The Novato fire district reached a settlement of nearly $200,000 with a firefighter it terminated for failing a drug test and other alleged violations. Kirk Lewis received $150,000 from the district’s insurer under the settlement. The district itself paid another $49,000 to Lewis’ lawyers. The district admitted no wrongdoing but agreed to regard Lewis’ exit as a resignation rather than a termination.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Marin Independent Journal

KCK Mayor Mark Holland said Thursday he was threatened on social media by a member of the KCK Fire Department and reported the threat to local and state law enforcement authorities. In a statement, Holland, mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan., said he contacted the Kansas City, Kan.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Kansas City Star

On January 4, 1 residential fire fatality was reported by the Nation's news media.

VIDEO: Take 3,000 blocks of ice, more than 100 volunteers, and a community built on ice and snow, and you've got just about everything you need to a build an ice castle. "This is volunteerism at its best," said Eagle River Fire Chief Michael Anderson. The Eagle River Fire Department takes charge of building the ice castle each year.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2018 5:06:53 PM - SOURCE: WJFW-TV NBC 12 Rhinelander-Wausau

Having his truck break through the ice didn't stop an ice fisherman from heading out onto Lake Winnebago in search of the day's catch. The Oshkosh Fire Dept. says it was called to a spot on the lake less than a mile off Merritt Street, around 5:40 a.m. Firefighters found that the front driver's side wheel of the fisherman's pickup truck had broken through the ice.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2018 9:39:42 AM - SOURCE: WLUK TV Fox 11

On January 3, 15 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

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

On January 1, 17 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Fighting fire is hard enough, but the recent cold snap has made it even harder for local firefighters. Departments in Door and Kewaunee County have responded to at least five fires in the last two weeks when the average temperature struggled to hit the double digits. Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Chief Chris Hecht says fighting fires in the winter bring up a whole new different set of challenges.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2018 5:01:10 AM - SOURCE: Door County Daily News

The FDNY is getting its “fifth man” back. The department has decided to bring back a fifth firefighter to the 10 engine companies that lost them last month. The additional firefighters had been pulled from these houses and sent to different stations in early December to combat a soaring absentee rate, officials said.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

The state is investigating the Spokane Fire Department after contaminants reportedly were found in firefighters’ air tanks. The discovery, which occurred in mid-November after firefighters noticed a foul smell coming from air canisters during a breathing test, prompted fire department leaders to shut down all three of the department’s air compressors.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spokesman-Review

A Baltimore circuit judge has ruled that city officials broke their contract with many police officers, firefighters and retirees in 2010 by cutting a key pension provision that has cost retirees millions in pension benefits. Judge Julie R. Rubin ruled Tuesday that former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's overhaul of pension benefits "unlawfully withdrew" a variable pension benefit that paid out more money to retirees when the stock market improved.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Baltimore Sun

An Austin Fire Department arson investigator has been charged with four crimes — sexual assault, another felony and two misdemeanors — and was booked Wednesday into the Travis County Jail, according to court records. Lt. Marcus Reed is accused of using his position as a law enforcement officer to lure a woman into his city-owned truck in March and assaulting her.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: American-Statesman

Bonnie Blystone made a call to the Ocean City-Wright Fire Department on the afternoon of Dec. 20. When the dispatcher answered, Blystone said it wasn’t a 911 call. It was a “personal dilemma,” she said. (It was) a floundering American flag atop at 25-foot flagpole located on my parent’s property next to their home,” she said in an email.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Northwest Florida Daily News

State regulators have released previously withheld details in reports filed by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. revealing the exact location of damaged transmission equipment found near the ignition points of the wildfires that ravaged Sonoma and Napa counties in October. The documents — including the precise address and specific types of damaged equipment — provide new information about the proximity of PG&E equipment to the origins of the deadly Oct.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Santa Rosa Press Democrat

While caution is taken by many, accidents do happen. In early December, Western Lakes Fire District responded to a dog that fell through Lac La Belle. The department is staffed with 15 divers and has boats in case it needs to make a rescue. Some of the firefighters are trained in ice water diving, while the entire staff is trained in surface water rescue.
- PUB DATE: 1/3/2018 7:46:50 PM - SOURCE: Livinglakecountry

VIDEO: A handful of Eagle River firefighters work day after day in the cold to build an ice castle most winters. Now, a local coffee shop wants to say thank you. "It's important that we keep that community tradition alive and whether or not you're just visiting for a day or coming in for a week or you live here, it's really important to support our fire department," said Blend coffee shop owner Angela Anderson.
- PUB DATE: 1/3/2018 3:42:25 PM - SOURCE: WJFW-TV NBC 12 Rhinelander-Wausau

On January 1, 16 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

A house fire in Seymour overnight brings a big response. According to the Town of Seymour fire chief, crews were call to a home on Cemetery Road just after 8:30 Tuesday night. It appears the fire started in the garage and spread to the home. 2 adults and 3 children were home, but got out safely. But there were 2 pets inside that died.
- PUB DATE: 1/3/2018 3:55:30 AM - SOURCE: WIXX-FM 101

A proposal in the state Legislature would require 911 operators to get training to help callers administer CPR to people who need it. Under the proposal, every 911 call station must have people trained to give CPR instructions over the phone, or have a plan to transfer callers to a dispatch center that can provide those instructions.
- PUB DATE: 1/3/2018 3:31:03 AM - SOURCE: Daily Telegram-Superior