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National Fire News

Minnesota firefighter responding to fatal car crash discovers that 16-year-old victim is his son

As a member of the volunteer fire department in the tiny northwestern Minnesota town of Ada, Randy Peterson has a routine when his pager goes off. He checks to see if his kids are at home. At 10 p.m. Sunday, when he was called to a two-vehicle crash with one car on fire in the neighboring town of Borup, Peterson had a sinking feeling.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Star Tribune

Pennsylvania fire chief leaving post he's held since 1953

Edward Hutchinson wants to make a fitting exit after more than six decades as fire chief. “I want to get on a horse and ride off like John Wayne into the sunset, and wave,” said Hutchinson, who will turn 95 in November. “I want a little humor.” The man popularly known as “Hutch” will not run for a 22nd term, leaving the fire department to find another leader for the first time since 1953.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Wyoming fire chief announces retirement following apology for landfill fire email

Casper Fire Chief Kenneth King announced his retirement Wednesday, hours after apologizing for sending an email asking an investigator to delete “bad parts” from video evidence of the Cole Creek Fire. King will step down Jan. 2, 2018, the city announced. City Manager V.H. McDonald received and accepted his retirement letter Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Casper Star-Tribune

Application Period Open for the Fire Service Executive Development Institute

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has received a significant grant award as part of the Motorola Solutions Foundation’s public safety grant award program. The grant will make it possible for the IAFC to provide a fifth year of the highly successful Fire Service Executive Development Institute (FSEDI).
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: International Association of Fire Chiefs

Portland fire chief praises firefighter: He 'saved the lives of a lot of citizens'

A brand new lieutenant in the Portland Fire Bureau acted heroically and put his life at risk Wednesday morning to save lives when an explosion destroyed a building and injured several people, the bureau’s fire chief said. Chief Mike Myers said during an afternoon news conference that Lt. Peter St. John was injured in the explosion and had been taken to a hospital.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

Oregon fire chief praises firefighter: He 'saved the lives of a lot of citizens'

A brand new lieutenant in the Portland Fire Bureau acted heroically and put his life at risk Wednesday morning to save lives when an explosion destroyed a building and injured several people, the bureau’s fire chief said. Chief Mike Myers said during an afternoon news conference that Lt. Peter St. John was injured in the explosion and had been taken to a hospital.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

New York firefighter dies from 9/11-related cancer

Active duty Yonkers Fire Lt. John "J-Rod" Rodriguez died Tuesday night from a 9/11-related cancer. He was 53 years old. Rodriguez leaves behind a wife and two children. "John Rodriguez was first and foremost a family man, a loving and devoted husband and proud father," said Yonkers Fire Union President Barry McGoey, who joined the department with Rodriguez in October 2000.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NY Journal News (Lohud.com)

Chicago Fire Commissioner Defends Suspension of Lieutenant

Chicago Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago on Wednesday defended his 60-day suspension of a lieutenant who refused to send underlings into an area where they might be exposed to Ebola but said the city will accept an arbitrator’s ruling overturning the suspension. Santiago said the decision not to appeal the arbitrator’s ruling had nothing to do with the no-confidence vote taken Sept.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Sun-Times

Two St. Louis firefighters rescued after falling through stairwell in burning home

Two firefighters were rescued after falling through a stairwell in a burning home Thursday morning at Eichelberger Street and Wherry Avenue. Authorities say they fell through a stairwell about 10 feet into the basement. They were being evaluated for injuries. No further details were immediately available about what injuries they suffered.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Phoenix firefighter responds to his own father in cardiac arrest

A Phoenix firefighter was called to the home where he grew up to help in the effort to save his father's life. Derek Dee was on Engine 20 when he realized he was headed to his parents' home on Sept. 10. Dee's father, 71-year-old Tommy Dee, was suffering from cardiac arrest. His mother called 911 and his parents' neighbor performed CPR.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS 5 AZ KPHO

Mom of missing Washington firefighter: 'He can come home and be safe'

