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National Fire News

Chicago firefighter rescued after floor collapse and call for mayday

Fire ripped through a South Side house, causing a collapse and the need to rescue a trapped Chicago firefighter Friday morning. The fire broke out in the 7800-block of South Sangamon Street and there was heavy fire coming from the north side of the building, the Chicago Fire Department said. Firefighters went inside to rescue residents.
- PUB DATE: 11/9/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago

Washington department says goodbye to beer truck that saved lives for 2 decades

Not many people know that Central Pierce Fire & Rescue saves lives with what used to be a beer truck. The vehicle is used as a makeshift rescue rig, carrying equipment for the fire department’s most technical emergency calls, including rescues involving structural collapse, trenches and confined spaces.
- PUB DATE: 11/9/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The News Tribune

Video: Daughter of fallen Tennessee firefighter sings him heartfelt 'Happy Birthday'

The daughter of a fallen Tennessee firefighter sang him "Happy Birthday" while clutching a pillow with his photo on it - and the video will melt your heart. Video shows 3-year-old Korbyn belting out her best birthday wishes to fallen hero Lawrenceburg firefighter Jason Dickey, singing, "Happy Birthday, Dada.
- PUB DATE: 11/9/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVC-TV ABC 9 Chattanooga

South Carolina assistant fire chief killed while directing traffic at wreck

The assistant chief of the Van Wyck fire department in Lancaster County was killed Tuesday while directing traffic at a wreck scene, police and coroner officials said. Dennis Straight, 59, of Lancaster died around 8 p.m. at Springs Memorial Hospital, said Lancaster County Deputy Coroner Jennifer Collins.
- PUB DATE: 11/8/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The State

12 Killed, Suspect Dead in Shooting at California Bar

Twelve people including a police officer were killed by a gunman at a crowded bar in Thousand Oaks, California, late Wednesday, officials said. Several hundred people were inside the venue, which was hosting a "college country night" for students, police said. Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean described the incident at the Borderline Bar and Grill as a "tragic, tragic situation.
- PUB DATE: 11/8/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

New York firefighter’s union challenges assistant chief’s reinstatement

The president of Utica’s firefighters union is threatening legal action against the city as to how the Utica Fire Department’s assistant chief, once retired, was reinstated to his former job. A few months after Asst. Chief George Clark retired in April, Mayor Robert Palmieri requested his reinstatement by the Utica Civil Service Commission as he named Scott Ingersoll — Clark’s successor — the department’s new fire chief.
- PUB DATE: 11/8/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Utica Observer-Dispatch

Houston firefighters, mayor disagree on path forward after voters approve pay parity

One day after Houston voters approved a sweeping pay raise for the city’s firefighters, union officials called for an end to “divisive politics” and a return to collective bargaining, even as Mayor Sylvester Turner said the ballot initiative’s passage would force him to downsize the Houston Fire Department, cause response times to rise and endanger public safety.
- PUB DATE: 11/8/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Chronicle

Inside a Real Rescue With the Chicago Fire Department

VIDEO - Picture everything in your building blowing sky high, the ceiling caving in, and everything landing in a jumbled pile. Now, imagine digging through that pile, perhaps multiple stories of debris, to find a gravely injured colleague. Welcome to the world of collapse rescue, which firefighters and paramedics may face at a moment’s notice.
- PUB DATE: 11/8/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC Chicago

U.S. Supreme Court rules for Arizona firefighters claiming age discrimination

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday in favor of two Arizona firefighters who claimed they were fired because of their advanced age. In the court's first opinion following oral argument of its new term, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that the Age Discrimination Act covers state and local governments without regard to the number of workers they employ.
- PUB DATE: 11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: USA Today

Voters OK Houston firefighter pay parity

Voters on Tuesday granted Houston firefighters the same pay as police of corresponding rank and seniority, giving a boost to firefighters who long have felt neglected by City Hall while dealing a blow to Mayor Sylvester Turner and the city budget he administers. The passage of Proposition B sets up a potential court fight over the legality of the measure, and raises the possibility that Turner may swiftly implement his pledge to lay off more than 850 firefighters and scores of other city workers to accommodate what he repeatedly has called the measure's "unaffordable" cost.
- PUB DATE: 11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Chronicle

Public Safety Officer program comes under fire again during Iowa town council meeting

