Firefighters, cops and medics took turns this week rappelling from a prop helicopter in Olds Station. The first responders were practicing hoist rescues, the type of recovery often used to pluck stranded or injured hikers from remote areas. Mounted above Chelan County Fire District 1, Station 11’s hose tower, the prop helicopter matches the district’s helicopter that’s currently in service, which adds important overlap between training and real world rescues, said Chief Brian Brett.
- PUB DATE: 6/14/2019 4:00:41 AM - SOURCE: Wenatchee World

The head of the nation's largest firefighters union is calling on the Trump administration to back a bill that would grant additional funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund until 2090. Harold Schaitberger, who is general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), said Thursday that even though the bill boasts strong bipartisan support in Congress it could use more help from the White House.
- PUB DATE: 6/14/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Hill

VIDEO: Starting Aug. 1, current and past first responders may use a medically documented post-traumatic stress disorder to apply for workers’ compensation. This is part of Louisiana Act No. 112, which unanimously passed through both the Louisiana House and Senate. “It helps from the standpoint if they require inpatient treatment," said Licensed Professional Counselor Craig Kennedy.
- PUB DATE: 6/14/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KALB-TV NBC/CBS 35 Alexandria

Eleven years ago this month, a fire ripped through a part of Universal Studios Hollywood. At the time, the company said that the blaze had destroyed the theme park’s “King Kong” attraction and a video vault that contained only copies of old works. But, according to an article published on Tuesday by The New York Times Magazine, the fire also tore through an archive housing treasured audio recordings, amounting to what the piece described as “the biggest disaster in the history of the music business.
- PUB DATE: 6/14/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The New York Times - Metered Site

First responders never know what they’ll encounter when the call comes in – and so they practice. They participate in training drills on a regular basis. Firefighters, paramedics, troopers and police officers are all a big family– one that has each other’s backs in the face of any emergency. Ralph Munroe works on Ladder 3 out of the Stevens Avenue station – and the notion of family hits pretty close to home for him.
- PUB DATE: 6/14/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCSH-TV NBC 44 Portland