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

Nearly every day, Mark Frey goes to work at a nondescript Fruitvale Avenue building. Despite being the longest-serving city employee, the 63-year-old isn’t as well-known as others largely because of his humble personality and his role behind the scenes. But that doesn’t mean the Yakima native’s absence wouldn’t be noticed immediately.
- PUB DATE: 7/11/2018 10:38:31 PM - SOURCE: Yakima Herald-Republic - Metered Site