More Than 3,600 Public Safety Agencies SubscribedMore than 3,600 public safety agencies across the country have now joined FirstNet. That’s a nearly 50% increase in the number of agencies subscribing to the nationwide public safety communications platform in less than 2 months. With more than 250,000 connections on FirstNet, first responders from federal, state, local and tribal public safety agencies continue to turn to FirstNet for the communications capabilities they need, especially during emergencies and large events.
- PUB DATE: 10/24/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FirstNet.gov

As a career firefighter in Washington, D.C., and a 32-year volunteer with the Independent Hose Co. in Frederick, Jeff Scire has run into his fair share of burning buildings. He usually has close to 50 pounds of safety and breathing equipment to protect him, but none of it was available Monday afternoon as Scire found himself facing a smoke-filled basement less than a mile from his home on Indian Springs Road.
- PUB DATE: 10/24/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Frederick News-Post

VIDEO: La Crosse city officials are unsure what to do with hundreds of used needles found in a dumpster. A business owner was shocked to find them in the trash and frustrated that first responders weren't able to remove them. It's not unusual for the La Crosse Fire Department to receive a call about used syringes found in the community.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2018 5:11:59 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

PHOTO: When Somerset residents Michelle and Scott Beauvais saw smoke and fire coming from a home along Highway 35, the couple immediately called 911 and took a detour to see what they could do to help. "There was not even a thought about if you do or don't stop to help. That is just who we are. There wasn't even a conversation between my husband and I," said Michelle Beauvais.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2018 1:32:22 PM - SOURCE: Rivertowns

A proposal from Brussels-Union-Gardner firefighters was refined by the department's Board of Directors, calling for the purchase of a new pumper truck and the installation of a replacement body on one of the fire service tankers. The total price was pegged at $523,404 during last Wednesday's fire board meeting by a manufacturer of apparatus — Custom Fab and Body from Marion, Wisconsin.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2018 10:09:56 AM - SOURCE: Green Bay Press-Gazette

Grilling season may be nearing a close, but grills on apartment building balconies are still a problem. It was a noticeable problem this summer, Tomah Fire Chief Tim Adler said. "It's not just this summer, it's every year," he said. "We understand that if you move into an apartment that has a balcony you want to grill out .
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2018 4:02:23 AM - SOURCE: Tomah Journal

San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, the first woman ever to lead the department and the longest-serving big-city fire chief in the country, told her department on Monday she’s retiring. She has agreed to stay on the job until spring to give Mayor London Breed time to find her replacement. Her ideal retirement date, she said, is May 5, 2019, a “small tribute” to the late Mayor Ed Lee, who would have turned 67 that day.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle

The first firefighters to arrive on scene of a house fire in Springfield where they were ambushed by a gunman are on leave while a Peer Support Team helps them and the department heal from the trauma. Battalion Chief Mike Caven with the Eugene Springfield Fire Department is praising those five firefighters for their efforts, calling them heroes.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KEZI-TV ABC 9

Citing the “extensive nature” of the request, the City of Scranton needs 30 days to decide if it will provide the employment application of the city fire chief’s son. The Times-Tribune requested a copy of Jacob DeSarno’s employment application earlier this month through the Right To Know Law, after the applicant’s father, Fire Chief Patrick DeSarno, directed the paper to do so.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

A firefighter claims his dreams of being on an elite FDNY rescue squad were crushed when his co-workers began suspecting he is gay. Jason Johnson, 40, a former National Guardsman, says in his Manhattan federal lawsuit filed Monday that he made it to a Special Operations Command unit in 2016, only to be kicked off the team several months later following a bizarre crotch-grabbing incident while riding a firetruck, which resulted in Johnson being branded as “gay.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

Toledo firefighters worry they might have to temporarily close a firehouse if one more back-up fire engine winds up in the repair shop, but councilmen hope a slight budget reconfiguration will help alleviate those fears. Fire Chief Brian Byrd this month told council that crews have been consistently using rigs meant to be in reserve as their front-line equipment when they respond to fires.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Toledo Blade

On October 22, 2 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

A Racine woman was killed and her husband was seriously injured after a tree fell on their moving vehicle Saturday morning in Franksville. The tree came down while 51-year old William Martin and 52-year old Michelle Martin were driving by, investigators said. The accident occurred on 4 Mile Rd. near Nicholson Rd.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2018 11:14:35 AM - SOURCE: Today's TMJ4

Firefighters in Howard say strong winds pushed an attached garage fire into a home. Howard Fire responded to the incident around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Everyone in the home had escaped, but there may have been a cat still inside. Howard Fire said wind conditions combined with the type of construction of the building made this a difficult fire to put out.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2018 10:22:06 AM - SOURCE: NBC26

On October 18, 4 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

A garage has been severely damaged following a fire on Sunday. The Town of Buchanan Fire and Rescue say it happened just after noon. Once fire crews arrived, fire was coming out of the roof of the entire house. Although the fire had already spread to the attic above the house, firefighters were able to extinguish the flames before it spread any further.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2018 5:56:42 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

A car crashed through the front of a building early Sunday morning setting the business on fire. According to the Sheboygan Police, around 2:25 AM the car driven by a 27-year-old man blew through a stop sign at S 24th Street and Union Avenue, crashing through the front entrance of Watson’s Vending and Foodservice.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2018 4:32:59 AM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

The firefighter who died while responding to a combine fire has been identified. According to Shelby County Emergency Management officials, 58-year-old Tom Henrich died Saturday afternoon after he fell ill while on a call. He was the Earling Fire and Rescue Department chief. KJAN Radio reported the fire was near Highway 37 and Hazel Road around 2:40 p.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KETV

Overtime costs at the Los Angeles County Fire Department surged 36% in the last five years, placing some firefighters among the highest-compensated workers in local government. The increase comes as the department grapples with staffing shortages and several seasons of extreme wildfires. Yet some county officials and outside experts question whether fire commanders are properly managing their $1-billion payroll.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

There wasn’t a dry eye in Sunday's "Shark Tank." Kaley, Christian and Keira Young may have wowed the sharks with their late father’s invention, but it’s the Young family’s story that broke their hearts. “It was his dream to pitch it on 'Shark Tank,' ” Kaley said of the Cup Board Pro, a chopping board with a detachable bowl for easy cleanup.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: USA Today