Three of the four state bills that have been tooled to prevent the catastrophic wildfire seasons we saw in 2014 and 2015 will take effect this week. State Rep. Tom Dent and Sen. Judy Warnick of Moses Lake were an influence on these bills which passed during the 2017 legislative session. House Bill 1711 requires the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to prioritize money spent on forest treatment to prevent fires.
- PUB DATE: 7/18/2017 3:12:18 AM - SOURCE: iFiberOne

Investigators say it’s unlikely the cause will ever be determined of a Sunday brush fire believed to have started in a homeless camp near the confluence of the Yakima and Naches rivers that then crested the Selah Ridge. “They disappeared,” Selah Fire Chief Gary Hanna said of those living in the camp.
- PUB DATE: 7/18/2017 2:03:51 AM - SOURCE: Yakima Herald-Republic

In a tradition as old as the service, firefighters from Lynden and around Whatcom County are standing vigil over the body of Lynden interim Fire Chief Robert Spinner, who died Friday of an apparent heart attack while on duty. It is the first line of duty death in the Lynden Fire Department’s 107-year history, according to a statement issued late Sunday, and the second on-duty firefighter death in Whatcom County – the other line of duty firefighter death was in March 1950, when Whatcom County Fire District 7’s Chief Clyde Eaton suffered fatal burns as a barrel of fuel exploded at a fire.
- PUB DATE: 7/18/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Bellingham Herald

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the PulsePoint Foundation (PulsePoint) today announced a strategic partnership to reinforce the use of mobile phones and apps to connect nearby CPR-trained citizens and off-duty professional rescuers with people in cardiac arrest. The collaboration also endeavors to develop strategies for utilizing public safety data in new and innovative ways.
- PUB DATE: 7/18/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: International Association of Fire Chiefs

Mayor Michael Becker says that his city has complied with an FBI subpoena asking for information on Margate city employees and prescription plans and that he is concerned about the possible disruption that may result from a wide-ranging grand jury investigation. In nearby Ventnor, meanwhile, Mayor Beth Holtzman said Monday her city is also cooperating, though she declined to say whether there had been any subpoena issued.
- PUB DATE: 7/18/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Philly.com