A divided Walton County Commission voted 3-2 Tuesday to place Walton County Fire and Rescue under the command of the Sheriff’s Office. The consolidation of the two public safety divisions was to take effect at 7 a.m. Wednesday, said Louis Svehla, the county’s public information manager. Commission Chairwoman Cecilia Jones sided with commissioners Melanie Nipper and Tony Anderson in favor of the merger, Svehla said.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Northwest Florida Daily News.

The City of Petersburg has a new fire chief to replace now retired chief TC Hairston. And while there isn’t much that everyone agrees on right now in the cash-strapped city, it seems everyone is praising the hiring of new Chief Dennis Rubin. “We’re excited with Chief Rubin,” Dan Macaluso, spokesperson for the Petersburg Professional Fire Association, told 8News.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRIC-TV Richmond

A decorated veteran firefighter is contemplating his next move after City Council members Monday upheld a disciplinary action he received regarding a message he posted on social media during the September flood. After two hours of testimony, council members voted 6-0 with one member absent to uphold the action against firefighter Shane Farmer.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier

On Monday morning, 32 men and a woman were sworn in as Akron’s newest firefighters. Each firefighter had chosen someone special in their life to join them on stage at the Akron-Summit Main Library auditorium to pin their badge on their jacket, including significant others, spouses and parents. Three firefighters were pinned by their fathers, who are fellow Akron police and firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Akron Beacon Journal and Ohio.com

The cost for training and certifying firefighters can be expensive for fire departments across the state, especially for those that deploy volunteers to the field. That's why a piece of legislation was presented in the Texas House Committee on Licensing & Administration by Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, to put in place a rule that would prevent the state from regulating the more than 1,400 all-volunteer fire departments.
- PUB DATE: 4/26/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Times Record News