Firehouse.com

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Mar. 19--Sandra Salinas was in a panic.

Salinas, executive director of the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary, awoke Friday morning to news that a fire was ripping through the facility she manages, near Durango Road and Grand Teton Drive in the northwest part of the valley.

As she arrived, tears streamed down her face as she rushed to a group of Las Vegas firefighters and sanctuary board members who huddled near the entrance. The blaze had just been extinguished, but firefighters were not yet allowing staff inside.

BATON ROUGE, La. --

Every day across Louisiana, firefighters are busy battling blazes and, in some cases, saving lives.

Soon, firefighters may take on a new role if lawmakers in Baton Rouge approve a new proposed bill.

"It would be firefighters practicing medicine without oversight … no oversight by the gubernatorial-approved EMS commission," said Dr. Jullette M. Saussy.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.

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Is it boys being boys or bad behavior in a firehouse? Two Orange County firefighters have been fired for making prank phone calls. Those calls were made to the firefighters' female boss, a lieutenant, and they were sexual and crude.

The same lieutenant also claimed there were dirty pictures of women posted inside the firehouse and she felt like some of the firefighters were targeting her.

Feuding emergency responders? Say it ain't so.

Actually, John Wilson, general manager of American Medical Response and Medic West Ambulance, says it is so, although not yet to the point of that 1976 comedy "Mother, Jugs & Speed," in which competing ambulance services wrangled over who would transport customers in Los Angeles.

Here it's not rival companies. It is public vs. private sector.

NEW YORK
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A federal judge wants to hear from ground zero workers about a multimillion-dollar legal settlement for people sickened by dust from the World Trade Center.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein is trying to decide whether to approve a deal. It would pay $575 million to $657 million to about 10,000 police officers, firefighters, utility workers and laborers.

The judge has scheduled a Friday afternoon hearing on the settlement, which was signed last week.

MORGAN COUNTY, Ga. --

A Morgan County firefighter is recovering at Atlanta Medical Center after his vehicle rolled over Friday morning, officials said.

Morgan County Fire Chief Chris Byrd said firefighter Kevin Stephenson was on the way from home to the fire station when he was involved in a single vehicle crash. Stephenson was going to the station to respond to a call.

Today, Friday, March 19, the third round of FY 2009 Fire Prevention and Safety grants were announced.

Click here to view the list of announcements

Three people who were threatened by the tide while stranded in a cove were back on dry ground today after a nighttime rescue by firefighters rappelling down an oceanside cliff and lifeguards swimming through dark surf, authorities said.

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Mar. 18--WENATCHEE -- A deadly fire in a senior apartment complex is something people pray will never happen. But when it did Monday evening, volunteers and professional health care workers swung into action.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.

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A former employee of the American Red Cross was arrested and accused of identity theft, fraud and theft after the charity found thousands of dollars missing from its fire victims' fund.

Investigators said Nicole Urbani, 37, faked documents to make it look like there were fires at homes where none occurred. The arrest report said Urbani then issued about 50 pre-paid Master Cards -- which is how the agency provides support to fire victims -- but used them herself.

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Mar. 18--KIAWAH ISLAND -- The dark, black smoke could be seen from miles away. Ominous red flames rose high into the sky above the slate roof of the picturesque River Course clubhouse. On Wednesday, a devastating fire ripped through what was once considered the crown jewel of the golf resort.

In the end, firefighters couldn't save the multimillion-dollar building.

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Mar. 18--Albuquerque Fire Department officials for the past few months have been wrestling with how to write some teeth into a policy that deals with firefighters who get arrested driving drunk.

On Tuesday, they were confronted with yet another example of the need for such a policy when, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, Michael Gutierrez, a 29-year-old, sixyear AFD veteran, drove away from a Northeast Heights strip club and was arrested on suspicion of DWI.

CLARKSBURG, Md., March 18, 2010 – Thales Communications, Inc. has appointed Michael Sheehan as the company's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President. Mr. Sheehan's appointment follows the planned retirement of Mitch Herbets, CEO and President of the business since 2000.

