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National Fire News

Kansas firefighter dies day after responding to fire call

A Wamego firefighter has died after suffering serious injuries from a fall. According to the Wamego Fire Department, John Randle and the Wamego Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 4:50 a.m. on Monday. After the fire was put out, he was severely hurt from a fall while “returning a fire apparatus to service.
- PUB DATE: 1/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSNT-TV Topeka

Virginia fire department mourns the death of longtime fire chief

Bluefield, Virginia is mourning the loss of its fire chief. Fire Chief Jim Hardy passed away the evening of Sun, Dec. 31st, 2017. Officials in the city of Bluefield said Hardy died of natural causes. Hardy was an active members of the fire department for over 65 years. Mayor of Bluefield, Virginia, Don Harris said Hardy dedicated his life to the fire service and his legacy will live on.
- PUB DATE: 1/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WVNS TV

Ohio teen receives probation for firetruck collision that killed 2 other teens

A 16-year-old Akron girl hadn’t seen her aunt since she collided with a firetruck last July, killing her cousin and another close friend. She faced her aunt during her sentencing in Summit County Juvenile Court Tuesday, and tearfully apologized for the death of her cousin, 16-year-old LaShae Johnson.
- PUB DATE: 1/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Akron Beacon Journal

Two New York firefighters rescued from frigid bay

Fire Chief Frederick E. Jackson and firefighter Will Lipczynski went to save a stranded ice fisherman Tuesday afternoon on Chaumont Bay when they ended up having to be rescued themselves. The two firefighters were stuck in an airboat for more than two hours in the bay’s frigid waters during whiteout conditions and had to be helped back to shore by members of the Clayton Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 1/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Watertown Daily Times

South Carolina firefighter fired for posts about protesters sues city

A white Columbia Fire Department captain who was fired from his $53,722-a-year job for making threatening remarks on social media about a Black Lives Matter protest has filed a lawsuit against the city alleging racial discrimination. The remarks by James “Jimmy” Morris were made in two posts on the veteran firefighter’s personal Facebook in 2016.
- PUB DATE: 1/3/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The State

Pennsylvania Fire Commissioner Resigns As Harassment Complaint Resurfaces

State fire commissioner Tim Solobay stepped down Sunday with the resurfacing of a sexual harassment claim filed six years ago by Rachel Moore, who worked as an aide to Solobay when he was still a state senator. At the time, he denied Moore’s claim that he slapped her on her rear end in his Harrisburg office, but on Sunday, he tendered his resignation to Governor Wolf.
- PUB DATE: 1/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS Pittsburgh

Man allegedly tried to stab California firefighter as he was being rescued from flames, police say

A man allegedly tried to stab a firefighter who was trying to save him from an early morning house fire in Citrus Heights, police said Sunday. Police were already at the scene when firefighters responded to the fire on Glenn Avenue at 1 a.m, said Sgt. Wesley Herman of the Citrus Heights Police Department.
- PUB DATE: 1/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sacramento Bee

Rhode Island firefighter sues city, union over alleged assault by deputy chief

A Cranston fire lieutenant is the suing the city and the firefighters’ union after the deputy chief allegedly punched and slammed him while on duty in September, because the lieutenant had refused to participate in a “Fill the Boot” fundraising campaign. Scott Bergantino filed suit in U.S. District Court, alleging that Deputy Chief Paul Valletta Jr.
- PUB DATE: 1/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Providence Journal

Kansas fire investigators say city breaks the law regarding overtime pay

A lawsuit filed last week in federal court contends the city of Wichita does not pay its fire department investigators fairly for their work. At issue in the complaint is how many hours the investigators have to work before they begin receiving overtime. Currently, Wichita Fire Department investigators and firefighters get paid time and a half if they work more than 204 hours in a pay period, which is 27 days long, according to the lawsuit.
- PUB DATE: 1/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Witchita Eagle

Pennsylvania Fire Commissioner Tim Solobay Resigns As Harassment Complaint Resurfaces

State fire commissioner Tim Solobay stepped down Sunday with the resurfacing of a sexual harassment claim filed six years ago by Rachel Moore, who worked as an aide to Solobay when he was still a state senator. At the time, he denied Moore’s claim that he slapped her on her rear end in his Harrisburg office, but on Sunday, he tendered his resignation to Governor Wolf.
- PUB DATE: 1/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS Pittsburgh

