Sacramento firefighters worked more than a quarter-million overtime hours in 2015, with some firefighters working thousands of extra hours, according to a new city audit released Thursday. The Sacramento Fire Department spent more than $13 million on overtime pay in 2015, in addition to more than $44 million in regular pay, based on the report by City Auditor Jorge Oseguera.
- PUB DATE: 2/3/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sacramento Bee

VIDEO - "Rare circumstances and operational errors" caused an explosion during a training exercise in October that injured two of the town's firefighters, investigators have concluded. While the report does not explicitly fault any state or local fire personnel for the explosion, it does indicate operators of a fire simulator did not use the equipment properly and did not follow one safety protocol.
- PUB DATE: 2/3/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MassLive.com

Last fall, close to 50 members of the fire service and major fire service organizations gathered at the Johnson Foundation Inc. at Wingspread complex in Racine, WI, to evaluate the fire service and examine both long and short term challenges. Wingspread VI was the 50th anniversary of the Wingspread Conference, which began in 1966 at the same location with 11 members on the committee.
- PUB DATE: 2/3/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Dearborn (MI) Fire Department SL100 aerial ladder quint. Monarch heavy-duty cab and chassis; Cummins ISX12 500-hp engine; Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm pump.

Investigators said a fire that destroyed multiple businesses in a Sunnyside truck complex last month appears to have started from a dog kennel heater outside one of the buildings. Fire crews initially thought the January 13 blaze at 181 Factory Road was ignited by a propane tank. One firefighter injured his hand and a dog died in the fire.
- PUB DATE: 2/2/2017 3:37:14 PM - SOURCE: KIMA-TV CBS 29 Yakima