Police have arrested the home owner in the arson fire that killed Hamilton firefighter Patrick Wolterman a year ago this month.
Lester Parker, 66, is facing felony murder and aggravated arson charges, according to Hamilton police, who announced an indictment Monday afternoon. Wolterman fell through the first floor of Parker's home while fighting a blaze on Dec. - PUB DATE: 12/13/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCPO-TV ABC 9 Cincinnati
He was the one they thought would be chief one day. Hardworking and driven, with a knack for pushing others to excel, Orlando Fire Department District Chief Matthew Negedly had the qualities his brethren wanted in a leader.
"He was getting ready to become assistant chief," his wife, Jill Negedly, said. - PUB DATE: 12/13/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel
VIDEO - The town’s police chief and two fire chiefs are to appear on a national news show Tuesday morning to talk about a viral video featuring Manchester first responders.
Police Chief Marc Montminy said he, town fire Chief David Billings and Eighth Utilities District fire Chief Don Moore are scheduled to appear on “Fox & Friends” between 6:30 and 7 a. - PUB DATE: 12/13/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hartford Courant
At first, Bill and Kristi Anderson felt numb after learning that their 19-year-old son was found frozen to death in southeast Minneapolis the morning after celebrating the end of his first semester of college.
But later, when they brought themselves to view photos of the scene and review reports from paramedics, their questions began to pile up. - PUB DATE: 12/13/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
Federal authorities are expected to say Tuesday that the deadly inferno inside a warehouse art collective that killed 36 people on Dec. 2 was caused by overloaded electrical lines at the rear of the structure where investigators had focused attention, according to sources familiar with the matter. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which has taken a lead role in assisting the Oakland Fire Department in the investigation, is expected to provide details at a news conference Tuesday morning. - PUB DATE: 12/13/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: East Bay Times
Neighbors woke to the screams of children early Monday when a house fire that killed four children and injured two people in Springfield.
The fire started at about 3 a.m. at 809 Poplar Ave.
Ricardo Morales said his wife woke up hearing the screams. He said they called 911 and he rushed out with his sons and nephews. - PUB DATE: 12/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Tennessean
The disastrous Ghost Ship fire has intensified long-simmering tensions between Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed and the city’s firefighters union, which for years has been lobbying behind the scenes to get her fired.
At the same time, however, African American community leaders are coming to the chief’s defense, complaining that Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration may be setting her up to take the blame for the deadly fire. - PUB DATE: 12/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle
The city is set to pay a group of African-American women $3.8 million as part of a settlement of a long-running federal lawsuit claiming that Chicago Fire Department tests were discriminatory.
The City Council Finance Committee will consider the payment Monday. It's the latest payout from the city because of allegations of racial or gender bias in hiring practices at the Fire Department in lawsuits that have gone back decades and already have cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. - PUB DATE: 12/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Tribune
Where’s the fire?
EMS workers are in such a rush to get out of the ambulance and into the firehouse that nearly 50% of them signed up to take the city firefighter test next week — forcing the FDNY to call for mandatory overtime to cover all its 911 medical shifts.
The entrance exam will be administered from Monday to Dec. - PUB DATE: 12/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News
Tucson’s oldest firehouse has become an example of how long-delayed capital projects can cost more than a spreadsheet can list. And in this case, officials say, it might be an actual pound of flesh.
Fire Station No. 3 near Campbell Avenue and Broadway dates to the 1950s and has been retrofitted repeatedly in an attempt to extend its useful life. - PUB DATE: 12/12/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tucson.com
Oakland, California's fire chief acknowledged Thursday the department's prevention efforts, which include conducting safety inspections of sites such as the Ghost Ship warehouse where at least 36 people died last week, have been hampered by years of budget cuts and hiring freezes.
"Was it the best?" Chief Teresa Deloach Reed said in an exclusive interview with CNN. - PUB DATE: 12/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN
One day after a fire chief resigns, amid controversy in his department, one of the firefighters is now on paid leave.
Mark Blaquiere is under investigation by the town of Oxford. He declined to discuss the subject of that investigation. But he says he was handed a packet by Interim Town Manager Rebecca Lippencott, which he thinks has the reason why he’s been put on leave. - PUB DATE: 12/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGME-TV 13 Portland
The Dallas Police and Fire Pension System's Board of Trustees suspended lump-sum withdrawals from the pension fund Thursday, staving off a possible restraining order and stopping $154 million in withdrawal requests.
The system was set to pay out the weekly requests Friday. Pension officials said allowing the withdrawals would leave them without the liquid reserves required to sustain the $2. - PUB DATE: 12/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dallas Morning News
NFPA was recently awarded an Assistance to Firefighters Grant to develop a national fire data system (NFDS) that meets the priority needs of the U.S. fire service for quality local and national data for both operational and community risk reduction decision making. NFPA’s focus is on helping local agencies in the collection, management and utilization of their data to make decisions where they count most—right in your community. - PUB DATE: 12/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: National Fire Protection Association
The man who Youngstown firefighters say was harassing them on the night their truck was shot up is in jail Thursday evening.
Police say Cameron Dyer, 30, was at the fire scene at Halleck and Elm streets Monday night.
He was picked up on a probation violation, and police say he could be charged with misconduct at the fire scene. - PUB DATE: 12/9/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKBN.com
An armed robber stuck a handgun in a Trenton fire captain's face while he was on a call in the Chambersburg neighborhood Tuesday night, fire officials said.
The fire captain, from Engine Co. 7 on Hamilton Avenue, was not injured during the 6:45 p.m. incident on Cummings Place, officials said.
Trenton police detectives are investigating the crime. - PUB DATE: 12/8/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Trenton Times
Authorities have made two arrests -- both teenagers -- in last week's deadly wildfires.
Authorities made the announcement Wednesday during an afternoon news conference at the Sevier County Courthouse.
The teens remain in custody in Sevier County, charged with aggravated arson, said Jimmy Dunn, 4th Judicial District attorney general. - PUB DATE: 12/8/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Knoxville News-Sentinel
Investigators were beginning to get a sense of the final chaotic moments for the 36 people killed in a fire at a converted Oakland warehouse, as they made progress on the search for the cause of the blaze.
Oakland’s planning director, meanwhile, admitted that the building had not been inspected for three decades, despite what neighbors said were numerous complaints about accumulated trash, graffiti and other blight. - PUB DATE: 12/8/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: SFGate.com
The union representing Youngstown's firefighters is taking action after Mondays' shooting that wounded one of their members.
A representative of the Youngstown Professional Firefighter's union says the department will investigate the possibility of allowing captains to carry firearms during calls.
They also say they'll look into buying bullet proof vests for firefighters. - PUB DATE: 12/8/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFMJ-TV Youngstown NBC 21
One by one, retired Dallas police and firefighters came to the pension fund to get their money. “I think instead of filing a lawsuit … it would have been a lot cheaper (for the mayor) just to get a billboard that said make a run on the bank,” retired firefighter George Snowden told News 8 outside the pension office. - PUB DATE: 12/8/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFAA-TV ABC 8 Dallas - Fort Worth
