O’Fallon has a rich heritage with deep roots. In 1854, the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad built a depot named O’Fallon Station—in honor of one of St. Louis’s prominent businessmen—in the heart of the present historic district. The railroad has always played an important role in the history of the community.
It was during the 19th century that German immigrant farmers and businessmen settled the community. Rich coalfields were discovered near O’Fallon in the mid-1800s and it, too, is an important thread in the city’s historic tapestry.
There are many reasons to live in O’Fallon, nearly 30,000 in fact. They are the friendly neighbors who are proud to call this city their home. The community enjoys both business and residential growth, while it has also managed to maintain its small-town appeal. We pride ourselves in living in a community that really cares about our friends and neighbors. Whether you are just visiting or thinking of joining us, we welcome you to O’Fallon and hope your stay is a most pleasant one.
On, Wednesday April 11, 2012 the Spokane Fire Department responded at approximately 7:20 PM to 2717 North Altamont on a reported structure fire. The first crew on-scene reported heavy smoke and fire showing at the back of a vacant 1-story, wood-framed single family home. After further investigation the fire crew discovered a fire that had originated at or near the back porch of the residence had extended into the kitchen and attic of the structure. The firefighters aggressively attacked the fire from the interior while additional fire crews completed vertical ventilation, search and rescue, salvage and overhaul. The fire was brought under control within 20 minutes and there were no reported injuries to any civilians or firefighters. Seven fire companies with 25 firefighters responded to this fire and were on scene for approximately 2.5 hours.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Spokane Fire Department's Special Investigation Unit.
Fire damage was confined to the back porch, kitchen and attic with minor smoke damage through out the rest of the structure.
Narrative:On Friday April 12th, 2013 at 1:28 A.M. The Spokane Fire Department responded to a house fire located at 524 S. Audubon in the Government Way/Sunset Blvd area of the city. Engine and Ladder 4 from their neighborhood fire station location of Riverside and Maple were the first crews to arrive and found a one and a half story wood frame dwelling that was fully involved with heavy fire. A smaller storage shed converted into a living space was next to the house and was also on fire. A defensive strategy was planned due to the heavy fire involvement and weakening structure. Because of this, crews were limited in their tactics and had to maintain an exterior position and fight the fire from the outside. Hose lines from the ground position staffed with numerous firefighters and an aerial master stream from Ladder 4 were used in the containment of the fire. The storage shed sustained only exterior damage and the entire interior was spared due to the efforts of the exposure crews. It took 1 hour and 25 minutes to knock down the fire mostly due to the large void areas in the walls and roof of the dwelling. Fire crews maintained their defensive position through the night until daylight dealing with flare-ups and spot fires. The Special Investigation Unit of the Spokane Fire Department is currently investigating the fire. There were no reported injuries.
Narrative:On Sunday April 7th, 2013 at 10:10 AM, 6 Companies of Spokane Firefighters, 1 Senior Ladder, 1 Heavy Rescue, 4 Engines under the direction of Battalion Chiefs Donahoe and Moline responded to a structure fire at 2204 E. Heroy in Northeast Spokane.
Firefighters from Station 15 arrived in 3 minutes to find a single family dwelling with smoke showing out of both gable vents of the attic. The Responding Chief at this time upgraded the incident to a working fire adding and additional Senior Ladder, AMR Ambulance and an AMR supervisor to the scene. Companies were assigned to attack the fire, secure a water supply, ventilate and provide a search for possible occupants. The home proved to be unoccupied at the time of the incident. The fire was located by a thermal imaging camera in ceiling above the bathroom and was declared knocked down within 20 minutes. Companies remained on scene for approximately 2 hours opening up surrounding walls and ceiling to remove any smoldering insulation. There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported.
Cause: The Special Investigation Unit has determined that the fire started in the attic above the bathroom and is electrical in nature.
Damage: The bathroom walls and ceiling along with part of a master bedroom wall and ceiling were either damaged by fire or damaged in the process of checking for extension of the fire and overhauling the smoldering insulation. The occupant’s belongings were covered with salvage covers and were not damaged. The power to the home has been disconnected by Avista. The family of four has been relocated and is staying with other family members until structural and electrical repairs can be made to the home.
