A Seattle firefighter is facing cyberstalking and identity theft charges after being accused of using a colleague's email account to send threatening messages to Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. According to court documents, Andrew Finseth, 42, told investigators that his goal in writing the threatening messages to the council member was to get a fellow firefighter in trouble.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 1:12:35 PM - SOURCE: KUOW-FM Seattle

According to a report from The Standard, financial savings could be on the way for residents served by Maury (NC) Volunteer Fire-Rescue (MVFR).

A new fire substation will be located at 5846 N.C. 258, allowing the MVFR to serve its district with faster response times. It will also help the MVFD achieve a better insurance rating.

Thanks to efficient financial planning and changes at the state level, the MVFR can now construct a substation, allowing it to achieve a lower rating.

Insurance ratings are determined by Office of the State Fire Marshal and are based off a number of factors including proximity to the station, equipment, and training.

Positive ratings suggest that a fire department is well equipped to respond to fires and can significantly lower homeowners’ insurance rates. Currently, Maury has a rating of “5” for structures within five miles of its current station. Beyond that, the rating changes to “9,” with the exception of the MVFR’s “no man land.”

The MVFR has been working since the 1980s to reduce its rating, with little success.

The change allowed for the MVFR to staff its substation with a minimum of four firefighters instead of eight. The station was also in good financial standing, having completed the debt service for the station.

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SPARTAN—Cairo (NY) Fire District pumper. Spartan Gladiator EMFD cab and chassis; Cummins X15 600-hp engine; Waterous CSUC20 2,250-gpm pump; UPF Poly 1,500-gallon water tank; Harrison HydraGen 6-kW generator; TFT Hurricane XFIH-E deck monitor; TFT RC3 18-inch automatic telescoping waterway; Will-Burt Night Scan Powerlite series light tower. Dealer: SVI Trucks, Fort Collins, CO.

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SPARTAN—Cairo (NY) Fire District pumper. Spartan Gladiator EMFD cab and chassis; Cummins X15 600-hp engine; Waterous CSUC20 2,250-gpm pump; UPF Poly 1,500-gallon water tank; Harrison HydraGen 6-kW generator; TFT Hurricane XFIH-E deck monitor; TFT RC3 18-inch automatic telescoping waterway; Will-Burt Night Scan Powerlite series light tower. Dealer: SVI Trucks, Fort Collins, CO.

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According to a report from The San Pedro Sun, what was originally supposed to be a one-time occurrence, delivering a donated fire truck to Caye Caulker in November 2017, has now become an ongoing project. During this time, several other trucks, ambulances, and emergency equipment have been donated to Belizean communities by the U.S. and Canada.

It all started in 2013 when former Ohio firefighter James E. York III visited Caye Caulker in 2013 and formed a connection with former fire station Chief Miguel Matus. York saw that the department had a huge need for a quality fire truck. Almost four years later, York successfully delivered a fire truck to La Isla Cariñosa.

York said that, after his January 2013 visit, he began discussions with Matus about acquiring a proper fire truck. York and members of his church, Beechwold Christian, looked at ways of acquiring the truck. After he was successful, one year later, the U.S. Air Force’s Denton Program, which allows U.S based nongovernmental organizations to transport humanitarian aid, assisted by flying the truck to Belize in a C-17 Globemaster aircraft.

Afterward, York started working on acquiring three additional trucks, one of which was sent to San Pedro Town in 2018 following a series of devastating fires. York said that he was also directly involved in the successful delivery of two additional trucks, one for Punta Gorda Town and and another for Ladyville, north of Belize City.

Read more HERE

(Image of Belize flag found on Wikimedia Commons courtesy of Caleb Moore.)

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