The romance was born of necessity. Before air-conditioning, fire escapes offered New Yorkers a refuge from tenements in the summer heat. They read there. They drank there. At night, they slept there. Introduced in the mid-1800s, the iron Z’s that still cling to thousands of city apartment buildings became so synonymous with New York life that they made cameos in “West Side Story,” “Rear Window” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: new york times

Los Angeles County authorities have demanded the end of a controversial program that reduced the number of paramedics on Long Beach ambulances by half, saying it compromised public safety. In July 2014, the so-called “rapid medic deployment” moved one paramedic from each of the eight city ambulances to work on Long Beach Fire Department fire engines.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: press-telegram