Firehouse.com

Redlands, California—To help users evaluate ESRI's mobile geographic information system (GIS) solutions, the company is conducting a free live training seminar this month that will demonstrate the technology's versatility and power. Introduction to ESRI Mobile GIS Solutions will air at www.esri.com/lts on Thursday, November 19, at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 3:00 p.m., Pacific standard time.

A firefighter was trapped and seriously injured after a tractor trailer plowed into a fire truck on its way to a car accident in the state's north.

The crash happened on the Bass Highway at Hadspen near Launceston just after 8:00pm.

Three Orthodox Jewish medics have charged the Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company with religious discrimination, alleging they were barred from responding to calls unless they shaved their beards.

Nov. 11--Agrease fire in the kitchen of a downtown Redwood City sushi restaurant forced the evacuation of several nearby businesses Tuesday afternoon, according to the Redwood City Fire Department.

The one-alarm fire was reported at 3:17 p.m. and extinguished within 10 minutes, causing minimal damage to the Blue Fin Sushi restaurant at 2327 Broadway, said Battalion Chief Stan Maupin.

WAYNESBORO -- A Tuesday morning fire caused by a furnace inside an upholstery shop in Waynesboro resulted in $65,000 worth of damage, according to Deputy Chief Shawn Adolini of Mont Alto Volunteer Fire Department.

The fire occurred around 7:30 a.m. at Fortney's Upholstery and Fortney's Patio, 8673 Wayne Ave., according to Jim Fortney, who owns the business with Sam Freeman.

MIAMI --

An American Airlines plane blew a tire while landing at Miami International Airport early Wednesday morning.

The plane was headed from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Miami when the pilot noticed a low tire indicator light on.

Firefighters at the airport prepared for an emergency landing and surrounded the runway.

When the plane touched down, a rear tire on the 777 jet blew out. Smoke was seen coming from the tire after the plane landed.

The jet was carrying 199 passengers.

NIOSH investigators say a number of factors led to the death of a Pennsylvania firefighter last year while battling a house fire.

On March 5, Lt. Nicholas V.

CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The purchase of a Bradley County firetruck has raised questions from some Bradley County commissioners.

The questions are not about the need for the truck, said Commissioner Lisa Stanbery, but how the county mayor's office went through the process of buying it.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --

A mother was burned saving her two children when an early-morning fire erupted inside their Kansas City apartment.

The fire apparently started in a second-floor unit at the East Hills apartments at 76th Street and Monroe Avenue just before 8 a.m.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Seth Jacobson has been a firefighter and paramedic for more than 20 years.

He's rarely surprised by what he sees on the job.

But five hours into his 24-hour shift on Tuesday, Jacobson got a shock. About 1:30 p.m., he and other emergency responders were called to the Sunshine Skyway bridge for a report of a disabled vehicle.

SEATTLE

--

The reward offered for information that helps catch whoever is responsible for setting a series of fires in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood was raised to $25,000 Tuesday.

After six deliberately set fires in the last 18 days, many in the Greenwood neighborhood are anxious.

The worst was a fire on Oct. 23 that destroyed four restaurants and caused $2 million in damage.

PORTLAND, Ore.

--

A three-alarm fire tore through a southeast Portland school and caused significant damage Tuesday.

The fire started just before noon and the school was quickly evacuated. All 460 students and 17 teachers have been accounted for, said Kim Kosmas in a Portland Fire and Rescue news release.

Two adults suffered minor smoke inhalation, fire crews said. No children were injured.

RODEO, Calif. --

An explosion and two-alarm fire ripped apart a vacant apartment in Rodeo early Tuesday, trapping a family of three inside their neighboring unit until they were rescued with the help of a Good Samaritan, authorities said.

The explosion and fire was reported just before 1:30 a.m. in a multi-unit apartment building at 1304 Mariposa St, Rodeo-Hercules Fire Department Battalion Chief Alan Biagi said.

<?xml:namespace prefix = dme />

RONDA --

An early morning fire on Sunday in Ronda sent firefighters from three departments to battle a blaze at the Nance family residence off of Chatham Road.

The Nance family dog, Daisy, escaped serious injury when the heat lamp inside her dogho

NIOSH investigators cited inefficient tactics, operations and codes in the 2007 deaths of two Boston firefighters.

Warren J. Payne, 53, and Paul J. Cahill, 55, perished while battling a fire in a restaurant. The death certificate listed the causes of death for both firefighters as thermal injuries and asphyxia.

The report also notes that toxicology reports were requested but not received: "There have been media reports of alleged substance abuse that were discovered during the toxicological screening of both victims.

INDIANAPOLIS

--

A firefighter was injured while battling a raging house fire on Indianapolis' northeast side Tuesday morning.

The fire began just before 10 a.m. at a home in the 3000 block of Station Street.

Three of the six people who live in the home were there when the fire began.

Residents were alerted to the fire when the television they were watching flickered.

DENVER --

The Denver Fire Department has appointed a woman to its command staff for the first time.

Angela R. Cook was sworn in as the division chief at Denver International Airport Monday.

She is highest-ranking female firefighter in the department's history.

Cook became a Denver firefighter in 1992. She also is a national speaker and instructor on incident management systems, strategy and tactics, as well as career development, according to the Denver Fire Department.

HOOKSETT, N.H. --

Three firefighters were injured in a three-alarm fire in Hooksett on Monday evening.

Firefighters from dozens of towns were called just before 6 p.m. to a building at 242 W. River Road, which was shut down for almost four hours between Scott Avenue and Cross Road.

PAPILLION, Neb.

--

Papillion officials have named two firefighters who they said provided recruits with test questions and answers, a move that caused the department to invalidate the tests and start over from scratch.

Jeffrey Strawn, a deputy chief, and Matthew Sullivan, a captain, were both demoted to the rank of firefighter 1, said city administrator Dan Hoins in a statement released Monday.

Firefighter candidates who used the test questions and answers have been prohibited from applying for city jobs in the future.

SYLVA, N.C.

--

One person was killed and another person was injured during a fire at a retirement home in Jackson County on Sunday morning.

The blaze happened at the Jackson Village at about 2 a.m.

Firefighters said that a breezeway connecting the apartments caught fire, destroying four units.

Forest Aikens, 76, lived in one of those four units and was killed.

Nov. 8--LAWRENCE, Mass. -- City officials will meet tomorrow with the owners of the Merrimac Paper Co. building that was ravaged by fire Friday night to determine how soon the mill can be demolished.

"Our goal is to get the building down as soon as possible because it's unsafe," said Myles Burke, the city's inspectional services director.

--

Nov. 9--A man and a woman were hospitalized after being overcome by methane gas at a Bay Shore home Sunday, while a police officer who responded to the scene was treated at a hospital and released, officials said.

The source of the gas was unclear Monday. Officials are investigating whether it was a problem with plumbing, sewage or due to an overwhelming number of animals in the home, Suffolk County SPCA chief Roy Gross said.

Over the last few years, helmet cameras have been adopted by countless members of the fire service as a tool to capture their heroics on film, but not everyone is entertained.

More departments are banning the use of photography and video equipment while on duty, while others are making it clear that their policies forbidding the devices still stand.

A Salinas, Calif. firefighter is recovering at home after an explosion at a motor home fire lifted him off the ground on Nov. 7, according to The Californian.

The firefighter was part of a crew that responded to the fire at approximately 3:30 p.m. on northbound Highway 101

As the crew worked on the hoses, a number of oxygen tanks in the motor home exploded, sending pieces of debris into the air, officials told the newspaper.