Negotiating new pay for the first time in four years, the City of Austin received some major blowback after offering a 14 cent raise for entry-level employees in Austin’s emergency medical services department. According to the Austin EMS Association, 26% of its staff are considered low income. In a statement, the city said a pay study found the maximum pay for Austin EMTs and paramedics is higher “than that of comparable agencies when you adjust wages for regional costs.
- PUB DATE: 4/13/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXAN-TV NBC 36 Austin

VIDEO: Two young first responders to the Oklahoma City bombing are now leading their departments. It is their mission to make sure new OKC fire and police recruits know what happened that day almost 27 years ago. Both men responded in the hours and days after a bomb went off outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that killed 168 people.
- PUB DATE: 4/13/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOCO-TV ABC 5 Oklahoma City

Around 11:30 on Monday night, the Vancouver Fire Department was dispatched for a house fire on NE 76th Avenue at 87th Street. The homeowner called to report his garage was on fire. Fortunately, smoke detectors were working. Crews found heavy fire at the front of the house. Everyone got out of the home safely.
- PUB DATE: 4/13/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KBFF-FM 95.5 Portland

Congresswoman Kim Schrier and representatives from the Federal Office of Emergency Management (FEMA) met with fire chiefs and law enforcement in Kittitas County to discuss resources for wildfires. During a round-table discussion, FEMA representatives talked about federal grants available for fire prevention and grants that can help after a fire.
- PUB DATE: 4/13/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCYU-LD FOX 41 Yakima

Fire crews responded to a third-level apartment-building fire on Tuesday morning. The fire came from the storage room, according to the Seattle Fire Department, of the building on Leary Way NW between Ballard and Fremont around 2:22 a.m. No injuries were reported, and fire investigators are attempting to determine the cause.
- PUB DATE: 4/13/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle