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National Fire News

Firefighter hiring grant changes for SAFER FY 2016

The 2016 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant application is due to open in January. Recently, FEMA released information to assist departments in planning their applications for the upcoming program opening. These documents revealed several changes to critical sections of the program that may impact departments’ ability to apply for funding and information needed for their application.
- PUB DATE: 12/21/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

New Jersey chief who held every position in city's fire department retires

Leonard Carmichael Jr., who grew up in North Trenton dreaming of being a Trenton firefighter, has retired as deputy chief, the department's highest uniformed rank. Carmichael served over 25 years and held every position in the department, having served as acting fire director for 10 months in 2010 - and briefly in 2014.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Trenton Times

Crash claims Ohio volunteer firefighter

Dundee Volunteer firefighter Ruben E. Mast, 43, of Dundee, died after a traffic crash while reportedly responding to a call out at about 4:59 p.m. Monday. Mast was transported by Smith Ambulance to Union Hospital in Dover, where he later succumbed to his injuries, according to officers with the New Philadelphia Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Philadelphia Times-Reporter

Virginia firefighters hailed as heroes after saving infant from house fire

An 11-month-old girl is out of the hospital and expected to be alright after being rescued by a group of Richmond firefighters Saturday afternoon. “We're talking literally seconds here from tragedy to triumph,” said Capt. William M. Martin with the Richmond Fire Department. Engine Company 11 was the first on the scene at Fairfield Court Saturday afternoon.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVR-TV CBS 6

North Carolina Fire Engine Hit at Accident Scene While Blocking Lanes

State troopers were investigating two separate crashes on Interstate 85 in Concord overnight, and one of them involved a fire truck. Concord firefighters were called to a wreck on I-85 northbound, between Bruton Smith Boulevard and Poplar Tent Road, around 1 a.m. While emergency crews were still on the scene, about 45 minutes later, a BMW sideswiped a Concord fire engine that was blocking the three left lanes of the interstate, according to troopers.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSOC-TV ABC 9 Charlotte

Update: Alabama training center suspends chemical use after ricin mistake

A federal training facility in Anniston has temporarily suspended all chemical and biological operations, according to a statement given to students who trained there. The announcement comes as officials investigate a mistake that led to first-responders training with a lethal rather than a non-lethal version of the toxic compound ricin.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Anniston Star

Retired New Jersey fire chief dies after responding to blaze

Retired Elizabeth fire chief Lou Kelly died early Friday after he fell ill while responding to a fire in Clark last week and was rushed to a hospital. The Elizabeth Firefighters FMBA Local 9 announced Kelly's death on its Facebook page on Friday morning. Kelly, 70, was serving as a Union County Mutual Aid Coordinator while at the Dec.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NJ.com

Pennsylvania fire training facility catches fire

PHOTO - After firefighters completed a controlled burn training session and left the area, the facility went up in flames. Smoke and flames engulfed the Crawford Venango Fire School at the corner of Ridge Road and Center Street in Cambridge Springs. The building caught fire around 3 p.m. This is a facility where firefighters hold training sessions with live fires mimicking realistic situations.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJET/WFXP YourErie.com

Missouri Ladder Truck Totaled in Crash, Two Firefighters Injured

PHOTO - Two firefighters were injured and a Sunrise Fire truck was totaled when the truck crashed on slick roads Friday morning. The crash occurred on State Road MM, and Sunrise Fire Chief Dennis Reilly said the two firefighters sustained only minor injuries, with the most serious being a fracture. Both firefighters are at the hospital.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: LakeExpo.com

Former California fire captain accused of embezzling over $200,000 from union

former Lodi fire captain is facing felony charges after allegedly embezzling over $200,000 from the Lodi Professional Firefighters Union he was once the treasurer of, according to court records. San Joaquin County Court records show Oscar Picazo is facing charges of grand theft, theft of more than $100,000 and take, damage of destroying property over $200,000.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXTV-TV ABC 10 Sacramento

VIDEO: Drone Catches Connecticut Fire Department's 'Santa's Sleigh'

