Fire Industry News

Pulse Nightclub Victim Named Honorary Firefighter

Orange County,FL, Fire Rescue (OCFR) Fire Chief Otto Drozd said his department seeks to hire people who serve the community with compassion, and that is what led the department to honor one of the victims killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.

OCFR named Cory Connell an honorary firefighter at his funeral. A scholarship was also announced in his memory. Connell was killed after pushing his girlfriend, Paula Blanco, out of the way of the gunman during the shooting. She was hospitalized with a gunshot wound.

Connell, 21, had recently graduated Valencia College and was set to begin training at the Central Florida Fire Academy, which is a precursor to obtaining state fire certifications in the Orlando region. His ultimate goal, family members said, was to enter the fire service. When Drozd and his staff learned of this, they knew that they could honor him.

About 50 Orange County firefighters in full uniforms lined the walls of the church as friends and family gathered to say goodbye. Outside, several pumpers and a rescue truck were parked out front while the Orlando Fire Department pipe band played.

Last 9/11 Search Dog Saluted on Final Walk

The Dallas Morning News reported that Bretagne, the last known living 9/11 search dog, died on June 6 in the Houston suburb of Cypress. The Golden Retriever was euthanized at the Fairfield Animal Hospital. She was 16.

Bretagne, pronounced “Brittany,” became a full member of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department in 2000. She was a founding canine member of the K9 Search and Rescue Team and had a certification as a FEMA Disaster Search Dog, according to a statement from the fire department.

When she was 2, Bretagne and handler Denise Corliss responded as part of Texas Task Force 1 to the World Trade Center site after the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. They spent 10 days at the scene searching for human remains in the rubble.

She also responded to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, among other disasters, and had been retired from active duty for about five years.

As Corliss walked Bretagne into the vet Monday, fire department members flanked the two and saluted.

Compton Receives EMS Achievement Award

Chief Dennis Compton, chairman of the NFFF Board of Directors, has received the 2016 James O. Page EMS Achievement Award. The annual award is presented to a leader who has made a positive impact on a national scale, creating and promoting non-clinical innovation and achievements in fire service EMS management.

“Chief Compton has distinguished himself as a respected, knowledgeable and admired leader in the fire service,” said Chief Ron Siarnicki, executive director of the NFFF. “We could not be more pleased for him in receiving this prestigious award. He exemplifies what many of us aspire to in terms of putting knowledge and experience into action.”

With more than 32 years in the fire service, Compton has served as the assistant fire chief in Phoenix, as well as the fire chief in Mesa. He is a past chairman of the International Fire Service Training Association and past chairman of the Congressional Fire Services Institute. Compton continues to support fire-based EMS in his role as co-chairman of the Fire-Service Based EMS Advocates.

Chief David Becker, chair of the EMS Section, along with award sponsor Physio-Control, presented the award to Compton at the recent general session of Fire-Rescue Med, a leading, national educational forum for fire-based EMS officials hosted by the IAFC.