Bob Nicks, president of the Austin Firefighters Association, and Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker are locked in a battle over whether the city should sign on to a new mutual aid agreement with emergency services districts in both Travis and Williamson counties and several small cities. While Baker appears to have the winning hand, he says he has worked hard to compromise with the union, giving it nearly everything it was seeking.
- PUB DATE: 12/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Austin Monitor

Los Angeles County firefighters on Tuesday won approval to ask voters for more money to help their sprawling department tackle increasingly destructive wildfires and a growing volume of medical calls. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to place a proposed parcel tax on the March ballot. The tax would apply to residents in the department’s coverage area, which spans 58 cities and the county’s unincorporated areas.
- PUB DATE: 12/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV WB 5 Los Angeles

The union representing Portland Fire & Rescue firefighters says reduced staffing at one of the city’s 31 fire stations is putting public safety at risk. According to Isaac McLennan, vice president of the Portland Firefighters Association Local 43, only two on-duty firefighters are currently regularly staffed around-the-clock at Station 23, located on Southeast 13th Place.
- PUB DATE: 12/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPTV FOX 12 Portland

There are too many medial calls in the city of Albuquerque and not nearly enough paramedics or trucks to handle them. Now, Albuquerque Fire Rescue is asking the state public regulation commission to change the rules so they can help patients. “We’ve had a significant increase in calls in 5 years, last year ran 90,000 medical calls 110 total calls system here in the City of Albuquerque… it’s just really busy right now,” said Deputy Chief Emily Jaramillo with AFR Emergency Services.
- PUB DATE: 12/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRQE-TV CBS/FOX 13 Albuquerque

An investigator has determined the cause of a fire that damaged a home in Longview early Wednesday morning. Just after 2:30 a.m., Longview Fire was called out to a house fire in the 2600 block of Maplewood Drive. Officials said the homeowners were asleep when they heard a crashing sound and found that the newly installed ceiling fan had crashed to the floor.
- PUB DATE: 12/4/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPTV-TV Fox 12 Beaverton