The municipality of Anchorage has paid one of its firefighters more than three-quarters of a million dollars after his successful lawsuit against the fire department. It’s the second large civil award this year the municipality has paid to a public safety employee, after two police officers won $2.7 million last summer in a lawsuit over racial discrimination.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Alaska Public Radio

Poor communication by Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers with Gatlinburg authorities undermined the initial response to last year's deadly wildfire and cost lives, a report released Tuesday found. "Insufficient warning by (the park) contributed to a dramatically reduced time frame to conduct needed evacuations," the outside review concluded.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Knoxville News Sentinel

As Hermosa Beach moves toward contracting with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for firefighting services, 13 firefighters have sued the city over how their regular and overtime compensation has been calculated, it was announced today. The suit filed in federal district court alleges the city has violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and seeks not only the compensation the firefighters say they deserve but double damages spanning three years as a penalty, plus interest and attorneys fees, according to Katie Casey, Hermosa Beach's public information officer.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles

The cause of a house fire on 3 Crabs Road late Monday night remained under investigation Tuesday, said fire officials. Clallam County Fire District 3 crews arrived at 223 3 Crabs Road in Dungeness north of Sequim at 8:23 p.m. Monday to find a two-story vacation rental fully engulfed in flames. Assistant Chief Dan Orr said no one was home and that the homeowner was anticipating renters in the coming days.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2017 10:27:52 PM - SOURCE: Port Angeles Peninsula Daily News

A woman and her dog had to be rescued after they became stranded 100 feet down an embankment in Silverdale Tuesday night. Firefighters from Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue were called to the 10000 block of Warren Road NW, around 8:00 p.m. Crews said the owner apparently fell while trying to save her dog, a 100 pound Great Pyrenees.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2017 10:22:58 PM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000