Despite vehement opposition from the mayor and some Colorado Springs City Council members, the local firefighters union has collected enough signatures to place a collective bargaining question on the city’s April ballot. All that’s left is a vote next week by the council, a formality because the Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 5, collected about 16,000 signatures that were validated late last month, City Clerk Sarah Johnson said.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Colorado Springs Gazette

Mayor Catherine Pugh has promised the Fire Department an extra $1.2 million fire truck in her 2020 fiscal year budget, the department said Thursday, after the firefighters union warned that two out-of-service trucks in Northwest Baltimore could affect response times. IAFF Local 734 President Richard “Dickie” Altieri said the city is seeing a “ripple effect” from repeatedly “pushing problems back another year.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Baltimore Sun

Two of Cambridge’s minority firefighters said they have never experienced racism or sexism in the department, but did have some ideas of how to increase diversity. Dave House, an African-American fire captain, said he would like to see more outreach to young people on social platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wicked Local Cambridge

Portland Fire Chief Mike Myers submitted his resignation Thursday, the day after his new boss, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, was sworn into office. Myers’ resignation comes amid his push to reimagine Portland Fire & Rescue from top to bottom, efforts that earned him respect and praise in City Hall. He left for a personal reason, to join his wife who has moved to the Oregon coast, he and Hardesty said.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland Oregonian, Hillsboro Argus, Oregon Live.com

For the second time in less than a week, the Spokane Valley Fire Department has announced the death of a former fire captain, and again, work-related exposure to toxins is suspected as the cause. On Friday, the department announced that former Capt. Tim Cruger, 67, died of cancer caused from exposure to smoke while on the job.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Spokesman Review