On January 5, 3 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Appleton Firefighters battled a garage fire in subzero temperatures Thursday. Just before 6 p.m., firefighters were called to 25 Oriole Court. They arrived on scene to find heavy smoke and fire coming from a garage attached to a home. The crews were able to contain the blaze to the garage. The home did sustain some smoke damage.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2017 6:37:53 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Over the next two months, members of the Ashland Fire Department will conduct their biennial paramedic refresher training. “That includes completing a 48-hour refresher course related to our paramedic licensure,” said AFD Captain Scott Thimm. “In addition to the 48 hours of continuing education, we will be doing eight hours of advanced cardiac life support and eight hours of pediatric advanced life support.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2017 2:15:48 AM - SOURCE: Ashland Daily Press

On January 5, 1 residential fire fatality was reported by the Nation's news media.

Janesville Fire Chief Randy Banker has no doubt the city eventually will build a new fire station on the north side and add people to staff it. What remains to be seen is if Milton will chip in money and share the station with the Janesville Fire Department. “It's an area of our district where coverage needs to be enhanced,” Banker said.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Gazette Extra - Metered Site

Fifteen former or current Marinwood firefighters are suing the Marinwood Community Services District, claiming it shorted them on overtime pay. The lawsuit alleges the district violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by miscalculating the regular pay rate upon which overtime is based. The firefighters said the district should have included not just hourly pay in its calculation of the regular pay rate, but also other compensation such as special assignment pay, holiday pay, college incentive pay and reimbursement for benefit costs.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Marin Independent Journal

A Richmond Fire Chief battling stage four cancer is using journey, and the journey of his new scooter, to spread a critical message to firefighters across the country. Creasy said his chemotherapy treatments have severely limited his mobility since his cancer diagnosis in 2014. Richmond firefighter Roger Myers knows the realities of cancer intimately, so he devised a plan to help Chief Creasy.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVR-TV CBS 6

Bernie Madoff. It's a name now often bandied about when talking about the failing Dallas Police and Fire Pension fund. "The reality of it is that it was a Bernie Madoff type scheme," says Lee Kleinman, a city council member and former pension board trustee. The city has agreed to put in an additional billion dollars over 30 years, but they're proposing a series of bitter pills to make up the rest of the nearly $4 billion shortfall.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFAA-TV ABC 8 Dallas - Fort Worth

VIDEO - Two police officers were captured on video appearing to pose for a selfie in front of a home as it went up in flames on Long Island Thursday afternoon. The fire destroyed the house in Uniondale, though no one was hurt. Moments after the officers posed for their apparent photo op, one of them appeared to approach another man taking selfies as if to ask him to leave the scene.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC New York

In cooperation with the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, NFPA has produced a new video underscoring the painful aftermath of home fires. Burn care specialists from the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center, one of the premier burn care hospitals in the U.S., detail the frequency of home fire injuries and painstaking recovery of burn survivors.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fire Engineering

A Thursday death has rocked the local firefighter community. Jason Abalos, a 35-year-old husband, father and firefighter, died after years of battling a brain tumor. “This is going to have a deep impact on the department,” said Deputy Chief Spencer Lee with Jacksonville Fire and Emergency Services. Lee knew Abalos from his years working at JFES.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily News, Jacksonville

A local man was to appear in court Thursday after West Haven police say he tried to steal a fire truck that was responding to a medical call. Wayne Gagne, 63, was also in possession of a knife with an eight-inch blade during the Wednesday night incident, police spokesman Sgt. David Tammaro said Thursday in a press release.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Haven Register

VIDEO: The temperature fluctuated between 0 and -3 degrees Fahrenheit as crews from multiple fire departments battled an engulfed barn just after 4 p.m. on Thursday. Strong westerly winds blew thick black smoke across State 26, a full mile east of the fire scene at N4637 Amity Road. "Dispatch, see if we can get a State Patrol officer to sit on 26 to warn drivers of the smoke," a Fond du Lac County Sheriff deputy said over the scanner on his way to the fire.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2017 8:22:28 PM - SOURCE: Wisconsin State Farmer

VIDEO: The La Crosse Fire Department Station One celebrated Assistant Fire Chief, Warren Thomas' retirement on Thursday. Thomas is retiring after serving the area for 30 years. Chief Thomas says that the La Crosse Fire Department has become his second family and that he's grateful to have served the La Crosse community over the years.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2017 12:38:39 PM - SOURCE: WXOW-TV ABC 19 LaCrosse

On January 3, 5 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Investigators with the La Crosse Fire Department are looking into a house fire early Thursday morning. The call came in at around 3:30 a.m. about a fire in the attic of a home on the 400 block of 12th Street North. Firefighters tell News 8 three people and two pets made it out of the house safely. The building owner and the Red Cross were at the scene to help displaced residents.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2017 4:40:51 AM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

De Pere firefighters are no “cow”ards. On Dec. 27, the department was called to help free cattle from an overturned truck. This morning, the department posted photos of the roundup on Facebook. Click here to view the full set of photos. The post reads: “Cows rescued from trailer! Contrary to popular belief firefighters don’t just save cats from trees.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2

Mayor Jim Matherly confirmed former Fairbanks Fire Chief Warren Cummings died Tuesday night after a hard fought battle with breast cancer. Cummings became a firefighter in 1972 and worked his way up through the ranks until he was named fire chief in 2000. He retired in October 2015. “The fire service in Alaska has lost a great leader,” said a post on the City of Fairbanks Fire Department Facebook page.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fairbanks News-Miner

After a nearly decade-long legislative fight, Ohio firefighters won their battle to help their colleagues who are battling cancer. Ohio Governor John Kasich was surrounded by firefighters as he signed the Palumbo Act at the state capitol early Wednesday afternoon. The law, renamed after Mike Palumbo, a Beachwood fire captain currently battling brain cancer, presumes firefighters diagnosed with certain types of cancer developed the disease as the result of numerous exposures to toxic chemicals at fire scenes.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WEWS-TV IBS 5 Cleveland

Boulder Rural Fire Rescue's chief and deputy chief have been placed on administrative leave following a $1.2 million accounting mishap, although officials won't say whether the disciplinary action is related to the shortfall. Both Chief Bruce Mygatt and Deputy Chief Jeff Webb are on leave from the department, Boulder Rural Fire Board President Kurt Gattman confirmed Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Boulder Daily Camera