In the 1970s, firefighters called it "firehouse roulette." Now, some 40 years later, some municipal leaders continue to gamble as they close down engine companies for budgetary reasons or during staffing shortages. The process, called "browning out," refers to the temporary closing, usually on a shift-by-shift basis, of one fire station or piece of apparatus.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Worcester Telegram

After her home north of Hutchinson escaped destruction by only a few narrow feet in Monday’s wildfire, Danielle Tajchman joked that her pet cows had saved it. After all, Scott and Danielle Tajchman had been heavily watering their lawn before the fire because their two pet cows had developed a taste for lawn grass.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Wichita Eagle

The Hartford released its ranking of the 100 U.S. cities with the highest home fire risk this week. According to The Hartford Home Fire Index, the top five cities are: Detroit, Michigan; Shreveport, Louisiana; Boston, Massachusetts; Flint, Michigan and Richmond, Virginia. The index is based on an analysis of the U.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

You’ve seen it in the movies and on TV: Someone hurt in a car wreck is strapped to a rigid backboard and rushed to the hospital by ambulance or aboard a rescue helicopter. That’s how firefighters, paramedics and others have approached patients with suspected spinal injury since the nation’s modern fire-based EMS system began some 50 years ago.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Bellingham Herald

If they're looking for someone to star in the next Marvel superhero movie, Missoula firefighter Andy Drobeck might be a good candidate. Drobeck showed his "superhuman" athleticism and big heart for a good cause for the seventh year in a row as he zipped to the number one finish in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in Seattle.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPAX