Spokane Valley fire crews quickly put out a garage fire on Monday evening. Units were dispatched around 5:17 p.m. to a house on E. Springfield Ave. Valley Engine 7 was the first on the scene and saw smoke coming from the garage area of the house. The fire was upgraded to a working fire, which allowed more resources to respond to the scene.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2017 8:39:48 AM - SOURCE: KHQ-TV NBC 6

Spartan Emergency Response (“Spartan” or “Spartan ER”), a business unit of Spartan Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAR), will gather first responders, technicians, original equipment manufacturers, service center representatives, and dealers, from across the United States, Canada, and Latin America for its 23rd annual Fire Truck Training Conference (FTTC) in Lansing, Michigan, at The Lansing Center, October 8-12. Attendees have opportunities to earn EVT certification as well as hands-on fire truck-specific diagnostics, service, and maintenance training.

Spartan’s 2017 FTTC features an expanded curriculum that includes more than 35 classes, an extended Spartan Motors plant tour, and keynote addresses from Jim Juneau, council member to FEMSA, FAMA, and NFPA; and Stephen Wilde, President of the Emergency Vehicle Technicians Commission.

The annual William Foster Excellence Award for Technician of the Year will be awarded during an extended ceremony on October 9th.

“Our Fire Truck Training Conference is a special event in terms of the scope and the advanced curriculum we’re able to provide, in partnership with our key suppliers and dealers,” said John Slawson, President of Spartan Motors’ Emergency Response business unit. “This is a legacy Spartan event rooted in a shared interest to provide our first responders with the very best equipment, the latest technologies, and the advanced learning they need to remain optimally safe out in the field.”

A first for this year is Spartan’s Next Generation Scholarship that allows select high school students from the Jackson Area Career Center, Firefighting/EMS in Jackson, Michigan, to join the conference free of charge so they can see firsthand the high-tech and hands-on work opportunities a career in emergency vehicle maintenance may offer. 

Diamond Sponsors of this year’s event include: Allison Transmission, the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses; DANA, a world leader in highly engineered solutions for improving the efficiency, performance and sustainability of powered vehicles and machinery; and Whelen, a designer and manufacturer of reliable and powerful warning lights, white illumination lighting, sirens, controllers, and high-powered warning systems for automotive, aviation, and mass notification industries worldwide.  

For more information on the Spartan Emergency Response, go to http://www.spartanmotors.com/emergency-response/.

A huge truck fire spread into nearby brush and trees on Interstate 5 Tuesday morning, blocking traffic and sending a billowing plume of smoke over the area. Fire crews and police responded to the scene, in the northbound lanes of I-5 just south of Martin Luther King Jr. Way, at about 10:20 after receiving reports of a fire.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2017 4:36:18 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

A barrage of gunfire erupted from one of the upper floors of the Mandalay Bay hotel a bit after 10 p.m. Sunday night aimed at a massive crowd attending a country music festival across the Las Vegas Strip. After the gunfire and the ensuing stampede of over 22,000 people, at least 58 are dead and over 500 injured, including some critically who may not survive.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Former FDNY commissioner Thomas Von Essen, who presided over New York’s Bravest during 9/11, has been named head of the FEMA region that serves Puerto Rico — making him the new leader of the hurricane recovery efforts. “There’s a lot of work to do,” Von Essen told The Post. “I’m excited to go down there to continue the work that they’ve done, that they’ve started.
- PUB DATE: 10/3/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post