Fire crews continue to battle a wildfire in Whitman County that grew to 6,000 acres overnight and is threatening homes, crops, railroads and infrastructure. The fire started near Ridpath Road, south of Hay, and was reported around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. According to the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office, the fire has spread along breaks of the Snake River and has made its way to the Central Ferry area.
- PUB DATE: 8/5/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

Vector Solutions, the leading provider of purpose-built training and operational management software applications for public safety agencies, in partnership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC) Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS), are proud to announce Captain John White, Fire Training Coordinator at the Apex (NC) Fire Department, as the recipient of the 2022 VCOS Training Officer Award.

 “It is again the pleasure of VCOS to be partnered with Vector Solutions for the Training Officer Award,” said Chief Norvin Collins, VCOS Board Member and Award Committee member. “This year is even more special since it is the first award following the pandemic. The submissions really demonstrated the necessity of the Training Officer’s ability to be resilient and flexible. Using tools like Vector Solutions for remote learning truly allowed emergency responders to maintain their knowledge during those challenging times. Congratulations to our winner and to all those who were submitted for consideration. Remember, training saves lives; both the citizens we protect and ours. Keep training.”

The award honors training officers for exemplary conduct and dedication to their fire department’s training program. Captain White has demonstrated these qualities by being an instrumental part in the dramatic improvement of Apex Fire’s ISO review in late 2020, in which the department impressively earned the coveted Class 1 rating in January 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Receiving this award was unexpected,” Captain White said. “I was floored, overwhelmed, and surprised to earn this honor,” he continued, “but there is no ‘I’ in ‘team’ and without the support of my department, the [Vector LMS] training management system, and help from the dedicated people at Vector who come from the fire service and have been in my shoes, we would not have achieved a Class 1 ISO rating.”

By leveraging Vector LMS (formerly TargetSolutions), Captain White helped ensure that quality training was available to all members throughout the pandemic, which was essential during times of social distancing and quarantine and played a key role in the department achieving a Class 1 ISO rating. Considering that there was no grace period offered by ISO regarding training due to the pandemic, Captain White’s leadership and tenacity to utilize online tools to keep training on track were invaluable.

In addition to spearheading the adoption of Vector LMS and its subsequent use to help the department improve its ISO rating, Captain White has many other responsibilities at Apex Fire that contribute to the success of the department’s training program. He is responsible for scheduling departmental and continuing education training for the department and making routine and special assignments through Vector LMS for special topics, monthly safety training, and the dissemination of new and updated policies. He is also in charge of ensuring all EMS personnel meet the continuing education requirements to maintain their EMT certification, which is critical to the success of the providers and the department.

Captain White’s passion for the fire service is reflected in his dedication to training and guiding the next generation of firefighters. As a former company officer and in his current training role, Captain White continues to mentor several of his previous firefighters and receives requests from others wanting to learn from his expertise and experience.

The 2022 VCOS Training Officer Award will be presented to Captain John White at the VCOS AnnualMeeting at Fire-Rescue International (FRI) 2022 in San Antonio, Texas, on Aug. 25.

Visit Vector Solutions at booth No. 2829 to see what Vector’s suite of training, staffing, performance, and asset management solutions can do for your agency. This year marks the ninth consecutive year Vector Solutions and the VCOS have p

Green Bay (WI) officials are debating whether or not to use $9 million of American Rescue Plan money, given to community as COVID relief funds, to replace a deteriorating fire station, according to report published by NBC 26 Green Bay.

According to the report, Fire Station 3 is an 86-year-old facility that has foundation cracks and is prone to flooding with up to three feet of water in the basement at times.

As part of the project, Fire Station 1, which is used for administrative duties, would be combined into the new station, according to the report.

The mayor of the city, Eric Genrich does not however, agree with the plan advanced by some councilors, according to the report.

He says federal rules say that only $10 million could be used for the fire station project and some of it has already been spent, and he doesn’t believe the remaining $9 million is enough to fund the entire project, according to the report.

He does, however, support spending up to $25,000 to study the proposal and come up with a more solid plan, according to the report.

A wildfire burning in the Wenas area north of Naches has prompted evacuations in Yakima and Kittitas counties, as well as the closure of the Wenas Wildlife Area. The Cow Canyon Fire was reported at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Wenas Barbecue Horse Flats Camp and grew to 5,600 acres as of 2 p.m.
- PUB DATE: 8/4/2022 1:30:00 PM - SOURCE: Yakima Herald-Republic - Metered Site

A utility truck that belonged to the West Covina (CA) Fire Department was recovered Wednesday afternoon after it had been reported stolen the day before, according to a report published by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

The red 2002 Ford crew cab pickup was found in the 700 block of Nantes Street intact after it was taken from a city lot near the fire station, according to the report. Previously, a gas card assigned to the stolen truck was found in the position of a homeless man who was stopped in El Monte on Tuesday, according to the report, which also said the homeless man told authorities he didn’t know anything about a stolen truck.

Subsequently, the homeless man, identified as Saul Cruz, 31, was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property and grand-theft auto, according to the report. Information provided by the suspect led police to recover the stolen truck according to the report which also said how police located the homeless man was unclear.