National News

  • IAFC Testifies on USFA Funding, Roles
    Chief Jim Critchley of the Tucson Fire Department and president of the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. In his testimony, Critchley, representing the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and WFCA, supported the authorization of adequate funding for the U.
    - PUB DATE: 5/18/2012 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: international association of fire chiefs
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  • Texas Firefighter Dies While Training
    A Brazos County Precinct Three firefighter died Thursday evening while training at TEEX Brayton Fire Training Field in College Station. William Richard "Dick" Danes, 69-years-old, died during a ladder training evolution. The exact cause of death isn't known yet.
    - PUB DATE: 5/18/2012 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: kbtx.com
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  • VIDEO: Flaming Van Rolls Toward Calif. Firefighters, Freeway Traffic
    The video shows firefighters responding to a van fire on the side of the freeway. As crews arrive, the vehicle begins to roll toward their apparatus and onto the highway.Thre were no injuries at this incident. "Whenever possible, all vehicles should be chocked, regardless of the incident," Matt wrote.
    - PUB DATE: 5/18/2012 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: fire engineering
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  • Dispatch lag slows Los Angeles Fire Department call response
    When Javier Ortiz collapsed in his backyard in Echo Park, rescuers were stationed in a firehouse just a half-mile away. But the Los Angeles Fire Department dispatcher who answered the 911 call from Ortiz's daughter took more than 2 1/2 minutes to send the firefighters — nearly three times longer than a national standard for processing calls for help.
    - PUB DATE: 5/18/2012 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: los angeles times
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  • Controversial radios put to use at NATO Summitt in Chicago
    A $23 million digital radio system — purchased in 2006 under a no-bid contract awarded under questionable circumstances — will help speed emergency response during the NATO Summit. Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford disclosed Thursday that “some of the channels” provided by the long-stalled Motorola system would be used by top brass for “command and control” within the “NATO summit footprint” surrounding McCormick Place.
    - PUB DATE: 5/18/2012 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Sun-Times
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  • Oregon firefighter falls through roof battling apartment blaze
    VIDEO: A firefighter who fell through the roof while helping battle a large two-alarm blaze at a condo building in Southwest Portland Wednesday afternoon is doing fine, authorities said. ... One of the firefighters on the roof suddenly fell through as it collapsed under him. This happened while Sky-8 was showing live aerial video of the fire.
    - PUB DATE: 5/17/2012 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGW
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  • Ohio Town's Trustees Vote to Lay Off 84 Firefighters
    Sycamore Township trustees voted to lay off 70 part-time and 14 full-time firefighters Wednesday night. The move leaves the department with 13 full-time firefighters, trustees said. Trustees said they had no choice because they're facing funding cuts from the state. They said every other department has already seen cuts.
    - PUB DATE: 5/17/2012 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: wlwt News 5
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  • Texas wildfire LODD death prompts call for better protecting firefighters
    Hot shot federal firefighters called in to battle the toughest U.S. wildfires often avoid reporting symptoms of heatstroke because they fear damaging their professional reputations, said a report commissioned after an elite firefighter died in Texas last year.The report, released on Wednesday as at least four blazes burned in Arizona early in this year's fire season, said the death of Caleb Hamm, 23, was of heatstroke, and recommended ways federal officials can better protect firefighters' lives.
    - PUB DATE: 5/17/2012 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: reuters
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  • Virginia Beach firefighters union opposes light rail
    After a year without raises, the city’s firefighters union has come out against light rail, delivering a potential blow to the city’s efforts to win public support for the system. The city’s police officers will meet tonight to consider taking a similar stance. Public teachers might do the same if the city can’t guarantee the project won’t cut into future education funding.
    - PUB DATE: 5/17/2012 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The virginian pilot
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  • California fire chief and crew won't be allowed to take pay cuts
    Directors with the Shasta Lake Fire Protection District won't let Chief Adrian Rogers, or anyone else, take a pay cut to ease the struggling department's financial woes. Rogers, 44, is paid about $67,000 per year gross salary, according to budget documents. Chief since 2005, he self-imposed the pay cut in March to "lead by example" as the district is facing a year-over-year drop in property tax funding, the primary source of revenue, he's said.
    - PUB DATE: 5/17/2012 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: the record-searchlight
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