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National Fire News

Texas firefighter suffers medical emergency causing multi-vehicle accident

A firefighter suffered a medical emergency while driving a firetruck according to a preliminary crash investigation. The firetruck struck five other vehicles before rolling onto its side and coming to a stop. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Lake Travis Fire and Rescue firetruck was traveling southbound on FM 620 on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 when the driver had a medical emergency and lost consciousness.
- PUB DATE: 5/17/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fox 7 Austin

Wisconsin fire chief pushes for regionalized agency

A fire call Saturday in the town of Campbell sparked La Crosse’s fire chief to ignite the concept of forming a regional department. But Chief Ken Gilliam, just shy of a year into the job, said leaders of La Crosse’s neighboring municipalities extinguished the idea. That means — at times — firefighters closest to an emergency won’t be the first to respond when another agency needs help.
- PUB DATE: 5/17/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Lacrosse Tribune

Special Report: California fire victims escape after dispatchers say 'There's no fire in Bangor'

Residents in the small Butte County community of Bangor still tell tales about the night they escaped the LaPorte Fire that burned more than 6,100 acres and destroyed 74 structures. The wind-swept flames sent people scrambling in the middle of the night last October. Some of the fire victims said they were outraged that when they called the fire department to report the fire, many of them were told there was no fire in Bangor.
- PUB DATE: 5/17/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRCR-TV ABC 7 & KCVU-TV Fox 20

AT&T: LTE speeds will double thanks to FirstNet

AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson told an audience at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference that AT&T will double LTE speeds for its customers in 500 markets this year. "As we exit this year, we will have 500 markets with that full capability in place, where the LTE speeds will double," he said.
- PUB DATE: 5/17/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FierceWireless

The good and the bad of firefighter behavior and public relations

Multiple 911 calls, the alarm sounds, responding units weave through choking traffic, the first engine reports; "Fire showing from the first floor with people hanging off the balconies above." While bystanders record the events, hoping for the right shot that gives them their 15 seconds of fame, firefighters go to work, make the rescues, put the fire out and go home – all is well in Whoville.
- PUB DATE: 5/17/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

Massachusetts department mourning loss of veteran firefighter

The city is mourning the loss of a veteran firefighter who died Monday after suffering a heart attack while on duty over the weekend. Thomas Cannon, 63, a firefighter with the city for over 30 years, died at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. The fire department announced his death Tuesday morning over the public safety radio.
- PUB DATE: 5/16/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Attleboro Sun Chronicle

Virginia fire chief disputes report of resignation

Petersburg Fire Chief Dennis Rubin sharply disputed a story — first reported by NBC Channel 12 on Friday — that he was resigning. Citing unnamed sources, NBC reported that Rubin, who has been fire chief in Petersburg for almost a year now, was planning on resigning. Rubin disputed the report, saying it was a “non-story.
- PUB DATE: 5/16/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Progress-Index

FDNY Firefighter sues ‘leakers’ who he says made him seem like coward

A firefighter is going after fellow smoke-eaters who he says slimed him with media leaks painting him as unfit for the job, the Daily News has learned. Michael Johnson — an African-American "priority hire" who joined FDNY ranks in the wake of a fiery legal battle to diversify the department — is targeting fellow firefighters who teed up tabloid stories saying he ran away from his job when things got too hot.
- PUB DATE: 5/16/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

Electric-car era threatens firefighters with new risks

Firefighters doused the blazing Tesla Inc. Model X’s battery pack, and then company engineers removed about one-quarter of its power cells before the vehicle was deemed safe to tow off a California freeway. That didn’t prevent the powerful and highly flammable lithium-ion battery cells from reigniting.
- PUB DATE: 5/16/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Detroit News

Washington city investigates bullying among employees of fire department

Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer responded Tuesday to allegations of bullying, sexual harassment and hazing within the department that were exposed recently in a lengthy investigative report. “We take these allegations very seriously, that’s why we launched a thorough and complete investigative process which has not yet been completed,” he said in a written statement.
- PUB DATE: 5/16/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spokane Spokesman-Review

