean it before you can really use it again. I'd leave it be because there isn't anyone down there worth shooting. If you insist on a weapons, do like tunnel rats, bring a pistol. Besides, we ran a heat sensor over the site and, from what we can tell, there is only one live body down there and it doesn't seem they are moving. We think the person might have survived the blast but might be unconscious and near death."
He pauses, "If you got any other questions? I got to check in with the Sergeant. The rescue workers are about to get in."
Marshall Wade has paused to listen to Salvaggio finished. She then says, "I got some gear in my truck if you need it. But I'd say only 1 or 2 of you should go in, tops. Let the rescue folks do their work. Remember, local PD still has jurisdiction and we follow their lead. As for this little toy." She puts her hand on the drone. "I was thinking we'd fly it overhead and see what we can see from above. There are heat sensors on this machine that can pick up unusual heat sources, primarily body heat. It's not quite as good as using hound dogs to trace, but it has sensors that will allow us to see what's going on."
Marshall Wade continues to prepare the machine and continues, "You folks have been suggesting something of a meth lab around here that might be cooking up. With all the fences up around the properties, we can't see it from the street but we might be able to see something from above. So I'm thinking do a fly over and peek over the fences to see what the neighbors are up to. We’ve used this to track fugitives in the bush, to scope out a building before a raid, so maybe we can find out where your meth lab is, and if we can find the meth lab, maybe we can find those bangers who we think set this fire."
The only local policeman is Mooreland who has also been suspicious of the local cops. Dowd, the NY Port Authority detective is near the container waiting for the others to breach the lock. A quick glance can tell he’s getting impatient. There is little reason why the investigators can’t check the container while one or two enter the basement of the house to look for the survivor.
Mooreland catches Gonzales considering whether to share intel and says, "Seriously? You think I'm the crook in this rotten precinct?" Gonzales has to make a judgement call on Mooreland.
Lapis looks at Gonzales and says, "Mooreland is alright Gonzales, you can trust him. I’ve worked with him before and will vouch for him."
After Gonzales discloses his info Mooreland nods and adds, "Pagans are mostly out in Nassau and Suffolk County, out on Long Island, and they have been defending their turf from Hells Angels and other locals gangs. They wouldn't venture this way without risking a turf war and that would hurt their business interests. The Angels around here would not take kindly to them setting up shop. But they aren't above the meth trade, so they could buy from an independent contractor. So that kind of makes sense."
Moreland continues, “But according to Parchese, one of these local bangers just got snuffed a few blocks from here. Could be payback, but if the other of the Ruby Street boys are around here licking their wounds, than there is a chance that who ever whacked their boss is likely to want to finish the rest of them off. I think we need to find the rest if we want to make any arrests for this particular crime, and maybe get some witnesses about what happened, at least before they get put down.”