In the next few years, overburdened Portland fire stations may shift focus from responding to each service call to setting up a direct line with parties better suited to handle a caller’s emergency. Connecting someone with a social worker or mental health professional instead of a firefighter could help reduce the Portland Fire and Rescue Bureau’s tremendous volume of service calls.
- PUB DATE: 4/3/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland State University

A Suffolk Superior Court judge has denied the town’s motion to stay Brookline firefighter Gerald Alston’s reinstatement after the state’s Civil Service Commission ruled in February that he was unjustly fired. The case dates back almost a decade, when a Brookline Fire Department lieutenant left a voicemail for Alston and used the “n-word.
- PUB DATE: 4/3/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Brookline TAB - Wicked Local Brookline

Gov. Ron DeSantis and members of the state cabinet gathered Tuesday morning at the state capitol for the annual “Ringing the Bell” ceremony to honor fallen firefighters in the state. Two new names were added to the Firefighter Memorial Monument in the capitol courtyard, representing Florida firefighters who died in 2018.
- PUB DATE: 4/3/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WWSB ABC 7

The tornadoes that tore through parts of Shiawassee County on March 14 left a trail of destruction 18 miles long. Now Governor Gretchen Whitmer has turned down the county's request for a State Declaration of Emergency and disaster relief. The two tornadoes damaged 136 structures including 94 homes, 4 businesses, 16 barns, and 22 RV's.
- PUB DATE: 4/3/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLNS.com

Firefighters train weekly to maintain readiness, so when the call comes to put their lives at risk for the people they serve, they are prepared. Whether in training or on a live fire, they are susceptible to various carcinogenic toxins - until now. To help reduce the inhalation of toxins, more and more fire departments are purchasing virtual reality equipment to provide a safer way to train their members.
- PUB DATE: 4/3/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Schriever Air Force Base