More than 150 people came to Monday’s City Council meeting to offer a rebuttal to the city’s recent mailing about the Public Safety Officer program. People in red shirts signifying opposition to PSO program filled City Hall. Council chambers could not hold the crowd, which overflowed into nearby rooms.
- PUB DATE: 11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

California Proposition 11, Private Ambulance Company Fight Over Work Breaks Projected to Pass

Proposition 11 has passed, the AP is predicting. The campaign largely funded by private ambulance companies had voters deciding what to do with employee breaks. Emergency ambulance employees who work for private companies will be allowed to continue their current practice of having emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics stay on-duty during their meal and rest breaks in order to respond to 911 calls.
- PUB DATE: 11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOVR-TV CBS Sacramento

Wisconsin fire department weighing changes after firefighter's death

The Madison Fire Department is examining its health programs and policies as federal officials plan to investigate the death of one of the department’s members earlier this year after a stressful shift. While it’s still unclear seven months later if a taxing 48-hour shift contributed to the sudden heart attack death of firefighter and paramedic Richard Garner, the fire department is looking at whether its wellness programs, fitness testing policies and shift scheduling could better prevent job-related health problems or deaths.
- PUB DATE: 11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wisconsin State Jounral

Former deputy fire marshal wins whistleblower lawsuit against California city

A jury sided with a former West Covina deputy fire marshal last week in his whistleblower-retaliation lawsuit against the city. Jason Briley had worked for the West Covina Fire Department for nine years when he was fired in September 2015. The city claimed Briley had been fired for improper conduct and being difficult to work with, but he alleged the move was retaliation for him pointing out various city facilities — including City Hall, the Cortez Park Community & Senior Center and the Cameron Park Community Center — did not have proper fire alarm systems.
- PUB DATE: 11/6/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Pennsylvania's restrictive election laws make it hard for Philly firefighters and EMS workers to vote

Thomas Scheuerman wants to vote Tuesday. He'd really, really like to cast a ballot. To do so, he's planning on having a colleague cover part of his shift while Scheuerman votes at 7 a.m., right when the polls open, before rushing to work. "If he says no … I'm kind of stuck," Scheuerman said. "If there's a situation and someone says no — has child-care issues or something — I'm stuck, I won't vote this year.
- PUB DATE: 11/6/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Philly.com

Ohio city council approves settlement in fatal fire truck crash

Columbus will pay $410,000 to the family of a woman who was killed in a crash with a fire truck on the Southeast Side in 2013 as part of a settlement in a wrongful-death lawsuit. The Columbus City Council voted Monday to settle the lawsuit brought by William R. Glenn, whose mother, Elvyra T. Glenn, 86, died a week after a crash between her vehicle and a Columbus Division of Fire engine at the intersection of Brice and Refugee roads on Nov.
- PUB DATE: 11/6/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Columbus Dispatch

Georgia fire department responds to firefighters association complaints

After receiving at least three letters with complaints and meeting with the local firefighters association, the Augusta Fire Department wants to set the record straight about claims made against it. Michael Meyers, the department’s public information officer, said the majority of the allegations made by Augusta Professional Firefighters Association Local 3357 President Charlie Coleman in a series of letters since Sept.
- PUB DATE: 11/6/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Augusta Chronicle

London police arrest 5 people after viral video of burning model Grenfell Tower

Five people were arrested in London on Monday after a video posted on social media showed a group burning an effigy of Grenfell Tower, the public housing block where 72 people died in a massive blaze in 2017. In a statement, London's Metropolitan Police said five men, ages 19 to 55, were being held on suspicion of a public order offense after they turned themselves in to a south London police station.
- PUB DATE: 11/6/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

Mississippi firefighter killed in crash responding to fire

The cold and rainy night on Sunday seemed fitting in the town of Magee, given the sad and mournful emotion felt throughout the community, since Saturday's accident which killed 34-year-old volunteer firefighter Dustin Grubbs, while on his way to fight a structure fire. Black ribbons are seen adorned all along the outside the Magee Fire Dept.
- PUB DATE: 11/5/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJTV Jackson

Retired Atlanta fire chief picked to lead Austin Fire Department

Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk has selected retired Atlanta Fire Chief Joel Baker to be the next head of the Austin Fire Department, replacing former Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr, who retired this summer. Baker was selected from a pool of 84 candidates, who included finalists Laredo Fire Chief Steve Landin and Fire Chief Kevin McGee of Prince William County, Va.
- PUB DATE: 11/5/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Austin American-Statesman

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