Firefighters in Merrill have lost another appeal in their attempt to get two new positions created on their pay scale. Merrill Firefighters Local 847 had a request for the creation of "Lead Paramedic" and "Lead Inspector" denied by the city's Personnel and Finance Committee on Tuesday, following input from both Fire Chief Josh Klug and representatives from the union and an hour-long closed session discussion.
- PUB DATE: 3/26/2019 6:51:31 PM - SOURCE: WRIG-AM Fox Sports 1390

Classes will go on as scheduled Tuesday at Weyauwega-Fremont Middle School despite a fire reported after school on Monday. The Weyauwega Fire Department responded to an alarm just before 5 p.m. The school district says students and staff inside the school buildings were evacuated. Superintendent Scott Bleck was on the scene when fire crews arrived.
- PUB DATE: 3/26/2019 8:23:43 AM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

On March 25, 6 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

On March 24, 8 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Firefighters are investigating what caused a fire in the kitchen of Coach's Club in Cross Plains early Tuesday morning. A Dane County dispatcher told News 3 Now the initial call came in at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday reporting a fire at the building located at 1200 Main Street. While sprinklers were able to knock down the fire, crews were on scene overnight, closing Main Street lanes for several hours.
- PUB DATE: 3/26/2019 5:21:40 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison

Staffing shortages at West Carrollton fire stations are causing brownouts, or temporary closures. The lack of staff is largely due to the city’s inability to retain part-time firefighters and paramedics, West Carrollton City Manager Brad Townsend said.“With a lot of people retiring and the demand for firefighters and paramedics and all of the overtime that other departments are having to work their people, we’re struggling to keep a full complement going,” Townsend said.
- PUB DATE: 3/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dayton Daily News

PHOTOS: No two calls are ever the same for the crew of MedForce Aeromedical Transport. But when the sleek, blue-and-yellow medical helicopter transport is called to the scene of a crash, fire or near-drowning, the crew – and the public – knows it’s serious. “There's a lot of calls. All the calls are bad,” said Justin Hicks, a six-year flight nurse for MedForce.
- PUB DATE: 3/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Quad-City Times

VIDEO: The march of time is bringing us the electric car. It's no longer a science experiment, as there are electric cars, particularly Teslas, all over town. But any car can have an accident, and electric vehicles are a new challenge for firefighters and it can be dangerous, as well. Electric cars run on lithium batteries, roughly the same batteries as cellphones, but they are hundreds of times larger and come with enormous challenges for everyone involved in an accident.
- PUB DATE: 3/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDIV-TV NBC 4 Detroit

A bill introduced by state Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, would allow firefighter academy graduates to receive a brief history of the labor movement for firefighters passed out of the House Labor and Commerce Committee. House Bill 2215 allows for candidates to receive a brief presentation that provides them with a historical perspective on the labor movement in the fire service.
- PUB DATE: 3/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MyWebTimes-The Times

On a mild spring day, Cory Pippen suits up in firefighter’s gear outside Therrell High School as he prepares to climb Atlanta fire Truck 25. No, he’s not putting out a fire or saving someone from a burning building, but with the help of the Atlanta Fire Department, he is one step closer to a dream he’s had since he was a child: being a firefighter.
- PUB DATE: 3/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When slurred speech, facial droop and other telltale symptoms of a stroke develop in Columbus residents, they soon will be able to receive specialized care before they ever see the inside of a hospital. The Columbus Division of Fire and the city’s three major hospital networks are working together on a new ambulance equipped with specialized equipment and personnel to respond faster to patients having a stroke, when minutes saved can translate into days of healthy living.
- PUB DATE: 3/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Columbus Dispatch

Fire hydrants in De Pere are undergoing upgrades designed to help firefighters responding to an emergency. It's been a multi-year project entering its final stage. On De Pere's west side - a water department employee replaces a five-foot fire hydrant marker. One of over 1,300 being installed in the coming weeks to make sure fire hydrants can be found easily all year round.
- PUB DATE: 3/25/2019 4:47:46 PM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

On March 22, 4 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

A new federal law aims to protect wildland firefighters by requiring agencies to outfit crews with GPS locators and deploy drones to scout out and map blazes. The Wildfire Management Technology Advancement Act, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., was signed by President Donald Trump last week after sailing through both chambers of Congress with large majorities.
- PUB DATE: 3/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Spokesman-Review

A recent study revealed Frederick County firefighters are paid less and receive less benefits than those in nearby counties. The study, completed in November and released publicly last week, is an analysis of pay scales, benefit comparisons and how large each county’s fire services division is Multiple county officials this week said that although Frederick County pays its firefighters less, other jurisdictions — like Montgomery County and Baltimore County, both used in the more-than-100-page study — have both larger populations and tax bases to pull money from.
- PUB DATE: 3/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Frederick News-Post

On a mild spring day, Cory Pippen suits up in firefighter’s gear outside Therrell High School as he prepares to climb Atlanta fire Truck 25. No, he’s not putting out a fire or saving someone from a burning building, but with the help of the Atlanta Fire Department, he is one step closer to a dream he’s had since he was a child: being a firefighter.
- PUB DATE: 3/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Atlanta Journal Constitution

While a couple of cities over the past year have threatened to drop out of the Orange County Fire Authority, Garden Grove is veering the opposite direction – toward membership. If the final steps unfold as expected, OCFA may absorb the 93-year-old Garden Grove Fire Department as early as August. All full-time current employees would stay put.
- PUB DATE: 3/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Orange County Register - Metered Site

Attracting and retaining volunteers to fill the ranks of Maine’s many volunteer fire departments has gotten increasingly difficult, but lawmakers hope a bill to fund a pension program for volunteers could change that. The Legislature approved a bill in 2017 setting up the pension program but did not fund it.
- PUB DATE: 3/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland Press Herald

After 40 years and counting of serving the local community, Portage Fire Chief Clayton Simonson Jr. believes any fire department’s success is built through a continuous team effort. “You surround yourself with good firefighters, because without them, you’d be nothing,” Simonson said of the top job. “They make me what I am.
- PUB DATE: 3/24/2019 5:29:28 PM - SOURCE: wisc news

The Marshfield Fire Department responded to a call about a structure fire around 1 p.m. on Sunday. The fire damaged a detached garage. It was put out shortly after firefighters arrived on scene. It happened at a home on S. Palmetto Street in Marshfield. There are no reported injuries. The cause of the fire remains under investigation according to Relief Lieutenant Joe Vanden Elzen of the Marshfield Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 3/24/2019 3:39:24 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau