When he found out earlier this year that the state Fire Training Academy would not be available to the department’s five recruits, Camas-Washougal Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Villines scrambled. Villines learned that the academy in North Bend would be closed indefinitely for remodeling. He called nearly every department in the state to make arrangements at their facilities but found each one to be either cost-prohibitive or fully occupied.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Vancouver Columbian

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers has introduced a bill to ban firefighting foam that contains certain toxic, man-made chemicals: those classified as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS. El Paso County Democrats Rep. Tony Exum and Sen. Pete Lee joined forces with their Republican counterparts, Rep.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Colorado Springs Independent

VIDEO: The Attleboro Firefighter's Union and Mayor Paul Heroux are at odds over when to make several big purchases for the city's fire department. During an Attleboro City Council meeting last week, Heroux asked the council for $22,500 to buy a new gear extractor (washing machine and dryer) for the city's fire department.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPRI-TV Fox Providence 12

On a frigid early December morning, Travis Akins stood at the front of a conference room in the county’s Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courthouse and took a deep breath, preparing to tell a group of parents something they might not be ready to hear. “We’re not going to baby your sons,” said Akins, a Chesterfield native and founder of Growth Through Opportunity, a 16-week program that provides young adults who have a variety of physical and/or intellectual disabilities with hands-on learning experiences, skill- and confidence-building and socialization through training alongside local first responders.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chesterfield Observer

The city of Grand Blanc will start its own fire department later this year. Beginning July 25, the city will provide services to its residents, a departure from a decades-long partnership with Grand Blanc Township. “Our primary concern when making this decision is the City’s safety and protection with care and respect,” reads a statement issued Wednesday, April 10 after the council’s vote to approve the move.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MLive.com