The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "first responders" ...
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The Curious Case of Sgt. Drenth
A decorated and highly respected Phoenix police sergeant is found dead on the ground in an alley near the State Capitol complex, the victim of a shotgun blast to the head. The weapon is discovered on his body in a manner which several first-responders later claim looked "staged" by another party or parties. Almost a year after Sgt. Sean Drenth's death, the county Medical Examiner rules that the manner of his death was a "suicide," not a "homicide" or "undetermined." The enclosed two-part series was published after the reporter investigated this complex and ultimately tragic case for several months. A few weeks ago, the county Medical Examiner personally told Sgt. Drenth's widow that he personally will revisit the case in light of the revelations in the story and other relevant reasons.
Tags: Death; police sergeant; shotguns
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Addressing 911
It all started with a tip from people on the front lines, and quickly unraveled into a story that has sparked much needed oversight of Ingham County's new consolidated 911 center. The center merged two 911 dispatch centers into one back in June of 2012. In October, a group of first responders approached Reporter Ann Emmerich with alarming concerns about problems within the system. They believed at least two deaths could be connected to delayed response times because emergency crews were sent to the wrong address. They also believed county officials were trying to "cover up" the problems. Using the Freedom of Information Act, Ann Emmerich began digging into records from the 911 Dispatch Center. She obtained documented complaints from the Lansing Fire Department, call logs from the dispatch center, and time stamped recordings of 911 calls. Just days after Emmerich made those FOIA requests, Lansing's Mayor announced he would form a task force to investigate concerns with the County's 911 Center. At the time, there was no advisory board in place to oversee the center. Once officials went public with the formation of a task force, the original board that worked to establish the 911 center was brought back together to begin oversight.
Tags: broadcast; 911; FOIA; 911 center
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Hidden Wealth of Azerbaijan President
The President of oil-rich Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has been compared to a Mafia crime boss in US diplomatic cables, and man analysts refer to him as a dictator. OCCRP looked deeper than those labels and found that the Aliyev family has systematically grabbed shares of the most profitable businesses in the country. Investigative reports by OCCRP and Radio Free Europe have revealed and more importantly proven for the first time that the ruling family has secret ownership stakes through offshore companies in the country’s largest businesses, including banks, construction companies, gold mines and phone companies. The government Aliyev runs gave these shares. The family also has secretly amassed high-end property in places like the Czech Republic. The Azeri government responded to the revelations first with silence and now claims that OCCRP is an agent of the rival Armenian government. Aliyev’s administration also failed to investigate the harassment and blackmail of OCCRP and RFE journalist Khadija Ismayilova earlier this year. While Azerbaijan has worked at improving its image worldwide, OCCRP’s reporting makes clear that a petty dictatorship remains in control.
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Life on the Line: 911 Breakdowns at the LAFD
This series of investigative stories paired textbook investigative techniques with a ground-breaking data analysis to document deep-rooted problems in a safety net millions of Angelenos rely on when they dial 911.
Tags: fire department; responders; first-response
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Firefighter Deaths
Four suicides amongst Phoenix Fire Department members prompted this investigation. The stories detailed the link between first responders and suicide deaths.
Tags: firefighter; suicide; Phoenix Fire Department; mental health; fireman
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Code 3
"Code 3" focused on ambulance delays in San Francisco and provided a rare glimpse inside an inherently complex and often secretive bureaucracy. The project began as a two-day series and continued with several follow-up reports. Paramedics and quality control experts say the city does not have enough ambulances and needs to hire more paramedics. A history of tensions between paramedics and firefighters, and a lack of coordination between the Fire Department, the Department of Emergency Management and the Public Health Department, continues to undercut the city's 911 medical responses and the quality of care. The city does not collect sufficient data on 911 responses to fully audit ambulance delays, examine particular treatments and learn from clinical mistakes
Tags: ambulances; emergency response; San Francisco; first responders; fire department; department of emergency management; public health department
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Code 3
"'Code 3,' a two-day series that focused on ambulance delays in San Francisco, provided a rare glimpse inside an inherently complex and often secretive bureaucracy." Findings included: 439 people died while waiting for the ambulance to arrive; in 27 percent of high-priority medical calls, first responders failed to meet the city's time standard; and the city's 911 call center was the weakest link.
Tags: Philip Meyer Award; ambulance; response time; 911; Fire Department; Department of Emergency Management; death; medicine;
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City Adrift: New Orleans Before and After Katrina
This book takes readers on "a journey from the time the storm hit on Aug. 29, 2005 through its aftermath, as well as the progress of the city's efforts to rebuild and what the future might hold. Through interviews with homeowners and health officials, first responders and politicians, as well as firsthand experience, this unique collection of voices paints a detailed portrait of what happened, what went wrong and why, and on a broader scale, examines how local and federal officials prepare for and react to such catastrophic events whether a killer hurricane, terrorist attack or potential pandemic flu."
Tags: hurricane Katrina; federal officials; local officials; homeowners; catastrophic events; storms; progress of New Orleans; aftermath
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The Next Disaster: Are We Ready?
Reader's Digest rated "10 large cities on their level of preparedness for disasters," both natural and manmade. The cities were chosen based on their high level of vulnerability to disasters "from terror attacks to hurricanes." They scored each city based on "first responders, crisis communications and medical capacity." In the study, Miami, New York City and Washington, D.C. were at the top, while Detroit "was at the bottom."
Tags: Disasters; disaster preparedness; hurricanes; earthquakes; terror attacks; tornados; weather-rleated disasters
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Judging the Jury
For the first time ever, reporters at WHDH-TV in Boston analyzed the racial makeup of federal juries in Massachusetts. What they found was that, in some cases, jury pools had no people of color whatsoever, which led to all white juries. According to their investigation, minorities remained underrepresented in the justice system as much as 50 percent of the time. The reason? Jury pools are chosen according to who responds to the town census. Because it is an unfunded mandate, many low income neighborhoods do a bad job of responding to the census, while the affluent neighborhoods fair much better. These are the neighborhoods with the highest returns and they are the ones repeatedly being called for jury duty.
Tags: jury pools; voter registration; underrepresented minorities; racial makeup; town census; U.S. Census; FOIA