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Twelve people were killed and another eight injured when a gunman opened fire, as he perched on an overlook above an atrium at the Washington Navy Yard yesterday. The shooter, identified as 34-year-old Aaron Alexis of Fort Worth, died in a gun battle with police.

Ages of the victims killed range from 46 to 73 years. Police still have not released all the victims’ names pending notification of their families. Three of the five injured victims were shot, including a 23 year veteran of the Washington D.C. police department, who was shot twice in the leg. The other five victims were hospitalized for contusions and chest pains. Officer Scott Williams and the other injured victims are all expected to survive.

Alexis was a Navy reservist for four years before being honorably discharged in 2011. His records reveal several run-ins with police. These incidents show a possible issue with anger management. A Navy official said they had originally sought to kick out Alexis with a general discharge because of his pattern of misconduct while in uniform, however, because of the slow process, when Alexis requested an honorable discharge, the Navy granted it.

For the past few years, Alexis had been working as a military contractor. There are reports that he was involved in some kind of dispute with the company he was working for and felt he was owed money. He had just arrived in D.C. last week for a project at the Navy Yard and had a security clearance and a valid military identification card, known as a common access card, allowing him unfettered access into most facilities.

According to law enforcement, Alexis drove onto the grounds of the navy yard on Monday morning with three weapons in his vehicle. He took the weapons out, proceeded into Building 197 and opened fire. Questions have been raised as to how he was actually able to gain access to Building 197, brandishing weapons since the building is supposed to have armed security at the door and those entering need to present credentials to enter.

There were several shootouts between Alexis and active shooter teams before he was brought down by a D.C. police officer and a U.S. Park police officer.

The Navy Yard shooting marks the seventh time in the past decade that a gunman has killed 10 or more people in a single incident. In 2007, 32 people were killed in the Virginia Tech; 13 people were killed in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting; last year, 12 people were shot and killed at an Aurora, Colo. movie theater; and the Newtown, Conn. school shooting last year in which 26 people were killed, including 20 children.

Emergency Film Group’s Active Shooter: Rapid Response covers the key topics in preparing for and responding to a mass shooting. The film also offers guidance for school officials and emergency operation centers. Organizations of all kinds, in 39 states and abroad, are using the film to prepare – often showing the film to start an exercise involving schools and the emergency response community. To learn more, read here

Twelve years ago today, the world changed as we knew it. After decades and decades of feeling invincible, on September 11, 2001, America learned how vulnerable we were to a major terrorist attack.

At 8:46 a.m., hijackers flew a plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. On board were 11 crew members and 76 passengers (not counting the hijackers). For seventeen minutes, the country thought a terrible plane crash had occurred. Until the second plane hit the South Tower at 9:03 a.m. And our worlds changed forever.

The second plane was carrying nine crew members and 51 passengers. Both planes had made their departures from Boston’s Logan Airport and were both heading to Los Angeles.

The World Trade Center, September 11, 2001.

 At 9:37 a.m., a plane carrying six crew members and 53 passengers crashed into the Pentagon. And America held its breath.

At 10:03, a plane crashed into the ground near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The 7 crew members and 33 passengers onboard had tried to overcome the hijackers. The hijackers’ intended target for that plane is believed to have been either the White House or the Capital.

There were 2,977 victims killed that day. There were no survivors from any of the plane crashes -  246 passengers and crew members were killed. In New York City, there were 2,606 people, either in the towers or on the ground who were killed. And there were 55 military personnel who were victims at the Pentagon.

The nineteen hijackers, none of whom survived, are included in any of these victim totals.

Almost 500 people killed that day were New York City emergency response workers who rushed into the towers to rescue victims. Hardest hit was the New York City Fire Department, who lost 341 firefighters and two paramedics. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department lost 37 police officers. The New York City Police Department lost 23 officers. There were eight EMTs from private emergency medical services also killed that day.