Narrative: On Sunday, April 6th at 07:13 PM, Engine 3 from their station at Indiana and Ash were dispatched alone to a reported motor home fire near the intersection of Chestnut and Gardner. While in route due to the large dark column of smoke, the Engine 3 Officer upgraded the incident to a full response structure fire. Engine 3 arrived on scene at 2126 West Dean within 4 minutes to a large fully involved motor home behind a house with an exposed garage on fire as well. The responding Chief in route upgraded the incident to a working fire after hearing the report from E-3 of the exposed building, numerous vehicles exposed and the uncertainty of residents accounted for. A total of 4 engines, 2 dedicated ladders, 1 heavy rescue, 2 battalion chiefs and the fire investigator responded to this incident. Companies completed a search of the motor home and garage with the two occupants of the motor home eventually accounted for. Other companies supplied water from a distant hydrant, overhauled the motor home and garage and evaluated the occupants for possible burn injuries. Due to the quick arrival time of Engine 3 and their aggressive attack the exposed garage was saved with moderate damage to one exterior wall and portions of the roof. No contents inside the effected garage suffered fire or smoke damage. Unfortunately the motor home was a complete loss. It was later learned that the male and female adult occupants were inside the motor home when it caught fire. They attempted to extinguish the escalating fire with a portable fire extinguisher without success. They were very fortunate to escape the fire which quickly overtook the entire motor home. The 2 occupants are being assisted by the Red Cross at this time with shelter and clothing needs. Avista assisted with utility control while the Spokane Police Dept. provided traffic control. No injuries were reported by civilians or fire fighters.
Cause: The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Spokane Fire Department Special Investigation Unit.
Damage: The inhabited motor home was a complete loss with minor damage to 1 exposed passenger vehicle along with exterior damage to the exposed garage.
Yeah. Why not? Untaxable, nearly anonymous, low transfer fees, no account "freezes" or "limits" whatsoever. All the advantages of cash, and none of its caveats. Lots of ways to spend, and new ones appear every day. Why not indeed...
Unfortunately there's a catch — exchange between "fiat" currencies (dollars, euros, bahts), and BTC isn't as smooth as one could hope for. Your flexible friend, the credit card, will not be accepted, because bitcoin deals are irreversible, while credit card transactions are very much so:
Paypal? It's even worse. While credit card companies are mislead by scammers, Paypal deliberately, and knowingly supports them, and their business to undermine competitor's positions, Google will give you all the nasty details.
So we ruled out two most popular online payment methods. Unfortunately others are either not perfect, or not usable.
Don't get me wrong, you can exchange bitcoins, perhaps even easily, but it will require you to jump through a circle or two — accept the fact that your favorite tools will not work here, find, and implement alternatives. Most people are either too lazy or too busy for that, and prefer old ways. Guys who run companies are also busy, lazy, and reluctant to do new things, plus they face legal, organizational, and devil knows what other barriers. Bottom line — I can't imagine wide acceptance of bitcoins in our industry any time soon. This makes my "accepting bitcoins" announcement a little more than a hogwash. Or not.
Everyone knows about Skrill, arguably the only efficient way to handle ongoing (and annoying) pecky projects that bring 0-250 EU per month. "Industry standard" SWIFT is not an option (obviously), Paypal, and SEPA have regional limitations, and can be expensive, and other solutions are simply not worth mentioning. Skrill on the other hand is ubiquitous, and fees make it perfect fit for both customers, and vendors: flat 0.5 EU to send money, and flat 1.8 EU to withdraw. Jolly good. There is a downside, of course, Skrill can randomly and permanently freeze your account with all the cash for no specific reason, but it is an acceptable risk, as long as your turnover is moderate...
Was acceptable, not anymore, last November flat rates were replaced with percentages, making Skrill more expensive than SEPA, but slightly cheaper than Paypal. And they can still take all your money. Reasons are not important, but I assume that they have decided to pose as "payment gateway", and p2p transfers were sacrificed. Anyway Skrill no longer an option, but there's and alternative. Any assumptions?
Yep, bitcoins could be a perfect solution of micropayment problem, and many others, but first we need to let our customers know that they exist. How? Start accepting bitcoins, and make sure everybody knows J
And one more thing, if you have taken my pitch seriously, and made all the pre-arrangements, such as installing, and syncing the wallet, then you are probably choosing between one of three major BTC exchanges to settle in. You have probably accepted the fact that they will demand your passport, proof of address, and some other random proofs, and report all your transactions to big brother and/or your government. If you think that this approach is killing the buzz, do yourself a favor, and click little ugly banner below. Yes, bitcoins must be anonymous, which means they must be bought with cash.
Native Russian speaker with Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English, professional translator and engineer, specialized in IT, telecom, and marketing. 10 years of industry experience as translator, editor, language lead and project manager.
Here you can find various tools, links and resources, both work and fun-related. The purpose of each should be obvious for a linguistiс crowd. Enjoy!