Off-duty firefighters are searching on both sides of the Cascades looking for Ken Ward. He is a fellow firefighter who has been missing since Oct. 16. Ward has been a firefighter at Mountain View King County Fire District #44 for 10 years and always shows up for work. When he didn't show up Monday, fellow firefighters and his family knew something was wrong.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4

Massive explosion at NW Portland building; 5 injured, including 3 firefighters

PHOTOS - A massive explosion, apparently ignited by a natural gas leak, ripped through a building Wednesday along the popular Northwest 23rd Avenue shopping district, causing destruction and injuring five people, including three firefighters, authorities said. Initial reports indicate no fatalities.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: OregonLive.com

Texas Attorney General challenges City of Austin's labor agreement with firefighter union

Attorney General Ken Paxton has intervened in a lawsuit filed against the City of Austin, challenging the city’s labor agreement with the Austin Firefighters Association, his office announced Tuesday. Paxton’s office said the agreement with the firefighters association allows for “release time” and therefore allows firefighters to work for the union at taxpayer expense.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KVUE-TV ABC Austin

Firefighter injured in second fire truck rollover for Louisiana dept. this week

PHOTO - Another Shreveport firefighter is injured after another fire truck rollover Tuesday night. This makes the second rollover for the department within 3 days. More than a dozen first responders were at the crash scene just before midnight in the 300 block of Montana Street in Shreveport's MLK neighborhood.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSLA-TV Shreveport News 12

Utah chief and deputy chief dismissed after investigation over call sheets

Mayor Tammy Long dismissed South Weber Fire Chief Thomas Graydon after he refused to terminate the deputy chief following an investigation into allegedly falsified payroll sheets, City Manager Tom Smith said Tuesday. The investigation by Graydon determined Deputy Chief Frank Patrick entered inaccurate information on South Weber Fire Department run sheets, which are records of firefighter participation on fire calls and are used to fulfill payroll, Smith said.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Ogden Standard-Examiner/StandardNET

NFA’s Growing Impact on Community Risk Reduction

One of the goals of the U.S. Fire Administration is to reduce risk and increase resiliency through programs and training in preparedness, prevention and mitigation. As part of USFA, the National Fire Academy (NFA) has offered courses focused on prevention since its doors opened in 1980. Strategic Analysis of Fire Prevention Programs was one of the four courses offered in the original Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP) in 1985.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: International Association of Fire Chiefs

Three Children Killed In Oklahoma Mobile Home Fire

According to the Arkoma Police Chief, three children were killed in an early morning mobile home fire Wednesday morning (Oct. 19). Neighbors said it happened around 4 a.m. on Lowery Street. "I saw the fire starting on the front porch of the trailer," said neighbor Rick Deguzman. "I immediately rushed upstairs and got my mother.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFSM-TV CBS 5 Fort Smith

Injured first responder property tax relief proposed in Florida

For 32 years, James "Rick" Beale put his life on the literal line, battling blazes to keep homes, properties and most importantly, lives safe. Although not injured or disabled himself, over those years, Beale knows other fellow firefighters around Polk County, Florida and the United States weren't as fortunate and ended their careers permanently disabled from a work-related incident.
- PUB DATE: 10/18/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Ledger

No serious injuries after Shreveport ladder truck rolls on highway

PHOTO - Two Shreveport firefighters were taken to the hospital with minor injuries early Monday afternoon after their fire truck rolled over on Kings Hwy. It happened just after 12 p.m. near Linwood Ave. It was not immediately clear what caused the ladder truck to wind up on its side, but Shreveport Fire Chief Scott Wolverton said they were responding to an EMS call when it happened.
- PUB DATE: 10/18/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSLA-TV Shreveport News 12

Kansas court: Fourth Amendment violated by firefighter's search

The Kansas Court of Appeals has ruled an area woman cannot be prosecuted for drugs found during a warrantless search of her purse by a Shawnee Heights firefighter. Lt. Brian Dodds responded to a home east of Topeka on Sept. 19, 2014, after the homeowner complained a woman she didn’t know was showering in her basement.
- PUB DATE: 10/18/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Topeka Capital-Journal

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