Jim Schanel has feared for his life during his four-decade career as a wildland firefighter. He fought Hayman, Waldo Canyon, Black Forest, the 117. But the day that haunts him — the day he can’t recall without tears — is June 30, 2013. That’s the day he thought a wildfire had killed his son. Schanel was battling Colorado’s West Fork fire with a Type I incident management team, protecting structures near the headwaters of the Rio Grande River, when he got a call: “Your son is missing.
- PUB DATE: 7/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Gazette

A tourist duck boat capsized in a lake near Branson, Missouri, killing at least 17 people, including children, as severe thunderstorms struck the area Thursday night, the Missouri Highway Patrol said. Seven others were injured when the boat plunged into Table Rock Lake, officials said. "Our thoughts and prayers right now are with these family members," Missouri Gov.
- PUB DATE: 7/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

Just when you thought the legal battle between the city and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association was over, another is beginning. The union has filed a lawsuit, challenging the city's enforcement of "free speech zones." The particular location is the free speech zone at the Semmes Branch Library on Judson Road.
- PUB DATE: 7/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSAT-TV ABC 12 San Antonio

Former Davenport Fire Chief Lynn Washburn is a finalist to lead the Ames (Iowa) Fire Department. The announcement came less than two hours after the latest court hearing over her employment dispute with Davenport ended. Washburn, who was fired in 2017, is one of two finalists for the fire chief position.
- PUB DATE: 7/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Quad-City Times

Murray County assistant fire chief Chris Butler, a 21-year veteran of the department, has resigned after being arrested for two counts each of simple battery and willful obstruction or hindrance of a firefighter, both misdemeanors, after a dispute at the scene of a fire earlier this month. According to a Murray County Sheriff’s Office incident report, on July 4 around 10:40 p.
- PUB DATE: 7/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Union Recorder