Friday, July 25, 2014  The Poquonnock Bridge Fire District laid off nine firefighters at 8 a.m. Friday, leaving it with a minimum of three firefighters per shift and one engine to cover Groton’s largest fire district.


Fire Chief Todd Paige, who has been with the department 28 years, said: “This is at the bottom.” He said he feels “sadness, difficulty, frustration.”


The layoffs, combined with four department vacancies which will remain unfilled, cut the fire department force by nearly 42 percent. The department, which previously had a minimum of five firefighters on duty per shift and two engines, will have a minimum of three firefighters on duty per shift and one engine.


The department is also changing its response to medical calls due to the layoffs. The dispatch center has not completed the change, but soon Poquonnock Bridge will not respond to medical calls unless they are life-... [ more ]

Friday, July 25, 2014  The family of a pregnant Fairhill woman who died in 2012 after a fall at her parents' home sued the city Thursday, contending her death and her child's severe brain damage resulted from paramedic malpractice and defective equipment.



The suit was filed in Common Pleas Court by Eriberto Rodriguez, widower of Joanne Rodriguez; their 21-month-old son, Xavier; and maternal grandmother Daisy Morales.

"My wife should be alive today. My son should be healthy, growing, playing, laughing. We shouldn't have to be here today," Rodriguez told reporters at a news conference at the Center City offices of the law firm Mincey & Fitzpatrick.

Chief Peter Crespo, Fire Department spokesman, said he could not comment on litigation.

Rodriguez's relatives called 911 at 10:44 a.m. Oct. 1, 2012, after the 24-... [ more ]

Thursday, July 24, 2014  Fort Shaw Fire Chief Dave Anderson remains hospitalized in critical condition at Benefis Health System two days after a collision between two of the department's fire trucks.

"We're concerned more about the fire chief's health than about the loss of any of the vehicles we have," Assistant Chief Craig Askeland said. "They can be replaced."

Anderson, driving a water tender with a 3,200-gallon capacity, was responding to a fire near Vaughn on Tuesday afternoon. That vehicle is used to move water to the site of fires. Another firefighter responding to the same fire was driving a 1-ton, four-wheel drive brush truck.

The vehicles collided on U.S. Highway 89.

The Montana Highway Patrol said the driver of the brush truck missed a turnoff en route to the fire and was making a U-turn when it was struck by the water tender.

Following the collision, the Fort Shaw department is without a water tender truck, putting it at a "disa... [ more ]

Thursday, July 24, 2014  A Jackson firefighter is recovering after he was attacked during a robbery at a store, police said.


The incident happened shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Family Dollar on Medgar Evers Boulevard, police said.

Click here to watch the report.

Employees said two men came into the building and demanded cash. Authorities said that at some point during the robbery, one of the suspects punched and kicked the firefighter, who was shopping at the store.


The men were able to get away with the cash drawer, police said.


The firefighter, who works at the fire station across the street from the store, was not seriously injured, authorities said.


Read more: more ]

Thursday, July 24, 2014  A veteran firefighter was injured Wednesday when acid from a car battery sprayed on his face in Northwest Laredo, authorities said.

It happened after fire crews responded to a report of a vehicle on fire.

The firefighter was taken to a San Antonio hospital for treatment for his burns, which caused blistering on his lips, cheeks and neck. - See more at: http://m.lmtonline.com/articles/2014/07/23/front/news/doc53d0440db4178774322907.txt#sthash.BzhHPDsY.dpuf

Wednesday, July 23, 2014  No one was seriously injured in a three-vehicle crash involving an Ocala Fire Rescue vehicle on its way to a call Tuesday night.


Officer Bennie Wilson of the Ocala Police Department said Richard M. Doucett, an OFR battalion chief, was heading east on Southwest 20th Street in his vehicle using lights and sirens on his way to call.

A 2003 Nissan Altima, driven by Peter Allen Nettles, was sitting at Southwest 31st Avenue, preparing to cross SW 20th Street and continue on SW 31st Avenue.

The officer said that, in an apparent attempt to beat the emergency vehicle, Nettles entered the intersection. His Altima was hit on the driver’s side.

Both vehicles then traveled a short distance before crashing into a third vehicle, a 2012 Toyota Corolla, driven by Jaime G. Gonzalez-Urdaneta, who had three passengers.

Doucett, 45, was not seriously injured, Wilson said. Nettles, ... [ more ]

Wednesday, July 23, 2014  A firefighter was injured while battling a blaze in Bayonne Tuesday night, authorities said.

A fire erupted in a two-story home in the 100-block of West 26th Street shortly before 11 p.m., authorities said.  