The Long Hill Volunteer Fire Department's Santa Fire Truck is a holiday tradition in two. The truck decorated with thousands of holiday lights makes its rounds around town bringing good will -- and gifts -- to Trumbull children. Now there's a new view of the fire truck. It surfaced recently on YouTube.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Kansas City firefighters injured after being trapped in burning house

Two Kansas City firefighters were taken to the hospital and treated at the scene after being trapped while battling a house fire. It happened while firefighters were responding to a house fire in the 700 block of Agnes Avenue. Officials say fire crews were at the tail-end of fighting the fire when a partial roof collapse happened, leaving three firefighters trapped inside the home with burning debris on them.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCTV.com

Emergency trainees mistakenly exposed to deadly ricin at Alabama training center

Because of yet another mix-up with bioterror pathogens, a federal terrorism response training center in Alabama says it mistakenly exposed more than 9,600 firefighters, paramedics and other students to a deadly toxin over the past five years. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Center for Domestic Preparedness blames an outside laboratory for a series of shipping errors since 2011 that resulted in the first-responder training center using in its classes a potentially lethal form of ricin powder.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: USA Today

Oakland firefighters didn’t assume burning Ghost Ship was vacant

As Oakland firefighters pulled up to the burning Ghost Ship warehouse the night of Dec. 2, they weren’t exactly sure what they were dealing with — whether anyone was trapped or what they would encounter inside — but they didn’t assume it was a vacant building. Public safety officials in Oakland have long been aware that people live and party in warehouses — some firefighters say they can tell whether one is inhabited just by looking at its exterior.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle

South Carolina Fire, two others charged in fraud and kickback scheme

Acting United States Attorney Beth Drake today announced that a Charleston Grand Jury has returned a two-count indictment charging St. Paul’s Fire District Chief Doc McNeil Matthews, 47, of Hollywood; Assistant Chief Charles Riddle, 44, of Goose Creek; and Mary Jo Thomas-Delaney, 67, of Summerville, with fraud and embezzlement from a federally funded organization.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCBD-TV Charleston 2

NFPA announces 68,085 U.S. firefighter injuries in latest report, reflecting third lowest injury rate since 1981

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released the latest edition of its “U.S. Firefighter Injuries” report, which highlights data on injuries sustained by firefighters on duty in 2015. The statistics were collected from fire departments responding to NFPA’s annual U.S. Fire Experience survey.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: National Fire Protection Association

Florida county considers moving fire district to sheriff's control

During Melanie Nipper's campaign for her seat on the Walton County Commission, she called on a lot of agencies. One of those was the North Walton Fire District. She was appalled by the conditions she found at the fire stations and resolved that if elected she would try to help. Nipper made good on that resolve at Tuesday night's County Commission meeting when she proposed a feasibility study to investigate the transfer of North Walton Fire and EMS to the sheriff.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Ft. Walton Beach: Northwest Florida News

Most Dallas cops and firefighters to receive 10 percent raises

Most Dallas police officers and firefighters are officially getting a 10 percent raise. Without much fanfare or discussion, the Dallas City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a three-year police and fire salary agreement. After months of back-and-forth, city leaders and the police and fire associations negotiated a three-year contract in November.
- PUB DATE: 12/15/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dallas Morning News

Family Of Connecticut Firefighter Killed In Blaze Settles Lawsuit Against City

The family of a Hartford firefighter killed in the line of duty has settled its wrongful death lawsuit against the city for $350,000. Kevin Bell, 48, died fighting a house fire in October 2014. The family filed suit in November 2015, saying that it wanted answers about why Bell, a six-year veteran of the department, was left behind for more than eight minutes even though a mayday call had been made by his lieutenant after losing contact with Bell in the house.
- PUB DATE: 12/15/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hartford Courant

California fire department struck by gunfire

Vallejo firefighters staying overnight at Station 24 were in for a rude awakening last week after an unknown gunman fired a bullet into their building. The damage was discovered Tuesday morning, Dec. 6, at 1005 Oakwood Ave., leading investigators to believe the shot occurred either while firefighters slept in the back dorm area or while they were out on emergency calls.
- PUB DATE: 12/15/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Vallejo Times-Herald

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