PHOENIX (ABC 15) - Relatives of a young family who died in a fire truck crash in April have filed a wrongful death claim against the City of Phoenix.

ABC15 obtained the claim, dated July 3, which alleges the Phoenix Fire Department was negligent and asks for a $25 million settlement.

Phoenix Fire Engine 18 was headed to a fire alarm call on April 7 when it crashed into a pickup truck on Bethany Home Road at 29th Avenue. The engine rolled over into a schoolyard, and the pickup was crushed. Kenneth "Chase" Collins, 20, his girlfriend, Dariana Serrano, 19, and their infant son, Kenneth, all died in the pickup. All three firefighters on the engine were injured. MORE

April 7, 2019 Motor Vehicle Collision
Notice of Claim for Wrongful Death/Survival

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) - On the hottest week of the year, the fire union president is calling on Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston City Council to repair two dozen Houston fire trucks with no working air conditioning.

"This is unacceptable. This absolutely unacceptable," said Marty Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association.

Monday afternoon, Lancton had a running list of about 24 trucks city-wide with no A/C. MORE

Federal agents and the Pierce County Fire Marshal are investigating a suspicious fire that broke out early Tuesday outside a Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall in Puyallup. The Jason Chudy of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said there are indications the blaze may be linked to a series of previous arsons last year at Kingdom Hall churches in Thurston County.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2019 11:24:36 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

The Williams Flats Fire has reached the 50-percent mark for containment and sits at 45,359 acres, while multiple evacuation notices have been reduced. Previously under Level 3 evacuations, the following areas are now under Level 1 evacuations: Areas south of Four Corners, On or near the shoreline of Lake Roosevelt along the Ninemile-Hellgate Road.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2019 9:53:10 AM - SOURCE: KHQ-TV NBC 6

VFIS announced the launch of ResponderHelp.com, an emergency responder’s one-stop free resource. ResponderHelp.com was developed and administered by VFIS but offers content sourced from a broad variety of leading industry specialists.

The website was developed to serve as a gift to the emergency service community in celebration of VFIS’ 50th anniversary – and, as is customary of a true gift, using ResponderHelp.com is free!

There is no other known system that contains such a vast array of emergency service-related content available in today’s marketplace. VFIS saw this as an opportunity to create a tool that would have a positive and meaningful impact on a group of people who help others and serve their communities every day.

ResponderHelp.com currently houses 2,000+ free resources for emergency service organizations, including standard operating guidelines, technical bulletins, training materials, articles, checklists and videos – and new content is being added weekly. While most of the website’s resources will be free to everyone, select materials will either be available for free to VFIS clients or available for purchase to non-clients.

Responders can browse topics based on what’s new, what’s trending or what’s on their mind. The resources on ResponderHelp.com will provide answers and insight, and there will also be the opportunity to create a free account and ask subject matter experts additional questions, as well as to read questions that have been asked by other users. Those who register will also have the ability to build personal resource libraries, which could be especially useful for leaders/trainers who are building training and educational programs for their members.

To provide the most comprehensive resource library, ResponderHelp.com offers content from not only VFIS, but the United States Fire Administration, Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association/Emergency Responder Safety Institute, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, IAFC Volunteer and Combination Officers Section, Drexel University and selected National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer applied research papers.

“We are honored to be in a position where we can give back to an industry that welcomed us with open arms and allowed us to serve alongside them over the years. In return, we wanted to create a truly state-of-the-art resource that would assist them in their efforts to serve their communities,” said Troy Markel, President of VFIS. “Our mission to serve as true partners to emergency responders has remained consistent and true over the last 50 years and will continue for 50 more and beyond.”

ResponderHelp.com was officially unveiled at the Fire-Rescue International (FRI) conference in Atlanta on August 8, 2019. A reception was held for industry leaders and media personnel where they learned how the site works and received hands-on demonstrations.