City Councilor Bob Hamel is facing criticism for his remarks at a Monday night meeting during a prickly exchange with the head of the union that represents city firefighters. It is the height of budget season in Laconia, which has a tax cap in place, and the council and fire department have clashed in recent weeks over the cost of overtime for firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Manchester Union Leader

Fairfax County’s next fire chief will be a veteran firefighter who has led Howard County’s fire department for the past four years and served two combat tours as a Marine, the Board of Supervisors has announced. John S. Butler is set to take over the 1,400-strong department in September, replacing Richard Bowers, who retired in April.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Washington Post

Fire destroyed a Safeway grocery store in Phoenix Wednesday evening, engulfing the building in flames for more than an hour and producing a tower of smoke that could be seen for miles. Phoenix fire officials said a roof on the building apparently had collapsed during a storm that brought a heavy downpour in the area prior to the fire.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com & KPNX-TV NBC 12 Phoenix

Houston Fire Department leaders on Tuesday proposed a sharp hike in ambulance fees, floating several new charges they hope will prevent repeat callers from using the city’s emergency medical services as a convenience. Ambulance transport fees would rise 70 percent, to $1,876; the accompanying $14.36-per-mile fee would not change.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Chronicle

A team of coding students from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have developed an app that can turn your smartphone into a smoke detector. 'Smoke Detective' is programmed to allow a smartphone camera to detect smoke from a fire, then sound an audible and visible alarm upon detection.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTAE-TV ABC 4 Pittsburgh