Voters on Tuesday granted Houston firefighters the same pay as police of corresponding rank and seniority, giving a boost to firefighters who long have felt neglected by City Hall while dealing a blow to Mayor Sylvester Turner and the city budget he administers. The passage of Proposition B sets up a potential court fight over the legality of the measure, and raises the possibility that Turner may swiftly implement his pledge to lay off more than 850 firefighters and scores of other city workers to accommodate what he repeatedly has called the measure's "unaffordable" cost.
- PUB DATE: 11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Chronicle

More than 150 people came to Monday’s City Council meeting to offer a rebuttal to the city’s recent mailing about the Public Safety Officer program. People in red shirts signifying opposition to PSO program filled City Hall. Council chambers could not hold the crowd, which overflowed into nearby rooms.
- PUB DATE: 11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

Proposition 11 has passed, the AP is predicting. The campaign largely funded by private ambulance companies had voters deciding what to do with employee breaks. Emergency ambulance employees who work for private companies will be allowed to continue their current practice of having emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics stay on-duty during their meal and rest breaks in order to respond to 911 calls.
- PUB DATE: 11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOVR-TV CBS Sacramento

The Madison Fire Department is examining its health programs and policies as federal officials plan to investigate the death of one of the department’s members earlier this year after a stressful shift. While it’s still unclear seven months later if a taxing 48-hour shift contributed to the sudden heart attack death of firefighter and paramedic Richard Garner, the fire department is looking at whether its wellness programs, fitness testing policies and shift scheduling could better prevent job-related health problems or deaths.
- PUB DATE: 11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wisconsin State Jounral

East County Fire and Rescue voters were rejecting a property tax levy increase to help pay district costs for facilities, equipment and training, voting about 54 percent against, according to early vote tallies. The ballot proposition was losing 2,118 to 1,812, according to early election results released Tuesday evening.
- PUB DATE: 11/6/2018 10:11:34 PM - SOURCE: Vancouver Columbian