Latest news with #FireandEMS
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Columbus Chamber highlights public safety at quarterly meeting
COLUMBUS, Ga. (— The Columbus Chamber of Commerce hosted their quarterly 'Eye Opener Breakfast', where some of the city's leaders spoke about Columbus public safety. Some of today's panelists included Chief of Police Stoney Mathis, Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman, Fire and EMS Chief Sal Scarpa and Muscogee County Prison Warden Herbert Walker. Today's message was one of unity, as the panelists highlighted their joined efforts to protect and defend Columbus citizens. 'A unique thing about this is that you have all four of the public safety leaders here today. And we work well together.' said Sheriff Greg Countryman. 'And I think that that should be a good feel for anyone to know that we have public safety leaders who believe in working together for the for the benefit of those we serve.' This was a part of a series of Chamber of Commerce events focused on the community. This year the Chamber has already held Mayor Skip Henderson's State of the City and a conversation with Fort Benning commander Maj. Gen. Colin Tuley. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: No, Barack Obama Wasn't on Army Helicopter That Crashed Into American Airline Plane
Claim: Former U.S. President Barack Obama was on the military helicopter that crashed into an American Airlines passenger jet in January 2025. Rating: On Jan. 29, 2025, an army helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C. The jet, which was flying from Wichita, Kansas, carried 64 people, while the helicopter had three people on board. All were believed dead. A viral rumor (archived) about the crash claimed that former U.S. President Barack Obama was on the military helicopter. Numerous posts on Facebook (archived) and X said a VIP on the Blackhawk helicopter was none other than the former president. (Image via Facebook) The above claims are false. Official statements have confirmed the three individuals in the helicopter were soldiers. Furthermore, had Obama indeed been on the flight, it would have made major headline news. Obama himself issued a statement (archived) on his X account, expressing sadness over the crash, proving that he was not in the helicopter: Our hearts break for the families who lost loved ones in the tragic plane and helicopter crash at DCA. Michelle and I send our prayers and condolences to everyone who is mourning today, and we're grateful to the first responders who are doing everything they can to help under extremely difficult circumstances. According to officials briefing the news media on the morning of Jan. 30, they believed no one survived the crash from either the airplane or the helicopter. Washington D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said operations were shifting from search-and-rescue to recovery efforts. "At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident, and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter," he said. Pete Hegseth, the newly confirmed U.S. secretary of defense, also issued a statement from his office, "It's a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner, and of course the three soldiers in that Black Hawk [helicopter]." He added that the helicopter was on an "annual proficiency training flight," but the agency would not release the names of the soldiers as their families had not been notified yet. Other passengers in the American Airlines flight included members of the U.S. Figure Skating world and two Russian former figure skaters. "D.C. Fire Chief John A. Donnelly: Don't Believe There Are Any Survivors at This Point." CNBC Television, 2025, target="blank"> Accessed 30 Jan. 2025. Irwin, Lauren. "Officials Say 'No Survivors' Expected after Crash at Reagan Washington National Airport." The Hill, 30 Jan. 2025, target="blank"> Accessed 30 Jan. 2025. Kasulis Cho, Kelly, et al. "What We Know about the Plane and Military Helicopter Crash in D.C." The Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2025, target="blank"> Accessed 30 Jan. 2025. Smith, Mitch, et al. "Live Updates: No Survivors After Plane and Helicopter Crash Near Washington, Officials Say." The New York Times, 30 Jan. 2025. target="blank"> Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
No survivors expected in Potomac air crash; 27 bodies recovered
Jan. 30 (UPI) -- D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said during a press conference Thursday morning there were no survivors in the crash between and American Airlines jet and a military helicopter. "We don't believe there are any survivors from this accident and we have recovered 27 people from the plane and one from the helicopter," Donnelly said. About 300 first responders worked the crash in harsh conditions, heavy wind, ice on the water and they operated all night in those conditions. Donnelly said several local and state agencies responded in addition to Washington first responders and the Department of Defense. Donnelly said responders will continue to work to find all the bodies from the crash. He said the Virginia and Army medical examiners are involved in the effort to retrieve and identify the bodies of the victims. "We have located the two aircrafts. The fuselage of the American Airlines plane was inverted. It's been located in three different sections. It's in about waist-deep water," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. He said the government will not rest until it gets answers for the families and for the flying public about what caused an airliner to collide with a military helicopter. Despite this deadly crash, Americans have