Prosecutors are claiming that a serial arson case in Sacramento federal court has national security implications and, in a highly unusual ruling, a judge is allowing the government to withhold parts of the evidence from defense lawyers. Attorneys on both sides declined Monday to comment publicly, but court papers they have filed outline a dispute over the legality of hiding evidence with no obligation to disclose the reasons to the defense team.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sacramento Bee

A Michigan State Police trooper testified that suspended Allegan District Fire Chief Matt Gillies admitted to sexually abusing a 4-year-old girl and recording it. During the hearing Tuesday, the trooper affirmed Gillies sexually abused the young girl at his home and recorded it in September. Gillies had a previous foster care relationship with the girl but not at the time of the alleged incident, according to investigators.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Detroit Free Press

Rural fire departments have more than 140 additional firefighters one year after legislation became law that eliminated the age limit for new volunteers. House Bill 2005, authored by Rep. Mike Sanders, took effect Nov. 1, 2015. The law eliminated the 45-year-old age limit for new firefighters by giving them the option of joining the system without the requirement that they be added to the state’s pension plan.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Norman Transcript

Two men were uninjured after their boat capsized in front of the Fish Camp boat launch on the eastern shore of Beaver Dam Lake, Tuesday. According to Capt. Trace Frost of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, at 1:10 p.m. officers responded to a call of a capsized boat with two people in the water. Fox Lake Fire Department and Beaver Dam police and fire departments responded to the scene.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 6:54:24 PM - SOURCE: wisc news

VIDEO: Another blow for a restaurant on the city's north side. Smoke billowed from the roof of Ashley's Bar-B-Que just after 7:00 a.m. Tuesday. The restaurant is located at 15th and Center. It took 34 firefighters to tackle the flames. "We had heavy smoke coming from the exhaust venting system at Ashley's.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 6:12:53 PM - SOURCE: Today's TMJ4

VIDEO: A 13-year-old boy and a 65-year-old volunteer firefighter are dead after a crash in the Town of Oneida Monday night. The Outagamie Co. Sheriff's Office says the crash happened around 10 o’clock on Bain Road just west of Hwy. U in the Town of Oneida. The driver of a westbound SUV lost control and the vehicle rolled over and hit a power pole.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 1:42:23 PM - SOURCE: WLUK TV Fox 11

Shane Westphal doesn’t have a problem with coloring books. He just had other ideas. Westphal, a firefighter and paramedic with the Stevens Point Fire Department, was named Public Educator of the Year last week by the Wisconsin State Fire Inspectors Association. Westphal introduced technology to the fire department’s safety education program using apps developed by the National Fire Protection Agency.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 9:34:17 AM - SOURCE: Stevens Point Journal

Firefighters believe a fire that destroyed a large tree near the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Monday afternoon was intentionally set. The fire, in the wooded area of Petrifying Springs Park near the Pike River, was reported at about 2:45 p.m. by two students who attempted to put out the fire. “We walked into the woods and some guy’s in the woods with a dog and accused us of starting the fire,” said Enrique Azuaje, 19.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 3:30:01 AM - SOURCE: Kenosha News

Washburn County Emergency Management coordinated an Emergency Communications regional training and exercise during the week of October 24-28 at the Spooner Fire Hall. The training focused on the development of technician-level communications in the region to better support the various public safety communication needs at an emergency response during significant incidents such as flooding and other natural or man-made disasters.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 3:23:28 AM - SOURCE: Spooner Advocate

PHOTO - Four firefighters and one civilian were injured today when a fire truck collided with a car in the Back Bay causing a domino effect that damaged eight other cars, fire officials said. The civilian and firefighters, including one captain, all were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where they were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn said.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Boston Herald

A 25-year veteran of Cleveland's fire department sued the city and several employees Monday claiming he was subject to retaliation based on an erroneous belief that he had leaked damaging information about a former fire chief. Sean DeCrane, who retired in September as Third Battalion chief, contends he warned city officials in January 2013 that former fire division Chief Daryl McGinnis lacked required continuing training and certification needed to hold his position.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland Plain Dealer & Cleveland.com

Six people were killed and 10 more injured Tuesday morning when a school bus veered into oncoming traffic in Southwest Baltimore and ripped through the side of an MTA bus, police said. Officials described a "horrific" scene in the 3800 block of Frederick Avenue, where the two buses remained jack-knifed into each other hours after the morning commute had concluded.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Baltimore Sun

A New Orleans judge has sided with the city over one point of a deal hashed last year over firefighters' pay and pensions, approving a less generous interpretation of how quickly firefighters will accrue retirement benefits. At the same time, Civil District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso sided with the firefighters on a separate point, saying that the city can’t take back disability benefits from firefighters who already have received them.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Orleans Advocate

Three years ago, Chicago spent nearly $2 million — and $1.7 million more in legal fees — to compensate dozens of women denied firefighter jobs because of a discriminatory test of upper body strength that City Hall has now scrapped. Now, a dozen women who wanted desperately to become paramedics are accusing the Chicago Fire Department of devising two new physical agility tests that are equally biased against women.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Sun-Times

Fire departments from across the Birmingham area responded to a gas line explosion in Shelby County that killed one person and severely injured several people Monday afternoon. Earlier reports indicated that seven had been severely burned and many of them transported to UAB. However, at 10:45 p.m.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: AL.com

On October 31, 0 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

On October 27, 0 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

On October 26, 0 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

VIDEO: He was trying to evict his tenants. Now a Milwaukee landlord finds himself homeless. Monday afternoon a fire destroyed Dan Crowley's duplex on North 36th Street. He said he believes that the fire was started by his tenants who live on the other levels of his building. "This has a lot to do with a landlord tenant issue.
- PUB DATE: 10/31/2016 8:59:36 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

On October 30, 8 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.