A veteran of the D.C. Fire and EMS Department says the city's training academy is leaving new firefighters woefully underprepared. Some rookies leave having never used a fire hydrant, a recently retired deputy fire chief with decades on the job wrote in an internal memo obtained by News4. The nine-page memo says the recruits are rushed through a training program.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC Washington

The Chicago Fire Department Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of an explosion that killed four firefighters in the Back of the Yards neighborhood responding to a fire in a sausage factory. On Feb. 7, 1968, more than 300 firefighters were called to the Mickelberry Food Products Company at 50th and Halsted.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS Chicago

Upset over the way the city rolled out civil service rules last fall, the union representing Arlington firefighters has now turned to the courts. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Tarrant County, the Arlington Professional Firefighters sued the city and named Fire Chief Don Crowson, city human resources director Kari Jo Zika and members of the city's Civil Service Commission as defendants.
- PUB DATE: 2/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fort Worth Star-Telegram

A toddler died from injuries suffered while touring a Scottsdale Fire Department station this past weekend, city officials confirmed Tuesday. The boy, just under 2 years old, was fatally injured Saturday by apparatus bay doors at the Scottsdale Fire Station at 1901 N. Miller Road, the city's communications office said.
- PUB DATE: 2/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com & KPNX-TV NBC 12 Phoenix

The Cranston Fire Department is monitoring the health of 20 firefighters and first responders experiencing exposure symptoms after battling a chemical fire at ProSys Finishing Technologies last week. Crews from across the state responded to the company on Elmwood Avenue last Monday when a report of a fire turned into a hazmat incident, sending 12 firefighters and two first responders to the hospital.
- PUB DATE: 2/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPRI-TV Providence 12