A New Orleans judge has sided with the city over one point of a deal hashed last year over firefighters' pay and pensions, approving a less generous interpretation of how quickly firefighters will accrue retirement benefits. At the same time, Civil District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso sided with the firefighters on a separate point, saying that the city can’t take back disability benefits from firefighters who already have received them.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Orleans Advocate

Fire departments from across the Birmingham area responded to a gas line explosion in Shelby County that killed one person and severely injured several people Monday afternoon. Earlier reports indicated that seven had been severely burned and many of them transported to UAB. However, at 10:45 p.m.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: AL.com

Three years ago, Chicago spent nearly $2 million — and $1.7 million more in legal fees — to compensate dozens of women denied firefighter jobs because of a discriminatory test of upper body strength that City Hall has now scrapped. Now, a dozen women who wanted desperately to become paramedics are accusing the Chicago Fire Department of devising two new physical agility tests that are equally biased against women.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Sun-Times

Six people were killed and 10 more injured Tuesday morning when a school bus veered into oncoming traffic in Southwest Baltimore and ripped through the side of an MTA bus, police said.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Baltimore Sun

PHOTO - Four firefighters and one civilian were injured today when a fire truck collided with a car in the Back Bay causing a domino effect that damaged eight other cars, fire officials said. The civilian and firefighters, including one captain, all were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where they were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn said.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Boston Herald