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National Fire News

Flames, heavy smoke destroy several shops in Seattle; Two-thirds of Seattle's firefighting fleet responded

Several shops were destroyed by a major fire in downtown Ballard on the 2300 block of NW Market Street. The fire started around noon on Monday. Flames and heavy smoke poured out of the building. La Isla restaurant, Supercuts, Kitchen N Things and Octo Designs & Jewelers sustained heavy damage and are a total loss.
- PUB DATE: 10/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

Florida fire department looks at staffing concerns after Disney gondola incident

Some people were stuck on the Skyliner at Walt Disney World for up to three hours on Saturday night. A union representative for the fire department that responded says they were prepared to rescue people off the Skyliner, but it never should have happened in the first place. “We were told that this would not happen, that this wouldn’t happen to the ride and within a week it happened to the ride,” said Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters Association Vice President Sean Pierce.
- PUB DATE: 10/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOFL-TV FOX 35 Orlando

Houston is getting Prop B 'pay parity' money back but firefighters say it came without warning

VIDEO: The latest round in the long running Prop B pay battle between Houston firefighters and city hall has a $4,000 price tag for dozens of former firefighters. Months ago, in the midst of a mid-summer city council meeting, Mayor Sylvester Turner warned this day would come and now it's here. Retiring and resigning firefighters paying a big price to leave the department.
- PUB DATE: 10/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTRK-TV ABC 13 Houston

iCHIEFS Podcast: Creating Value and Opportunity Through Community Risk Reduction

In Episode 5, Chief Michael O'Brian, Brighton Fire Area Authority (Michigan), and Retired Deputy Chief Mike Cox, Henrico County (Virginia), discuss the elements and value of a comprehensive community risk reduction (CRR) program and the opportunities it can create. The issues and topics to be addressed are: Differences between CRR and traditional fire prevention; What's on the CRR horizon and how fire chiefs can prepare; Using GIS to align strategic resources and improve outcomes; Success stories of departments integrating GIS and risk reduction; and Low-cost analytic tools for departments with limited resources.
- PUB DATE: 10/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org

Indiana fire departments get 10K safe drug disposal pouches

The safe drug disposal program in Indiana is expanding. Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke says it’s a partnership with the Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) Indiana and the Professional Firefighters Union of Indiana (PFFUI). The expansion will provide Indiana fire departments with an additional donation of 75,000 safe drug disposal pouches to help fire departments across the state in the fight against the opioid epidemic.
- PUB DATE: 10/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFIE-TV NBC 14 Evansville

South Carolina firefighter dies after being struck by semi while on the job

A Lexington County firefighter has died after he was struck by a semi while trying to help victims of a car crash. The fire service said Lexington County Fire Service Fire Engineer Paul Quattlebaum, a 22-year veteran of the agency, had been dispatched to a service call around 3:30 p.m. Friday. While he was headed to the scene, he and his partner saw a car crash in the 5200 block of Fairview Road.
- PUB DATE: 10/7/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLTX-TV CBS 19 Columbia

Over 5,000 people attended the 38th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Maryland

The 38th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service took place over the weekend at the National Fire Academy in Maryland. The sound of bagpipes and drums could be heard for miles as people gathered to remember and honor 119 fallen heroes from 2018 and previous years. The rainy weather didn’t stop over 5,000 people from silently listening to fire officials talk about brave men and women from all over the nation, who died protecting their community.
- PUB DATE: 10/7/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDVM-TV 25 Hagerstown

Series of massive explosions injure 4, including 2 firefighters, at California restaurant celebrating Oktoberfest

VIDEO: Authorities reported multiple injuries after a series of electrical explosions sent massive fireballs into the air Saturday night at a shopping and dining complex in Huntington Beach. Staff at the Old World German restaurant on Center Avenue noticed an odor coming from the underground electrical vault.
- PUB DATE: 10/7/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles

Dispatching practices contribute to fire problems in New Jersey

The firehouse on John F. Kennedy Boulevard is just under a mile from Janice Pantano’s Central Avenue shore home, but on May 23, when Pantano called 911 to report her car on fire, it took 19 minutes before firefighters had begun spraying water at the scene. By the time the fire was put out, her car and her home were destroyed.
- PUB DATE: 10/7/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Press of Atlantic City

Backyard brook tested for toxic firefighting foam in wake of deadly Connecticut plane crash

