Renatta Signorini
Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
(TNS)
Nov. 25—A majority of Hempfield supervisors approved a conditional sales agreement for a new fire station in the western part of the township this week over concerns from firefighters in that area who said the location would impact their response time.
Adamsburg Volunteer Fire Department President Ken Wees said the current station is 70 years old and on a dangerous curve on Edna Road, just off Route 30.
He expressed concerns that members of the department were shut out of the decision to locate a new station about 2 1/2 miles south — farther from Route 30 and the majority of their calls.
“Not one of you reached out to discuss it with us,” he told the township supervisors Monday. “So this means now that our people would have to drive farther to get on a fire truck to drive it farther back toward the fire scene. Ridiculous.”
In a 3-2 vote, the board approved the conditional sales agreement to buy property for $375,000 from James C. Durst Jr. at the split of Arona and Harry Long roads, not far from Monkey Wrench and Eisaman roads. Supervisors Jay Anderson, Bill Bretz and Doug Weimer supported the measure.
Supervisor George Reese, who voted against it along with Supervisor Tom Logan, pleaded with the board to delay a vote on the matter for 60 days to allow more time to consider the concerns of numerous firefighters who attended Monday’s meeting.
“We have citizens, we have firemen that are concerned,” he said. “We have to take a step back. The last thing I want to hear is what I heard here tonight.”
Township officials have been searching for more than a year for an appropriate spot to build a new fire station in the western part of Hempfield.
Construction would be funded by $5 million allocated from a 2022 bond.
Last year, officials were given the OK to negotiate a potential deal with Hempfield Area School District on property near West Hempfield Elementary School along Wendel Road. Township Manager Aaron Siko said Monday the proposal fell through for a variety of reasons, including the size of the lot, an underground stormwater drainage system and potential issues with ingress and egress, especially during school drop-off and pickup times.
He said multiple properties in the western part of the township were examined. The 5.3-acre Durst property zoned for agricultural and commercial use was not for sale, but officials sought out interest from the owner because of its location.
There’s a home and a commercial greenhouse on the land that would be demolished if the sale goes through, Siko said.
“The township had no prior relationship with the seller,” he said.
Siko said it was not discussed with Adamsburg firefighters because land acquisition negotiations are considered privileged information.
“We stand by the recommendation we made as far as property is concerned,” Siko said, adding that the sales agreement comes with conditions that allow the township to continue examining the move for a period of time.
But Siko said he expects the township will close on the deal by the end of December.
Posted: Nov 27, 2025
Noah Goldberg
Los Angeles Times
(TNS)
The Los Angeles Fire Department is requesting a budget of more than $1 billion for the coming year, arguing that the additional funding is necessary to be prepared for wildfires like the one that devastated Pacific Palisades in January.
The request, which represents a more than 15% increase over this year’s budget, includes money for 179 new firefighting recruits and a second crew dedicated to fighting wildfires, as well as helitanker services to battle fires from the air.
In the immediate aftermath of the Palisades fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes, top LAFD officials blamed a lack of resources and extraordinarily high winds for their failures in combating the flames.
United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112, the union that represents the city’s firefighters, has long argued that the department is severely underfunded and is pushing for a half-cent sales tax that, if approved by voters, would generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Fire Chief Jaime Moore, who was appointed to his post earlier this month, wrote in a memo to the Board of Fire Commissioners last Friday that “the proposed budget will reinforce and accelerate operational enhancements implemented following the devastating Palisades wind-driven vegetation fire in January 2025.”
Moore’s request is the first step in a lengthy process to hammer out a city budget that requires approval by the City Council and the mayor. This year, the city had to close a nearly $1-billion shortfall caused largely by rising personnel costs, soaring legal payouts and a slowdown in the local economy.
City department heads often request amounts far higher than they eventually receive. With the city still in a budget crunch, the outlook for the LAFD’s request is unclear.
“The budget process is in its early stages. Reforms must continue to be implemented at the department and Mayor Bass looks forward to working with Chief Moore to strengthen the city’s emergency preparedness,” said Clara Karger, a spokesperson for Mayor Karen Bass.
Genethia Hudley Hayes, who heads the civilian Board of Fire Commissioners, said Tuesday that she had not yet seen the request but that she generally supports a 15% increase in the LAFD budget.
“We need it,” she said. “The smart thing would be to let the public know what you are going to do with that money.”
In the days leading up to Jan. 7, LAFD officials decided not to order firefighters to remain on duty for a second shift — which would have required paying them overtime — an
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Posted: Nov 27, 2025
Toledo, Ohio, sits on the western tip of Lake Erie and on the Maumee River. It serves as the county seat of Lucas County and is nicknamed “The Glass City” because of its historical legacy of glass production. In addition to glass, it is also known as “Frog Town” because it is north of the Great Black Swamp.
The city is protected by the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department, which traces its roots back to 1837 when the city council approved the purchase of two firefighting apparatus. Today, the department runs out of 18 fire stations spread across the city with 18 engine companies, three truck companies, two squad companies, a hazardous materials unit, an urban search and rescue unit, a fire boat, and 15 advanced life support (ALS) ambulances.
Posted: Nov 26, 2025
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in years burned through the night, leaving at least 44 people dead and 279 reported missing with rescuers still pulling residents from blazing high-rise apartment buildings into the morning.
Several local media outlets reported that police had arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with fire which began Wednesday afternoon in a housing complex in Tai Po district, a suburb in the New Territories. By Thursday morning local time, the fire was yet to be put out and rescues continued with the death toll reaching 44.
Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the fire spread across seven of the eight buildings in the complex. At least 29 others remained hospitalized. Bright flames and smoke shot out of windows as night fell.
Authorities said earlier that investigators would be looking into factors including whether material on the exterior walls of high-rise buildings met fire resistance standards, as the rapid spread of the fire was unusual. Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung said officers had found foam sheets that are highly flammable.
Officials said the fire started on the external scaffolding of one of the buildings, a 32-story tower, and later spread to inside the building and then to nearby buildings, likely aided by windy conditions.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed condolences to the firefighter who died and extended sympathies to the families of the victims, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He also urged efforts to minimize casualties and losses.
John Lee, the city’s chief executive, said the government will prioritize the disaster but halt public efforts for the Dec. 7 elections for the Legislative Council. He didn’t say if the elections could be delayed but said decisions would come “a few days later.”
The fire at three of the buildings was “coming under control” shortly past midnight, according to the Fire Services Department.
The housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments housing about 4,800 residents, including many elderly people. It was built in the 1980s and had recently been undergoing a major renovation.
Fire chiefs said high temperatures at the scene made it difficult for crews to mount rescue operations. A column of flames and thick smoke rose as the blaze spread quickly on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been set up around the exterior of the buildings. About 900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters.
Authorities said that hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics were deployed. Firefighters aimed water at the intense flames from high up on ladder trucks.
The blaze, which started mid-afternoon, was upgraded to a level 5 alarm — the highest level of severity — as night fell. Authorities said that conditions remained very challenging for firefighters.
“Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings (is) falling down,” said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Service operations. “The temperature inside the buildings concerned is very high. It’s difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations.”
The fire department said that it received “numerous” calls requesting assistance. It said some residents remained trapped as of Wednesday night.
Firefighters deployed about 200 fire trucks and more than 100 ambulances to the scene, according to RTHK, the local
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