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National Fire News

'Extensive damage' after 2 fire trucks collide in New Jersey

Two fire trucks sustained "extensive damage" after crashing into each other at the intersection of Passaic and Calhoun streets Saturday morning, city fire Battalion Chief Todd Willever said. Eight firefighters from two companies sustained minor injurers after a Trenton ladder truck and a Hamilton engine collided around 10:30 a.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NJ.com

3 Children Resuscitated After Being Rescued From Maryland House Fire

Firefighters were able to resuscitate three children after rescuing them from a house fire Sunday morning. The Prince George’s County Fire Department reports the fire occurred just after 7 a.m., at a home in the 4700 block of Alcon Dr. in Temple Hills. A woman called 911 and said that her house was on fire and her children were trapped on the second floor.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJZ-TV CBS 13 Baltimore

Private EMS company clashes with Washington volunteer firefighters

A private ambulance company about to begin service in Pend Oreille County says they're being told not to respond to calls local fire volunteers can handle on their own. One fire chief said it's a matter of saving resources, but the company says it won't be able to survive. When Pend Oreille paramedics begin service in Pend Oreille county, they will be the only first responders licensed to transport patients requiring advanced life support.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXLY.com

Fire cadet among 5 killed in Ohio house fire

Five people are dead following a large house fire in Seneca County between Bascom and Fostoria on SR 18 Thursday morning. So far, fire officials identified one of the five victims, 19-year-old Austin Rainey. Rainey was a cadet for the Bascom Fire Volunteer Department. The identities, ages and genders of the remaining four victims were not identified, though Seneca County Public Information Officer Dean Henry confirmed a family of three adults, including Rainey, and two children lived at the home.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTOL CBS Toledo

Update: California Fire Dept. Has Revolving Door on Chief's Office, Dismisses Third in Two Years

Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Chief Rick Weigele has been dismissed after only five months with the fire protection district. That information comes from Weigele himself. Stanislaus Consolidated's board members have not disclosed what action they have taken against the chief or the reasons for the action.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Kansas firefighters demonstrate frustration as tensions spark with mayor

Tensions between the Kansas City, Kansas mayor and local firefighters hit a boiling point on Thursday afternoon in a battle that’s been brewing for years. Robert Wing is a fire captain and official with the Local 64 Firefighter's Union. He says, he and other firefighters are ticked off that Mayor Mark Holland has repeatedly made statements about cutting the fire department in public settings.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDAF-TV Fox 4 Kansas City News

FBI aiding investigation into death of Louisiana fire chief's wife

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith said Wednesday that the FBI has been brought in to help investigate the mysterious death of Nanette Krentel, who was found shot to death and badly burned in July. Krentel, 49, was married to Steve Krentel, the chief of St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 12.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Baton Rouge Advocate

80-Year-Old Clip Shows ‘Minneapolis Fire Cat’ Sliding Down Station Poles

VIDEO - An 80-year-old movie clip has surfaced on the internet, and an old Minneapolis firefighter is getting well-deserved recognition online. Mickey the Minneapolis Fire Cat used to live in the city’s Fire Station 10, where he loved to watch his fellow firefighters play dominoes when not rushing out to calls.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCCO-TV CBS 4

Indiana city decides against combining police and firefighting duties

Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson is no longer seeking to create public safety positions in which a person would perform both firefighting and police duties. Freeman-Wilson first proposed the idea in 2015 and along with other city officials, including Samuel Abegg, who was then president of Gary Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 61, traveled to visit Kalamazoo, Michigan, to learn about its public safety department.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Northwest Indiana Times (nwitimes.com)

Lawsuit alleges negligence in 2016 death of Hawaii firefighter

The son of a Honolulu firefighter who died after a training accident in 2016 has filed a lawsuit against the city. In June of last year, 63-year-old Cliff Rigsbee was riding a rescue sled during an offshore training exercise near Kaimana Beach Park. After plowing through a series of large waves, he went unconscious.
- PUB DATE: 10/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHNL/KGMB-TV Hawaii News Now

Funeral Details for Chief Alan Brunacini

Chief (Ret.) Alan Vincent “Bruno” Brunacini, 80, passed away Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017, in his hometown of Phoenix, Ariz. He was born on April 18, 1937, in Jamestown, New York. When he was about 5 years old, Bruno’s family relocated to Albuquerque, N.M., where he graduated from Highland High School. He moved to Phoenix as a young man, and in 1958, he joined the Phoenix Fire Department (PFD).
- PUB DATE: 10/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fire Engineering

Upheaval at California fire district as chief waits to be fired

Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Chief Rick Weigele said Tuesday he expected to be terminated by the district’s board this week. Wednesday, about 45 people attended a special board meeting in Riverbank to support Weigele, who was the subject of closed-door performance reviews Friday and this week, despite starting the job only five months ago.
- PUB DATE: 10/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Modesto Bee

DC firefighter critically injured makes remarkable recovery, discharged from hospital

In the days after D.C. rookie firefighter Dane Smothers Jr. was critically injured in an accident at the scene of a house fire, there were fears he would not survive. The 28-year-old had numerous broken bones and there were real concerns he would never walk again. But after nearly three months in the hospital, Smothers is not only walking, but he said he wants to go back to work.
- PUB DATE: 10/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTTG-TV MyFox 5 DC

Former Maine fire chief pleads guilty to setting woods fire

A former Old Orchard Beach fire chief pleaded guilty Wednesday to arson for setting a fire last year that burned 42 acres of wetlands. Ricky Plummer, 61, entered the guilty plea to the Class A felony in York County Superior Court in Alfred. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 9, said Deputy District Attorney Justina McGettigan.
- PUB DATE: 10/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland Press Herald

New Jersey firefighter, 31, dies during training drill

A 31-year-old Stanhope firefighter died Monday evening during a drill at the Sussex County Public Safety Academy in Frankford, according to officials. Edward J. Frenenski, an active member of Stanhope Hose Company No. 1, suffered a medical emergency as he took part in a vehicular extrication drill that involved his entire fire department around 8:20 p.
- PUB DATE: 10/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Jersey Herald

Former Florida fire chief sues city leaders, others over firing

Former Naples Fire Chief Steve McInerny has filed a lawsuit over his firing last year, alleging that city and union leaders "concocted a scheme" to bring him down. He is demanding a jury trial and seeking damages. His long list of defendants includes former Naples Mayor John Sorey, current and former City Council leaders, Naples firefighters and members of their union Local 2174, along with the city's TV channel and the city.
- PUB DATE: 10/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Naples Daily News

What Firefighters Can Do to Combat Ransomware

With so many concerns on the minds of our nation's firefighters -- training, tactics and protocols; not to mention putting their lives on the line -- it's understandable if something as simple as being cautious with an email is overlooked during a stressful day. One small slip, however, and an entire fire department can fall victim to a hacking attack which can cripple internal communications and data storage or compromise sensitive information for both department members and everyday citizens.
- PUB DATE: 10/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Illinois county launches PulsePoint app

More people in Champaign County could survive cardiac arrest with the help of a free smartphone app designed to mobilize the public to start treatment in the first critical minutes. The PulsePoint Respond app was launched Monday in Champaign County by Presence Regional EMS and METCAD, the local emergency dispatch agency.
- PUB DATE: 10/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The News-Gazette

Female firefighter recruit sues California city for sexual harassment, retaliation

A former firefighter recruit is suing San Diego for discrimination, harassment and retaliation because she was fired last year after speaking up about lewd comments and penis drawings in the Fire Academy locker room. Nicole Pappas, 31, claims male members of her 2015 recruiting class criticized her weight, commented on her butt and forced her to look at penis drawings by taping them on the wall, emailing them and posting them on social media.
- PUB DATE: 10/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Diego Union-Tribune

'NBC Nightly News' takes on rising cancer rates among firefighters

Last night's NBC News segment featured an in-depth look at firefighter occupational cancer. The segment featured an interview with a Boston firefighter who is battling blood cancer and Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn, who called cancer rates in the fire service an "epidemic." According to the segment, three active or just-retired firefighters are diagnosed with cancer each month.
- PUB DATE: 10/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

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