Many of those rescue workers who responded to the World Trade Center have since dealt with serious health issues, including cancer and lung problems, which studies have linked to exposure from toiling in the wreckage at Ground Zero.

This morning, in what has become a traditional ceremony, relatives will recite the names of the nearly 3,000 victims, as well as the 1993 trade center bombing victims' names.

Is there an arsonist running around Somerville, Massachusetts? City officials believe there is and are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of any person or persons involved in setting the fires.

Since June 27, there have been 13 house fires in the city. Investigators have labeled four as arson, five as suspicious and under investigation and four have been deemed accidental. The latest fire occurred on Sept. 6 on Laurel Terrace.

At a press conference announcing the reward, Somerville police and fire investigators were also joined by representatives from the City of Cambridge police and fire departments. Cambridge is investigating two suspicious fires that have occured in the past few weeks which have some similarities to the Somerville fires, although Cambridge Assistant Fire Chief Gerald Mahoney was quoted as saying, “We’re having some discussions, but the [modus operandi] is different.”

Somerville firefighters battle one of the many suspicious blazes set in the city this summer.

Officials are urging residents to be on the lookout and report any suspicious activity. They also urged residents to protect themselves from arson. Noting that many of these fires were set on back porches of the homes, Chief Kevin Kelleher offered these tips:

• Remove overstuffed furniture from porches.
• Remove highly flammable items from outdoor areas that are close to your home. Items such as piles of leaves and yard waste, stacks of paper, flammable liquids, candles, charcoal, hanging laundry, rags and stuffed seat cushions should not be close to your home.
• Lock all doors and windows, including doors and windows into your basement.
• Turn on outside lights, including lights on front and back porches.
• Don't store trash or recycling under porches. Wait until trash day to put it outside.

Police Chief Thomas Pasquarello told attendees of the press conference that the investigation had been relentless, “We’ve devoted every resource possible including support that comes from our state and federal departments. No expense will be missing as far as what is required to bring the people responsible to justice in this investigation.”

The number of the tip line that residents should call with any information is 617-629-1847.

Emergency Film Group’s Fire Investigation Package is a two-part series of training videos demonstrating the investigation of fires. Topics covered include how fires typically begin, fire behavior, how firefighting tactics may affect the fire and destroy evidence, methods for determining the point of origin and cause of the fire, identifying accidental fire vs. arson and gathering evidence. To learn more, read here. . .

The U.S., France and Britain are gearing up to launch a retaliatory strike against the Syrian regime for the August 21^st “chemical substance” attack the Syrian government used against its own citizens. Hundreds of people were killed in the attack, which occurred in four suburbs of Damascus.

Reports said rockets with chemical agents hit the Damascus suburbs of Ain Tarma, Zamalka and Jobar during fierce pre-dawn bombardment by government forces. Figures compiled from medical clinics in Damascus put the death toll at 494 - 90 percent of them killed by gas, the rest by bombing and conventional arms. The rebel Syrian National Coalition said 650 people had been killed.

A nurse interviewed by Reuters news agency said many of the casualties were women and children and described how they looked, “They arrived with their pupils constricted, cold limbs and foam in their mouths. The doctors say these are typical symptoms of nerve gas victims.” Exposure to sarin gas causes pupils in the eyes to shrink to pinpoint sizes and foaming at the lips.

Young victims of Syria's chemical attack.

After the attacks, the Internet was flooded with amateur video and photographs, showing countless bodies, with victims choking, some of them foaming at the mouth, and no sign of outward injury.

Ironically, just three days prior to the attacks, U.N. chemical weapon inspectors had arrived in Syria. Syria is one of just a handful of countries that are not parties to the international treaty that bans chemical weapons. It is believed the country has caches of undeclared mustard gas, sarin and VX nerve agents.

The government of President Bashar al-Assad has stated it would never use poison gas - if they had it - against their own citizens. The U.S. and European allies believe Assad's forces have used small amounts of sarin gas in attacks in the past, which Washington called a "red line" that justified international military aid for the rebels. Assad’s government has accused opposition rebels of using chemical weapons; however the U.S. government doesn’t believe the rebels have access to these weapons.

