Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, or SBCA’s, are critical equipment for fire fighters and one of our local districts has just been awarded a grant to upgrade theirs. Whatcom County Fire District 14 in Kendall says FEMA has awarded them a grant to replace all of their 18-year-old SBCA’s. The $400,000 grant will also pay for a new filling station and other accessories for the equipment.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2020 7:49:36 AM - SOURCE: KGMI-AM 790

Statesville City Council approved this week a $15 per hour minimum wage for all city employees. However, some Statesville firefighters have been voicing their displeasure this week because they are not included in the wage increase. Statesville City Manager Ron Smith told FOX 46 Thursday that firefighters work different hours, 24 on and 48 off, so their pay structure is different.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJZY-TV Fox 46 Charlotte

If Fire Chief Jeff Rowe were headed to Bangor, or somewhere out of state for a conference, he would likely know the most efficient way to get there. He might not know where the charging stations were though, should he need one, for the new Tesla 3 command vehicle. He could soon find out, by using the car’s GPS, which not only plots the course, but also marks the charging stations — and how long he would have to be there for the charge to complete.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland Press Herald - Metered Site

Ammonium nitrate (AN) became infamous when convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh used it in the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. Ammonium nitrate is back in our collective consciousness with the horrific Beirut, Lebanon, blast, and its reminders of the explosion at a West, Texas, fertilizer plant that claimed at least 15 lives, caused 200 injuries and destroyed more than 50 homes.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fire Rescue 1

As health experts gather more data and continue to learn about COVID-19, certain protocols and regulations are changing. According to the CDC and local health experts, it’s now okay to go back to work just 10 days after testing positive for the virus. That’s not the only change — Requiring a negative test result to return to work is no longer encouraged.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRON -TV 4 San Francisco