the safest airports in the world, Duffy added. "I will tell you with complete confidence, we have the safest airspace in the world," he said. WashingtonMayor Muriel Bowser said first responders "worked throughout the night in very tough and heartbreaking conditions." She expressed sorrow for the families who lost loved ones. American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, collided with a Blackhawk military helicopter when the chopper entered the airliner's landing path as it approached Reagan National Airport about 9 p.m. local time Wednesday. Duffy said prior to the collision the flight paths of the two aircraft weren't unusual for what happens in the Washington airspace. He said everything was standard in the lead-up to the crash. He said with the investigation authorities and the public will learn what happened. "Something went wrong here," Duffy said, "I look forward to the time we can give you that information." Reagan National Airport plans to reopen at 11 a.m. EST Thursday. according to Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter. "We're going to open the airport at 11:00 It's safe," Potter said. "We have worked with all the federal agencies -- FAA, and it's been determined that we can open that airport safely. The recovery effort that's on our property is on the waterfront. Our primary runway, 119, will be open." He said it's away from any recovery and investigation activity with a secure area around that. Potter said each airline will announce or communicate to their passengers what their operations are going to be. He said airport networks were disrupted overnight and recovery from that might be slow. "There are going to be a lot of questions, obviously, a lot of questions. And that's what the NTSB's job is, to be an independent investigator of incidents like this. It's not a time to speculate, it's a time to get answers that we need," Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said. Recovery operations are ongoing and the crash area is spread out in the Potomac River. "I want to express my sincere condolences for the accident that happened at DCA last night. We're absolutely heartbroken for the family and loved ones of the passengers and crew members and also for those that were on the military aircraft," American Airlines CEO Robert Eisen said. "Our focus right now is to doing everything that we can to support all of those involved and also the PSA Airlines team. This is devastating. We are all hurting incredibly."
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
All Hope Lost for Miracle Rescue on the Potomac After Midair Crash
All 67 people aboard an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter that collided midair on Wednesday near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside Washington, D.C., are now believed dead, officials said Thursday morning. 'At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident,' D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said at a news conference. Emergency responders have recovered 27 victims from the plane and one from the helicopter, he added. About 300 people from state and federal agencies mounted a dangerous rescue mission overnight in the freezing waters of the Potomac River, where the plane fell after the crash. That rescue missions has now been shifted to a recovery mission, Donnelly said. Officials did not say what might have caused the crash, and they held off on identifying any of the victims. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said both the U.S. Army Black Hawk and the American Airlines flight were following standard flight patterns. The plane was carrying a group of elite young figure skaters, their parents, and coaches returning from an invitation-only development camp held after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which took place from Jan. 20 to 26 in Wichita, Kansas, where the downed flight originated, the Wall Street Journal reported. Russian state media reported that among the coaches on the flight were the married former world champions Yevgenia Shishkova, 52, and Vadim Naumov, 55, who won the pairs title for Russia at the 1994 world championships. They have trained young American skaters since 1998, according to Reuters.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
D.C. plane crash live updates: American Airlines flight collides with military helicopter near Washington
An American Airlines plane with 60 passengers and four crew members on board collided with a military helicopter near Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night, plunging into the Potomac River. It's unclear if there were any survivors. A massive search and rescue operation is underway. The commercial flight from Wichita, Kan., was making its approach to Reagan National Airport when the collision occurred shortly before 9 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Black Hawk helicopter — operating out of Fort Belvoir, Va., with a crew of three — was on a training mission, according to the Defense Department. All takeoff and landings at the airport have been paused. District of Columbia Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at a press conference that officials don't believe there were any survivors from the collision. "We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident," Donnelly said. District of Columbia Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at a press conference that officials don't believe there were any survivors from the collision. "We are now at a point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation. At this point, we don't believe there are any survivors from this accident," Donnelly said.