When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke billowing from the basement and first floor of the building, authorities said.

While trying to extinguish the fire, a firefighter fell down a smoke-filled stairway leading to the basement and injured his wrist, hip and leg, authorities said.   

The firefighter was taken from the scene to Bayonne Medical Center and later released, authorities said.

The fire was soon extinguished, authorities said. Fire investigators believe the blaze originated in the laundry area of the home's basement, authorities said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, authorities said.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014  A police chase Tuesday night ended when a stolen car collided with a fire truck in downtown Wilmington, injuring a firefighter and two others, officials said.

The crash happened about 8 p.m. at the intersection of West 11th and Washington streets, Fire Chief Anthony Goode said.

The pursuit began inside the city before leaving Wilmington. After returning to the city via Interstate 95, Goode said the car was traveling eastbound on West 11th Street and struck the back end of a ladder truck moving through the intersection with Washington Street.

The firefighters, who were already heading to another in the area, turned their attention to smoke and flames that developed in the car's engine compartment while a passenger inside the vehicle was rescued, he said.

"Firefighters Click here to listen grabbed extinguishers and put out and doused the flames that were in the car compartment," he said.

Officers used a Taser to subdue driver, w... [ more ]

Wednesday, July 23, 2014  When you see the destruction, it's hard to imagine what once stood on a large lot in the tiny town of Pateros.

"This was the main house double wide three bedroom."

For Justin and Kassia Crump what once stood here was home.

"I pulled up and saw a big ole plume of smoke and flames. There was nothing I could save," recounted Justin Crump.

The firestorm that blew through town levelled it-- took everything. The kids' toys, the swingset, the bicycles, gone.

"I cried. I really did. I tried not to but I did," Crump said.

The Crumps had already come to know this fire intimately. Both are volunteer firefighters. Justin had been working the fire and Kassia was at home when that call came to get out.

"Second time again here we go," said Crump.

The second time, because just five years ago, Krump says they lost their home to an electrical fire. "There's no words that really explain. Everything we saved the first time ... [ more ]

Tuesday, July 22, 2014  The headline making Monarch (MO) Fire Protection District has suspended a fire captain for two days without pay for speaking to the media about a board plan buy bullet-proof vests for protection.
The firefighters union, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2665, said the decision was made Thursday.
Board secretary Jane Cunningham confirmed the decision and said it was unanimous.  She declined to comment further about the matter, saying it was a personnel issue.
Gelven spoke to the Post-Dispatch and other media outlets in April about the vest controversy. The board planned to use them to line a half-wall that sits in front of a desk board members use at meetings.
The firefighters union said it plans to file a grievance over the Gelven's punishment. Brad Peters, vice president of the local, said the First Amendment rights of Gelven were violated. Peters said Gelven was off-duty when he answered reporters' questions about a matter of public... [ more ]

Tuesday, July 22, 2014  We just received this notice from the Sutphen Corporation regarding certain aerial devices and their focus and concern related to firefighter safety.Sutphen is instructing customers to remove all SPH 100, SP 110, SPI 112, and SAI 110 Aerial devices from service, until further notice, effective immediately.  
The Company states that customers are instructed to use the affected apparatus in the capacity of an engine/pumper or support vehicle only.  
The Company will stay in close contact with its customers to report details and when the units may be place back in service.
“At this time, our priority is the safety of our firefighters,” says Drew Sutphen, President of the Company.  “In light of the recent incidents, we recognize there is an immediate need to take precautionary action.  I would rather take every... [ more ]

Tuesday, July 22, 2014  hree Hall County firefighters were injured at a fire training Tuesday and are being taken to nearby hospitals.

According to the Hall County Fire Department, there was some type of mechanical failure involving a ladder truck at their training facility.

SKYFOX 5 captured images of the scene.

There is no word on the condition of the injured firefighters at this time.

FOX 5 will continue to update this developing story.

Monday, July 21, 2014  Investigators are working to learn what caused a motorcycle and a truck to collide on a Cambria County roadway Monday afternoon. The accident between the motorcycle and tri-axle truck happened just before 4 p.m. along Route 271 near the Pike Road intersection in the Mundys Corner area of Jackson Township, according to Cambria County emergency dispatch. Officials said the person riding the motorcycle was transported to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center for treatment of injuries. The extent of those injuries was not known. A state police accident reconstruction team was called in to investigate the crash. The names of involved in the crash were not immediately released. The truck driver was not injured. Crews closed Route 271 between Pike Road and the Route 22 interchange to allow for the investigation. About an hour after the accident, Jackson Township Fire Police members were directing traffic near the Pike Road intersection when one of the fire police members was ... [ more ]