HOUSTON (Click2Houston) - In a City of Houston Public Safety and Homeland Security committee meeting Tuesday, Councilman Mike Knox floated the idea of privatizing the city's ambulance service. 

While Knox stopped short of advocating such a move, he said the idea merits further study. His comments drew immediate push-back from both the Houston Professional Fire Firefighters Association and its endorsement for mayor, Councilman Dwight Boykins. 

Knox argues that the current system of maintaining a fleet of working fire engines, ladder trucks and ambulances is not cost-effective for the city. Tuesday, a report undertaken by Rice University graduate students recommended the addition of five ambulances during peak times. The cost of that equipment alone is approximately $300,000 per ambulance. MORE

Firefighters are trying to salvage any equipment they can at Baker Produce in Kennewick after a fire burnt through it late Tuesday night. Over 70 firefighters from multiple agencies responded to the fire on Railroad Avenue after someone called in saying they saw smoke coming from Baker Produce at about 11:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 8/14/2019 3:39:44 AM - SOURCE: NBCRightNow.com

Fire District 4’s station on Maple Avenue is not closing — not in mid-September, anyway. The question arose, though, after a video excerpt from a city tour at the station Wednesday, Aug. 7 posted to Facebook by fire commission candidate Evan Merritt’s campaign spread locally. Fire District 4 posted a response to the video and commentary on Friday, Aug.
- PUB DATE: 8/14/2019 1:54:11 AM - SOURCE: Snohomish County News

The FDNY confirmed Tuesday that one of its lieutenants died early Saturday morning of a heart attack after a 24-hour tour. "He was the heart of the firehouse, he always had a good word to say.""I was shocked. Brian was obviously in good shape, he was a strong guy," Thomas McHugh of Squad Company 41 said at a news conference.
- PUB DATE: 8/14/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spectrum News NY1

The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department wants to enlist the help of a local minority-owned creative firm to increase diversity in its ranks, but some city councilmen aren’t sure they want to award the contract without first going to bid. Fire officials on Tuesday proposed contracting with Vince Rocha Productions LLC’s vCreative to produce a recruitment campaign for the department.
- PUB DATE: 8/14/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Toledo Blade