Attack an EMT, and you could face serious prison time. That message will be affixed to every FDNY ambulance as part of a campaign by the department to warn would-be attackers that assaulting an EMT or paramedic is a felony. “FDNY EMTs and paramedics are protected by New York state law. Assault is a felony punishable by 7 years in prison,” reads a new decal, soon to be placed on every city ambulance.
- PUB DATE: 6/15/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

VIDEO/PHOTO - Two people fell to the ground from 34 feet in the air, when a roller coaster derailed on the Daytona Beach Boardwalk, fire officials said Thursday night. The accident happened on the Sand Blaster roller coaster. In total, 10 riders were extricated from the ride and six of those people were taken to a hospital.
- PUB DATE: 6/15/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKMG-TV CBS 6 Click Orlando

Thousands of firefighters in our area put their lives on the line to protect us every day, but now those firefighters say their own well-being is on the line. Firefighters said a bill that could give them life-saving benefits is being blocked by a local senator in Raleigh. You might think firefighters get the same benefits as other people who work dangerous jobs, like police officers, when in fact they don't.
- PUB DATE: 6/15/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSOC-TV ABC 9 Charlotte

The International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Safety, Health & Survival Section has announced the winners of its 2018 awards. The section awards recognize both organizations and individuals who have made a significant contribution to health and safety within their own organizations and the fire service.
- PUB DATE: 6/15/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section

Plainfield Fire Chief Frank Tidwell is suing the city, alleging city officials engaged in a conspiracy to force him into retirement. The lawsuit, which was filed in Union County Superior Court, names the City of Plainfield, Mayor Adrian Mapp, Public Safety Director Carl Riley, former Business Administrator Rick Smiley and Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Courtney, among other entities.
- PUB DATE: 6/15/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MyCentralJersey.com

Toledo Fire and Rescue Department Chief Luis Santiago announced his retirement Wednesday, a proclamation met with declarations of admiration from city leaders, including the head of the union that only three years ago slammed the chief with an overwhelming no-confidence vote. Chief Santiago said he expects to remain in the position until his retirement, effective Aug.
- PUB DATE: 6/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Toledo Blade

A fast-moving brush fire destroyed eight homes in the Utah tourist town of Moab, while more than 3,000 people in Colorado and Wyoming fled multiple wildfires scorching the drought-stricken U.S. West on Wednesday. The blaze in Moab, known for its dramatic red rocks, started in a wooded area Tuesday night and quickly spread to homes over less than a square mile, police Chief Jim Winder said.
- PUB DATE: 6/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spokesman-Review

PHOTO - The UC Davis Fire Department has a new way to squeeze through campus crowds on its way to medical emergencies: a pint-sized ambulance. The six-wheeled, all-wheel-drive utility vehicle is roughly the size of a Mini Cooper but can carry EMTs and a patient on a full-sized cot through tight spaces or even off-road.
- PUB DATE: 6/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: UCDavis.edu

A Humboldt volunteer firefighter has resigned after being accused of driving a fire engine drunk. Police say Jeffery Feaster was charged with operating while under the influence on June 6th. His resignation will go into effect immediately. Officers say he was responding to a 911 call when police on scene said he smelled like alcohol and was slurring his speech.
- PUB DATE: 6/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHO-TV NBC 13 Des Moines

As fire service leaders, we’re faced with many questions. Do you know where you are going? More importantly, do your people know where you are taking them? How do you hold yourself and the organization accountable? Answering these questions reveals why understanding the mission is so important. You often hear leaders speak of their organization as a “mission first” department, but they are unable to define their own mission.
- PUB DATE: 6/14/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

Two dilapidated fire stations in San Bernardino will be replaced thanks in large part to a record $7 million donation from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. In return, the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District will provide the reservation a reciprocal exchange of fire, rescue and emergency medical services over 10 years.
- PUB DATE: 6/13/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Bernardino County Sun

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator to award the City of Newburgh a third grant that would prevent the layoffs of nine firefighters this summer. Schumer advocated for Newburgh’s Fire Department in a call last week to FEMA Administrator Brock Long as the agency considers whether to approve the city’s application for $1.
- PUB DATE: 6/13/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Middletown Times Herald-Record

A firefighter died Sunday of liver failure after contracting hepatitis C from blood transfusions he received for burns he suffered in a blaze many years ago. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, Perth Amboy Fire Department firefighter Douglas Ambrozewycz was working with Protection Hook & Ladder Company #1 to battle a blaze at a bakery in 1983 when he fell through the floor into the fire below.
- PUB DATE: 6/13/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1.com

Authorities are investigating the scene where more than 50 suspected undocumented immigrants were found in a semi-truck on the Northeast side Tuesday night. The scene was located in the alleyway of the 8400 block of Greenbrier near Loop 410 behind the Greenbrier Apartments. This is just across the highway from the San Antonio International Airport.
- PUB DATE: 6/13/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS4local.com

A Euclid Fire Captain says it’s still difficult to think about the July 3, 2016 fireworks accident that could have cost him his life. “Right after it happened, I remember thinking to myself that I think I am going to die and I don’t even know where I am or what happened,” said Fire Capt. Jay Northup.
- PUB DATE: 6/13/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJW-TV MyFox Cleveland

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released its annual U.S. Firefighter Fatalities report, which showed a total of 60 U.S. firefighter fatalities while on duty in 2017. This number represents the lowest total reported since 1977, when NFPA began reporting on-duty firefighter fatalities; it is the sixth time in the last seven years that the total has been below 70 deaths.
- PUB DATE: 6/12/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NFPA.org

A DC Fire and EMS report says that improper positioning of equipment and a rookie's inexperience were the biggest contributing factors in an apparatus incident that left a young firefighter with severe injuries in August 2017. Probationary firefighter Dane Smothers Jr. was serving as a lineman (nozzle firefighter) during a Capitol Hill house fire on Aug.
- PUB DATE: 6/12/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse.com

Five members of a family, including three young children, were killed early Sunday morning after their getaway cabin near Hood Canal exploded and burned, according to Jefferson County fire and police officials. The family was from Monroe and used the 250-square-foot cabin frequently, officials said.
- PUB DATE: 6/12/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Seattle Times

Police said a Decatur man tried to kill himself by setting his trailer home on fire and then threatened to assault one of the firemen who was trying to put the blaze out. A sworn police affidavit said the 24-year-old man, who is accused of setting the fire in an office of the trailer in the 2000 block of Hedrick Court on Saturday night, also told police he knew his mother was present in the structure at the time.
- PUB DATE: 6/12/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Herald & Review

With fire season heating up in Southern California, firefighters unveiled a new “fire hydrant” for helicopters on Monday that could drastically reduce turnaround times for water drops in remote areas. Set on a 1,700-gallon metal water tank, the Remotely Activated Snorkel Site uses robot-controlled valves to tap into an area’s municipal water system, allowing quick access for snorkel helicopters that otherwise would have to spend valuable minutes flying to a reservoir or other water source.
- PUB DATE: 6/12/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Orange County Register