The first day of the Muncie city ambulance service kicked off Monday morning with a busy day of calls, but questions remain because of contracts that are not finalized. MFD started using its own ambulances Monday in much of Muncie, taking over duties from Delaware County EMS. MFD responded to three runs right off the bat, Fire Chief Eddie Bell and EMS Chief Rachel Clark said in a live video on the city's Facebook page announcing the change.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Star Press

A program bringing together fire departments, high schools, and Madison College is working to target future firefighters, as departments across the country face challenges in recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters. The program, called Start College Now, brings together area high schools and fire departments with Madison College to provide training using firefighting equipment to certify students in firefighting, as well as get them college credits.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMTV NBC 15 Madison

For the first time in its history, Skagit County Fire District 14 in Alger has women accounting for more than a third of its 32 firefighters and staff, a marked change in a field still dominated by men. The women take pride in that the Alger department maintains the same standards across the sexes, something they say is a trait of the fire service overall.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Skagit Valley Herald (GoSkagit.com)

Starting today, volunteer firefighters in North Carolina who have served for five consecutive years will be eligible to purchase a lifetime hunting and fishing license from the Wildlife Resources Commission for only half of the full cost. House Bill 597 passed the General Assembly in mid-August and was signed into law later that month.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLOS-TV ABC 13

Firefighters are still on the scene Monday morning where a large fire broke out Sunday on Atkinson Road near South Shore Drive in Surf City. “They’re working through all the hot spots now, making sure we get this thing extinguished so we can start that investigation promptly this morning," Surf City Fire Chief Allen Wilson said.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WECT-TV NBC 6 Wilmington

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Hollie Gallagher has filed an order against the city of Cleveland, the director of public safety and civil service commission, saying the entities must conduct “competitive examinations and make promotions within the fire department,” she ruled Tuesday. The order mandates the city administer these within six months, court documents say.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com

The nauseating smell of smoke. The feeling of dark, gritty soot. The sight of orange-red flames flashing about the room. Those who’ve endured a fire say those memories never leave you. And sometimes neither does the memory of the one who saved you from it. Nearly 20 years ago, William Vantress, then 7, received third-degree burns all over his body after his younger brother accidentally set fire to the family home in the Willow Green Mobile Home Community.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Monroe Evening News

Sunday marked the 18th annual Tunnel To Towers 5K run and walk. Thousands followed in the footsteps of a hero. They were retracing the steps of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who was on his way home on Sept. 11, 2001, when he got word of a plane hitting one of the World Trade Center towers. He turned back around, strapped on 75 pounds of gear and ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to help save lives.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

After deliberating several hours over two days, a jury on Friday convicted the man who set Augusta’s Twins Peaks restaurant on fire in the middle of lunchtime in 2017. The Richmond County Superior Court jury found Roland Croyle, 37, guilty but mentally ill of all 24 counts of arson, aggravated assault and criminal damage to property.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Augusta Chronicle

There was a milestone for the FDNY Wednesday. It promoted 80 members of the department, including the first African American to make deputy chief in 30 years. Malcolm Moore is one of 12 battalion chiefs promoted to deputy chief at a ceremony in Brooklyn. Moore is a 22 year veteran with the fire department, serving as chief of special operations command at rescue battalion.
- PUB DATE: 9/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLNY-TV 55 Riverhead

On a recent night when an earthquake rattled York County, prompting calls to 911, Dover Township firefighters overheard dispatchers sending police to a reported house explosion with fire in their coverage area. Nine volunteers at the firehouse jumped up, put on their gear and figured out what equipment they needed.
- PUB DATE: 9/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: York Daily Record - Metered Site

Thanks to a one-of-a-kind public-private partnership, beginning Monday, October 1, 2019 Gulf Shores residents won’t have to pay for ground or air ambulance services. Gulf Shores officials said this is the first time in America a service like this has been offered. Through the city’s agreement with Medstar, any expenses above what personal insurance covers will be paid, excluding any deductibles or co-pays.
- PUB DATE: 9/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WALA-TV FOX 10 Mobile

PHOTOS: “If we can save just one life, it’s all been worth it,” remarks 2019 AKC ACE Award-winning dog owner Dayna Hilton. Hilton, executive director of the Arkansas-based Keep Kids Fire Safe ® Foundation, has certainly saved far more lives than one, but she isn’t the star of the road appearances and Skype shows that keep her in motion year-round.
- PUB DATE: 9/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: American Kennel Club

VIDEO: A Sand Springs business is helping preserve a part of history in Hominy. A 1948 Mack Fire Truck was the first fire truck purchased by the Hominy Fire Department, 72 years ago. It needs some costly repairs, but a Sand Springs body shop is offering to restore the truck for less, to make sure it lives on for many more years.
- PUB DATE: 9/27/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFAQ-AM 1170

They call themselves New York’s Best — but when it comes to pay, FDNY EMS members say they get the least. At a raucous rally Wednesday outside City Hall dozens of city medics and their supporters called on Mayor de Blasio to close the long-standing pay gap between Emergency Medical Service employees and other uniformed workers like firefighters and cops.
- PUB DATE: 9/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News - Metered Site

When the Princeton Fire Department sounded the alarm for more volunteers, Princeton University responded to the call. In fact, University employees have responded to nearly 1,950 fire and rescue calls over the past 10 years as part of a unique partnership. The Princeton Fire Department Associate Member Program allows University employees to volunteer as firefighters during their work shifts, augmenting the municipal department’s ranks during critical daytime hours.
- PUB DATE: 9/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Princeton University

Oak Brook’s police and fire chiefs explained Tuesday that the village’s daytime population doesn’t directly impact their determinations of staffing needs, comments that came after a preliminary report from a village committee questioned the number that has been used for several years. The report, from Oak Brook’s Long-Term Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, contends that village staffing levels may be based on a mistaken daytime population that has been greatly overstated.
- PUB DATE: 9/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Tribune - Metered Site

Berkeley County’s sheriff says a man who was a junior at Macedonia High School has been charged in the burning of the school 23 years after the night it burned down. Daniel Scott Harris, 40, is charged with second-degree arson and second-degree burglary, Sheriff Duane Lewis said. Harris was arrested Tuesday night.
- PUB DATE: 9/26/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCSC-TV CBS 5 Charleston

Firefighters are hoping a detailed proposal will convince council to let them serve as the city's primary EMS provider. Chief Justin Edwards says their more than 30-page EMS proposal covers two different options: one for Uhrichsville only and the other for the Twin Cities and surrounding townships.
- PUB DATE: 9/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tusco TV

Federal officials are recommending stronger nationwide requirements for natural gas systems following last September’s natural gas explosions and fires in Massachusetts. The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates major pipeline accidents, said Tuesday every state should require all natural gas infrastructure projects to be reviewed and approved by a licensed professional engineer.
- PUB DATE: 9/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBZ-TV CBS 4 Boston