Efforts are under way nationally to get communications officers, aka dispatchers, proper recognition for what they do.
Rep. Norma J. Torres' House Resolution 1629, called the 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (SAVES) Act, seeks to reclassify communications officers nationally from a non-protective service occupation to a protective one in the Standard Occupational Classification system, giving dispatchers recognition as first responders. - PUB DATE: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Norman Transcript
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards Council approved a plan to consolidate the information currently contained in 114 NFPA Emergency Response and Responder Safety (ERRS) standards, guides, and recommended practices into 38 overarching standards. The move will not only provide emergency responders with easier access to well-rounded safety information, but also improve the standards development experience for more than 2,000 principle and alternative NFPA Technical Committee Members. - PUB DATE: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NFPA.org
In a move West Shore Fire Department Commission Chairman Robert Bruneau called “phenomenal” and “unheard of,” the firefighters union in that district unanimously agreed to defer a contractual raise for two years to ease the burden on taxpayers.
“I think it’s big,” Bruneau said. “I think they want to do what’s best for the district. - PUB DATE: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Haven Register
Four people were killed when a crane collapsed Saturday afternoon, falling onto traffic in downtown Seattle.
The Seattle Fire Department said one woman and three men were dead before the first firefighters arrived at the scene. Two of the people killed were ironworkers working on the crane and the other two were inside vehicles. - PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING 5 News
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Christopher Slutman, killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan was honored today by mourners from across the country at his funeral in New York City, where he also was a decorated firefighter.
Slutman's flag-draped casket was taken from a Bronx funeral home atop a fire engine caisson. - PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: LoHud.com
The battle against the devastating Woolsey Fire was hampered in Los Angeles County by politicians asking firefighters to check on certain homes, according to an agency that helped battle the blaze.
The conclusion comes from an after-action review by the Los Angeles Fire Department, which joined Los Angeles and Ventura county departments in battling the November blaze, the Los Angeles Times reported. - PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Ventura County Star - Metered Site
One day, a fire chief who is a good friend called me to talk, either for therapeutic reasons or validation that he made the right decision about something. In the end, the phone call may have been therapeutic, but he had certainly not made the right decision. He had reacted emotionally to a situation and felt he had to make an immediate decision. - PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1
Growing up the son of a firefighter, Flagler College junior Blake Richardson heard plenty of stories from his father Brad about his work at the Fernandina Beach Fire Department.
Over the last 15 years of his dad’s career, two of the common themes that always came up were the stress of the job and the lack of sleep. - PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The St. Augustine Record
VIDEO: The Greeley Fire Department is in mourning for a veteran firefighter who died after a traffic collision. The firefighter, identified as Steven Michael Kuzik, was on his way to work when the crash happened.
Police officers rushed to the crash at 6:31 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of 14th Avenue and 5th Street on a report of a traffic accident involving a motorcycle, driven by Kuzik, and an SUV, possibly a Suburban. - PUB DATE: 4/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS Denver
Former Montgomery firefighter Kenneth Bolling wants his day in court.
The longtime fire employee — along with former firefighters Ted Clark and Kyle Blake — are suing the city of Montgomery. The former MF/R employees are bringing three separate cases related what they say were forced resignations for several issues, including discrimination, wrongful termination, breach of contract and due-process violations. - PUB DATE: 4/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Montgomery Advertiser
VIDEO: The city of Sacramento is looking to add a small fleet of bicycle medics to their toolbox.
“They found it to be a great little tool to quickly maneuver around downtown as opposed to a large vehicle when you're trying to navigate large crowds,” said Captain Keith Wade, Sacramento Fire Dept.
Trucks and engines are not always the best tool for the job, especially in large crowds. - PUB DATE: 4/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOVR-TV CBS 13 Sacramento
Decatur Fire Chief Mike Richardson has asked the county to look at a more equitable funding formula for local fire departments.
During Monday’s workshop, Richardson shared with the Decatur City Council a presentation on fire department funding and the challenges faced by departments in areas where the population is growing. - PUB DATE: 4/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wise County Messenger
Mayor Greg Fischer's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year will include steep cuts to public safety, but the cuts will not be as severe as what Fischer hinted at earlier this year.
The proposed fiscal year 2020 budget unveiled by Fischer on Thursday calls for about $9.6 million in cuts to public safety and the elimination of 81 public safety positions. - PUB DATE: 4/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Louisville Courier Journal
More than 200 Houston firefighters will be laid off after the City Council approved the measure Wednesday during a heated debate. The decision comes as the city tries to implement voter-mandated pay parity between the local police and fire departments. Mayor Sylvester Turner has said that the measure will cost the city $307 million from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2023. - PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Public Media
This fire company was a staple in the community for 110 years. Now, it’s gone.
Millbourne Fire Company in Delaware County voted to shut down Tuesday night following five years of financial instability.
Chief Joseph Artmont Jr. has been at the fire company since 1982 and became chief three years ago. - PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC 10 Philadelphia
Listener Roberta "Bobbie" Brown recently emailed the Curiosity Desk, after reading a story in the paper about Boston firefighters. In the piece, the author referred to them as "jakes." She wanted to know where that term comes from and how it came to refer to firefighters in the region.
Like our curious listener, I too have seen firefighters called “jakes” in the papers. - PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGBH
VIDEOS: A Union Pacific freight train carrying ethanol careened off its tracks in a Fort Worth neighborhood Wednesday and burst into flames, prompting an evacuation of nearby homes and a hazardous materials response.
It happened at about 12:40 a.m. near the 3200 block of Yuma Street, on the city's southeast side and near Echo Lake. - PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
More than 120 current and former Conway police and firefighters will receive money payment before the end of the year after the city agreed to settle the class action lawsuit for $1.15 million.
The Conway City Council voted on Monday in a special-called meeting to give Mayor Bart Castleberry the OK to request a preliminary approval in the suit that was filed against the city in 2012, a case Castleberry inherited when he was voted in as mayor in 2016. - PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Log Cabin Democrat
VIDEO: In 2016, Ashland hired three additional firefighters for the first time since 2001 in response to service demands. Due to a $2 million budget deficit, those brand new positions could be eliminated in the 2019-2021 budget.
Ultimately, that would affect service levels in the city and reduce the number of staffed crews from about 10 members to a maximum of nine members. - PUB DATE: 4/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVL News 10
VIDEO: Concerns over title transfers and insurance lead the City of Howardwick to file a lawsuit against the volunteer fire department that protects it.
In a recent lawsuit, the City of Howardwick contends a former city secretary improperly transferred the titles of three fire trucks and an ambulance to the Howardwick Volunteer Fire Department instead of to the city. - PUB DATE: 4/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFDA News 10 Amarillo
