Much like Class D fires, political fires require special resources to extinguish ... water doesn’t work well. For all of the hyperbole about how “things burn differently in my town,” we hear all so often, there are some things affecting the fire service that do indeed “burn differently” from community to community. - PUB DATE: 8/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1
A city firefighter faces a felony theft charge after he allegedly forged several doctor's notes to receive paid sick time off last year.
Bethlehem officials said it cost more than $4,500 to pay James Delgrosso Jr., 40, of Bethlehem for the missed time and for someone to cover his shifts.
Delgrosso was also charged Monday with forgery for the notes he allegedly submitted to get time off from February through November, according to Northampton County court records. - PUB DATE: 8/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Allentown Morning Call
A Layton firefighter who was severely injured during SWAT training this week is now recovering in the hospital.
Brian Cunningham’s wife called it a “freak accident” during a simple training exercise. The team was practicing busting open doors with small explosives when one of them backfired.
Cunningham is now recovering after major reconstructive surgery on his face. - PUB DATE: 8/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Abc4
The massive wildfires burning across California have highlighted long-standing strains on the state’s mutual-aid system, which is designed to quickly rally support from nearby fire agencies to help protect homes and save lives.
From Tuesday through Saturday last week, requests for more than 900 fire engines from commanders around California went unfilled, according to state officials, leaving emergency responders in many communities with far less help than they had hoped for. - PUB DATE: 8/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle
The president of the Syracuse police union said it's ridiculous that Ted Ackerman would fear police officers might shoot him as he hid after a fatal hit and run last year.
Ackerman, a city firefighter, fled the scene of a fatal accident he witnessed, then hid in the basement of Pastime Athletic Club while police banged on the door upstairs. - PUB DATE: 8/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Syracuse Post-Standard & Syracuse.com
It took a legal battle lasting more than two years for Tanja Vidovic to return to her job as a Tampa firefighter in early April. But after only three months back at Tampa Fire Rescue, her future at the department is in doubt again.
Vidovic, who won a federal discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against the department in December, is now accused of being untruthful and creating a hostile work environment, her husband Jared Vidovic told the Tampa Bay Times. - PUB DATE: 8/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tampa Tribune and TBO.com
A recent fatal house fire in Bartonville drew attention to a little known but vital system of inter-agency agreements that help firefighters get help when they need it.
Mutual aid is nothing new. Most people know that if a fire is too big, a department will call in reinforcements or backups. But how those additional resources are called and in what order remains a mystery to most people not involved in firefighting. - PUB DATE: 8/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Peoria Journal Star
Las Vegas Paramedic/Firefighter Matthew Driscoll knew he had transported human trafficking victims in an ambulance.
So when an injury forced him into light duty, he had an idea about how to spend that time: he started working on a training program to help first responders, hospital employees, counselors and social workers recognize signs they were encountering trafficking victims. - PUB DATE: 8/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Hillsborough County will reopen its review of four paramedics facing discipline in the case of a stroke patient who died, saying it needs to know more about why the medics decided not to transport her during an emergency call.
County Administrator Mike Merrill announced the decision after the paramedics gave statements during closed hearings into the matter Tuesday at County Center. - PUB DATE: 8/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tampa Tribune and TBO.com (Tampa Bay Online)
According to the Asheville Fire Department, for the second time in North Carolina history, a firefighter death caused by cancer is being determined by the Industrial Commission as a “line of duty death.” The fire department says this decision means his family will receive a survivor’s benefit. It will also give Willis’ children free college education at public North Carolina universities. - PUB DATE: 8/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLOS
A district judge issued a temporary restraining order against Mayor Sylvester Turner in the latest chapter of the long-standing dispute with the firefighter's union over a pay parity initiative.
The Houston Professional Firefighter's Association claims Turner and council member Dave Martin, who is also named in the suit, used a meeting last week at the council's subcommittee on finance to campaign against the initiative that would establish "pay parity" between police officers and firefighters. - PUB DATE: 8/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTRK-TV ABC 13 Houston
Firefighters who inadvertently left food cooking on the stove caused the fire that left their northwest Omaha fire station with extensive damage.
It will take at least three weeks to repair the damage caused by the Sunday morning fire at Station 43, near 103rd and Fort Streets, officials said Monday. - PUB DATE: 8/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Omaha World-Herald
After four contentious years, the nuts and bolts of the contract dispute between the city and its firefighters’ union should be decided during a two-day arbitration hearing in the fall.
The city and the Watertown Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 191 will meet on Oct. 18 in an “interest arbitration” proceeding regarding the overall firefighters contract. - PUB DATE: 8/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Watertown Daily Times
In emergencies, it’s said that seconds can be the difference between life and death.
Gainesville Fire Rescue’s new downtown fire station, which became operational at noon Monday, will use new technology to help firefighters shave seconds off response times and save more lives, said GFR Deputy Chief JoAnne Rice. - PUB DATE: 7/31/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Gainesville Sun
The union representing Houston firefighters sued Mayor Sylvester Turner and a City Council member on Monday, alleging the officials are improperly using public resources to oppose a "pay parity" ballot initiative.
The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association accuses Mayor Turner and Council Member Dave Martin, who represents Kingwood, of campaigning against the ballot initiative, which would tie firefighter pay to that of Houston police officers of comparable rank and seniority. - PUB DATE: 7/31/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Chronicle
The Eighth Utilities District has settled a lawsuit filed by a former fire chief for $200,000, a source said Monday.
No one involved with the case, including the former chief, Paul Litrico, would comment on the matter. The source spoke on condition of remaining anonymous.
"Both sides have a confidentiality agreement not to disclose any details," Litrico wrote in an email. - PUB DATE: 7/31/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hartford Courant
A little girl was able to bring a welcome delivery to firefighters battling the deadly Carr Fire .
Two-year-old Gracie Lutz arrived with warm breakfast burritos prepared by her grandma Lori.
Chelsey Lutz tells KTVU her daughter Gracie has uncles and a grandpa working on the Carr Fire, "so we wanted to give back. - PUB DATE: 7/31/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVU-TV Oakland, San Francisco, Bay Area
Jakob Eisenbeiss could see the roaring flames from four blocks away.
He heard the cries of concerned neighbors as the flames consumed the house beside theirs, wondering if their home would be next. But Eisenbeiss could not afford to get distracted. He had a job to do. With his lieutenant at his side, he got to work. - PUB DATE: 7/31/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland Oregonian, Hillsboro Argus, Oregon Live.com
A second firefighter has died battling the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park, officials said Sunday.
The National Park Service has identified the firefighter as Brian Hughes, captain of the Arrowhead Interagency Hotshots. He was 33. The Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park firefighter died Sunday morning after being struck by a tree on the east side of the fire, where Hughes and his crew "were operating in an area with a large amount of tree mortality," park officials said. - PUB DATE: 7/30/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCRA-TV NBC Sacramento
The FDNY’s $10 million minority recruitment drive has floundered, because hundreds of black and Hispanic candidates haven’t paid a $30 application fee, The Post has learned.
Normally, candidates for NYC civil service jobs can’t take the exams unless they complete the application and pay the fee. About 45,000 people took the city’s firefighter exam last September through October. - PUB DATE: 7/30/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post
