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National Fire News

Ohio: Retired Milford Fire Chief and Wyoming Fire Chief die on same day

Wyoming Fire District Chief James “Jim” Benken and retired Milford Fire Chief John E. Cooper, Sr. died Friday. Benken passed away suddenly, the City of Wyoming Fire & EMS posted Friday. “(He) is being mourned by all who knew him,” they said, and they expressed condolences to family and friends. Cooper, 68, died at his Milford home Friday.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCPO-TV ABC 9 Cincinnati

California firefighters say they’ve been underpaid on overtime earnings, file lawsuit

Santa Rosa firefighters are suing the city in federal court, claiming they’ve been systematically cheated out of overtime for years. The city’s 118 unionized firefighters say the city is improperly calculating their overtime pay, and they now want to recoup their losses for the past three years, plus interest, costs and attorney’s fees.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Press Democrat

Man fulfills dream of becoming FDNY probie after 18-year bid

This Bravest is the oldest. Probationary firefighter Hazim Tawfiq has joined the FDNY at age 44 after a long battle over his rap sheet. Tawfiq failed an FDNY entry exam in 1999, then joined a federal lawsuit that successfully accused the FDNY of racial discrimination. He won a cash settlement and a second chance to be hired, but the city rejected him because of his criminal record.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

Man Who Shot, Killed Maryland Firefighter Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison

An emotional day in Prince George’s county, as a man who shot two firefighters, killing one, faces a judge for sentencing on gun charges. The welfare check turned shooting devastated the department, and one year later, they are still feeling the impact. Darrell Lumpkin’s four-year sentence was handed down just on Friday evening, and so many firefighters showed up at the courthouse to support Lumpkin’s victims, the proceedings had to be moved to a bigger courtroom.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJZ-TV CBS 13 Baltimore

Tennessee First Responders Hit At Scene Of Crash

Reports stated first responders were hit by a vehicle at the scene of a crash. The incident happened in Hendersonville at New Shackle Island Road and Drakes Creek Road Saturday evening. According to an official with Sumner County EMS, emergency crews were on the scene of a wreck involving a car and a motorcycle.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NewsChannel5.com

Baltimore fire union calls for protective vests for medics, citing uptick in attacks

Emergency medical responders are being attacked in Baltimore more frequently than in the past and should be equipped with protective vests, Rick Hoffman, president of the local firefighters' and EMS workers union, said Wednesday. "Obviously everyone knows we are in a very dangerous city now, and the way our EMS system works, [city residents] dial 911 and we're there in normally minutes, which means we beat the police there a lot," Hoffman said.
- PUB DATE: 4/14/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Baltimore Sun

State investigates whether Ohio fire recruits had test answers in advance

At least seven Columbus Division of Fire recruits used an online study aid that their classmate created that closely mirrored the questions on one of the division’s tests for emergency medical technicians. The Fire Division is concluding an investigation into whether recruits violated policy in using the website and app Quizlet to prepare for exams.
- PUB DATE: 4/14/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Columbus Dispatch

Georgia firefighters recount experience battling I-85 fire

Firefighters from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport who responded to the I-85 fire last month recounted the experience during drills at the airport’s fire training center Thursday. Airport Rescue Fire Fighting striker units 7 and 8 responded to the March 30 fire that caused a section of the highway to collapse.
- PUB DATE: 4/14/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Atlanta Journal Constitution

Pennsylvania officials frustrated by fire department's latest black eye

The jail sentence handed down Wednesday to the township fire chief’s son is the latest black eye for a department riddled with controversy the past decade. With the township still reeling from a theft scandal that sent the former chief to prison, the current chief’s son, Richard Hart Jr., 19, is now behind bars for an arson that destroyed a home.
- PUB DATE: 4/14/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice

'I'm Here for a Reason': Maryland Firefighter Recalls Shooting 1 Year Later

A volunteer firefighter who was shot four times while trying to help a man says he still relives the shooting that killed his partner a year later. "I remember a flash. I didn't hear it and then it was like slow-mo and then...you just kept hearing the bangs," Morningside Volunteer Firefighter Kevin Swain told News4.
- PUB DATE: 4/14/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC Washington

