Several homes in Kent were evacuated Wednesday night after reports that a man had poured gasoline all over his house. It started as a call to Kent Police about possible person in crisis, at a home on 134th Place SE around 7:00 p.m. Firefighters and police discovered the floor of a home had been saturated with three to five gallons of gasoline by the occupant.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2017 4:48:25 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000

When you’re in trouble and every second counts – will help reach you in time? In Spokane, the distance of just a few blocks can double the amount of minutes it takes for first responders to arrive. But Wednesday, there’s a new fire chief in town and he’s making response times one of his top priorities.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2017 3:22:14 AM - SOURCE: KAYU-TV MyFox Spokane

Kittitas County will move the fire marshal position under Community Development Services starting June 1. The move comes after the county failed to find a replacement for the fire marshal position in 2016, Commissioner Laura Osiadacz said. The county also considered contracting out fire marshal services with Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue, but decided consolidation made more sense.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2017 1:52:39 AM - SOURCE: Ellensburg Daily Record

The Texas House sent Houston's pension reform package to the governor's desk Wednesday, marking what Mayor Sylvester Turner hopes is the beginning of the end of a 16-year fiscal crisis, and giving him a landmark achievement in his second year in office. Turner, who has made passing the reforms the centerpiece of his tenure, alternated between grins and gravitas Wednesday night.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse.com

Inman Fire Chief Chris Cothran said Tuesday the city council should begin thinking about funding a 24/7 fire department. At Monday’s budget work session, Cothran proposed $243,000 in new funding to pay for roughly 10 firefighters to cover two 12-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. He said the number of volunteer firefighters has dropped in recent years, jeopardizing quick response times to a fire.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: goupstate.com