Brentwood Fire Chief Requests New Pumper Truck in 2013

A truck bought in 2002 would be put into reserve.

Brentwood Fire Department’s every-day pumper truck is close to 10 years old. Fire Chief Ted Jury is requesting that the city replace it with a new one in 2013. Jury recommended, at the Sept. 27 Public Safety Committee meeting, that the city sell its 20-year-old reserve pumper, put its current pumper into reserve status, and buy a new truck, at a cost of approximately $800,000. He said Brentwood has traditionally rotated a new fire truck in every seven to eight years, and Brentwood’s current front line pumper is from 2002. The current reserve pumper was bought in 1994. He said the industry recommendation is a 20-year age limit. “I’m recommending a heavy duty rescue pumper, which is considerably different than the truck we have now,” he said…

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Optimism that Flooding Won't Hit Brentwood, But Prepared if it Does

Brentwood's public works and fire departments are ready for whatever rain may come this weekend.

As the remnants of Hurricane Isaac passes over St. Louis, Brentwood’s director of Public Works, Jim Nahmensen, said he doesn’t expect major flooding. “The Meramec is empty, the Mississippi is empty, the Missouri River, they’re all empty right now so they could use some good run-off,” he said. “If it keeps up like this, and we get a couple downpours, I think we’ll be fine.” He said it was different in 2008, when flooding occurred, because the ground was already saturated, then five inches of rain fell in three hours. He said there might be flash-flooding on Manchester Road and Russell Avenue, where it usually does in a heavy rain. “The staff is ready, even though it’s a holiday weekend,” he said. “And I’ll probably spend most of my weekend …

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Brentwood: Sports Attic Cleanup to Start Tuesday

The Brentwood city website has announced that the asbestos abatement contractor is now cleared with the county.

The Brentwood city website announced on Friday that cleanup work on the remains of the Sports Attic will start next week. "This morning, Friday, August 17th, the City received word from the contractor and the owner that the asbestos abatement company has submitted their information to St. Louis County, and so now they plan to start clearing the site on Tuesday, August 21. Letters notifying surrounding property owners when the work will commence will go out in today’s mail." The Sports Attic was destroyed by fire on April 13. See past Patch articles on the Sports Attic:

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Hunan Wok is Now For Sale in Brentwood

A "for sale" sign hangs under the awning of Hunan Wok just two months after a fire consumed part of the building.

Hunan Wok might be permanently closed following a fire that occurred on May 17. After the fire, owner Angela Lin said she wanted to reopen as soon as possible. But now a "for sale" sign hangs under the awning of the building. Lin is asking $499,000. Brentwood city administrator Bola Akande said the restaurant had passed the city inspection, but the county inspection was still pending. Anthony Burgio, a real estate agent with Prime Properties, said Lin might reopen the restaurant if the property doesn't sell. The May 17 fire started on a stove and moved into the vent. At the time, Derek Gerhardt, with Central Safety and Fire, said both exhaust fans probably would need to be replaced. Both appear to be new. See related on Patch: Fire At …

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Brentwood Fire Department To Get New Turnout Gear After 20 Years

The Board of Alderman approved the purchase at a recent meeting.

The Brentwood Board of Aldermen approved the purchase of thirteen sets of structural turnout gear — the protective clothing worn by firefighters — at its May 21 meeting at city hall. The new gear, which costs $31,980, will replace items that are 20 years old. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends replacement of turnout gear for front-line firefighters every five years. However no one — including Mayor Pat Kelly or new Brentwood Fire Chief Ted Jury — knows the reason for the lengthy delay in purchasing the protective clothing for the department. Brentwood Fire Department has 21 firefighters; 13 are also licensed paramedics. “For budgetary purposes, we replaced the worst sets of the old gear,” Jury said. “But we have …

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Fire At Hunan Wok Will Close Doors Until at Least Monday

The fire started on the stove and went into the vent system.

