Facebook messages posted by a member of Sacramento Metro Fire have been widely received as offensive and racist. Don Martin, a Sac Metro Engineer, posted a message in August that said in part: "Integrate the border with prisons…and shooting ranges…allowing American citizens to hone their skills…our tag line: illegal immigrants welcome.
- PUB DATE: 11/23/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTXL-TV Fox 40 Sacramento

When Pete Andrews became an Omaha firefighter in 1995, he says he was one of 42 black firefighters. In 2016 that number has dwindled to 34, which is a little more than 5 percent of the force. And there are no black firefighters ranked above captain. Andrews, who leads the Omaha Association of Black Professional Firefighters, says that’s a problem.
- PUB DATE: 11/23/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Omaha World-Herald

The former chief of the Sterling Fire Department pleaded guilty last week to theft over $20,000 — a felony — and first-degree official misconduct following accusations he stole more than $120,000 over several years while leading the force. Kurt Vogel, who was fired from his most recent job as head of the Greater Eagle Fire Protection District following his August arrest in the case, also agreed to pay back all of the money and give back the items he stole, prosecutors say.
- PUB DATE: 11/23/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Denver Post

Five children were killed and more than 30 others injured, some critically, in a school bus crash in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Monday afternoon, officials said. Twenty-three of the 37 students on-board the bus were transported to area hospitals, according to Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher. The immediate cause of the crash was unknown, but no other vehicles were involved, police said.
- PUB DATE: 11/22/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

The city of Bloomington has discovered that its firefighters have been paid on the wrong overtime system, leading many to be underpaid by thousands of dollars. The men and women who put their lives on the line every day thought they were being paid incorrectly, and they were right. Chief Jason Moore said it was one of the first things his employees told him about when he took over this year, and he worked with the city to confirm their suspicions.
- PUB DATE: 11/22/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIN-TV Fox 59 Indianapolis