The West Burlington Fire Department's profile picture on Facebook has changed overnight after losing one of their own. The Eastern Iowa Fireground Photos is reporting on their Facebook page that firefighter James Franciskovich, 52, and two others were headed to the State Fire School in Ames, Iowa on Friday evening, Feb.
- PUB DATE: 2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WQAD 8

West Sacramento’s Deputy Fire Chief Rebecca “Becky”’ Ramirez never saw a female firefighter growing up and certainly never considered a career in the field. In fact, when she and her husband, Adam Ramirez, were taking classes at a San Bernardino County-area community college, she encouraged him to enroll in a firefighting course offered there.
- PUB DATE: 2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sacramento Bee

Fire Capt. Rick Winship died in a hospital bed, not in a raging inferno or a tragic accident while racing to an emergency scene. But his death was in the line of duty all the same, his widow says. The fast-spreading cancer that killed him two years ago was, Heather Winship believes, a result of exposure to toxic soot and smoke during his 26-year career with the Independence Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Kansas City Star

Following the suicide of Firefighter Nicole Mittendorff last year, the Fairfax County (Va.) Fire and Rescue Department contracted to have an assessment done of organizational culture and attitudes within the department. The resulting report includes many valuable insights and recommendations, but also falls short when it comes to really dealing with the issue of accountability.
- PUB DATE: 2/27/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FireRescue1

Portsmouth Fire Rescue & Emergency Services, VA, hazmat unit. Freightliner M2 cab and chassis; Cummins ISL 330-hp engine; 20.4-foot Hackney seven-compartment hazmat body with front personnel compartment.