Alexandria acting fire chief Corey A. Smedley will step up to the role for good, becoming the first black permanent fire chief in the Virginia city’s history. On the heels of what Alexandria City Manager Mark B. Jinks described as a nationally competitive recruitment effort, the city announced on Monday it opted to promote Smedley from his current role as acting fire chief — a position which he has held since the retirement of chief Robert C.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTOP News

Scranton Fire Chief Patrick DeSarno gave notice Monday he will resign from his position effective Jan. 3, Mayor Wayne Evans said. DeSarno accepted a job offer in another field, the mayor said. The decision was not unexpected, Evans said. “I appreciate his doing this and of course I wish him well in the future and thank him for his service,” the mayor said.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Mark Hatch said it started four years ago with a simple idea scrawled onto a Post-it note: Make a wall of fame plaque honoring the paramedics of the Burbank Fire Department. The battalion chief’s idea became a reality on Thursday when the agency formally unveiled its Paramedic Wall of Fame to a crowd of about 50 former and current members of the department’s emergency medical services division, along with their family members.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Los Angeles Times - Metered Site

The Spokane Fire Department is at the scene of a hazmat situation after high carbon-monoxide levels were detected at an apartment building in East Central Spokane, which was evacuated. Crews say the building has been without power since last Thursday after Avista shut it off due to the units being substandard.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2019 10:47:39 AM - SOURCE: KAYU-TV MyFox Spokane

Yakima firefighters made the day of an 11-year-old boy on Saturday by surprising him at his birthday party — and the fun was caught on camera by the boy's father. The video starts by explaining that Gabe has had a hard time making friends for some years, but that this year things changed for him. According to the video, when Gabe grows up his dream is to become a firefighter, and this year this birthday's theme was firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2019 10:40:45 AM - SOURCE: YakTriNews