One of the most important tools for the Mount Vernon fire department is now half a century old. "You can see the scratches and marks on it. The once really bright red paint is more of an orange color now. It's faded over the past 50 years. But overall, it's still an excellent running truck," said Chief Brad DeLay, Mount Vernon Volunteer Fire Protection District.
- PUB DATE: 3/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSPR-TV ABC 33 Springfield

With the elimination of their positions finalized earlier this week, firefighters are asking the city to negotiate on the change to public safety officers. Scott Dix, president of Cedar Falls Firefighters Local 1366, made the request to begin formal union negotiations in a letter sent to the city Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 3/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

Firefighters Local 313, the local union of firefighters in Morgantown, is dissatisfied with the proposed budget from City Manager Paul Brake because they said it puts the safety of citizens and firefighters at risk. The initially proposed budget would decrease the number of firefighters from 61-49, a reduction of 12 positions.
- PUB DATE: 3/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBOY-TV 12 Clarksburg

With wires stuck to his head and a stuffed toy monkey in his arms, Brian McCoy heaved a deep breath as he settled into a reclining chair at South Metro Fire Rescue’s headquarters in Centennial. He slipped on headphones, put up his feet and watched as a TV screen played scenes from under the sea: dolphins twirling, seaweed swirling, sharks prowling.
- PUB DATE: 3/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Denver Post - Metered Site

VIDEO: The Webbers Falls Fire Station in eastern Oklahoma caught fire Wednesday, destroying one building and all the gear inside it. "Our department is now on the ground," Webbers Falls Fire Chief Shawn Smith said. "It was heartbreaking, this is our second home, we spend a lot of time down here." Smith and other volunteer firefighters were out of town attending training for severe weather when the fire was reported before 2 P.
- PUB DATE: 3/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHBS/KHOG-TV ABC 40 Fort Smith

VIDEO: More than 40 years ago, the first woman went through Norfolk's fire academy. Pamela Ells-Johnson was just 25 years old and tells 13News Now that she was simply looking for a career when she applied. She ended up paving the way for women in Norfolk Fire-Rescue. Although back then, it was called Norfolk Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 3/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WVEC-TV ABC 13 Hampton

PHOTOS: Ever have a hard time making a turn on a tight Wollaston street packed with parked cars? Try doing it in an almost 60-foot-long fire truck. As Quincy’s development boom continues, the fire department is preparing to put into service a new, $1.45 million tiller truck to help firefighters take tight turns and get closer to ever-taller buildings.
- PUB DATE: 3/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Patriot Ledger

The City of Ann Arbor and the firefighter union agreed Monday night to new collective bargaining terms before the expiration of the current contract for the first time in 25 years. City Council voted 8-1 to approve the contract March 2 at Larcom City Hall, 301 E. Huron St. Council also voted unanimously to approve a new contract with the police department deputy chiefs.
- PUB DATE: 3/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MLive.com

PHOTOS: The criminal complaint filed against Press Bar owner Andrew Charles Welsh outlines firefighters' efforts to contain the fire and details leading up to the blaze. Welsh is suspected of setting the Feb. 17 fire that destroyed the historic building by igniting an accelerant on his office desk, according to court records.
- PUB DATE: 3/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: SCTimes

Republican State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington along with Democrat Ram Villivalam from Chicago are sponsoring legislation to help volunteer firefighters and EMT's with a $500 tax credit. Metamora Fire Chief Mike Sluga said he hopes this new tax credit could help boost recruitment. Metamora's Chief Sluga has been on the job for almost 40 years.
- PUB DATE: 3/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WEEK-TV NBC 25 Peoria

As Milwaukee prepares to host the Democratic National Convention some leaders within the city are getting new roles to keep the area safe. Milwaukee Fire Department Deputy Chief Kevin Hafemann is the person behind the city's fire and EMS response for the DNC. He has been planning for everything from a person suffering from heat exhaustion to a bomb.
- PUB DATE: 3/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTMJ-TV NBC 4 Milwaukee

Anyone who hasn’t been to the city for some time will be captivated, and possibly alienated, by the new architectural profile of New York. The Empire State, the Chrysler and other 1930s classics have maintained their grandeur. But they seem to be losing much of their visual relevance to the most recent construction development: the ultra-high residential apartment buildings that continue to spring up in Manhattan.
- PUB DATE: 3/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News - Metered Site

Developers who are looking to build new projects in Bound Brook will now have to pay for increased security measures at construction sites after a destructive Main Street fire in January that investigators have said was purposefully set. The borough committee last week unanimously passed the new ordinance, which will be added to its construction code, that will require developers to have 360-degree motion detectors and video surveillance, along with a physical security guard, on-site at all times once there are flammable materials, like wood, at the property.
- PUB DATE: 3/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NJ.com

A fire station south of Tucson that services about 5,000 residents is set to close by May unless union members and the company that owns the station come to an agreement. Nico Latini, president of the Old Pueblo Firefighters Association, the union that represents Rural Metro firefighters in Pima County, said Station 81, at 966 E.
- PUB DATE: 3/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Arizona Daily Star

A pair of southwest Ohio lawmakers want any workers compensation claims for a first responder’s post-traumatic stress disorder to be paid from the state’s unclaimed funds program. A bill submitted for introduction by Ohio Reps. George Lang, R-West Chester Twp., and Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg, offers an alternative proposal to the first responder PTSD bill overwhelmingly supported last month by the Ohio House.
- PUB DATE: 3/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dayton Daily News

There were 103 reported suicides by firefighters nationwide in 2017. It's a startling number, according to the Ruderman Family Foundation, which last year published a study of first responder deaths that found suicide, not deaths in the line of duty, are the greatest peril firefighters and law enforcement officers face.
- PUB DATE: 3/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Carlsbad Current - Metered Site

To celebrate Read Across America day, St. George firefighters visited elementary schools Monday to read to students in an effort to help promote the importance of reading. In celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, Read Across America is a reading initiative held annually and was first incepted in 1997 by the National Education Association.
- PUB DATE: 3/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. George News

The International Association Firefighters (IAFF) and the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (WSCFF) issued a joint statement reporting that several firefighters have been exposed to the virus. The statement reports that members from Kirkland Fire, Redmond Fire and Woodinville Fire had been exposed to the coronavirus, and were isolating themselves for evaluation.
- PUB DATE: 3/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXLY-TV ABC 4 Spokane

VIDEO: Falls happen on ice, in homes, and outside. When EMS and fire crews respond, Des Moines Fire says it's easy for them to get hurt when lifting someone that has fallen. That's why Jeff Downing, an engineer with Des Moines fire, created the Jak Harness. "I felt the need to create this because in recent years we've been going on more and more calls of people that have fallen down and they're not injured and they can't get up," Downing said.
- PUB DATE: 3/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOI-TV ABC 5 Des Moines

First responders in Nebraska would be offered annual “resiliency training” to help combat and cope with post-traumatic stress disorder under a bill given initial approval by state lawmakers on Wednesday. State Sen. Mike McDonnell, a former Omaha fire chief, said that 1 in 4 firefighters on average will visit an emergency room during their career for physical injuries on the job.
- PUB DATE: 3/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Scottsbluff Star Herald