Six days after Houston City Council approved 220 firefighter layoffs, Fire Chief Sam Peña followed through telling the department's newest hires in an emailed letter, "I am sorry to have to notify you that your position is being eliminated..." Peña explained the layoffs, telling firefighters, "The City of Houston has experienced a sizeable budget shortfall due to the implementation of Prop B.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC 13 News

Stephen Carr, president of the York Village Fire Department corporation, laid out the typical scenario for a volunteer firefighter at the York Village or York Beach departments. “The pager goes off. You could be at work, so you’re leaving work and not getting paid while you respond,” he said. “You get in your vehicle, using your own gasoline.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Bangor Daily News

After weathering six judges, a long preliminary hearing, a botched plea deal, countless legal motions and no shortage of emotional courtroom drama, the trial of two men held responsible for the deaths of 36 people in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire 2 1/2 years ago finally begins Tuesday. Prosecutors are scheduled to deliver opening statements laying out their case against Derick Almena, 49, and Max Harris, 29, who are charged with 36 counts each of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the Dec.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: East Bay Times

Negotiators for the city and the executive board of Warwick’s firefighters union have reached agreement on a proposed union contract that would bolster the city’s financial position, Mayor Joseph J. Solomon said Tuesday. The proposed contract, which remains subject to ratification votes by the union’s membership and by Warwick’s City Council, would incorporate pension language already written into the city’s ordinances, said Solomon.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Providence Journal

State lawmakers are working to curb and document the use of contaminated firefighting foam with a trio of bills. Fire chiefs who use firefighting foam that contained per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances would be required to report its usage within 48 hours, including details on the location, quantity used, nearby waterways and cleanup efforts.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Detroit News