VIDEO: Seated in rows and dressed identically in white shirts and black slacks, the 47 members of Toledo Fire & Rescue Fire Class 293 began their first day of six months of fire academy training. The class is one of the most diverse the department has had since 1984, Fire Chief Brian Byrd said. Out of 47 recruits, 30 are white, 12 are black, four are Hispanic, and one is American Indian.
- PUB DATE: 3/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Toledo Blade

Following the lead of Denver police, radio traffic from the Denver Fire Department will no longer be accessible to the public starting next month, though one automated dispatch channel will remain open. Fire department leaders in January made the decision to encrypt their radio traffic to make it easier to communicate with police, who decided to encrypt their traffic as well, fire department spokesman Greg Pixley said.
- PUB DATE: 3/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Denver Post

A Minneapolis firefighter injured and forced into early retirement because he wasn’t allowed to wear prescribed shoes will be able to pursue a disability discrimination claim against the city, the state’s highest court has ruled. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled on a 5-2 majority that employees are able to sue separately under the state workers’ compensation law and the Minnesota Human Rights Act’s disability protection.
- PUB DATE: 3/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Star Tribune

California is facing the worst wildfire conditions in its history with fewer engines and firefighters than it had 40 years ago, says a group of lawmakers and fire unions asking Gov. Gavin Newsom for an extra $84 million to beef up the state’s fire response. Cal Fire has 31 fewer engines than it had in 1975 yet it is responsible for more land, provides protection for more cities and faces drier forests and a longer fire season, said Sen.
- PUB DATE: 3/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sacramento Bee - Metered Site

Peru will be down one police officer and one firefighter the rest of the year to make up for a budget shortfall after city officials miscalculated how much pay raises, approved last year, would cost the city. Officers and firefighters received a 1.5-percent increase in their longevity pay as part of across-the-board raises approved for city workers that took effect this year.
- PUB DATE: 3/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Kokomo Tribune