The city’s Retirement Board has blocked Fire Chief Brian Moriarty from firing a 250-pound firefighter who the chief alleged is unfit for duty because of his weight. Morarity directed firefighter Alfredo Sanchez, a 17-year-veteran of the force, to retire when Sanchez returned from an 18-month disability leave after tearing a ligament in his knee.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Dozens of firefighters attended the Newport News City Council meeting on Tuesday hoping to be heard. Donnie Lewis, President of the Newport News Firefighter's Association, says a mandatory overtime policy is exhausting city firefighters. “Our firefighters are the best in the world, I think. They do a great job…but there’s a limit," said Lewis.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTKR Channel 3 News

A father and three children were killed and a little girl is fighting for her life at the hospital after a fiery crash in Auburn Thursday evening. Police were called to the intersection of 17th Street SE and R Street SE just after 5:30 pm., according to Mark Caillier with Auburn Police. When they arrived, they found the vehicle on fire.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

A private ambulance company says two Washington state employees accused of making derogatory comments about Native Americans on Facebook are no longer working there. A spokeswoman with American Medical Response, Tawnya Silloway, said in an email Thursday night that two are out. The employees were placed on unpaid leave Tuesday as AMR investigated "culturally insensitive" comments made regarding a photo of a Native American teen on Facebook.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

"What we focus on in the training is how do we sequence these things and do things at the same time," said Bill Godfrey, lead instructor. "Manage it all. communicate, keep everything and everybody informed." A Benton County first responder stumbled upon the course online. Chief Bill Whealan from Benton County Fire District #4 applied to be the host agency after the discovery.
- PUB DATE: 6/28/2018 9:32:14 PM - SOURCE: YakTriNews