Washington Black firefighters group says nepotism, not ban the box, is at fault in overdose

A group of black Tacoma firefighters said they won’t allow department leadership to blame minority applicants and the city’s hiring policy for what happened with Ramsey Mueller, the son of a deputy chief and a probationary firefighter who died of a heroin overdose days after showing up late to work and nearly hitting another vehicle while driving a firetruck.
- PUB DATE: 4/14/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The News Tribune

FDNY creates body-armor clad EMS units for mass casualty situations

The FDNY has beefed up its preparedness for mass casualty incidents by creating special EMS units equipped to enter “hot zones” and triage victims on the spot — even if police haven’t yet secured the area, the Daily News has learned. The 25-member task force units came about as a result of the Nov. 13, 2015 atrocities in Paris, the Fire Department said.
- PUB DATE: 4/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

Wisconsin fire chief resigns over certification requirements

Town of Wilson fire chief called it quits Tuesday and was followed out the door by several firefighters. The now former fire chief's tenure with the department has been a point of contention since the fire department switched from a private corporation to a municipal fire department on Jan. 1 of this year.
- PUB DATE: 4/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sheboygan Press

Journey to FirstNet a story of remarkable persistence, refusal to succumb to doubters

This iconic call at the conclusion of the 1980 U.S. hockey team’s “Miracle on Ice” victory against a heavily favored Soviet squad—one that some consider to be the sport’s best team of all time—continues to resonate today, even for those who were not yet born when the game was played. Personally, Al Michaels’ words from that moment have been ringing in my ears for weeks.
- PUB DATE: 4/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Urgent Communications

Massachusetts fire staff suspended amid ‘sexual misconduct’ claims

Four members of the Billerica Fire Department have been placed on leave while the town conducts an investigation into “sexual misconduct,” officials said. “There is a great concern that alleged activities of certain employees within the fire department may compromise the town’s ability to deliver the highest and best level of public safety service to the town and its residents,” Town Manager John Curran said.
- PUB DATE: 4/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Boston Herald

Why Send A Firetruck To Do An Ambulance's Job?

Let's say you think you're having a stroke and you call 911 for an ambulance. In a lot of cities across the country there's a good chance that a firetruck — with a full fire crew including a paramedic — will race to your door. But that doesn't mean they can deliver the emergency care you might need.
- PUB DATE: 4/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NPR.org

Police union official says comments that angered St. Louis firefighters were misconstrued

A St. Louis police union official has issued a clarification after an editorial in a union newspaper angered city firefighters. Jeff Roorda, St. Louis Police Officers Association business manager, penned a front-page editorial in the April edition of the union paper Gendarme lauding officers for their promptness and bravery, but criticizing city firefighters for the lack thereof.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Arizona city considers laying off all police or firefighters

A projected $624,000 budget deficit has the South Tucson City Council considering the possibility of having to lay off all of its firefighters or its police officers. Officials said they would look to contract with another agency or agencies to handle court services, patrol city streets and handle other emergency services in the one-square-mile city.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tucson Arizona Daily Star

MedStar ambulance service using Lyft for low-priority calls

It's rare that Sharon Johnson misses church on Sunday mornings. But last Sunday was a painful exception. "My whole face was swollen, and I needed to go to the hospital," the 58-year-old from Fort Worth said. A nasty toothache had her calling MedStar for help. But instead of sending an ambulance, they sent something else.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFAA ABC Dallas-Fort Worth

Update: California fire chief, city manager disciplined for role in ‘sexy’ firefighter video

San Luis Obispo fire Chief Garret Olson and City Manager Katie Lichtig received a written reprimand and were fined for their participation in a spoof video played at the city’s Chamber of Commerce annual dinner on Jan. 21, the city announced Monday. Complaints alleged that they violated city workplace-related policies.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Luis Obispo County Tribune

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