Thales Communications, Inc. is a Thales USA company operating under a proxy agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense.

A Kewanuee firefighter was terminated last week for driving over a hose in January while driving by the scene of a blaze, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

The Police and Fire Commission voted 4-0 to terminate Firefighter Mark Wautlet after Fire Chief Greg Hliniak made the recommendation.

NORTH READING, Mass. --

Two young women canoeing in their back yard were swept away Wednesday, triggering a frantic rescue mission.

The Ipswich River in North Reading took Amanda Mauro, 26, and her 15-year-old cousin, Tiffany Peck, by surprise. Mauro was shivering too hard to talk Wednesday night, but relatives said the two were capsized in the cold, rushing water.

Three fire companies would be permanently closed, several recreation centers shuttered and the Police Department's helicopter grounded under Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake's proposals to close the city's $121 million budget gap.

Although the mayor does not plan to formally unveil her preliminary spending plan until next week, she has briefed City Council members about the proposed trims as well as a package of fees that could generate as much as $57 million in revenue -- and ease some of the deep service cuts.

PLAINFIELD, Ind.

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Two children and a man were hospitalized after a fire early Wednesday morning at a mobile home park.

The fire broke out at about 1:30 a.m. at the Maple Grove park, in the 2400 block of East Main Street.

Investigators said Bryan Hillman went back inside the burning home to rescue the two children, a 3-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy, with the help of a Plainfield police officer.

NEWMARKET, N.H.

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Firefighters rescued a couple trapped inside their sport utility vehicle after driving off a flooded road in Newmarket on Tuesday night, nearly tipping over.

Rescue workers rushed to River Street, which was covered with high water, and found the SUV on the verge of tipping over off the edge of the road and into a drainage ditch.

Sparks flew at Destin Fire Station 9 last week when Commissioner Kim Brown questioned the integrity of Fire Chief Kevin Sasser and the department's promotional process.

"It's been eight months since the promotions, but there are some serious flaws in the system," Brown said during a meeting of the Destin Fire Control District Board of Commissioners. "I'm bringing this here because I feel like I will not get answers or satisfaction in the chief 's office."

LOCKPORT, N.Y. -- The Lockport Police Department will begin dispatching fire calls March 29, Mayor Michael W. Tucker told the Common Council on Wednesday.

The move, which the firefighters' union agreed to permit when it signed a new contract with the city in December, is expected to save the city substantial overtime costs by making one more firefighter per shift available to go to fire and rescue calls instead of manning the microphone.

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Mar. 17--OROVILLE -- Citing a conflict of interest for the city administrator to be the personnel officer, four city councilors voted Tuesday night to give the position to the fire chief.

After the decision, an Oroville Fire Department engine drove in front of City Hall and down Montgomery Street with sirens blasting, horns honking, lights flashing, headlights blinking and firefighters yelling, apparently to announce the victory.

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Mar. 17--CARY -- A missing master key to 992 Cary business lockboxes was returned, halting a re-keying effort that could have cost the town $15,000.

It's all thanks to Talie Madans, the community association manager at Carolina Preserve on 115 Allforth Place in western Cary, who found the key underneath a recycling bin near the community's rec center and called the fire department. She returned the keys Tuesday, after reading about the missing key debacle.

CINCINNATI

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Fire crews are trying to clean up a chemical spill at a local plant.

Battalion commanders said sulfur dioxide leaked out at the Cylinder Processors Inc. plant at 1409 Grandin Road in Hamilton Township at about 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters said workers at the Kings Mill commerce park in Mainville thought they saw smoke coming from the plant and called 911.

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Mar. 17--WALLA WALLA -- A house fire Tuesday morning was likely caused by a pet, officials said today.

Firefighters from the city of Walla Walla and Fire District 4 responded about 11 a.m. to a single-family stucco home at 429 S. Second Ave., said city fire Capt. Greg Van Donge.

Three engines responded and the fire was quickly contained to a back bedroom. The incident caused about $20,000 in structure damage and about $25,000 damage to the home's contents, he said.