A former firefighter from Happy Valley pleaded guilty Tuesday to 22 "strike" counts in connection with the deadly 2013 Clover Fire and other arson-caused fires. Zane Wallace Peterson, 31, who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and a series of arson charges, entered his pleas on the day in which he was set to begin standing trial.
- PUB DATE: 9/15/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Redding Record Searchlight

A firefighter received the state’s Medal of Valor Monday for intervening in an assault on a colleague. Alex Wallbrett came to the aid of coworker Ben Vernon June 24, 2015. The crew was treating a sick and drunk man in downtown San Diego, when a bystander began to stab Vernon repeatedly. The wounds left Vernon with a punctured lung and other injuries.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

Dallas Fire-Rescue officials are sick of ever-increasing ambulance runs. But they say they have two remedies coming: a new dispatch system and an expansion of a program in which the department's paramedics make house calls. Fire officials told members of the City Council's Public Safety Committee on Monday that they are nearly ready to buy new dispatch software that will help separate true emergencies such as heart attacks from routine medical issues such as stubbed toes.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dallas Morning News

A headhunter hired by the city to help find a new fire chief has referred more than 12 candidates, according to Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Pare. But 14 months after the departure of Fire Chief Clarence A. Cunha, the search continues. “The process of identifying and recruiting the right fire chief is still underway,” Pare said.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Providence Journal

The city of Vancouver hired an outside investigator earlier this year to look into issues of gender-based discrimination within the Vancouver Fire Department. That inquiry is ongoing now. Emails obtained by The Columbian raise questions about how female firefighters are treated in Vancouver. In April, a firefighter was using the women’s restroom at Station 10 when her male boss walked in on her.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Columbian

PHOTO - The Rock Hill Fire Co. had to deal with an emergency right at its own headquarters Tuesday after, the fire chief said, a fire company member, pulling a fire truck out to get it ready for Saturday’s parade, hit the main support beam on one of the company’s equipment bays, and the roof collapsed.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Middletown Times Herald-Record

Sheriff's deputies who pulled over an assistant fire marshal in East Texas for swerving allegedly found him watching porn on the county-owned vehicle's computer while drinking alcohol. Smith County deputies pulled over Oren Hale on Aug. 20, KLTV reports. The incident occurred about 9:20 p.m. on West Northwest Loop 323, near North Broadway Avenue, in Tyler, The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dallas Morning News

A longtime member of the Dakota City Fire Department died early Sunday morning after suffering a heart attack in the line of duty. Lowell Satterwhite, 67, sustained a heart attack around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, approximately 12 hours after responding to a medical call the previous day. Dakota City Fire Chief Clint Rasmussen said Satterwhite, who also worked for the city of Dakota City as a maintenance worker, had been a member of the department for 41 years.
- PUB DATE: 9/13/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sioux City Journal

Robert Singletary fell into firefighting. “I was never a little kid that wanted to grow up and be a firefighter, but I was blessed to be ... allowed to be one and to lead this department for the past 17 years,” said Singletary, whose last official day as Warner Robins fire chief was symbolically set for 9/11.
- PUB DATE: 9/13/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Telegraph

The names of 24 FDNY firefighters killed by cancer linked to their work at Ground Zero on Sept. 11 will be added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial next month. They will be among the 112 firefighters honored Oct. 9 at the 35th annual memorial service at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD.
- PUB DATE: 9/13/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Houston can't overhaul a state-governed firefighter pension system that the mayor claims is pushing the city towards insolvency, a Texas appeals court ruled. Houston sued the Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund in January 2014, seeking a declaration that a state law setting how the fund is operated, and giving the city no control over the amount of its contributions, is unconstitutional.
- PUB DATE: 9/13/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Courthouse News Service

A fire suppressant foam linked to the shutdown of two drinking water wells at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base injured a firefighter during a training incident and the Defense Department has launched an investigation to determine how widespread the problem is across the nation. The firefighter, Michael R.
- PUB DATE: 9/13/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dayton Daily News

Nine people died Monday morning in a South Memphis house blaze that fire officials called the city’s deadliest fire in almost a century. Memphis Fire Director Gina Sweat confirmed the deaths during a 9 a.m. press conference. She said one child pulled from the residence was still fighting for his life at LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Tennessean

Seven children were among 11 people who died in a house fire in South Memphis Monday morning, family and friends said. The children who died were Angel, 16; Cameron, either 8 or 10; Alonzo Ward, 6; Diamond; Precious Rose, 3; Kira; and Ernest Jr. Ages were unknown for Diamond, Kira and Ernest Jr. The adults were identified as Carol Collier, 56; Lakeisha Ward, 27, mother of Alonzo Ward; and Eloise Futrell, 61.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Tennessean

The $175 million restoration of the cathedral is largely complete and little has been left untouched. The stained glass is brighter, the ceiling cracks repaired, the pews polished and the organ pipes cleaned. But one corner of the historic church is still dusty and stained, and it will remain that way forever.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

The Meridian Fire Department is mourning the death of a firefighter following a crash Friday morning while his truck was en route to an emergency call. Firefighter Eric Gustafson, 40, originally of New Orleans, was killed and two colleagues were seriously injured when their fire truck rolled over around 9 a.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Meridian Star

Nearly 50 new Atlanta firefighters are slated to be hired as part to a $5.6 million federal grant that the Atlanta fire chief said would “improve and maintain our status as one of the most accomplished firefighting operations in the country.” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced this week that the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department was awarded a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from the U.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Victims of heroin overdoses have a greater shot of surviving now that North Myrtle Beach first responders are authorized to use an antidote called Narcan, but officials believe not all drug abusers will be happy about it. “Most times when you give this, they are really angry and they start fighting,” said Derrick Heim, health and safety officer for North Myrtle Beach.
- PUB DATE: 9/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: myrtlebeachonline.com

A wave of new patients is registering for care at local clinics that are part of the World Trade Center Health Program and doctors said they tend to be sicker, signaling more serious health impacts to come from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Some advocates and experts said the number of people who die from 9/11 illnesses eventually will surpass the 2,977 killed in the attacks.
- PUB DATE: 9/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Newsday

Is Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti willing to play dirty pool in order to get significant union money and votes for his re-election as well as for his anticipated future campaigns for either Governor or Senator? Does anyone doubt that the Los Angeles Times – formerly known as the newspaper of record for Southern California – is willing to aid and abet him in that mission? It certainly seems so in reading the Times’ August 24th article by Paul Pringle and Ben Welsh entitled “LAFD Fire Marshal Steps Down after Criticism that He Cut Corners on Safety.
- PUB DATE: 9/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Citywatch