Judge rules against Indiana fire union, denies request for arbitration

In a blow to the Kokomo firefighters’ union, a Howard County judge late last week denied a sweeping request that was at the center of a recent complaint filed against city officials. The decision, denying the union's request for arbitration and injunctive relief, is the latest development in what has become a publicly contentious clash over the two sides’ collective bargaining efforts toward a new contract - a process that began in June and has included at least eight private meetings.
- PUB DATE: 1/2/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: kokomotribune.com

Twelve, including four children, dead in massive New York fire as firefighters battle blaze in freezing cold

Mothers and their children frantically scrambled down fire escapes to survive the inferno that consumed their Bronx homes. They dashed out into the frigid night in whatever they were wearing, without jackets, without shoes, just holding on to their lives. They were the lucky ones. A raging fire quickly swept through the five-story building on Prospect Ave.
- PUB DATE: 12/29/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

FirstNet now available for first responders across the U.S.

First responders across the United States now have access to FirstNet after all 50 states, two territories and Washington, D.C. opted into the network. AT&T announced that all first responders can now choose to use the lifesaving communications network. “This is a landmark day and monumental achievement for public safety – one that has been years in the making,” First Responder Network Authority Board Chair Sue Swenson said.
- PUB DATE: 12/29/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1.com

Five Generations with the Detroit Fire Department

A handful of words often come to mind when most people think of the fire service. Bravery, duty, compassion and sacrifice are among the most common, but the one that stands above all others for one Detroit-area family is dedication. One family has shown more dedication to the Detroit Fire Department over the last century than many could imagine.
- PUB DATE: 12/29/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse.com

Firefighters Take Steps to Prevent Cancer Ahead of Missouri Law

They used to be points of pride among firefighters – and with some they might still be considered as such. But now area fire departments, as well as many others around the country, are trying to teach their personnel that dirty coats and soot-blackened helmets represent cancer risks to be avoided. Studies have shown firefighters developing or at risk of developing cancer at a higher rate than the general population – nearly twice as much with some forms of cancer such as testicular or malignant mesothelioma.
- PUB DATE: 12/29/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Examiner

Two Dozen Horses Die In Fire At Connecticut Farm

Two dozen horses died in an early morning blaze at Folly Farm in Simsbury Thursday, one of the deadliest barn fires nationally in recent years and a staggering blow to the family-owned farm. All 24 horses housed in the farm’s largest barn died of smoke inhalation, according to James Baldis, chief of Simsbury Volunteer Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 12/29/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hatford Courant

Iowa fire deaths highest in more than a decade

Two Eastern Iowa fires that killed a combined nine people, including four children, within five days made 2017 the deadliest year in more than a decade for fire deaths in Iowa. The State Fire Marshal’s Office reported 38 confirmed fire deaths as of Wednesday, with another 13 expected to go on the list, said Ron Humphrey, special agent in charge of the Office’s Arson and Explosives Bureau.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Gazette

Pennsylvania Township Closes Fire Company, Alleges Firefighters Responded To Call After Drinking

West Lebanon Township has suspended and decertified Speedwell Fire Company as a first responder because company members allegedly responded to a call after drinking alcohol. Seven out of nine fire company members who responded to a call at 10:10 p.m. Dec. 14 were under the influence of alcohol, township commissioner John Brenner said in a letter to Lebanon County EMA Director Robert Dowd.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Lebanon Daily News

Retired Minnesota fire captain died in fire trying to rescue grandkids

A Hibbing, Minn., fire that claimed several lives Tuesday took a heartbreaking turn on Wednesday when Hibbing authorities revealed that the deaths included a retired city fire captain, his wife and two of their grandchildren. Steven Jon Gillitzer, 67, and his 63-year-old wife Patricia Lynn Gillitzer died at their home while attempting to rescue their grandchildren in 20-below temperatures, the Hibbing fire department said in a statement Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: mprnews.com

Delaware firefighters will use universal mayday code

Firefighters across Delaware are moving toward a universal procedure for answering the most serious call that can come over their radios — the one that signals one of their own is in trouble. Delaware firefighters all soon will be using the same mayday signal, an attempt to keep them better coordinated if the worst should happen.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: delawareonline.com

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