The U.N. is asking for time to allow their chemical weapons investigators to confirm the attack was made by Assad’s government, predicting they may need another week or so of investigating. However, the U.S. and allies have indicated immediate action needs to be taken.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said yesterday that allowing "the use of chemical weapons on a significant scale to take place without a response would present a significant challenge to, threat to the United States' national security." And today, Britain will introduce a resolution to the U.N. Security Council "authorizing necessary measures to protect civilians" in Syria, citing Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which could include breaking diplomatic ties and economic sanctions, or action by air, sea or land forces.

Washington has said it will release further evidence that the Assad’s government was to blame. That means military strikes could begin with the U.N. chemical weapons inspectors still in Damascus. Warships armed with cruise missiles are filling the waters of the eastern Mediterranean Sea and senior White House officials say once ordered, the strike could be completed in "several days".

Emergency Film Group’s Terrorism: Chemical Weapons DVD is part of the WMD Response Package. This safety video is designed to provide training and response guidelines to emergency personnel who would be called upon to respond to a terrorist incident involving chemical agents. To learn more, read here. . .

Firefighters specially trained in confined-space rescue saved a man who was trapped in a filled grain elevator at Premier Cooperative in Sydney, IL.  The team of firefighters is comprised of firefighters from the Urbana, Champaign and Danville fire departments and serves all of Champaign County.

Employees had been augering grain from a bin when it stopped flowing.  Reports estimated there was about four feet of grain at the center of the bin and about 20 feet tapering upward along the walls. One of the workers climbed down to unplug the auger and the machine collapsed, causing him to fall to the bottom and the 20 feet of grain along the walls to bury him.

Fourteen firefighters and four instructors from the University of Illinois' Fire Services Institute responded to the call and helped removed grain to free the victim. The team split up into groups of four and five and worked for about 30 minutes at a time.

Compounding the difficulty of the rescue was the temperature. With outside temperatures hovering around 90, the temperature inside the grain bin soared to 120 degrees. Rescuers wore face masks to try to keep from inhaling grain dust. Working with heavy rigging and ropes, they were finally able to pull the victim out three and half hours after he fell in. Tragically, the 55 year-old man had died.

Confined space rescue represents one of the most challenging and dangerous rescue operations undertaken by local fire departments today. Emergency Film Group’s three-part training DVD series provides a comprehensive examination of response issues in a confined space emergency. To learn more, read here. . .

Plywood is loaded into a grain bin elevator where a man was trapped.

A train derailment in Louisiana Sunday night spewed hazardous and highly flammable materials, forcing the evacuation of 100 nearby homes. Police said at least 26 of the 76-car Union Pacific train went off the tracks in the town of Lawtell which is located approximately 60 miles west of Baton Rouge.

According to a Union Pacific spokesperson, one of the cars was leaking a highly corrosive substance known as sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide can cause chemical burns to the skin or lead to permanent blindness if it touches the eyes. A second car was leaking lubricant oil. A third car carrying vinyl chloride was damaged, but was not leaking.

One of the cars in La. train derailment was leaking sodium hydroxide.

Investigators are working to determine what caused the train to derail. The area of track where the incident occurred had just been inspected three hours before the accident.  Workers began replacing the 1800 feed of damaged track the day after the accident. The Governor of Louisiana declared a state of emergency in the area of the accident.  US Route 190 was also shut down, but was reopened this morning, with westbound traffic limited to one lane.

Evacuees are being allowed to return to their homes today, escorted by Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) employees, who will monitor the air in each of the homes to ensure readings are normal.

Emergency Film Group’s Sodium Hydroxide & Potassium Hydroxide, a training film about two of the most important caustics used in industry, is part of the HazChem Series of safety training videos. Caustics are strong alkaline chemicals, corrosive to many materials including human tissue. These caustics have also been used in the illegal manufacture of homemade bottle bombs. To learn more, read here. . .

