Burning buildings and media coverage

THREE QUINCY POLICE Department officers helped rescue a couple and their baby from a burning building overnight.

That's the story, the most important part, and it's interesting to read the various media reports.

I'm posting links to the three stories about the fire. Click here for WGEM's version, click here for KHQA, and click here for The Herald-Whig. It's my understanding the Whig story will be updated, and it's by far the best of the stories.

Kudos for TV getting the story first. The Whig's story told me more in six paragraphs than two entire garbled TV web stories. And the one TV version  has a pretty factual lead - there was a fire, it was bad, it was started by a cigarette in a trash can, and by the way, QPD rescued three people from a burning building.

The Whig was also the only media outlet to identify the three QPD officers. It took them a bit longer, but its story and photos are vastly superior.

This is a biased view, of course. And I'm not necessarily being critical, it's just interesting to note the different coverages of the same event.

Sgt. Bryan Dusch saw the fire first. Officer Stefanie Yates found the ladder and officer Terry Hagan was instrumental in the rescue. All three are to be commended. Sgt. Dusch was about to tell the couple upstairs to throw their young child out the window when Stefanie located the ladder.

Bryan is a good officer, a former detective who doesn't take crap. If you are a bad guy and he's chasing you, well, you are SOL. Same goes for Stefanie, wife of Pepper Spray band member Adam Yates. She is the nicest and most polite person you will ever meet, unless you are a dirtball breaking the law.

QPD gets flak when things don't go well. Let it be said loud and clear that they risked their lives in a chaotic event and saved the lives of three others.

To them, it's just part of the job.

I say, thank you for a job well-done.