A former city fire inspector was awarded just over $1 million for his lawsuit claiming he suffered years of harassment from the fire department because he had cited safety violations at businesses in the city. A Superior Court jury on Friday awarded Fred Bonda $750,000 for lost wages and $350,000 emotional distress.
- PUB DATE: 1/31/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NJ.com

Calling 911 can be a lifesaver for those who need help or medical attention, but not everyone who calls actually has an emergency. In February 2016, firefighters with the Tucson Fire Department noticed they were getting called to a few hundred homes all the time. Those people, many of them elderly, were overusing the 911 button.
- PUB DATE: 1/31/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tucson News Now

In these uncertain times, come new mandatory measures for Beloit Fire Paramedics. The first responders are now required to wear bullet proof vests on disturbance calls. "Our guys have been attacked, they've been assaulted on calls," Deputy Chief Joe Murray said about why they are making the change. "Nowadays, across the country with different threats, we have to have that level of protection," he said.
- PUB DATE: 1/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKOW-TV ABC 27

One of the first firefighters on the scene when two planes slammed into the Twin Towers has died, the 124th first responder to die from a 9/11 related disease. Ireland-born Brian J. Masterson succumbed to a two-year battle with esophageal cancer on Jan. 22, the Longford Leader reported. The 61-year-old father-of-three and avid marathon runner, originally from Longford, Ireland, spent months working at Ground Zero after the attack, the Daily Mail reported.
- PUB DATE: 1/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

Several of Darien’s volunteer firefighters quit in protest after the new city manager replaced the fire chief last week. Timothy Sweezey characterized the move as a cost-cutting measure for the city’s always-tight budget, but he assured residents this week that there are plenty of firefighters to cover Darien in case of fire.
- PUB DATE: 1/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Golden Isles News

NFPA has issued a firefighter protective hood safety bulletin as the fire service grapples with PPE contaminants and increases in job-related cancer. Firefighters and their PPE are exposed to a wide range of toxins. According to a study by the CDC and NIOSH, firefighters have a higher chance of developing more than a dozen different cancers than the general population.
- PUB DATE: 1/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: National Fire Protection Association

VIDEO - A lame-brained FDNY emergency medical technician drove without his hands as he goofed around inside a city ambulance — and his partner was dumb enough to record the dangerous shenanigans. The 25-second clip shows medic Eric Stone bopping and singing to the rock band Bowling For Soup’s song “1985,” as his partner, Sebastian Vazquez, shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head in mock disgust.
- PUB DATE: 1/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

Hours after the son of San Bernardino County’s fire chief was found dead in Lake Arrowhead early Sunday morning, a hashtag emerged to remember the 20-year-old’s love of the outdoors, adventure and his family and friends. “Dawson was a man among men. His love of others made the world a better place. Family loved him deeply & will miss him dearly #LoveLikeDawson,” tweeted his father Mark Hartwig late Sunday night.
- PUB DATE: 1/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

When you join the ranks of the Houston Fire Department, you also know the dangers. "We fear the red car," Melanie Willingham said. "That red car that pulls up to tell you bad news." Sometimes it's the most unexpected calls that change lives forever. "You always think it's going to be the big fires that are going to get you or do the most damage, but we tend to forget it's the little ones that can sneak up and get us," Cpt.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTRK-TV ABC 13 Houston

A Henrico County firefighter has been reassigned after she was arrested for rioting in Washington DC on Inauguration Day. Court documents stated Rosa Roncales was a part of an anarchist group that disrupted inauguration events by smashing windows and setting things on fire. Roncales was charged with felony rioting in connection to the incidents that caused in excess of $100,000, according to court documents.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVR-TV CBS 6

PHOTO - A Grand Rapids man is jailed awaiting arraignment on Thursday after police said he sets fires, tried to break into a pharmacy and rammed an Emmett Township fire engine just before midnight Monday. Court records show Kenneth H. Smith Jr., 30, is being held and should be arraigned in Calhoun County District Court on Thursday afternoon.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WZZM-TV Grand Rapids 13

While firefighters were busy rescuing a man from a burning building in Jersey City Thursday, a shameless burglar saw an opportunity. Firefighters returned to their firehouse at 468 Ocean Ave. Thursday night after responding to a two-alarm blaze and discovered electronics and wallets were missing, according to ABC New York.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NJ.com

Investigators used the data from a Middletown man’s pacemaker to help get an indictment in a fire that caused about $400,000 in damages. Ross Compton, 59, has been indicted on felony charges of aggravated arson and insurance fraud for allegedly starting the fire on Sept. 19 at his Court Donegal house.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dayton Daily News

Hearts were heavy across the Wichita firefighter community on Wednesday as news of the death of one of their own began to settle in. Collis Grisby, a graduate of Northwest High School and a longtime member of the Wichita Fire Department, died unexpectedly this week, according to the department. According to several of his colleagues, Grisby, 53, was not only a fearless and selfless firefighter, he was also one of the most popular people in the department.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wichita Eagle

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to sponsor state legislation to change a law that bars paramedics from taking patients to mental health urgent care and sobering centers. Under the law, which was branded as “outdated” by one county official, paramedics are required to take patients with psychiatric needs only to hospital emergency departments or 9-1-1 receiving units.
- PUB DATE: 1/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Los Angeles Daily News

VIDEO - Firefighters battled a massive, 3-alarm fire in Lynnwood Wednesday night. The fire broke out around 9:30 p.m. near 19800 Scribes Lake Road, between 196th St. SW and 200th St. SW. Crews said the apartment complex was under construction and was unoccupied. "Right now they're using defensing methods to keep the fire isolated to the construction site," said Julie Moore, Lynnwood Fire PIO.
- PUB DATE: 1/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

Mountain View Fire Rescue's Board of Directors on Monday night unanimously approved a separation agreement with fire Chief Mark Lawley a year before his contract was set to expire and appointed David Beebe as the interim chief. The decisions were made almost simultaneously following an hour-long executive session at the board's monthly meeting.
- PUB DATE: 1/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

A rookie Los Angeles firefighter's attempt to connect with a man proved to be life-saving when the man safely surrendered after threatening to jump off a freeway overpass. Kenneth Fraser was driving home Tuesday night from training as a Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter when he noticed people crowded around a man on the 101 Freeway overpass in Hollywood.
- PUB DATE: 1/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles

The St. Louis Fire Department has launched an internal investigation into one of its employees after FOX25 Investigates uncovered inconsistencies in the first responder's story that he rushed to the scene of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Investigative Reporter Eric Rasmussen traveled to St. Louis to get answers after paramedics in Boston and Missouri contacted FOX25 about Shawn Daniel, who was recently honored at a St.
- PUB DATE: 1/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFXT-TV Fox 25 Boston

A former employee with the state's Fire Training Safety Bureau was arrested Tuesday after investigators determined that more than 2,000 fire safety certifications had been improperly issued between 2012 and 2016, according to a news release by the Iowa Department of Public Safety. John McPhee was charged with felonious misconduct in office, a Class D felony, and tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor.
- PUB DATE: 1/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Des Moines Register