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 "vehicle fire" ...
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Jeep Grand Cherokee Investigation
Currently, there are “three million Jeep Grand Cherokees on the road today”. Furthermore, they have been involved in “hundreds of fatal fire accidents in the past 11 years”. The investigation revealed a flaw in the vehicle; the fuel tank is located in the rear of the vehicle. This flaw is the main cause of these fatal deaths. After these accidents had occurred, the automaker has relocated the gas tank in a more secure location and since then zero accidents have occurred.
Tags: Chrysler; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; SUVs; consumers; automobiles; crash; damage; defect; auto safety; transportation
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"Paying for Perks"
Fairfax County fire department officials were frequently using taxpayer funded take-home vehicles for personal use. The vehicles were often used for commuting instead of emergencies, and were often taken out of the county leading to high gas costs paid for by the public. The investigation also shows fire officials lied when filling out "logs and other public records."
Tags: Fairfax County; Sharon Bulova; John J. Adair; Fairfax County Fire Department; Ron Mastin; Pat Herrity; Daryl Louder
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Ford Fires Investigation
The WESH I-team followed a series of fires in Ford trucks and SUV's in 2005. They found numerous vehicle fires in Florida and across the United States and obtained National Highway Transportation Safety Administration documents of vehicle fires and product testing of late model Fords. Over the course of the year, they followed class action suits against Ford, as well as a massive recall of the trucks. The I-team was the first outlet to discover the specific cause of the fires. Their findings moved Ford to expand its recall.
Tags: fire; Ford; vehicle fire; product recall; faulty wiring
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Ford Fires
This investigation discovered that millions of Ford vehicles contained a combustion-prone part that has caused hundreds of fires, including some fatal ones, and it revealed which models had the part. Ford issued a recall of certain models one month after the story aired.
Tags: automobile safety; cars; fire; Ford; accidents
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Hidden threat of junkyards
The Times Union investigates junkyards and the possible health and safety hazards they hold due to gaps in regulations.
Tags: junkyards; environment; EPA; vehicle junkyards; regulations; fires; Department of Environmental Conservation; DMV
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Crown Victoria Police Car Fires
From the contest entry summary: "Greg Hunter examines the allegedly dangerous design of the most popular police car in the United States, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Cruiser. Critics of this car say the gas tank is in a dangerous place. The tank is directly behind the rear axle, and in a high-speed rear-end collision, the tank smashes into the axle and is punctured, causing fuel leaks that catch the vehicle on fire." Other Ford vehicles -- about 3 million cars with the same design defect -- also pose safety questions.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; safety; deaths; law enforcement; lawsuits; transportation
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Blue-Light Special
The Riverfront Times reports on the Overland Police department's firearm turmoil. Not only did the department spend many thousands of dollars on guns for its 50 officers, including heavy assault weapons that had no practical purpose according to department officials, guns that were recorded as destroyed or scrapped for parts showed up in police vehicles and hunter-education programs. "Overland was buying and selling guns... so they were in the gun business. That's the bottom line," a former officer said. Discounts given to the department for gun purchases were extended to the mayor several other prominent Overland citizens. Overland also had problems with guns disappearing out of the evidence locker.
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Crimes of Punishment
In this three-part series the Globe conducted an extensive investigation into the Suffolk County corrections department after allegations arose of widespread abuse of power and misconduct among correctional officers. Four officers were fired from the county's South Bay correctional facility after current and former female inmates brought up charges that guards exchanged privileges for sexual favors. The county officially recognized the allegations after a former female inmate's 1999 pregnancy showed a corrections officer was the father. The department is also facing charges of brutality from prison guards, largely stemming from a 1999 case when an inmate died in the custody of the sheriff's department. The Globe finds that at the heart of all of the problems is the county sheriff. Sheriff Richard Rouse has had a long history inside Boston politics, but some say "his grasp of corrections is minimal and his response to scandals has been mostly cosmetic." Moreover the Globe finds that Rouse spends very little time in the department, relying heavily on assistants while being paid a $104,000 salary and using a department vehicle illegally.
Tags: Law Enforcement; corrections; criminal justice; Suffolk County; Massachusetts
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9 Wants to Know: Deadly Delay?
WIXT-TV examines how utility cutbacks of overnight emergency personnel effect response times to emergencies. "The story started at the newsroom police scanner. For months we had noticed that emergency personnel were frequently held up as they waited for utility crews to shut down power or turn off gas. In checking back, we found several instances (one where an entire factory burned to the ground) where fire chiefs believed the losses were attributable to utility actions."
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; emergency vehicles; police; fire; emergencies
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Consumer Alert: Bait and Switch
Dateline NBC reports "a hidden-camera investigation of illegal bait-and-switch advertising at new car dealerships. We found that three out of four dealerships were engaging in bait and switch. Several salesmen confessed that this was a dealership practice. One even stated, 'If you were undercover I'd be fired right now.'"