Almost two months after his arrest for allegedly stealing nearly $240,000 from the fire district he once headed, Michael Denardo is preparing to accept a plea agreement. He's also making plans to return the money, said his lawyer, Jesse Squier, on Wednesday. "By the time of sentencing, it will be made whole," Squier said.
- PUB DATE: 7/23/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Middletown Times Herald-Record

A first-of-its-kind approach for providing ambulance care to many Contra Costa residents should operate in the black, a new report found, but it's unlikely to generate enough savings to significantly boost services at the cash-strapped Contra Costa Fire District. Urged to operate more efficiently, ConFire has proposed a new partnership with its longtime ambulance provider, American Medical Response.
- PUB DATE: 7/23/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: contra costa times

Laura Caro thought the fire on the freeway in the Cajon Pass was bad. And then she got the bill for leaving her vehicle there. Caro was driving her 80-year-old mother home from a doctor's appointment Friday when the North fire spread to Interstate 15 and started burning vehicles. On officers' orders, she left her SUV and fled, pushing her mom in a wheelchair through a smoky maze of stopped cars and frightened people.
- PUB DATE: 7/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: los angeles times

Dallas Fire-Rescue administrators are investigating one of the agency's employees for what could be a racially-charged comment made on Facebook. The controversy started with a public post on a personal page operated by a firefighter on Sunday. He was sharing a link to video of a story about two San Diego firefighters who were stabbed by a black man who is now on trial in that city.
- PUB DATE: 7/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

The state Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Philadelphia Fire Commissioner has discretion in deciding when to promote firefighters and fill positions. The 3-1 ruling came after a lengthy battle between the city and the firefighters union, IAFF Local 22, over a promotional list that the city allowed to expire while the department had vacancies for captains and lieutenants.
- PUB DATE: 7/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: philly.com