Chief Billy Goldfeder – “Billy G” as he is affectionately referred to by his innumerable fans in the fire service – has always been focused on firefighter survival. He attributes his interest to the 1970s, when firefighter line-of-duty deaths where all too common. “It really impacted me,” he says, because though, “we didn't know better back then,” it was accepted as part of the job.
- PUB DATE: 8/8/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

The Reno Fire Department performed a new sensor technology test on Saturday, Aug.4 at the University of Nevada, Reno Innevation Center that can potentially help find people faster in an emergency. SimpleSense developed sensors to assist firefighters in what’s called the primary search. The primary search is the best chance for firefighters to find anyone trapped inside a burning building, and involves quickly searching as much of the building as possible to locate anyone still inside, according to Reno Fire.
- PUB DATE: 8/8/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRNV NBC Reno

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK) company today announced the winners of the 2018 IAFC Fire Chief of the Year awards. Volunteer Fire Chief, Herbert Leusch, of the Glen Echo Fire Department in Bethesda, Maryland, and career Fire Chief, Joanne Hayes-White, of the San Francisco Fire Department are this year’s honorees.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: International Association of Fire Chiefs

Melissa Morgado began 2018 trying to solve an arithmetic problem: How many nights did she and her firefighter husband spend apart because of work in the previous year? He was gone for the hot summer months, of course, and again for most of October, and then 19 more days in December when deadly fires broke out on the Central Coast.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: GovTech.com

The Independence Rural Fire Department in Kansas confirms that one of their firefighters was killed in a plane crash Saturday (Aug. 4) outside Ponca City, Oklahoma. Sycamore Firefighter Nicholas Warner, along with two of his sons, his dad Bill, and friend Tim Valentine all died in the aircraft accident, according to a Facebook post.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFSM-TV CBS 5 Fort Smith

In 2017, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) a grant to accelerate the creation of the Fire Data Lab (FDL). The FDL is a data warehouse that provides analytic tools to participating Public Safety Organizations (PSOs) in exchange for access to their performance data.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fire Data Lab

The man accused of fatally shooting a Long Beach fire captain six weeks ago after setting off a predawn explosion in a high-rise apartment building died in custody over the weekend, authorities said Monday. Thomas Man Kim, 77, died at 3:21 a.m. Sunday in the hospital ward of County-USC Medical Center, where he had been held since he was arrested June 25, said Deputy Wally Bracks of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Long Beach Press-Telegram

Englishtown Fire Chief Lou Sarti said the death of long-time firefighter Pasquale "Pete the Pepper" DiBenedetto on Thursday has left a big hole in the close-knit volunteer department in Monmouth County. "It's a very big loss," Sarti said of the 47-year veteran of the department. "It's a hole I don't know if we'll be able to fill.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NJ.com

The Civil Service Commission has denied an appeal from District Fire Chief Samuel Richesson who, despite scoring highest on the Civil Service exam, was passed over for promotion to deputy chief after his performance in an interview. “The preponderance of the evidence shows that Mr. Richesson performed poorly during his interview,” Christopher C.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Paramedics in an Indianapolis suburb will begin providing laughing gas instead of powerful opioid painkillers to patients. Fishers officials say the use of nitrous oxide is expected to reduce the amount of fentanyl administered to injured patients by about two-thirds. Fishers Fire Capt. John Mehling tells The Indianapolis Star using the gas commonly given in dentist offices will reduce the risk of addiction and harmful side effects with fentanyl.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Northwest Indiana Times

Responding to a conflict-of-interest controversy, the Oakridge City Council voted Thursday evening to consider terminating the contractor serving as its fire chief. The council voted 5-1 to meet with city attorneys in a nonpublic session to discuss potentially ending its contract with Michael Hansen.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Eugene Register-Guard

Six people trapped in their apartments were rescued by firefighters from a burning three-story building Sunday afternoon in a fire that required “a massive effort” by the entire force of 88 firefighters on duty. Acting Deputy Assistant Chief Stephen Houle said firefighters arriving at 155 Elmwood Ave.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Providence Journal

For more than four hours, no one heard from Braden Varney. The 10-year veteran of California’s firefighting force had been dispatched to bulldoze a firebreak on a precarious ridge near Marble Point in Mariposa County, an effort to contain the stubborn Ferguson Fire near Yosemite. It was before dawn on July 14, and the blaze that ignited a day earlier in Sierra National Forest was pushing toward the tiny town of Jerseydale.
- PUB DATE: 8/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle

More than 10,000 fire and emergency service leaders, experts, exhibitors, guests and industry partners from around the globe will assemble August 8-11 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas, for Fire-Rescue International (FRI), the annual conference and expo of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).
- PUB DATE: 8/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: International Association of Fire Chiefs

Authorities say a St. Louis man broke into a Kinloch firehouse for five hours Monday, ate a tub of ice cream, took a shower and stalked the building with a butcher knife and a fireman's tool before he was discovered. Thomas Robertson, 28, of the 400 block of Thomas Street in St. Louis, was charged Tuesday with felony second-degree burglary.
- PUB DATE: 8/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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