With new evidence that Al Qaeda is looking to strike, the United States government has closed more than 20 embassies and consulates across the Middle East and Northern Africa. Global travel warnings have also been issued by the State Department, urging U.S. citizens to be alert to “the continued potential for terrorist attacks, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, and possibly occurring in or emanating from the Arabian Peninsula.”

An intercepted message among senior Al Qaeda operatives led to the closures and warnings. According to a member of the House Intelligence Committee, the information was gathered from “chatter” accumulated from phone lines, computer outlets, websites and other communication outlets. The information indicates that members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are in the final stages of planning for an unspecified attack. Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in an interview with CBS that it was “one of the most specific and credible threats I've seen perhaps since 9/11.”

Lawmakers say new Al Qaeda threat is most significant since 9/11.

The threats have also led federal authorities to tighten security here. The Department of Homeland Security is increasing security measures at all transportation hubs, including airports, train and bus stations. Travelers coming into the country will also be heavily screened by officials.

A joint intelligence bulletin was issued by the DHS and the FBI to state and local law enforcement agencies outlining the recent intelligence and urging authorities to remain alert and vigilant to any suspicious activity. That bulletin remains classified, highlighting just how serious the threat is.

Emergency Film Group offers a complete line of Terrorism Response training films. Appropriate for law enforcement, fire departments, emergency management, hospital personnel and security officers, the topics covered in series includes biological weapons, IEDs, VBIEDs, suicide bombers and WMD response. To learn more, read here. . .

A series of explosions which spawned a 20-by-20 foot fireball at a central Florida propane plant has left nine people injured, with at least five of them in critical condition. The massive explosions happened late Monday night at the Blue Rhino propane exchange plant located in the central Florida town of Tavares.

Preliminary statements from Tavares Fire Chief Richard Keith identified either human error or equipment malfunction as the possible cause for the blast and said sabotage is not suspected. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched an investigation, as has the Florida State Fire Marshal's Office.

Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman John Herrell said at a news conference that there were about 53,000 20-gallon tanks - more than a million pounds in all - at the plant.  At the time of the explosion, there were 24 to 26 workers at the plant for an overnight shift.

The explosions could be felt for miles. Firefighters immediately set up a half-mile evacuation area around the plant. Residents were allowed to return to their homes early Tuesday morning. There were reports of trucks parked at the plant going up in “fireballs” as the cylinders they were carrying exploded.

A series of propane tank explosions set of a huge fire in Tavares, FL.

In an interview with Fox News, Tavares Battalion Commander Eric Wages said five workers walked up to a command center firefighters set up near the plant Monday night with skin hanging off their arms, torso and faces. He said their arms were outstretched and they were in complete shock.

Gene Williams, a third-shift maintenance worker at the plant, is being credited with rescuing a forklift operator who was engulfed in flames. Williams found the victim on the loading dock area and put the man into a van, just as cylinders began exploding and raining back down to the ground. He quickly got the man to the hospital.

According to Williams, the forklift driver told him, “I did what they told me to do, I did what they told me to do, and then this happened,” indicating to Williams that the cause of the explosion may be a “combination of human error and bad practices, possibly. I don't want to speculate any further, that's

In 2011, OSHA fined Blue Rhino in 2011 over a “serious” safety violation involving tools and equipment. The violation was due to an air nozzle at the facility that had a missing component.

Emergency Film Group’s Propane, Butane & Propylene is part of the HazChem Series of safety training videos. This program focuses on propane, butane and propylene are the most common liquefied petroleum gases. Highly flammable, their containers can fail with explosive force. To learn more, read here. . .

The Emergency Film Group crew recently traveled to Grand Central Station as we continue production of our latest project, Target: Transportation Systems. The training program is funded by the United States Congress and designed to support the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) and law enforcement efforts to prevent and deter acts of terrorism. (See related story here.)

A special thanks to the New York Mass Transit Police Department and to Metro North Railroad for all their assistance!

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