San Antonio fire union President Chris Steele has been reprimanded for overseeing a political news conference while wearing a fake uniform that was nearly identical to its official San Antonio Fire Department counterpart. On Sept. 20, Steele held a rally and news conference at the headquarters of the Bexar County Democratic Party, where he announced that the organization had endorsed the three proposed charter amendments the union had placed on the Nov.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Antonio Express-News

Bucyrus Fire Chief Jay Keller has sued the city for $1 million in damages that he believes were accrued while he was on paid leave last year. The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Cleveland Division, by Keller's attorney, Adam Stone. "We have no further comments," Stone said after telling the Telegraph-Forum that the city would be served notice of the lawsuit via certified mail.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Mansfield News Journal

The firefighters union is criticizing the search process to replace retiring Fire Chief Stephen Geldart after none of the 19 candidates who applied for the position – including four Hudson firefighters – was selected. The initial candidate pool was whittled down to six finalists – including two Hudson firefighters – who attended an assessment center that put candidates through a battery of exercises covering all aspects of the profession such as technical knowledge, personnel administration, leadership and grant writing.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MetroWest Daily News

It was 11:19 p.m. on Oct. 8, and a panicked caller to Sonoma County’s 911 dispatch center was incredulous the operator wasn’t aware her world had exploded in flames. “What’s on fire?” the 911 dispatcher asked. Everything, the caller said. The trees, the houses, anything standing on Mountain Home Ranch Road in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Maybe they should take baked Alaska off the menu. More firefighters are getting burned – thanks in part to a 32 percent spike in cooking injuries in firehouse kitchens. Overall, there were 247 firefighter burns in fiscal year 2018, a 22 percent increase from 2017, according to the latest Mayor’s Management Report.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post