Spokane County Fire District Board Commissioner William A. “Bill” Anderson and challenger Larry T. Rider have at least one thing in common: more than two decades of firefighting experience. Anderson was employed with the Spokane Valley Fire Department for 29 years as a firefighter, dispatcher, engineer and officer.
- PUB DATE: 10/26/2017 3:00:52 AM - SOURCE: Spokane Spokesman-Review

The son of a Honolulu firefighter who died after a training accident in 2016 has filed a lawsuit against the city. In June of last year, 63-year-old Cliff Rigsbee was riding a rescue sled during an offshore training exercise near Kaimana Beach Park. After plowing through a series of large waves, he went unconscious.
- PUB DATE: 10/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHNL/KGMB-TV Hawaii News Now

Chief (Ret.) Alan Vincent “Bruno” Brunacini, 80, passed away Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017, in his hometown of Phoenix, Ariz. He was born on April 18, 1937, in Jamestown, New York. When he was about 5 years old, Bruno’s family relocated to Albuquerque, N.M., where he graduated from Highland High School. He moved to Phoenix as a young man, and in 1958, he joined the Phoenix Fire Department (PFD).
- PUB DATE: 10/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fire Engineering

Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Chief Rick Weigele said Tuesday he expected to be terminated by the district’s board this week. Wednesday, about 45 people attended a special board meeting in Riverbank to support Weigele, who was the subject of closed-door performance reviews Friday and this week, despite starting the job only five months ago.
- PUB DATE: 10/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Modesto Bee

In the days after D.C. rookie firefighter Dane Smothers Jr. was critically injured in an accident at the scene of a house fire, there were fears he would not survive. The 28-year-old had numerous broken bones and there were real concerns he would never walk again. But after nearly three months in the hospital, Smothers is not only walking, but he said he wants to go back to work.
- PUB DATE: 10/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTTG-TV MyFox 5 DC