Despite orders from the Spokane City Council to maintain an independent dispatch crew for firefighters, the city is now relying on a new regional system to handle emergency calls. As it prepares for the rest of the county to move forward with a new regional 911 dispatch system, the city has lost so many fire dispatchers that it can no longer fully provide fire dispatch services to itself or its neighbors.
- PUB DATE: 7/6/2019 7:46:09 AM - SOURCE: Spokane Spokesman-Review

Fourth of July fireworks caused a fire that burned several trees and damaged a fence about 30 feet from a West Richland home, said Kyle Jagelski, a volunteer training officer with Benton County Fire District 4. The family who lives at the home on Grand Teton Court and East Lattin Road said they didn’t realize the fireworks they were setting off were aerials.
- PUB DATE: 7/5/2019 10:31:55 AM - SOURCE: YakTriNews

One person was killed and 13 others were displaced after a fire near Burien overnight. Firefighters were at the scene in the 10200 block of 10th Avenue South before midnight, where they found two homes engulfed in flames. One person was reportedly still in one of the homes while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.
- PUB DATE: 7/5/2019 4:33:22 AM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

Firefighters had to dodge exploding fireworks Thursday morning when a storage facility caught fire in South Carolina It happened around 6 a.m. in Fort Mill, South Carolina, just off Interstate 77. Investigators said the fire actually started in containers outside Davey Jones Fireworks Store. The fire never got to the store, but it did ignite all of the fireworks in the container.
- PUB DATE: 7/5/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVD-TV ABC 11 Durham

A new Iowa law will set aside part of the state's lottery revenues to help the families of firefighters and law enforcement officers keep insurance after their deaths. The Des Moines Register reports the law that took effect earlier this week will allow the Iowa Lottery to provide $100,000 to a new Public Safety Survivor Benefits Fund.
- PUB DATE: 7/5/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIMT-TV CBS 3 Mason City