Volunteer firefighters in Ozark County could only watch as a fire destroyed their own station early Tuesday morning. The fire at the Gainesville Fire Department occurred one month to the day after flash flooding left a mess inside the station. The department hadn’t fully cleaned up from the flood waters when the fire occurred.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSFX/KOLR-TV FOX 27 Ozarks First

Upland Fire Chief Daniel Smith has settled a federal civil rights lawsuit against the borough, former police chief Nelson Ocasio and former council president Ed Mitchell, according to online court records.No details on the settlement were available Tuesday, but the suit filed by attorney Jacqueline Vigilante on behalf of Smith last year claimed Mitchell and Ocasio conspired to create false allegations against him and threatened bogus criminal charges unless he resigned from council in the wake of a dustup over improvements at the fire house.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Delaware County Daily Times

When a New York City firefighter dies in the line of duty, the fire bells ring 20 times: five rings, followed by a pause, and again, and again, and again. The 5-5-5-5 code rang for Bronx fireman Ray Pfeifer, who died Sunday at the age of 59 from cancer, years after he spent eight months following the attacks of Sept.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

When first responders arrived to the burning home on Eugene Street in Manchester, New Hampshire just after 2 am on January 27, half the home was already up in flames. It was a big fire, but relatively routine: Working in the dark, the firefighters made sure the two residents got out unharmed, and got to work.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wired.com

As the first responders to most emergency calls, firefighters often handle many other tasks beyond just putting out fires. But it's not every day their line of duty calls for cooking skills. Latoya Riley, who lives in an apartment on Ashley Hall Plantation Road in West Ashley, was recently preparing pork chops for dinner for her two sons when the grease she was heating up caught fire.
- PUB DATE: 5/31/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Charleston Post and Courier

In what may be a first in the state, Madison City Council members are proposing an ordinance to reimburse legal fees of citizens who bring successful claims against city employees or officials before the Police and Fire Commission. The proposal by lead sponsor Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff and at least seven others also would give the council discretion to adjust reimbursement for a police or fire chief who faced multiple complaints with mixed outcomes before the commission, which has the authority to hire, fire and discipline sworn police and fire employees.
- PUB DATE: 5/30/2017 8:18:14 PM - SOURCE: Wisconsin State Journal

Fire has caused $20,000 in damage at a Bellevue assisted living facility. Crews were called to Bufflehead 1, 2084 Bufflehead Lane, at 4:06 pm Tuesday for a report of a structure fire. Upon arrival, crews found a working fire on the exterior of the garage. Due to winds around 25 miles per hour, it was spreading into the garage.
- PUB DATE: 5/30/2017 7:12:51 PM - SOURCE: WNFL SPORT REDIO

A Necedah man faces two battery charges after allegedly becoming violent with a Juneau County deputy and an EMS worker. Ronald L. Kluender, 36, faces one count of battery to a law enforcement officer and an additional charge or battery to an emergency rescue worker. If convicted, each charge carries a possible $10,000 fine or up to six years in prison, or both.
- PUB DATE: 5/30/2017 6:16:11 PM - SOURCE: wisc news

On May 28, 11 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

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

On May 28, 10 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

On May 26, 4 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

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

VIDEO: Firefighters never leave the station without their gear, because they know it could save their lives. That's why it's important they have the best equipment. Arbor Vitae Fire and Rescue recently put 11 sets of brand-new turnout gear into service. Fire Chief Mike VanMeter says the new gear replaces the 12-year-old equipment they've been using.
- PUB DATE: 5/30/2017 4:06:03 AM - SOURCE: WJFW-TV NBC 12 Rhinelander-Wausau

A beloved FDNY hero who tirelessly toiled at Ground Zero for eight months after 9/11 and was a driving force in getting much-needed benefits for sick first responders lost his battle to cancer on Sunday. Ray Pfeifer, who once said he spent “27 years, 220 days and nine hours” as one of the city’s Bravest, died at age 59, according to officials.
- PUB DATE: 5/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

Rivalries between police officers and firefighters are not uncommon — usually just lighthearted fun among public safety workers. But the animosity between Santa Fe police Sgt. David Webb Jr. and city firefighter Jeffrey Valdez is genuine, creating a yearslong personal conflict that intensified this week.
- PUB DATE: 5/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Santa Fe New Mexican

Late Monday night, The Missouri State Highway Patrol released the names of the two firefighters involved in a deadly Memorial Day fire truck crash in northeast Missouri. Investigators said the driver of the fire truck, Jesse Ketchum, 33, of Downing, was killed in that crash. His passenger, volunteer firefighter, John Chancellor, 27, also of Downing, suffered serious injuries.
- PUB DATE: 5/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVO-TV ABC 3 Kirksville

Police officers and firefighters could receive a 7.5 percent salary increase in the city’s upcoming budget — a pay raise proponents say is necessary to retain good employees and compete with neighboring communities for new ones. “We’ve never fallen this far behind,” said City Councilman Mike Barber, who proposed the increase earlier this month.
- PUB DATE: 5/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: News & Record

A 15-year-old girl died Monday night in a crash involving a fire truck on I-94 in Ypsilanti, closing westbound lanes for several hours while Michigan State Police completed an accident investigation. The crash happened at about 11:15 p.m. near Grove Road. The Ypsilanti Fire Department said one of its rigs was assisting in an earlier rollover accident when a Ford Escape slammed into the back of the fire truck.
- PUB DATE: 5/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDIV-TV NBC 4 Detroit

First Responders with the Minocqua, Hazelhurst, Woodruff and Arbor Vitae Fire Departments are now some of the best equipped in the nation to save a pet's life. Invisible Fence of Northern Wisconsin has donated four pet oxygen mask kits to the departments. This donation is just a small part of Invisible Fence® Brand's Project Breathe program, which was established with the goal of equipping every fire station in America and Canada with pet oxygen masks.
- PUB DATE: 5/29/2017 11:25:24 PM - SOURCE: Lakeland Times Minocqua