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

Authorities on Sunday confirmed that three “males” died in a fiery car explosion Saturday night in Center City Allentown, what they called an “isolated incident.” They also believe “the perpetrator” was killed in the blast, an explosion that shook city buildings and residents, leaving many to wonder what could have led to such carnage.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Allentown Morning Call

A jackknifed semi truck snarled traffic late Sunday night on I-5 in Tacoma, injuring six and snarling overnight traffic for hours in the chaos. A semi driver traveling south on I-5 around 11:30 p.m. Sunday jackknifed, struck the barrier separating the two directions of traffic on I-5 near SR-16, and caused another semi driver to hit the barrier.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000