European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 18, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday. August 18, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 5 88 fire deaths hit 7-year High study says Boston a Pirc deaths in the United Stales hit a seven year High last year when 6.215 people died must of them in their Homes inc National fire i Rote Tion association reported wednesday. The association a non profit Trade group based in suburban Quimcy said the 1988 death toll was a 1 percent increase Over 1987. When there were 5.s10 deaths. The death local did not include 62 firefighters who died in the Lino of duly the report said. Fires caused property damage last year estimated at $8.35 billion the report said an increase of 16.7 percent from 1987. The report noted a significant por Tion of the total 5.6 percent was the result of three Large Industrial fires a refiner in Norco. La., a Chemi Cal manufacturing Plant in Henderson ncv., and a Telephone switching station in Hinsdale. I. Fires caused by arson or suspected arson dropped 5.2 percent to 99.500 in 1988, but the association said the si.594 Bill in in properly damage they caused amounted Lonearl a Quarter of inc properly loss in structures. Of the total 19x8 deaths. 5.005 occurred in one and two family residential properties apartments Mobile Homes holds and motels an increase of 8.7 percent Over the previous year. The association said there has been steady Progress in reducing fire deaths this Century but since 1982 lire deaths have remained fairly Eon slant. Since 1982. When fire deaths reached 6.700, the number has been within 4 percent of 6.000 every year except for 1984. The report said. The highest death toll prior to 1981 was 7.575 in 1979. Said Julie Reynolds a Nipa spokeswoman. The implications of the plateau reached by civilian fire deaths Are Clear today As they have been for thelast several  the report said. The steady Stream of Good news to which we have become accustomed will not resume unless we make  Michael j. Karter or. The association s senior statistician said a combination of education greater use of working smoke detectors and wider use of Sprinkle systems in residential buildings Are among the ways to reduce lire deaths. Karter also said further Steps need to be taken to make Home products safer from fires including development of More child resistant cigarette lighters and cigarettes that Are  fire prone. The association reported there were 2.4.16.500 fires fought by Public fire departments last year an increase of 4.6 percent from a year earlier. Of that total. 745,000 were building fires. About 30.800 people were injured in fires last year. Inc association said. The report also noted a Sharp increase in wildfires. With 675,500 Brush and grass fires an increase of More than 22 percent Over 1987. The drought that struck much of the country last summer was blamed for much of the increase in out door fires. Night stalker jury resumes deliberations los angles a the jury in the 6-month-old night stalker murder trial resumed deliberations wednesday after the Foreman reported the panel had put behind them the slaying of a juror and the suicide of her Boyfriend. The night stalker defendant Rich Ard Ramiro. A drifter charged with 13 murders shouted out an objection and an obscenity when the judge indicated he would allow the panel to return to its task with an alternate member. Superior court judge Michael Tynan ignored Ramirez s comment and rejected a defense request for at least a week delay in deliberations to allow jurors to recover from their grief. There was no request for mistrial. Earlier the judge called jury Foreman Felipe Rodrique into the courtroom and asked whether jurors were Able to proceed in Light of the slaying of Phyllis singltary by her Bov Friend James Cecil Melton who later lulled himself after leaving a note admitting the murder. Rodrique said the jury could Assur ing the judge. Everyone appears to have put it behind  the judge then summoned All of the jurors and told them we must get on with the task that life has Given us. No matter How deeply you feel about her death it is in no Way connected to the Case of Richard  Sands of time in the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Aug. 18, 1949 the White House architect. Loren of s Winslow. Announced the president s Home would be closed for two years for a renovation project which would Cost close to $5.5 million. 30 years ago foday. Aug. 18, 1959 at a news conference in Washington adm. Arligh a. Burke chief of naval operations said he believed the soviet Union was far ahead of the United states in developing submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles. 20 years ago today. Aug. 18. 1969 or. Philip Blaiberg the longest surviving heart transplant recipient died in a Hospital in Cape town South Africa almost 18 months after he received the transplant. J 0 years ago foday. Aug. 18. 1979 West German authorities announced that because of increased drug deaths in 1979, they were planning an accelerated Campaign totem a wave of heroin flooding the country. The xxx in tilde which spilled 11 million Gallons of nil in Alaska s i Ricc William sound Murch 24, is guided by coming in for repairs tugboats into the ducks at the National steel and shipbuilding co tuesday in Sun Diego fur repairs. The ship that caused the nation s worst Oil spill is the subject of 140 lawsuits filed by various groups including the state of Alaska. Altered airline parts Sale brings guilty pleas from firm president Seattle a a new York distributor of air plane parts and its president pleaded guilty wednesday to Federal charges they conspired to sell doctored air line parts to governments manufacturers and airline customers. Bruce j. Rice. 42, president of Rice aircraft inc. Of Hauppauge . Pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and two counts of mail fraud. The company pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy and mail fraud. Lawyers on both sides emphasized no aircraft Acci dents were known to have occurred because of the parts consisting of altered and falsely certified rivets and other fasteners. Assistant . Attorney Bruce d. Carter called much of the problem historical saying the parts Likely would have failed in their first few months of use if they were going to fail. But while Many of the fasteners have been recovered or accounted for. Many Are in the Stream of com Merce they re  Carter said. The counterfeit fasteners were distributed from 1977 through 1988, mostly in the Early 1980s, prosecutors said. Court documents indicate the reprocessed parts were sold to the . And israeli governments Airbus industries British aerospace Grumman Sikorsky Martin Marietta. Boeing helicopters air France. United airlines the brazilian airline Varig. Twa american airlines and pan am. Some of the parts were purchased for military air Craft including the Al 11, the b-1b bomber and f-14 fighters prosecutors said. Rice and his company were accused of buying sur plus parts from suppliers and then having them secretly stripped and re plated or re lubricated at a facility thai Rice s customers had not approved. To make the parts traceable prosecutors said certification documents from the original suppliers were simply copied and submitted As the paperwork for the reworked fasteners. The Rice Case which grew out of a tip from an Anonymous whistle Blower in Rice s company is the first prosecution produced by a special Federal task Force called Northwest defense contracting or nor Decon. Rice made no comment after entering his pleas. After two years of investigation the government has yet to find anything to prove anything. Is unsafe said Dan Dubitzky a lawyer for Rice