Oklahoma Firefighter Dies after Being Stricken on Fire Call

A memorial service is set for this weekend for a Cowskin Rural Fire District firefighter who died Saturday after suffering a medical event. Firefighter/Emergency Medical Responder William "Willie" Brinza, 64, drove Engine 351 to a structure fire near the Elk River Marina in Grove when he was stricken about 3 p.
- PUB DATE: 5/15/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Dallas Fire-Rescue To Roll Out Mental Health Treatment Program

Over the next few weeks, Dallas Fire-Rescue will roll out a new program to better help its members seek treatment for post-traumatic stress, substance abuse and work related mental health issues. DFR Chief David Coatney said work on the program began last year, with representatives from all three fire associations working with the department to develop the program.
- PUB DATE: 5/15/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXAS-TV NBC 5 Dallas - Fort Worth

2 Michigan firefighters hospitalized from electrical shocks battling home fire

Two firefighters were injured battling a house fire in Redford Township Monday. They were hurt after being jolted by electricity in the basement of the home near Plymouth and Inkster roads. Fire crews also rescued two people from the same home who were trapped by the smoke and flames. At about 11 a.
- PUB DATE: 5/15/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBJK-TV MyFox Detroit 2

Connecticut deputy chief's research project leads to call for change

What started as a grad school research project is now leaving to calls for change in New Hartford. The town has three small fire districts, but some are wondering if they're all needed. It all started with a 130-page research paper. “I was trying to answer the question ‘is this safe and are we being fiscally responsible?’ and the answer is ‘no’ and ‘no’,” said New Hartford Deputy Fire Chief Richard Marcus.
- PUB DATE: 5/15/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFSB-TV CBS Channel 3

First black multi-generational FDNY families celebrate legacy

When George Hargett stepped into Engine Company 252 in Brooklyn for the first time as an FDNY probationary firefighter, it was March, 1967 -- just three months before the "long, hot summer" where 159 race riots exploded across the U.S., including New York City, Boston, Newark, N.J. and upstate in Buffalo.
- PUB DATE: 5/15/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

In Boston, some female firefighters allege dismissive treatment — and much worse

After she got out of the Army in 2004, Nathalie Delsoin wanted to follow in her godfather’s footsteps and join the Boston Fire Department. She passed the civil service test and the arduous physical examination, proving that, just like the men, she could cut it as a firefighter. But when she started, she said, she felt tormented — not because her skills were lacking, but because she was the only woman in her Charlestown firehouse.
- PUB DATE: 5/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Boston Globe and Boston.com

North Carolina apartment fire claims lives of 5 children

A fire that destroyed a Greensboro apartment before dawn Saturday has killed five children who lived there. Two of the children died shortly after the fire broke out at the apartment complex at Summit Avenue and East Cone Boulevard. Three children died of their injuries Sunday at Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem.
- PUB DATE: 5/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Winston-Salem Journal

Wage, benefits issues threaten staffing at Ohio fire department

Chief Rod Bordner is telling city elected officials his crew of firefighters and paramedics sincerely want to perform their jobs. But for them to continue responding to fires, traffic wrecks and medical emergencies, it’s going to require additional job incentives and better perks, according to Bordner.
- PUB DATE: 5/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Canton Repository

Washington state investigators say fire department violated firefighter safety laws

Officials from the Washington Department of Labor and Industry on Thursday delivered their initial findings in an investigation regarding safe workplace standards and the Camas-Washougal Fire Department (CWFD). Adam Brice, president of East Clark Professional Fire Fighters, the local firefighters’ union, said state investigators said the city of Camas and its fire department violated two serious and one standard workplace safety laws during a Feb.
- PUB DATE: 5/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Camas-Washougal Post-Record

South Carolina fire departments concerned about blocked railroad crossings

When a fire engine or ambulance is en route to a call, just a few minutes, or even seconds, can be the difference between life and death. That’s why, several months ago, when cargo trains began blocking intersections in Spartanburg more frequently and for longer periods of time, Spartanburg Fire Chief Marion Blackwell took note.
- PUB DATE: 5/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spartanburg Herald-Journal

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