Brentwood Fire Department fire chief Ted Jury said a fire at Hunan Wok, in the 2400 block of South Brentwood Boulevard, a block away from the firehouse, changed his plan to get home a bit early on Friday afternoon. The fire started on a stove and went into the vent system. Firefighters had to break into the kitchen ceiling to put it out, though the restaurant’s fire suppression system was triggered and extinguished most of the blaze. Jury said it was out quickly. "There was grease on the back wall, and fire went up the back of the wall and kept going," said Derek Gerhardt, with Central Safety & Fire, in Des Peres. "They cook with a lot of peanut oil," he said. His company was to repair the damage. He said the metal vents weren't warped …

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Sports Attic Burns in Early Morning Fire in Brentwood

The Brentwood Fire Department arrived on the scene a little after 4 a.m. to a smoking building. The source of the fire was in the basement. Fox2 News supplied this video to Patch.

Brentwood's Sports Attic, a building that has been a succession of bars since the 1920s, has seen its last St. Louis Blues game. It was destroyed by a three-alarm fire early this morning. There were no injuries. Manager Kevin Gallagher said the alarm went off in his house around 4 a.m. When he arrived from his home in Maplewood there was only smoke. The Brentwood Fire Department was on the scene. See more photos on Maplewood-Brentwood Patch Facebook. Brentwood Fire Chief Ted Jury said he had no information about how it started. The St. Louis County Bomb and Arson Unit has been called to investigate, which he said is standard procedure. (Patch will have updates on this story on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MaplewoodBrentwoodPatch.) …

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Doug Miner

12:25 pm on Friday, April 13, 2012

Thanks for that, Philip. Let's recognize all our firefighters who do such a good job for us.   more ›

Drug Testing Debate Draws Brentwood Support

School district officials, public safety officers, parents and students were among those who attended a forum on Monday to discuss the Brentwood School District's drug policy.

Any drug policy in Brentwood schools would include a mix of preventative education and punishment for drug abuse, said school district officials to a group of community leaders, parents and students on Monday night. But whether the addition of a drug testing program is the best way to address the issue remains unknown. (For up-to-the-minute updates about the Brentwood community, 'Like' us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MaplewoodBrentwoodPatch) Nearly 60 people attended a forum in the Brentwood School District Conference Center to discuss the issue of drug abuse in Brentwood hallways, and to identify ways to battle any drug problems in the community. Many of the attendees sat on a panel comprised of public safety officers, school …

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Ex-Brentwood Asst. Fire Chief No Longer Works For City

Many details about Bob Kurtz's departure from the city are unknown.

The man who worked as Brentwood's assistant fire chief and building official is no longer employed by the city, City Administrator Bola Akande said on Wednesday. Bob Kurtz's final day was Dec. 22. He worked for the city for more than 32 years. Whether Kurtz resigned, retired or was terminated remains unknown. Many details about his departure were not made available to Patch because city officials can't comment on personnel matters, Akande said. A call to Kurtz's home was not immediately returned on Wednesday afternoon. Akande confirmed that Kurtz will receive earned benefits, including accrued sick leave pay, which suggests that Kurtz wasn't fired. The city usually doesn't pay out accrued benefits to "employees who are involuntarily …

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Thom Eashes

5:44 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012

Mark S. You stated that Akande left a "path of destruction" and that "things sound fishy", you quoted a online news service as your source of information. Do you really believe that gathering information from Patch allows you to reach these conclusions? You are willing to throw Akande under the bus when you most likely truly do not know the circumstances that led to these people leaving the …   more ›

Editor's Notebook

Top 10 Most-Read Stories of 2011 on Maplewood-Brentwood Patch

Do any of these stories surprise you?

Take a look below at the most-read news stories of 2011. Do any of the stories surprise you? As the year comes to a close, do you have anything else to say about any of these stories? Let us know in the comments section. -- 10) Brentwood Parks Director Ousted From City (Dec. 9) The Brentwood Board of Aldermen voted to fire former parks director Michele Frankowski after she had a heated argument with city administrator Bola Akande. The board was divided 4-4 in firing Frankowski, but Mayor Pat Kelly broke the tie, electing to terminate Frankowski's employment. 9) Chris Seemayer is Still Collecting Benefits From Brentwood (Oct. 12) Former Brentwood city administrator Chris Seemayer, who pled guilty to stealing nearly $30,000 from the city he …

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