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National Fire News

Detroit firefighters allegedly wreck rig during joy ride

Some Detroit firefighters are under fire tonight for wrecking a rig and then trying to cover it up. Last month when two Detroit firefighters out of Engine 55 decided to use a rig for their personal ride - it did not end well. Sources say on March 30, two Detroit firefighters who work out of Engine 55 on Joy Road wanted to go out for a bit of a joy ride.
- PUB DATE: 4/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBJK-TV MyFox Detroit 2

Upstate New York city's legal bills mounting for firefighters contract dispute

The ongoing legal battle between the city and the firefighters union has cost the city at least $315,000 in attorney fees, according to documents obtained by the Watertown Daily Times. The city’s legal bills hit $315,225.60 as of Jan. 1, according to invoices and bills obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the Times.
- PUB DATE: 4/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Watertown Daily Times

Former Iowa fire academy manager pleads guilty in test scandal

A former Iowa fire academy administrator has pleaded guilty to falsifying test scores that were used to improperly certify thousands of firefighters. Former Fire Services Training Bureau certification manager John McPhee pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony misconduct in office. Judge James Malloy scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 24.
- PUB DATE: 4/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Des Moines Register

California rookie firefighter meets woman he rescued from burning car

A rookie Fresno firefighter received a hug from a woman he rescued from a burning car last October as he was awarded a Medal of Bravery from Fresno Fire officials Wednesday. Rene Gonzales was only two months on the job last Oct. 21 and was off-duty and driving home on Highway 180 when he spotted a burning car.
- PUB DATE: 4/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fresno Bee

Florida sheriff takes over command of fire department

A divided Walton County Commission voted 3-2 Tuesday to place Walton County Fire and Rescue under the command of the Sheriff’s Office. The consolidation of the two public safety divisions was to take effect at 7 a.m. Wednesday, said Louis Svehla, the county’s public information manager. Commission Chairwoman Cecilia Jones sided with commissioners Melanie Nipper and Tony Anderson in favor of the merger, Svehla said.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Northwest Florida Daily News.

Former Atlanta, D.C. fire chief hired by Virginia city

The City of Petersburg has a new fire chief to replace now retired chief TC Hairston. And while there isn’t much that everyone agrees on right now in the cash-strapped city, it seems everyone is praising the hiring of new Chief Dennis Rubin. “We’re excited with Chief Rubin,” Dan Macaluso, spokesperson for the Petersburg Professional Fire Association, told 8News.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRIC-TV Richmond

Iowa firefighter’s discipline over social media post stands

A decorated veteran firefighter is contemplating his next move after City Council members Monday upheld a disciplinary action he received regarding a message he posted on social media during the September flood. After two hours of testimony, council members voted 6-0 with one member absent to uphold the action against firefighter Shane Farmer.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

Newly sworn Ohio firefighter has special bond with fire trainer who rescued his nephew

On Monday morning, 32 men and a woman were sworn in as Akron’s newest firefighters. Each firefighter had chosen someone special in their life to join them on stage at the Akron-Summit Main Library auditorium to pin their badge on their jacket, including significant others, spouses and parents. Three firefighters were pinned by their fathers, who are fellow Akron police and firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Akron Beacon Journal and Ohio.com

Bill to prevent regulation of volunteer fire departments heard in Texas

The cost for training and certifying firefighters can be expensive for fire departments across the state, especially for those that deploy volunteers to the field. That's why a piece of legislation was presented in the Texas House Committee on Licensing & Administration by Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, to put in place a rule that would prevent the state from regulating the more than 1,400 all-volunteer fire departments.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Times Record News

Proposal seeks to boost San Diego fire coverage more quickly, cheaply

San Diego’s efforts to boost emergency response times in the sprawling and increasingly congested city would take a big step forward under a new compromise proposal. The proposal, created by the city’s independent budget analyst and endorsed by leaders of the Fire-Rescue Department, would boost response times in “gap areas” more quickly and cheaply than building all of the additional fire stations recommended last month by a consultant.
- PUB DATE: 4/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Diego Union-Tribune

