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Some Big Macs for a long night
© St. Petersburg Times The printout of Tampa Fire Rescue's communications from Saturday's airplane crash in downtown Tampa shows three pages of action and drama, noted in clipped, terse terms. 17:06:21 (shortly after 5 p.m.) "PLAIN (sic) HIT BLD BANK OF AMC" 17:15:52 "AIRCRAFT FALLING" 17:32:50 "E14 GOING TO 41ST FLOOR 3 PEOPLE MISSING" 17:50:24 "41ST FLOOR CLEAR" And so on. That's why an entry at 18:56:02 (shortly before 7 p.m.) caught our eye. "40 BIG MACS AND F/F ORDERED," it read. Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman Bill Wade said the dispatch request, while perhaps not particularly healthy, was necessary. "Well, we've got to eat," Wade said. He said Tampa Fire Rescue has an arrangement with McDonald's so that when events such as Saturday's crash happen, someone calls a hotline number for the Golden Arches and places an order. A retired firefighter picks up the food and dishes it out, and the firefighter's union later pays the tab with a check. Sometimes, Wade said, firefighters share their dinners with Tampa police officers who may not have time to pick up a bite while working a scene. "They have guns," Wade joked. "What are you going to do?" ALVAREZ VS. HOLDER CONTINUES: Former Chief Judge F. Dennis Alvarez just can't leave the courthouse scandals behind him. On Monday, you'll remember, the state agency that polices judges charged Alvarez's longtime foe, Judge Gregory Holder, with giving a false answer on an application to become a federal judge. Holder didn't disclose that he had been the subject of complaints about his performance on the bench, the Judicial Qualifications Commission said. Holder met twice with the chairman of the JQC about complaints and also spoke with Alvarez about complaints, but didn't mention that on the application, the charge goes. (For his part, Holder says he didn't think the counseling he received amounted to formal complaints.) Now, we learn that Alvarez looked over Holder's application to be a federal judge before Holder turned it in. After Alvarez reviewed the application, he didn't say, "Well, wait a minute. Remember that meeting you had (about the complaints) . . . ?" Holder told the JQC investigative panel when he met with them in November. Even so, Holder said, "I don't place any blame on (Alvarez) or anyone else but myself. If I was wrong, I apologize, and I'll do whatever it is to correct it." Holder didn't persuade the panel, apparently. They charged him Monday with ethical violations. If found guilty, the Florida Supreme Court could remove Holder from office, suspend him or reprimand him. Alvarez, who announced his bid for mayor of Tampa last week, isn't talking about the case. But one day he will. When the JQC misconduct case goes to trial, Alvarez will be one of the JQC's main witnesses against Holder. A LONG DAY: Tampa Police Chief Bennie Holder and Mayor Dick Greco stayed at the plane crash scene until the wee hours of the morning Sunday. Greco, being the friendly guy that he is, schmoozed with out-of-town reporters, local reporters and even some public works employees. About 2 a.m., just before going inside the Bank of America Plaza building, Holder looked a little sleepy. He said he was at home when he heard about the crash. "I was at home being a couch potato," Holder said. "My whole day was planned on the couch." Greco, for the record, was also at home when he heard about the crash. He was taking down the Christmas lights in his front yard when a neighbor drove up and told him. "I was looking at my neighbor like she was crazy," he said. "I jumped in my car and expected to see smoke or fire. I was expecting the very worst." -- Got a tip? Contact Amy Herdy at 226-3386 or herdy@sptimes.com , or David Karp at 226-3376 or karp@sptimes.com. Times staff writer Tamara Lush contributed to this column.
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