Sept. 06--AMESBURY -- When a toxic mold outbreak last March forced Fire Department staff into trailers set up on the back lot of the town's public safety complex, it was thought the temporary housing would last for about six months.
But coming up on the six-month mark, fire Chief Jonathan Brickett said he expects firefighters will be in the trailers through the winter, given that planned fixes to both the fire station and police station have not yet begun.
A carbon monoxide leak left Sarpy County 911 without a dispatch center for two hours on Thursday night.
A couple dispatchers and a visitor at the center got sick from the fumes, authorities said. Emergency calls had to be rerouted to Douglas County, delaying responders.
Papillion firefighters evacuated the dispatch center about 10 p.m. They found a leak in a water heater in the furnace room nearby.
Aug. 24--WEST PALM BEACH -- For years, firefighter Rick Curtis has accused the city of race discrimination.
Despite a master's in business administration, completion of top fire and emergency medical courses and 15 years of service, he has been repeatedly overlooked for promotions.
Last week, the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity confirmed Curtis' long-held beliefs. The city, its Equal Employment Board ruled, discriminated against the 44-year-old captain because he is African-American.
How often have you ever had a chaplain come to you for support and advice? I don't know about you, but this is not an everyday event in my world. However, that is just what happened at a recent event of the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association (CVVFA) in Hancock, MD. Let me preface my remarks by stating that our association has lost a lot of members in the past 12 months. As matter of fact we have lost five of our past presidents. Sadly, two of our losses were not really that old. They were truly called home before their time.
July 24--Five St. Paul firefighters suffered heat exhaustion Friday morning while trying to control a blaze at a vacant two-story building in the Summit-University neighborhood.
Four were hospitalized at Regions Hospital and the fifth was treated at the scene, the Fire Department reported.
The personality profile of the emergency service worker is one that is action oriented
tainted with the concept of control. It is not hard to figure out what drives the average
emergency service worker. It is the adrenaline rush that is produced from responding to a
working structure fire that has been upgraded by the first arriving unit to a second alarm
assignment to a gunshot wound to the chest that requires the medical responder to
Some Louisville firefighters are hot under the collar after the air conditioning at a 15-month-old fire house has been out throughout the hottest days of June.
When the Portland firehouse opened, officials touted its state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling system designed to be energy efficient and save money. Instead, it hasn't worked.
Now, there's an effort under way to find out why and fix the problem.
As we slowly wind down our Safety, Health and Survival week there always seems to be the scramble as to what safety challenges to tackle. I sometimes struggle, as I do with fire prevention week, as to how we somehow become more sensitive to the issue by proclaiming a week in its honor when we are actually dealing with a 365 day challenge.
June 25--It didn't take the paramedics long to figure out there was something insidious and invisible filling the home west of Boca Raton, causing everyone inside to collapse.
It didn't take long, either, for it to get to them.
Firehouse.com Contributor Ryan Pennington reviews several methods to reduce a first responder's exposure to a variety of infectious diseases. Pennington discusses proper PPE on emergency scenes, vehicle and station decontamination and the best means to prevent carrying potential hazards home to your family.
