Fire retardant dropped from an airplane into an area that should have been cleared of firefighters may have had something to do with last week’s death of a battalion chief at Northern California’s Mendocino Complex fire. Matthew Burchett, 42, was struck and killed by falling tree debris Aug. 13 near Lake Pillsbury (Lake County) in a spot where, simultaneously, thousands of gallons of the chemical slurry used to quash flames was released, state fire officials said in a preliminary report Monday.
- PUB DATE: 8/21/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle

The Toledo Fire and Rescue Department used nearly 96 percent of its overtime budget — $2.27 million in overtime costs — six months into the year, but city finance officials said they’re not too worried about the department’s overall financial health for 2018. The department budgeted $2.37 million for overtime costs in 2018 and as of June 30 had spent $2.
- PUB DATE: 8/21/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Toledo Blade

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (U.S. Department of Commerce) Monday issued the following press release: Today, FirstNet Board Chair Sue Swenson and Vice Chair Jeffrey Johnson notified Assistant Secretary of Commerce David Redl of their resignation from the FirstNet board.
- PUB DATE: 8/21/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: International Association of Fire Chiefs

Four years after New Carlisle Assistant Fire Chief Jamie Middlebrook was killed while fighting a fire, a federal agency has released a report on the incident and announced several recommendations as a result of its investigation. The report was created by the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
- PUB DATE: 8/21/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC 57 WBND-TV South Bend News

Channel 2 Investigates has learned a rotating group of Houston firefighters equipped with a tent, waited with a broken HFD fire truck for about 11 hours. The rotating crews were on-duty but unavailable to respond to emergency calls during the overnight event in Kingwood. "Nobody gave them direction as to checking on them, where do they go, there was no water, no restrooms out there, and no one gave them direction," Patrick Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, said.
- PUB DATE: 8/21/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston