Santa Rosa artist Adrian Litman, who lost his home in the Tubbs fire two years ago, wanted to make a simple, direct statement with his new metal sculpture.
He wanted to capture the importance of water in the often gut-wrenching work firefighters do every time an alarm goes off in the firehouse.
Mounted atop a waist-high slab of concrete in front of the Santa Rosa Fire Station 1 on Sonoma Avenue, the metal sculpture is of a giant heart made of silver, flowing water that surrounds red tongues of fire. - PUB DATE: 1/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Santa Rosa Press Democrat
The number of people who died in fires fell by 25% last year, even as emergency crews responded to a record number of medical emergencies, the FDNY said Wednesday.
Sixty-six people died in fires across the five boroughs in 2019, 22 fewer than the 88 victims in 2018, officials said. Yet the number of medical emergencies jumped by more than 2,300, bringing last year’s total to 1,531,870 — the second highest in the FDNY’s history, officials said. - PUB DATE: 1/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News
A Birmingham firefighter who says the conditions at an East Birmingham fire station made him sick has now filed a lawsuit against the City of Birmingham and Mayor Randall Woodfin.
Michael Horsley who started with Birmingham in 2006 claims he, former and current employees of the City of Birmingham Fire Department ("BFD") have been forced to work in dangerous conditions at Fire Station 27 in the Huffman area. - PUB DATE: 1/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBRC-TV
Tuesday night saw the end of a 73-year-old tradition.
The Burlington Rescue Squad, a volunteer emergency medical service that has covered the City and Town of Burlington since 1946, officially disbanded when the clock struck midnight.
“It’s bittersweet,” said Burlington Rescue Squad Chief Jeff Koenen, who frequently refers to the volunteer service as a tight-knit family and bonafide lifestyle. - PUB DATE: 1/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Kenosha News
Detroit's fire commissioner says he will investigate the circumstances of a social media photograph posted on New Year's Eve showing 18 firefighters posing in front of roaring house fire, according to media reports.
The photo was posted on the "Detroit Fire Incidents Page" on Facebook along with the caption "crews take a moment to get a selfie on New Years!" In the background is a house engulfed in flames. - PUB DATE: 1/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Detroit Free Press
A week after passing a measure to set up what’s called a 401(a) plan, tax-deferred retirement saving accounts for retiring public safety employees, the City Council on Monday afternoon rescinded the resolution.
Members of the City Council approved the repeal without opposition in an emergency meeting. - PUB DATE: 1/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Paterson Times
VIDEO: An OSHA report on the fire that left a fire captain dead and three other firefighters injured in Bethalto, Illinois, said communication problems contributed to the dangerous conditions at the fire.
Godfrey Fire Captain Jake Ringering was killed in a fire at 4064 Culp Lane on March 5. An OSHA report of working conditions at the fire was completed in September and was released to 5 On Your Side Monday. - PUB DATE: 12/31/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSDK-TV NBC 5 St. Louis
Since joining the Fire Department in 2006, Lieutenant Kyra Neeley King has not only seen a great melding of various rescue services — including medical professionals and firefighters — into a cohesive response force, but she’s also witnessed these brave first responders serving a common purpose of helping New Yorkers. - PUB DATE: 12/31/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: AM New York
VIDEO: The New Bedford firefighters union is once again calling on the city to end its policy of "blacking out" certain engines when the department is short-staffed.
The city's black out policy sometimes leaves one random truck unstaffed to save money. The department has been operating under the policy for at least ten years. - PUB DATE: 12/31/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLNE-TV ABC 6
PHOTOS: Julian Reams literally is leaving his mark on the St. Lucie County Fire District.
Reams, 32, a firefighter with the agency, also is an accomplished artist from Miami, and he brought some of his artistic passion to his job as a first responder.
Reams has painted three murals on as many fire stations, two of which are stations where he’s been based since joining the agency in December 2012. - PUB DATE: 12/31/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: TC Palm
VIDEO: As a singer-songwriter, Larry Long has made a career out of making music with a message, but he hopes his latest creation will strike a chord on the issue of firefighter health and wellness.
"You can never predict where a song is going to go or the effect it's going to have, but time will tell," said Long, who is from south Minneapolis. - PUB DATE: 12/31/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMSP-TV FOX 9 Minneapolis
The failure of the state of North Dakota's ladder truck has left Jamestown Fire Chief Jim Reuther worried about the department's ability to fight fires and make rescues from taller buildings in Jamestown and the North Dakota State Hospital.
The ladder truck is owned by the state of North Dakota under an agreement where the JFD provides fire protection to the State Hospital. - PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Jamestown Sun
VIDEO: A shortage of water hampered firefighters' efforts Friday to save a historic 120-year-old home in Concord which was originally built for the prominent descendant of a U.S. President.
The fire at 240 Fairhaven Hill Road burned a 6,500-square-foot home that was built in 1899, according to records. - PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCVB-TV ABC 5 Boston
When the call comes in for an opiate overdose, Akron Fire District Chief Joseph Natko said paramedics drop everything and respond as fast as they can. But four to six minutes can pass from the time someone dials the phone to when a paramedic treats the patient.
When people overdose, Natko said they can seem intoxicated or unresponsive. - PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Akron Beacon Journal
Jamie Dukes tried the door handle, throwing his weight against the small metal door that led to the outside of a North Charleston industrial facility.
It wouldn’t move.
Inside the structure, pallets of polyester were stacked more than 6 feet high. A plastics warehousing firm was moving in, and Dukes, a North Charleston fire inspector, was on site to sign off that the property was up to code. - PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Post and Courier - Metered Site
VIDEO: The Newark Division of Fire now has a permanent way of remembering its fallen heroes.
The department recently installed a memorial for firefighters killed in the line of duty.
“It’s a real risk and our new wall reminds folks of that,” Newark Lt. Neal Murphy explained.
The tribute consists of eight plaques with names, dates and a short description of each of the eight men killed since the fire department’s inception. - PUB DATE: 12/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCMH-TV NBC 4 Columbus
Municipal officials have agreed to set up what’s called a 401(a) plan, tax-differed retirement saving accounts, for retiring public safety employees. Members of the City Council approved a measure on Monday allowing mayor Andre Sayegh’s administration to set up the plan at the request of the police and fire unions. - PUB DATE: 12/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Paterson Times
Major changes are coming to the Owen Valley Fire Department.
Lt. Joe Frye said the department will lose a majority of its firefighters at the end of the year because the Owen Valley Volunteer Firefighter Incorporated Group could not reach a contract agreement with the Owen Valley Fire Territory Board. - PUB DATE: 12/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRTV ABC 6 Indianapolis
The city’s firefighters union is pushing for more emphasis on mental health after losing an officer to suicide.
“One of our brothers passed away of this disease,” said Shawn Weeks, president of Local 1891, the union that represents Boynton’s paramedics and firefighters. “Nobody thought this was gonna happen. - PUB DATE: 12/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Palm Beach Post
Knowing how to properly handle all the equipment that's used to fight fires is a crucial part of a firefighter's job.
Joseph Cross looks like he's adept and ready to go to battle, but he is actually not a firefighter – yet. He is training to become one after fighting some personal demons and ending up in prison. - PUB DATE: 12/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Bay News 9
