With the transition to city control behind them, stakeholders in the Skagit County ambulance system are looking forward to a technological transition. Emergency Medical Services Director Jeff Sargent said the county is about a year and a half away from implementing Quickest Route, a program that tracks ambulances in real time and dispatches them to the closest 911 calls.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2019 6:41:39 AM - SOURCE: Skagit Valley Herald (GoSkagit.com)

Outgoing Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo is renewing his call for a change in state law to provide a property tax break to the spouses of first responders who die in the line of duty. "These families still carry on, they still have to manage through life, and property tax relief is one form of comfort that the government can provide," Mingo said Wednesday, the same day a public memorial service was held for the three-person crew killed in a medical helicopter crash in southeastern Ohio.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Columbus Dispatch - Metered Site

VIDEO: A crane was used Thursday morning to bring down a construction worker from the fifth floor of a building after he suffered a back injury, authorities said. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan confirmed the incident occurred at a building under construction at 200 S. Federal Highway.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPLG-TV

A Superior Court judge has indicated he will likely dismiss a lawsuit filed against the County protesting a parcel tax passed in October to shore up fire department finances. At a Tuesday hearing, Judge Donald Alvarez heard arguments from lawyers representing the County and lawyers for the Red Brennan Group, one of the plaintiffs suing to halt implementation of the tax.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Victorville Daily Press

Understanding firefighter beliefs and behaviors related to cleaning and decontaminating bunker gear after a fire is an essential first step in devising an effective health intervention to reduce risks. Firefighters face substantial risks of exposure to carcinogens and other toxins. These exposure risks result most often from dermal absorption during a fire or inhalation of off-gassing particles (volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) from contaminated bunker gear during removal.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: U.S. Fire Administration