Struggling under the weight of pension and health care obligations, Michigan lawmakers appear ready to take another whack at public employee benefits — a move that reflects renewed determination to shift workers to 401(k)-style retirement systems, even if it happens in baby steps. Other states have made more modest changes, but the latest push shows that conservatives want to approve big reforms 20 years after Michigan became the first state to close pensions to future state workers.
- PUB DATE: 2/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WWJ-TV CBS Detroit

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office is reviewing the handling of a Jan. 15 incident in which a phone recording shows a deputy refers to an assault victim as "a speed bump" and the Clatskanie Fire Department as "dodos." Beyond the unidentified deputy's "sarcastic, unfeeling comment," the incident also is being reviewed for its broader implications for the handling of public safety in Clatskanie, said Columbia County Sheriff Jeffrey M.
- PUB DATE: 2/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland Oregonian, Hillsboro Argus, Oregon Live.com

The faces of four real-life Bravest will be smiling from the facades of every firehouse in the city on Monday — part of a new recruitment tactic put in place by the Fire Department. For the first time ever, banners will be draped across firehouses in an effort to encourage potential new recruits to sign up for the firefighter entrance exam this spring.
- PUB DATE: 2/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

The Fire Department will have to go an extra two months understaffed after the city abruptly - and without offering an explicit explanation - took the unusual step of scrapping a new list of screened and tested recruits. The entire process now has to be repeated. The delay in holding a training academy means the department, which is short three firefighters and coping with long-term illnesses and injuries, risks running up costs, according to Chief Oscar Elmasian.
- PUB DATE: 2/6/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse.com

 Fire Department pumper. Spartan Metro Star cab and chassis; Cummins ISL9 450-hp engine; Waterous CSU 1,250-gpm pump; Pro Poly 750-gallon tank.