Firehouse.com

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Oct. 30--LAWRENCE -- Eight city firefighters have been getting paid to stay at home for 11 weeks while waiting for a decision on whether their layoffs were justified.

"Definitely, a couple of balls were dropped on this one," Mayor Michael Sullivan said yesterday of the personnel moves that prolonged the Fire Department's budget problem instead of eliminating it.

It's pretty well known that people in the emergency services like stuff -- especially new stuff. And, it looks like there's some cool new stuff in the pipeline for gadget folks.

What would you think about a handheld device that can help make triage decisions from 40 feet with the scan of a laser that can measure respirations and pulse? Or, how about a firefighter-locator that can help pinpoint responders in three-dimensions?

A Toledo firefighter was injured after falling through a hole in the floor while battling a blaze early this morning (Oct. 30), according to WTOL-TV.

The house fire occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. in the 2100 block of Plum Leaf and started in a crawl space and burned through the floor, officials told the news station/

The injured firefighter was transported to St. Vincent Hospital and Medical Center to be treated for burns on his body.

HOMESTEAD, Pa. -- It's been said that cats have nine lives, but one woman is crediting her 7-month-old kitty for saving one.

Chrissy Mitzak had just gotten out of bed inside her Homestead apartment building when she noticed her cat, Sassy, was acting strangely.

"She made a real quick jerk and was crawling at the walls and crawling and crawling. I was like 'What is it? A bug?

MODESTO, Calif. -- An early-morning fire gutted an office building that houses the Stanislaus Arts Council, causing $1 million in damage.

The two-alarm blaze erupted just before 4 a.m. Thursday and it was an hour before firefighters could extinguish the flames.

Nobody was hurt in the blaze.

Two other businesses also occupied the building on Kansas Avenue, including a catering business and one that treats addicts.

Modesto fire inspectors have not yet identified a cause of the fire.

URBANA TWP., Ohio -- A transformer at the top of a utility pole exploded and burned after a driver struck it on Oct. 28, resulting in the scene shown in the photo on the right, taken by Springfield News Sun photographer Bill Lackey.

The crash occurred on U.S. 68 shortly after noon when the motorist drove his vehicle up a set of guy wires, striking the top of the pole before overturning.

A witness told the newspaper the driver went up there "like a roller coaster."

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Oct. 27--FORT WORTH -- From his bunk in the Salvation Army homeless shelter, Greg LaRue can hear the wailing sirens of fire trucks as they roar down East Lancaster Drive.

For most homeless people, it is background noise. Another fire. Another person sick. Another person injured.

But to LaRue, the sound is a stabbing reminder of the life he had, the career he cherished and the challenges he must overcome.

A brigade of more than 1,500 firefighters made big gains Monday in a battle against wind-whipped flames in the Santa Cruz Mountains, allowing dozens of evacuated residents to return home. But amid an atmosphere of relief, questions swirled about how the blaze began.

Among the possible scenarios, state fire officials acknowledged, is that the Loma Fire was started by firefighters themselves.

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Oct. 26--KNOB NOSTER -- A 1-month-old baby is dead after an apartment fire at 402 W. McPherson St.

The baby, Justin Bailey, is the son of Robin and Jacob Bailey.

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the fire, which firefighters responded to at 8:38 a.m. Friday.

Police Chief Brian Kniskern said the infant had been left in a car seat carrier on top of the electric stove.