LaFave, a volunteer firefighter who has Down Syndrome, helped four developmentally disabled children reach safety during a kitchen fire July 18, according to a Cowlitz 2 press release The blaze started in the kitchen at a home on the 100 block of Derek Drive, when four children (ages 13, 10, 9 and 6) were at the house without an adult.
- PUB DATE: 9/29/2017 2:15:47 AM - SOURCE: Longview Daily News

Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief David Coatney's first 14 months on the job were a scorcher for his department. The July 7 police ambush happened shortly after he was hired from Round Rock. Complaints about decaying fire stations were prevalent. Uncertainty over their pensions led to an exodus of firefighters and left more strain on those left behind to cope with upticks in emergency calls.
- PUB DATE: 9/29/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dallas Morning News

One of the foremost authorities on fire prevention, and the author of the "America Burning" Report passed away Thursday. Louis J. Amabili, 88, began his fire service career when he joined the Hockessin, DE, Fire Company in 1947. In 1970, President Richard Nixon appointed Amabili to to serve on the National Commission for Fire Prevention and Control.
- PUB DATE: 9/29/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse.com

The badly understaffed Hartford Fire Department received some good news Thursday in the form of an $11 million federal grant. The grant will be used to hire 70 new firefighters over the next three years and help the department offset a 110 member shortage and an ongoing exodus of more than 60 experienced firefighters by the end of the year.
- PUB DATE: 9/29/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hartford Courant

Two men charged in a deadly blaze that broke out during an underground music event at Oakland’s Ghost Ship warehouse pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 36 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter, paving the way for a preliminary hearing of the evidence in the case. The defendants, Derick Almena, 47, and Max Harris, 27, briefly appeared in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland to enter their pleas.
- PUB DATE: 9/29/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate.com)