PHOTO - In a scene straight out of your nightmares, a truck full of "slime eels" lost its load Thursday on U.S. 101, causing a five-car crash, dousing sedans with goo and sending sea creatures slithering across vehicles and the highway. Technically, the fish were not eels, but hagfish, which have a skull but no jaw or spine and they secrete slime when distressed, earning them the nickname "slime eels.
- PUB DATE: 7/14/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland Oregonian, Hillsboro Argus, Oregon Live.com

A St. Louis fire captain who sustained injuries while fighting a fire during the Fourth of July holiday has died. Capt. John Kemper, 59, died Wednesday after he was injured while battling a structural fire in the 3600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue early the morning of July 5, the department said. Kemper didn’t suffer any burns.
- PUB DATE: 7/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Houston firefighters are in search of higher pay. It's part of a "firefighter pay initiative" launched by the firefighters' union. As we first told you last week, Houston firefighters want pay parity with the city's police. They're circulating petitions to try to get the parity issue on the November ballot so voters can decide.
- PUB DATE: 7/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston

Fire Chief John Sinclair, IAFC president and chairman of the board, testified today before a Congressional panel that the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, including the Fire Prevention and Safety grant, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs provide valued assistance to local fire departments across the country and help them protect their communities.
- PUB DATE: 7/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: International Association of Fire Chiefs

A city firefighter has been fired following an internal investigation into alleged workers' compensation fraud, Hartford's fire chief said Tuesday. Lt. John Moree, a 21-year veteran of the department who city records show has been unable to perform firefighting duties since July 2015, was seen on surveillance video loading building materials onto a vehicle at a home improvement store, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
- PUB DATE: 7/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hartford Courant