Fire Capt. Rick Winship died in a hospital bed, not in a raging inferno or a tragic accident while racing to an emergency scene. But his death was in the line of duty all the same, his widow says. The fast-spreading cancer that killed him two years ago was, Heather Winship believes, a result of exposure to toxic soot and smoke during his 26-year career with the Independence Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Kansas City Star

Following the suicide of Firefighter Nicole Mittendorff last year, the Fairfax County (Va.) Fire and Rescue Department contracted to have an assessment done of organizational culture and attitudes within the department. The resulting report includes many valuable insights and recommendations, but also falls short when it comes to really dealing with the issue of accountability.
- PUB DATE: 2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

PHOTO - A firetruck crashed in Whitley County, Kentucky Thursday. The Woodbine Fire Department truck crashed in a wooded area near Louden Road and Highway 92 eastbound. According to the report, two firefighters were on their way to help with a structure fire at the time of the crash. The men were transported to Baptist Health Corbin for minor injuries.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WATE.com

It would be difficult to find anyone more embedded in the culture of Prince George's County fire service —or in the community of Bowie — than county Fire Chief Marc Bashoor. As a kid, he rode his bike from the Tulip Grove section of town to Station 39 on Route 450 and watch the firetrucks go out. He became a volunteer there in 1981 at the age of 16 — he needed a note from his parents to sign up — and even lived in the firehouse for a time.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Capital Gazette

It’s been more than two years since Hartford Firefighter Kevin Bell was killed while battling a massive blaze in the city's North End and a final report reveals what factors contributed to his death. The National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH) report reveals how the firefighter died and lists several recommendations for the fire department.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC Connecticut

The Menlo Park Fire Protection District’s top official wants it to lead the pack in using drones for emergency operations. “I want this agency to be the lead agency in the United States in the terms of applying new technology,” district board President Peter Carpenter said at Tuesday’s board meeting.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Mercury News

A firefighter who fell 15 feet through a burning barn roof in Clare is recovering from several broken bones. Sam Eberhart, 33, was battling a fire at the barn when he fell 15 feet onto a concrete floor. "It was instant pain," Eberhart said. "It was the first time I had ever broken a bone. There was no comfort.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDIV-TV NBC 4 Detroit

When Roy Jimerson saw a bunch of paper flying around Coastal Federal Credit Union on University Drive and Shannon Road, he stopped. "I saw that it was money, so I turned around and blocked traffic, picked it up; another citizen stopped and helped me gather it," Jimerson said. When Jimerson isn't busy working as a Durham firefighter, he's laying tile as an independent contractor.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVD-TV ABC Channel 11

PHOTO - A firefighter with the Leach Fire Department died Wednesday morning in a single-vehicle crash on his way to a structure fire, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said. Troopers say Michael Dale Russell, 68, from Rose, Oklahoma, was pronounced dead at the scene with massive injuries. The crash occurred at about 7:30 a.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOTV-TV CBS 6 Tulsa

Firefighter James Lee Jr. of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has been named the 2017 Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award recipient. The award will be presented on Wednesday during the Opening Ceremony of FDIC International 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Firefighter (FF) James Lee rescued an 81-year-old man from the top-floor rear window of a five-story Old Law tenement that had two railroad flats per floor.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fire Engineering

Last summer, as the Austin fire union was preparing to represent one of its members at a disciplinary hearing, department officials permitted union president Bob Nicks to review confidential documents in the case under a provision of the city’s labor contract with firefighters. With a couple of clicks, Nicks secretly downloaded the information onto his personal laptop — but says he disclosed what he’d done a few days later to top department officials.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Austin American-Statesman

Tacoma Fire Department leaders have revised their hiring practices in the wake of a News Tribune story about a firefighter who died of a drug overdose in July 2016 after showing up for work impaired. Deeper scrutiny of criminal background check information and broader questions about illegal drug use are the key changes the next round of job applicants will face in April, when the department will begin filling 16 positions — 12 new positions authorized in the city’s latest budget and four existing slots to account for retirements.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tacoma News Tribune

At a Berlin day care center, a little boy lights a match and touches it to another, making a sudden flare. The girl sitting next to him shouts a word that is the same in German and English: “Cool!” The two children, both under 6, aren’t breaking any rules. They are taking part in a fire workshop designed by Kain Karawahn, an artist who, as part of a performance piece about freedom in 1987, once set a blaze at the Berlin Wall.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Times

Nearly one year into the District’s use of a private ambulance service to improve 911 response times and the fire chief is acknowledging the department is "struggling" with the availability of advance life support medic units. Those are the ambulances staffed by paramedics who are supposed to respond to the most critical emergency calls like cardiac arrest.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: nbcwashington.com

Interstate 20 is the corridor for sex trafficking from Dallas to Atlanta. The City of Clinton sits roughly in the middle. It now has more eyes being trained to look for victims who are trapped in the prostitution and labor system. The message to Clinton Firefighters and first responders is to take a second look at the scene and the people there, especially minors.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: msnewsnow.com

For 47 years, former Fire Chief Lynn Rogers was an active member of the Milton Fire Department but that legacy is gone, stripped away by the action of the fire company board. His photo still appears on the department's website but his record as a past chief, lifetime member, and chief emeritus is gone.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: delmarvanow.com

Wearing 60 pounds of equipment, Jessica Vanegas on Tuesday became the first woman in 10 years to pass the physical agility test to become a Paulding County firefighter. She’s expected to graduate the fire academy in two weeks, Channel 2 Action News reported. And it’s a career the young woman told Channel 2 she’s wanted her whole life, while growing up in Paulding County.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ajc.com

The on-duty city firefighter who accidentally shot himself in the hand Feb. 10 will not be criminally charged, city police said. "Our investigation determined that it was an accidental discharge and no crime had been committed," Albany police spokesman Officer Steve Smith said. The fire department is still conducting its own investigation and may take disciplinary action against the firefighter, Fire Chief Warren Abriel said.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Times Union

A statewide fire group says the longtime chief of the Greybull Fire Department died Thursday. Worland Fire Chief Chris Kocher of the Wyoming Local State Assistance Team says Chief Paul Murdoch died at home on Thursday after he had spent the day helping to remove ice jams from the Big Horn River. Kocher says Murdoch, 53, was found unresponsive at his home.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Casper Star-Tribune

A Phoenix fire captain who suffered prolific injuries in an on-duty accident almost 8 years ago died Saturday after "amazing display of courage," fire officials say. "This is really a difficult day for us because it marks the end of a 7 or 8-year battle," says Phoenix Fire Capt. P.J. Dean. On Aug. 10, 2009, Crystal Rezzonico, who was aboard Engine 910 traveling near Interstate 17 and the Dunlap overpass, was ejected after a car slammed into the fire engine that was responding to an emergency call.
- PUB DATE: 2/21/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KASW-CW6 & KTVK-3TV