An unauthorized practice has overpaid retiring Warwick firefighters for accumulations of vacation time since 2015, a Providence Journal investigation shows. Asked about documents and information developed by The Journal, Mayor Joseph J. Solomon said Friday he was ordering a halt to the practice. Solomon accused his predecessor, Mayor Scott Avedisian, of signing a contract document that enhanced the vacation perk even though the change was never approved by the City Council, as required.
- PUB DATE: 12/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Providence Journal

Chief of Department James Leonard, the top uniformed officer in the FDNY, has been relieved of his duties and put on modified assignment pending a review of possible “inappropriate behavior,” a spokesman said Thursday. The move came two days after the Daily News reported on allegations that Leonard was butting heads with many in the FDNY, including First Deputy Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, the lone woman at the top of the roster.
- PUB DATE: 12/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

When I spoke last year with Chief Jan Rader of the Huntington, West Virginia, Fire Department, she was realistic about the circumstances her department faced with the growing opioid crisis. At that time, data showed that West Virginia had the highest per capita rate of opioid addiction in the United States, and more than 41 overdose deaths per 100,000 population.
- PUB DATE: 12/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

A brewing feud between Detroit's police chief and the president of the city's firefighters union has now erupted into a criminal investigation. DPD Chief James Craig says his department is looking into whether a Facebook post by Union President Mike Nevin criticizing police response times has violated law.
- PUB DATE: 12/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXYZ-TV ABC Detroit

A Seattle Fire Department ambulance was briefly stolen while on call in Pioneer Square early Friday morning. The unit was responding to an incident in the 1500 block of 3rd Avenue , according to Hilton Almond with Seattle Police. When medics returned outside 15 minutes later, they found their ambulance was gone.
- PUB DATE: 12/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000