Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday invited the Houston firefighters union to sit down with him to discuss “any ideas you have” about how to implement the pay parity measure passed by voters last November, but left it unclear whether negotiating pay raises through contract talks was an acceptable idea.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Chronicle

Two Skagit County fire districts are awaiting reimbursement from the state of Washington after sending firefighters and equipment to California to help battle summer wildfires. In August, fire districts 3 and 14 — which serve the areas of Conway and Alger, respectively — sent crews to battle some of California’s deadly wildfires.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: GoSkagit.com

Training has been halted for thousands of firefighters. The U.S. Forest Service can’t let contracts for needed equipment. In forests across the West, no federal employees are reducing dry fire fuels that feed catastrophic blazes. These are some of the effects of the federal shutdown on federal firefighters, and experts say the situation could quickly worsen.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Bend Bulletin

Sanibel (FL) Fire Rescue SL75 aerial ladder quint. Custom cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; H75-foot aerial ladder; Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm pump; UPF Poly 500-gallon tank.

A Thursday afternoon blaze in the kitchen and attic of a duplex unit in the Hough neighborhood damaged the residence and likely displaced the residents. Vancouver firefighters were called about 3:45 p.m. to 1204 W. McLoughlin Blvd. after a group of people driving by said they noticed smoke coming from the residence.
- PUB DATE: 1/10/2019 7:04:44 PM - SOURCE: Vancouver Columbian