Six former commanders and two firefighters at a San Francisco fire station who were reassigned amid a sexual harassment investigation in 2016 sued the city Wednesday, saying they were discriminated against because the alleged harassment victim was having an affair with a battalion chief. Firefighters at Station 2 on Powell Street in Chinatown were accused of waging a three-month campaign of sexual harassment against a female co-worker starting in late 2015, in which they allegedly taunted her, urinated in her bed and smeared feces in her bathroom.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: SFGate.com

Buying local to replace an aging ambulance has provided big savings for an Arizona fire department. Yuma Fire Chief Steve Irr discovered a new unit typically costs $210,000. But Irr and Fleet Manager Floyd Friar instead elected to save the city of Yuma about $70,000 by buying a new chassis from an auto dealership and then paying other businesses to finish outfitting the vehicle, which includes a gurney to load patients.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNXV-TV Channel 15 ABC

A former FDNY union head has pissed off rank-and-file firefighters by selling out — and now they are suing to get back some of his pay, saying he violated their contract. The Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York is suing its longest-serving president for switching sides to take a cushy job running the city’s Fire Department Pension Fund.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

As the city moves forward with its plans to build a new Police Department headquarters, some Medford firefighters say the needs of their department are not being adequately addressed. Firefighters Eddie Buckley and James Flynn from Medford Firefighters Local 1032 spoke at the City Council’s Feb. 13 meeting about what they described as inadequate maintenance of fire stations, outdated fire apparatus and insufficient involvement of firefighters in the city’s plans to construct a new training tower and fire headquarters.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wicked Local Medford

The Neshkoro Area Fire and Protection District’s Fire Department held its annual Christmas Party on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the fire station. In attendance were firefighters, spouses, girlfriends, family members, district board members and their spouses. Captain Jody Reetz and his wife, Jinny, prearranged catering with The Moose Inn of Wautoma.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2018 1:05:13 PM - SOURCE: Waushara Argus

VIDEO: A major fire destroyed a machinery repair shop in Sugar Camp on Wednesday morning, sending clouds of black smoke over the Northwoods. The shop, next to a home on County Highway D west of Sugar Camp, caught fire around 10 a.m. "There was a machinery malfunction that [the owner said] he was dealing with, and there could also be a heating issue," said Sugar Camp Fire Chief Jason Goeldner.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2018 12:51:19 PM - SOURCE: WJFW-TV NBC 12 Rhinelander-Wausau

On February 20, 4 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

The Chippewa Falls Fire Department is seeking donations to buy two power cot systems for their ambulances and refurbish four existing cots at a total cost of about $58,000. Chippewa Falls fire Chief Mike Hepfler presented the plan Tuesday to the city’s Transportation, Construction, Public Safety and Traffic Committee, although he started raising money last month.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2018 2:42:55 AM - SOURCE: Eau Claire Leader-Telegram

The Los Angeles Fire Department has experienced a series of "divisive" workplace incidents in recent months, including at least one debate between firefighters over protests by NFL players, according to a letter to the agency's employees. In a two-page letter posted Friday, Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas said his agency has experienced "on-duty heated discussions regarding the perception of a lack of patriotism by NFL players" who have kneeled during the national anthem.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

VIDEO - Two members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department on Tuesday detailed how they assisted in a stunning high-rise rescue. JFRD engineers Patrick Schneider and Justin Smith both played important roles in rescuing two men dangling on the side of the BB&T Bank Building in downtown Jacksonville early Monday evening.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJXT-TV CBS 4 Jacksonville

The San Antonio Professional Fire Fighters Association on Tuesday announced a campaign that, among other things, targets the city manager. Calling it the “San Antonio First” campaign, union boss Chris Steele said his organization is partnering with others — ranging from the COPS/Metro Alliance to former local tea party president George Rodriguez — to seek voter signatures on three separate petitions, all calling for changes to the city charter.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Conexion SA

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) today announced it is organizing the first International Fire Operations Conference, April 10-12, 2018, at the Ritz-Carlton in Manama, Bahrain. The prestigious event is being organized in collaboration with Saudi Aramco, a Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: International Association of Fire Chiefs

Hidden in the fine print of President Trump’s latest budget proposal is a detail that could directly impact 9/11 first responders: The reorganization of the federal agency that oversees their health treatment and monitoring. Currently, the World Trade Center Health Program is housed within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

Firefighters were on the scene Tuesday night of a fire reported about 9 p.m. at 19 N. Third Ave. The storefronts along this area include second-story apartments. The preliminary investigation showed the fire started in an exterior waste container near the alley behind the building, said Sturgeon Bay Fire Chief Tim Dietman.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2018 11:52:09 PM - SOURCE: Green Bay Press-Gazette

On February 20, 2 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Firefighters from the Milton Fire Department helped secure tanks that were floating away at Milton Propane Tuesday. Firefighters from Janesville also assisted. Several busy roads were closed Tuesday due to flooding across Rock County. NBC15 reached out to the Milton Fire Department, but an official there could not provide any more information at the time on the exact number of tanks the department helped secure or how long crews were out.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2018 9:52:26 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

A Madison man was detained after volatile chemicals were discovered at his Far West Side apartment Tuesday morning, prompting the building’s residents to be evacuated, authorities said. The Madison Fire Department sent its Hazardous Incident Team to the Timberlake Village Apartments, 7425 Timberlake Trail, around 10:30 a.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2018 8:55:28 PM - SOURCE: Madison

VIDEO: A home near Athens went up in flames Tuesday night. Firefighters were called to the scene on County Road A in the Town of Johnson just before 9 p.m. Officials believe a heating lamp in the garage is to blame for starting the fire. The Athens Fire Chief said several pigs and two dogs died in the blaze.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2018 8:17:21 PM - SOURCE: WAOW-TV ABC 9-Wausau

On February 19, 4 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

On February 17, 8 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.