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National Fire News

Ohio town needs more time for fire chief's disciplinary hearing

A planned two-day hearing to determine whether Liberty Township's fire chief should be disciplined for alleged management lapses has been extended into next month. Following 10 hours of testimony on Monday and Tuesday, a third day was needed on Wednesday to hear testimony of three firefighters, a medical adviser for the fire department and a human resources specialist, each testifying to problems with Tim Jensen.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Columbus Dispatch

Off-Campus Conundrum

In July, a group of fire officials from cities and towns across Massachusetts that have colleges in their communities met at NFPA to discuss the upcoming school year and a perennial challenge: how to start and end the college year without a significant fire tragedy on or around their campuses. The fears of local fire officials are not without merit.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: National Fire Protection Association

Second audit ordered for Utah fire department

Criticism over extravagant "incentive" pay to four top leaders of the Unified Fire Authority has spurred not one audit, but two. Citing complaints alleging improper compensation and "other potential misuse of public funds," the Utah state auditor launched an investigation of Unified Fire Authority compensation, credit cards and fuel cards last week.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Salt Lake City Deseret Morning News

North Carolina fire official ties speed humps to response delays

Durham's speed humps often delay firetrucks and ambulances in getting to their destinations and increase risk to those they're trying to serve, a fire official says. Deputy Chief Chris Iannuzzi of the Durham Fire Department wrote a paper on Durham's speed humps while attending the elite Executive Fire Officer Program in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

2 found dead, others unaccounted for after explosion, fire at Maryland apartment complex

A fire and explosion at a Silver Spring apartment complex has caused massive damage, killing two, injuring dozens and displaced almost a hundred residents, some of whom are still missing. The incident is now being treated as a death investigation. According to Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein, fire crews were called to the 8600 block of Piney Branch Avenue for reports of an explosion and fire shortly before midnight.
- PUB DATE: 8/11/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WUSA-TV 9 DC

One of two Pennsylvania assistant chiefs at heart of contested demotions to return to position

An assistant fire chief that Mayor Tony George had demoted to captain last week is returning to his post after his replacement turned down the promotion. Michael Bilski, president of the International Firefighters Local 104, said Ed Snarski ascended back to his assistant chief position after Robert Suchoski, one of two firefighters promoted to assistant chief, decided to return to his position as captain and fire inspector.
- PUB DATE: 8/11/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice

NFL player J.J. Watt finds out what it's like to train as a firefighter

VIDEO - J.J. Watt is one of the best defensive ends in the league. He takes on big players and makes huge tackles. To say he's tough might be an understatement. But what happens when he spends the day as a firefighter in his home town? Watt and his father, John Watt, visited the Pewaukee (Wisconsin) fire station so that Watt could see what it's like to train as a firefighter in full gear.
- PUB DATE: 8/11/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston

Study: Pacific Northwest is best region for first responders to live

GoodCall, a data analytics company, released a study listing the best places for first responders to live in the United States. According to their research, more metropolitan areas from the Pacific Northwest ranked in the top 20 than any other region of the country. Nearly 1,000 metropolitan areas were analyzed in terms of safety, affordability of housing and pay, among other factors.
- PUB DATE: 8/11/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

Washington firefighter to donate kidney to woman

A Cowlitz 2 firefighter has found another way to serve his community. Brad Yoder, a Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Firefighter/EMT, will donate his right kidney to Dana Clayton, a local woman who is lifelong friends with Yoder’s wife, Laura, according to a Cowlitz 2 press release. The surgery will take place Monday at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland.
- PUB DATE: 8/11/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Daily News

3 FDNY Firefighters Critically Injured in Bronx Blaze

When one firefighter is seriously hurt a ripple is felt throughout the FDNY — but Tuesday it was more like a wave. Three firefighters were critically injured in a massive inferno that ripped through five buildings in the Bronx. Officials say more than 170 firefighters responded to the fire which broke out at about 12:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 8/10/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC New York

Texas firefighters wear ‘Back the Blue’ shirts on duty in support of law enforcement

In the latest show of support for police, hundreds of firefighters and staff Tuesday started wearing Back the Blue T-shirts on duty. “It’s not only for our local Police Department but officers across the country,” Assistant Fire Chief Bill Murphy said Tuesday. North Texas law enforcement agencies have been flooded with cards, emails and food from residents showing their support for officers, starting in the hours after Dallas police were ambushed July 7, leaving five officers dead.
- PUB DATE: 8/10/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Caught on video: Suspected arsonist accidentally lights himself on fire in Kentucky

VIDEO - Police in Kentucky are looking for a man caught on surveillance video attempting to torch a barbershop -- and in the process lighting himself ablaze. Investigators in Madisonville -- located roughly 150 miles southwest of Louisville -- said two suspected arsonists in a white Ford minivan targeted the business Sunday morning.
- PUB DATE: 8/10/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHAS-TV ABC 11 Louisville

Indiana township fire departments 'need people,' officials tell tax council

Fire departments that service unincorporated areas of the county are requesting funds from potential future income tax revenues that largely would pay for more personnel. “Fire service, as a whole, outside the city limits is in dire need of personnel,” Ellettsville Fire Department Chief Mike Cornman told a committee of the Monroe County Income Tax Council on Monday night, speaking on behalf of Richland Township, which his department serves.
- PUB DATE: 8/10/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firerescue1

New York firefighter suspected of arson at another firefighter's home denies racial motive

Matthew A. Jurado told North Tonawanda police Thursday that he poured a bottle of lighter fluid on the couch in the apartment of Kenneth D. Walker, the city’s only African-American firefighter, and lit it. However, Jurado said he did it because he was angry about being suspended from the Fire Department – not because of Walker’s race.
- PUB DATE: 8/10/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Buffalo News

Cal Fire union targets Soberanes Fire to make its pay disparity case

As the Soberanes Fire in Big Sur rages into its third week, the Cal Fire firefighters union is bringing its contract negotiations argument to the Monterey area. The Sacramento-based Local 2881 took out an advertisement in The Monterey Herald titled “Cal Fire is proud to serve our community in time of disaster” and highlighted its claim that Cal Fire firefighters are underpaid when compared to other fire departments, ranging from minimum wage pay for entry-level firefighters to a salary lag of between 33 and 89 percent behind the state average.
- PUB DATE: 8/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Santa Cruz Sentinel

Appeals panel says Illinois firefighter can press work comp claim for PTSD

The state’s workers’ compensation commission will need to take a second look at a Homewood firefighter’s claim for coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder, after a state appeals court ruled legal precedent exists to support his claim and the commission was too hasty to toss his claims. An arbitrator had found Lt.
- PUB DATE: 8/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cook County Record

Deadly Oregon motel fire remains under investigation; 4 victims identified

The origin of a fatal motel fire in Newport came from a ground-level room but the incident killed four guests on the second floor, police said in an update Monday morning. The fire, which ignited before 6 a.m. at the City Center Motel, killed two people from Portland and two from Springfield, Newport police Lt.
- PUB DATE: 8/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland Oregonian

Even with court orders, injured Missouri firefighter waits to get paid

For almost three years now, Cindy Schuenke has had a court order demanding that she be reinstated as a firefighter with the Community Fire Protection District in north St. Louis County. The order makes it clear the district is to give the Pacific woman, 52, back pay to Aug. 9, 2009, when the fire district’s board illegally fired her.
- PUB DATE: 8/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Former Arizona firefighter arrested after stepping onto firetruck at fire

A former Oatman firefighter was arrested Sunday when he tried to help efforts to put out a fire but refused orders to stand down. Jonathan Bradley Blake, 33, of Oatman, was arrested on suspicion of obstructing governmental operations, according to Mohave County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Trish Carter.
- PUB DATE: 8/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Mohave Daily News

Officer: Dallas' fire, paramedics 'didn't get enough credit' for bravery in face of ambush

On July 7, shooter Micah Johnson fired a barrage of bullets towards officers and citizens in downtown Dallas. Those who were struck were not alone, however. That night, Dallas paramedics risked their own lives to try and get to the wounded. "I had guys who got back to the station who said they had bullets whizzing by their heads,” said Cristian Hinojosa, the president of the Latino Firefighters Association.
- PUB DATE: 8/8/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFAA-TV ABC 8 Dallas - Fort Worth

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