Government inspections of railroads that haul volatile crude oil across the United States have uncovered almost 24,000 safety defects, including problems similar to those blamed in derailments that triggered massive fires or oil spills in Oregon, Virginia, Montana and elsewhere, according to data obtained by The Associated Press.
- PUB DATE: 4/5/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

In the operational command structure of the fire service, the ability for firefighters to contribute good ideas is difficult if not wholly impossible. Accused of jumping over the chain of authority, displaying bad behavior or simply being a poor follower, good firefighters are acutely aware of the lack of opportunity for input.
- PUB DATE: 4/5/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

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

PHOTO: A River Falls man remained in critical condition Tuesday after being struck by a semi-trailer one day earlier on Highway 35. River Falls Deputy Police Chief Jon Aubart said the 62-year-old man was being treated at Regions Hospital in St. Paul after sustaining life-threatening injuries in the crash.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 7:19:52 PM - SOURCE: Rivertowns

VIDEO: Minocqua will soon see a new home base for its fire department. The Minocqua fire chief, town board members, and architects all took part in breaking ground for the new station. The new building will be next to the Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce on Highway 51. Fire Chief Andy Petrowski says this new station will not only give the department the space it needs but will help its response time as well.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 4:48:37 PM - SOURCE: WJFW-TV NBC 12 Rhinelander-Wausau

In hopes to reduce medical and emergency services’ costs, Wisconsin lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill that would allow the community to provide emergency care. Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, R-Clinton, one of the main sponsors of the legislation, introduced the bill March 17. The bill would set up state expectations for non-emergency health care and was created in collaboration with local emergency service organizations like Professional Firemen of Wisconsin, Loudenbeck said.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 1:05:14 PM - SOURCE: Badger Herald

On April 2, 8 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

VIDEO: Throughout the month of April, hundreds of firefighters from every department in Milwaukee County will undergo a four-hour training session on how to deal with a high-rise fire. "One of the more complex fires that we will ever right is a high rise fire," said deputy fire Chief Aaron Lipski of the Milwaukee Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 2:52:45 AM - SOURCE: WISN-TV ABC 12 Milwaukee

La Crosse’s Police and Fire Commission selected two external candidates as finalists for the city’s next fire chief. St. Paul (Minn.) Deputy Fire Chief Leeland Gilliam, who also serves as the director of Fire and Rescue Training at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, and Brian Lee, who is a public safety promotional and professional assessment consultant, are vying for the position.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 2:01:43 AM - SOURCE: Lacrosse Tribune

Intense heat and strain appear to put firefighters at a greater risk of heart attack, a new study finds. The physical demands of firefighting may trigger the formation of blood clots and impair blood vessel function -- two factors associated with increased risk of heart attack and stroke, researchers in Scotland report.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: HealthDay News

Questions loom about why a fire chief with a squeaky clean record was forced out of office last week. Action News Jax went through all 381 pages of now-former Nassau County Fire Chief Matthew Graves’ personnel record on Monday. Graves abruptly retired under pressure from county leaders on Friday. His letter of retirement said he’s had a “rewarding” career.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTEV-TV 47

A city councilman wants voters to approve a city charter change that would allow council to make major changes to the police and fire departments — or abolish them altogether. Mathew Davoli has proposed legislation that, if approved on the November ballot, would give council the power to scrap police and fire departments or contract with other agencies to provide those services.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Toledo Blade

A former Champaign-area paramedic who was set to become a fire chief in Alaska is facing criminal charges after prosecutors say he drugged and sexually assaulted a man who attended his going-away party. David J. Dunn, 43, of Savoy, was arraigned in the Champaign County Courthouse Monday for felony criminal sexual assault, according to the Champaign County state’s attorney office.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Tribune

Mayor Toni Harp said Monday there will be “ramifications” for her chief administrative officer after an outburst last week during a meeting with union representatives, but termination is not being considered. During her weekly radio appearance on WNHH Monday, Harp told radio host Paul Bass that there will be “ramifications” for City Administrative Officer Michael Carter following his verbal exchange last week with Local 3144 Vice President Harold Brooks.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Haven Register

First responders would have to complete a one-week class to carry guns on school property during emergencies under a bill in the South Carolina House of Representatives. The legislation also calls for school responders to foot the $593 bill for the course, which would include shoot/don't shoot training, as well as instruction on school safety protection, diffusing volatile situations and communicating with law enforcement.
- PUB DATE: 4/4/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Independent Mail

On April 3, 2 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

VIDEO: It was a rare opportunity for firefighters, as departments from across Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois, came together for hands-on training. Nearly 20 departments got the rare opportunity to practice saving lives, inside a house fire, using a simulator put on by a group called "Brew City Fools," a training group out of Milwaukee.
- PUB DATE: 4/3/2017 10:38:09 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

On April 1, 14 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

One person was rescued from a downtown elevator by Madison firefighters after the elevator malfunctioned, according to a release from the Madison Fire Department. Firefighters were called at 8:20 a.m. Friday to the YWCA on East Mifflin Street when an elevator became stuck on the 6th floor. A firefighter went up to the 7th floor and opened the lobby doors there.
- PUB DATE: 4/3/2017 11:01:22 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison

On April 1, 13 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.