The new head of North Whidbey Fire and Rescue is no stranger to embattled departments. Tim Lemon came to the island after serving as chief of Chelan Fire and Rescue, where he oversaw a volunteer membership increase of nearly 77 percent. He said his recipe for success is to focus on both the individuals in uniform and those residing within district boundaries.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2019 1:45:21 AM - SOURCE: Whidbey News-Times

VIDEO: A massive fire at a West Philadelphia church is finally under control after several hours. The blaze caused parts of the building to collapse onto the street. The three-alarm blaze erupted on Tuesday afternoon at the Greater Bible Way Temple on the 1400 block of North 52nd Street. Fire crews remained at the scene the entire night monitoring hot spots.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KYW-TV CBS 3

New York City isn’t the only community dealing with an increase of first responder suicides. Nationally, suicides for both police officers and firefighters have surpassed line-of-duty deaths for the respective positions. In Lakewood, firefighters Ryan Fairbanks and Ryan Birth decided to tackle this epidemic by creating the Fire Peer Support initiative.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com

A 21-year-old former San Bernardino County Fire Explorer is suspected of starting numerous fires that resulted in more than $5 million in damages as a diversion to burglarize fire stations across Southern California, the Orange County Fire Authority said Tuesday. Christian David Saddler, of Hesperia, has been serving a five-year prison sentence on an arson and burglary conviction since July, authorities said.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV WB 5 Los Angeles

On a January night in 1883, flames engulfed Milwaukee’s Newhall House hotel, among the tallest buildings in the nation at the time. In just two hours, the fire killed more than 70 people. The fire remains among the deadliest unsolved arsons in U.S. history. The tragedy drew global attention to Milwaukee, with heart-wrenching stories of victims who were burned to death or killed as they leapt from the burning building.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Milwaukee Magazine