Extended forecasts continue to predict a busy fire season as dry, warm weather settles in the area, and state officials and meteorologists warn of the ease in which a wildfire may be sparked in such conditions and the adverse effects high temperatures can have on vulnerable populations. “Our firefighters are concerned that we may see more wildfires this week due to rising temperatures and higher wind speeds,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, in a Department of Natural Resources press release.
- PUB DATE: 6/13/2019 6:08:19 AM - SOURCE: Centralia Chronicle

Houston City Council on Wednesday formally reversed the 220 firefighter layoffs and hundreds of demotions it approved earlier this year, making official Mayor Sylvester Turner’s pledge not to lay off or demote any firefighters in the aftermath of a judge’s ruling that Proposition B is unconstitutional.
- PUB DATE: 6/13/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Chronicle

The police chief of Alaska’s largest city hurried out of the department’s glass building after the ground began to shake. Phone lines jammed and even police radios were spotty after a major earthquake, but his cellphone was recently equipped with a national wireless network dedicated to first responders.
- PUB DATE: 6/13/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: AP News

VIDEO: First responders in Scott County say there aren't enough EMTs staying in the area for work, but some are offering a proposal to try and fix the problem. "Last year we had a 25 percent turnover rate," Scott County EMS Director Brandon Remley said. Remley is trying to bring in more paramedics and keep them in Scott County.
- PUB DATE: 6/13/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKYT-TV CBS Lexington

A day spent at the beach or the bay usually ends for thousands with nothing worse than a sunburn or chapped lips. But it's the constant potential for a far worse outcome that can keep Nassau and Suffolk first responders on edge when the weather gets warm. On Wednesday, rescue teams from both counties gathered at Nassau's Tobay Beach — sunsplashed but mostly empty of the crowds soon to come — to demonstrate and practice using inflatable flotation devices to rescue distressed swimmers and anyone else who finds themselves bobbing in Long Island waters without a life preserver or much hope for surviving.
- PUB DATE: 6/13/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Newsday