The Baltimore City Fire Department is paying overtime to fill nearly a third of its firefighter and medic shifts every day, blowing through its overtime budget. The department is relying heavily on volunteer “callbacks,” in which firefighters or medics who have just finished a shift are asked to work another, said a department spokeswoman.
- PUB DATE: 3/19/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Baltimore Sun - Metered Site

VIDEO: An election forum Monday allowed voters to hear from both sides of Ballot Issue 1, which residents will vote on as part of the Colorado Springs municipal election April 2. The measure would allow collective bargaining for all uniformed firefighters, which means firefighters would be guaranteed an opportunity to negotiate pay, benefits and equipment concerns with the city.
- PUB DATE: 3/19/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fox21 News

The city’s fire chief is firing back after an alderman announced on social media over the weekend his intent to make a motion this week to shut down the Safe Station program. On Friday, Alderman at Large Joe Kelly Levasseur posted a message on his personal Facebook page, stating that 61 percent of those accessing Safe Stations in Manchester “are from somewhere else.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Union Leader

A swath of Interstate 15 that runs through Escondido was dedicated Saturday in honor of Cory Iverson, a North County Cal Fire firefighter who died battling the Thomas Fire in 2017. “Corey Iverson is a hometown hero,” said California Assemblymember Marie Waldron, who started the effort to get the freeway naming approved by the Legislature.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The San Diego Union Tribune - Metered Site

Starting April 1, it will be illegal to sell smoke detectors with removable, replaceable batteries in New York state. The law was adopted in 2016 but it gave retailers three years to comply. The law requires that battery-powered smoke detectors sold in the state must come with batteries that last at least 10 years and cannot be removed.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Syracuse.com