A Windsor family contacted environmental officials after they said they saw firefighting foam building up in their backyard brook. Connecticut health officials issued an alert immediately following a deadly vintage plane crash on Wednesday where the firefighting foam with PFAS may have made its way into the Farmington River and surrounding waterways.
- PUB DATE: 10/7/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFSB-TV CBS 3 Hartford

5 Detroit firefighters injured after house collapses during fire

VIDEO: Five Detroit firefighters were hurt after a house collapsed during a fire in southwest Detroit on Thursday afternoon. Investigators are now calling the fire suspicious and asking for witnesses to step forward. According to a spokesperson for the fire department received a call to the house around 1:50 p.
- PUB DATE: 10/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXYZ-TV ABC 7 Detroit

Washington state firefighter dies after suffering burns to more than half of his body

An Okanogan County assistant fire chief who suffered burns to more than half of his body died from his injuries on Wednesday. Assistant Chief Christian Johnson was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle nearly a month ago after suffering severe burns while fighting the Spring Coulee Fire south of Okanogan, Washington.
- PUB DATE: 10/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

For the first time in 53 years, firefighters in Indiana land union contract

The Hobart City Council has unanimously approved a collective bargaining contract with Hobart Professional Firefighters Local 1641, the first time in 53 years the union has had a contract. "This is a landmark case for the fire department," City Councilman Matt Claussen said. Fellow firefighters, who filled the council chamber Wednesday night in a show of support, applauded the council's decision and the nearly yearlong negotiations between union president Enrique Lopez and a council subcommittee comprised of Claussen, City Councilman Dan Waldrop and City Councilman John Brezik.
- PUB DATE: 10/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NWITimes.com

South Carolina firefighters use social media to highlight long hours, short staffing

VIDEO: Multiple calls, extremely long hours and short staffing. Those are just a few issues Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire District crews are dealing with. Fire Chief Norman Knight said they’re using social media to shine a spotlight on these issues. Back in July, the Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire District asked voters to pass a tax millage increase with the goal of increasing salaries, adding staff and bringing in another paramedic ambulance.
- PUB DATE: 10/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMBF-TV NBC Myrtle Beach

Florida firefighter repurposes damaged hoses into American flags

Daryl Paul, a Panama City Beach firefighter, creates something new out of something old. “I didn’t think people would really like them at first,” Paul told WJHG. But people fell in love with Paul’s fire hose American flags. "I love my country, I love my city and I love my job. So for country, that's cool, doing my flags, and using the tools of my trade, you know.
- PUB DATE: 10/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJHG-TV NBC/CW+ 14 Panama City

Report on U.S. firefighter fatalities in 2018 now available

The U.S. Fire Administration's annual report on firefighter fatalities in the United States is now available for 2018. Eighty-two firefighters died while on duty: 44 were volunteer firefighters; 33 were career firefighters; 5 were wildland firefighters. The 2018 report identifies all on-duty fatalities to increase understanding of their causes and how they can be prevented.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: U.S. Fire Administration

Firefighters union in New York concerned over staffing

The Troy Firefighters Union is speaking out about concerns over the number of firefighters on shift at two of the fire stations in the city Eric Wisher, the President of the Troy Uniform Firefighters Association, said at the Bouton Road and Lansingburgh Stations when they get a medical call that means no one is then there to answer a fire call.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNYT-TV NBC 13

Pennsylvania Fire Company Launches New Volunteer Recruitment Effort

The Radnor Fire Company of Wayne (RFC), today announced the launch of a new recruiting website and direct mail campaign focused on helping boost the fire company's volunteer ranks, while also strongly communicating the many personal benefits and challenges offered by volunteering locally as a firefighter or ambulance member.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Radnor Patch

IAFC’s Fire Service Executive Development Institute Available for 8th Year

For the eighth year, the IAFC received a grant from Motorola Solutions Foundation (MSF) to fund another year of the Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI). FSEDI is a program developed by the IAFC to provide new and aspiring chiefs with the tools they need to have a successful and productive tenure.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org

Accidental Pizza Order 2,300 Miles Away Creates International Friendship Between Firefighters

VIDEO: Some first responders on San Antonio's South Side got a nice surprise for dinner Monday night. A mistake by a fire station in Alberta, Canada led to a pizza delivery in the Alamo City. The Lessler Slave Regional Fire Service in Alberta, Canada meant to feed 60 hungry firemen during a training session earlier this week.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spectrum News

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