A woman accused in a fire that killed a man in Marquette County has been charged with three felonies. Court records said 42-year-old Frances Rittmann has been charged with first degree intentional homicide in the death of 43-year-old Daniel Gilmartin. Gilmartin died in a house fire on April 20. Rittmann has also been charged with two counts of arson.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2019 6:46:41 AM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

On April 29, 1 residential fire fatality was reported by the Nation's news media.

On April 27, 5 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

A decorated Navy SEAL was rejected by the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) because he was too old, multiple reports say. According to the "New York Post," 37-year-old Special Operations Chief Shaun Donovan was told by FDNY he's six months and 25 days too old to join the department. Donovan passed the written exam for firefighters, scoring in the top 1 percent of nearly 44,000 candidates and passed the physical test.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC 10 News

You’ve seen police body-camera video, but now we’re seeing similar videos from firefighters. The new videos are changing the way departments train their crews. “Kind of like what sports athletes do. They’re watching batting practicing or watching another football team. We’re doing the same thing. We’re reevaluating and seeing how we can get better,” Captain JD Flint, with Metro Fire of Sacramento, said.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS 13 Sacramento

Efforts are under way nationally to get communications officers, aka dispatchers, proper recognition for what they do. Rep. Norma J. Torres' House Resolution 1629, called the 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (SAVES) Act, seeks to reclassify communications officers nationally from a non-protective service occupation to a protective one in the Standard Occupational Classification system, giving dispatchers recognition as first responders.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Norman Transcript

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards Council approved a plan to consolidate the information currently contained in 114 NFPA Emergency Response and Responder Safety (ERRS) standards, guides, and recommended practices into 38 overarching standards. The move will not only provide emergency responders with easier access to well-rounded safety information, but also improve the standards development experience for more than 2,000 principle and alternative NFPA Technical Committee Members.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NFPA.org

In a move West Shore Fire Department Commission Chairman Robert Bruneau called “phenomenal” and “unheard of,” the firefighters union in that district unanimously agreed to defer a contractual raise for two years to ease the burden on taxpayers. “I think it’s big,” Bruneau said. “I think they want to do what’s best for the district.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Haven Register

There is a surprise change at the top for the Hales Corners fire department. Chief Martin Freibergs sent a letter to the village Monday saying he’s retiring from the department. It came as a complete surprise to the village president. The Police and Fire Commission met in a closed session Monday to talk about the letter.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 9:15:56 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

On April 27, 4 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Four people were killed when a crane collapsed Saturday afternoon, falling onto traffic in downtown Seattle. The Seattle Fire Department said one woman and three men were dead before the first firefighters arrived at the scene. Two of the people killed were ironworkers working on the crane and the other two were inside vehicles.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING 5 News

Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Christopher Slutman, killed in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan was honored today by mourners from across the country at his funeral in New York City, where he also was a decorated firefighter. Slutman's flag-draped casket was taken from a Bronx funeral home atop a fire engine caisson.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: LoHud.com

The battle against the devastating Woolsey Fire was hampered in Los Angeles County by politicians asking firefighters to check on certain homes, according to an agency that helped battle the blaze. The conclusion comes from an after-action review by the Los Angeles Fire Department, which joined Los Angeles and Ventura county departments in battling the November blaze, the Los Angeles Times reported.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Ventura County Star - Metered Site

One day, a fire chief who is a good friend called me to talk, either for therapeutic reasons or validation that he made the right decision about something. In the end, the phone call may have been therapeutic, but he had certainly not made the right decision. He had reacted emotionally to a situation and felt he had to make an immediate decision.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

Growing up the son of a firefighter, Flagler College junior Blake Richardson heard plenty of stories from his father Brad about his work at the Fernandina Beach Fire Department. Over the last 15 years of his dad’s career, two of the common themes that always came up were the stress of the job and the lack of sleep.
- PUB DATE: 4/29/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The St. Augustine Record

Milwaukee firefighters on Sunday evening, April 28 battled a fully-involved garage fire near Main Street and Oak Park Court in Milwaukee. MFD officials said there was no extension of flames to any other buildings. A vehicle in the garage and the garage itself were deemed a total loss. No one was hurt.
- PUB DATE: 4/28/2019 7:40:50 PM - SOURCE: WITI Fox Channel 6

Nearly six months after a tragic hit and run killed three girl scouts and one of their moms in Chippewa County, the fire department now has something special to honor the victims. On Sunday, the Chippewa Fire District Lake Hallie station 1 unveiled their new rescue UTV that is dedicated to Girl Scout troop 3055.
- PUB DATE: 4/28/2019 2:44:20 PM - SOURCE: WEAU-TV 13 News

On April 26, 2 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Dane County was hit with historic flooding, damaging many communities and causing first responders to work non-stop rescuing stranded motorists and evacuating residences and businesses during the summer of 2018. Responders felt they needed access to additional training and resources for swift water and floodwater rescues.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2019 7:57:35 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

VIDEO: The Greeley Fire Department is in mourning for a veteran firefighter who died after a traffic collision. The firefighter, identified as Steven Michael Kuzik, was on his way to work when the crash happened. Police officers rushed to the crash at 6:31 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of 14th Avenue and 5th Street on a report of a traffic accident involving a motorcycle, driven by Kuzik, and an SUV, possibly a Suburban.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS Denver