A driver was seriously injured early Friday in a head-on collision between a car and a Spokane Valley fire engine. The crash occurred on University Road, south of Mission about 3:50 a.m. A fire engine from Spokane Valley Fire Department Station 1 was returning from an incident and headed south on University when a northbound sedan collided with the engine, the department said in a news release.
- PUB DATE: 4/7/2017 8:00:11 AM - SOURCE: Spokane Spokesman-Review

The state can cut city firefighters’ pay and benefits while a legal case against a state takeover of the city advances, an appellate panel ruled Thursday. In a written order, Appellate Division Judge Carmen Messano said a trial judge correctly ruled state-imposed cuts in compensation are not “irreparable harm” because money for lost wages or benefits would be available if the union succeeds in its case.
- PUB DATE: 4/7/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Press of Atlantic City

The reckless homicide conviction of a semitrailer truck driver accused of killing Hudson firefighter Chris Brown in a 2013 crash has been reversed by the 4th District Appellate Court. In its ruling issued Wednesday, the court found that the state's evidence against Mansur Shakirov fell far short of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that he caused the death of the 39-year-old Brown.
- PUB DATE: 4/7/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Bloomington-Normal Pantagraph

Jennie Stout, a nurse in Ocala, Fla., was finishing an afternoon shift when she got a panicked call from home. Her 13-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, had tripped and fallen into smothered coals left over from burning leaves in their backyard, scorching her hands, knees, and shins. Ambulance paramedics on the scene when Jennie arrived said that Ashlyn should be sent by helicopter to a burn center in Gainesville for fast treatment.
- PUB DATE: 4/7/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Consumer Reports

On April 5, Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Thomas Carper (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced legislation reauthorizing the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs. The bill, S. 829, extends the authorization for AFG and SAFER through FY 2023 and eliminates a “sunset” provision currently set to take effect in January 2018 that would eliminate the programs.
- PUB DATE: 4/7/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1