New York town fires suspended fire chief; appeal planned

Suspended Canandaigua Fire Chief Mark Marentette was fired as of Friday because of insubordination and mismanagement of public funds, according to City Manager Ted Andrzejewski. The manager suspended Marentette for 30 days in January over what the city characterized as charges of misconduct, incompetence and insubordination.
- PUB DATE: 4/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Messenger

Second lawsuit filed against Nebraska fire department for retaliation

A second Lincoln Fire and Rescue captain has filed a federal lawsuit against the department saying he faced retaliation for reporting harassment of two female firefighters between 2012 and 2015. Captains Brian Giles and Troy Hurd said they were passed up for promotions. They contend firefighters who were less qualified, had less experience and scored lower than them on promotion tests got the jobs.
- PUB DATE: 4/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Lincoln Journal Star

More than 200 firefighters battle massive 5-alarm apartment fire in Maryland

A massive five-alarm fire caused an estimated $39 million in damage Monday at an apartment building under construction in College Park, Prince George's County fire officials said. The fire has been the largest suppression effort and the highest fire loss estimate in the history of the Prince George's County Fire Department, officials said.
- PUB DATE: 4/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBAL-TV Baltimore

Wyoming fire captain dies of cancer, the first firefighter to qualify under state's new workers compensation law

A Casper firefighter died Saturday night after an extended battle with pancreatic cancer. Captain Matt Trott, 46, joined the fire department in 1995. During his 21 years at the department, he worked as an engineer, a child passenger safety technician and a captain. He retired March 6 due to his cancer, called pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma.
- PUB DATE: 4/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Casper Star-Tribune

Boston Fire Commissioner Named 'Fire Chief of the Year' by Metro Fire Chiefs

Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph E. Finn was recognized as the Fire Chief of the Year, an honor “richly deserved” for the veteran firefighter who has placed a premium on educating his firefighters on the risks of cancer while on duty, an agency spokesman said. “It’s richly deserved. He’s been on the job for 33 years.
- PUB DATE: 4/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Boston Herald

Four children among five killed in Queens Village blaze

A catastrophic fire killed four children and one adult who were trapped in a Queens house Sunday as devastated neighbors watched helplessly. Orange flames licked out from the windows of the two-story house on 208th St. near 112th Ave. in Queens Village when the first 911 call came in at 2:36 p.m. Firefighters battled valiantly, officials and witnesses said, but despite their best efforts, every victim they brought out was dead, including 2-year-old Chayce Green, 9-year-old Rayshawn Matthews and 14-year-old Jada Foxworth.
- PUB DATE: 4/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

Caught on Camera: Arkansas Firefighter Rescues Little Girl After She Falls From Bus

An Arkansas volunteer firefighter came to the rescue after a little girl fell out of the back of a bus. His dash camera, running the entire time. In the video, you can see the little girl, and the quick actions he took to save her. The dash camera video from Ryan Ciampoli, a licensed emt and volunteer firefighter for Crawford County.
- PUB DATE: 4/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKRG.com

Texas firefighters narrowly avoid injury after DWI suspect slams into ambulance

PHOTO - Garland firefighters narrowly avoided injury early Saturday when a drunken driving suspect barreled into their ambulance — but they ran to the man's rescue just the same. Authorities say the brand-new ambulance was parked along Interstate 30 about 2 a.m. after responding to an earlier crash near the Bobtown Road exit, police said.
- PUB DATE: 4/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dallas Morning News

Update: FDNY firefighter may have been jolted from bucket, official says

FDNY investigators are focusing on whether a city firefighter from Bethpage who fell five stories to his death in Queens was jolted from a raised fire truck bucket, an official said Friday afternoon. William Tolley, 42, was getting in the bucket or had just gotten in it when the accident occurred, said the official, who was briefed on the preliminary findings of the investigation.
- PUB DATE: 4/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Newsday

Body armor for firefighters — East Pierce Fire latest to add protection in Washington

As mass shootings become more common, more fire departments are using body armor so crews can more quickly reach people in dangerous situations. East Pierce Fire & Rescue is the latest local agency to order ballistic vests to better protect its firefighters and paramedics. Tacoma Fire has used the vests since the 1990s, and West Pierce Fire & Rescue ordered them in 2013.
- PUB DATE: 4/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The News-Tribune

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