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Posted: Oct 31, 2016

Reimbursements for Providing Fire Services to Your Schools

Based on information provided by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the biennial Washington State Budget includes an amount for OSPI to cover Fire Services provided to schools. In July of each year, OSPI calculates a per student rate for fire services. 

To calculate this, OSPI takes the annual School Fire Services budget and divides it by the number of preschool through grade 12 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) students reported to them. The resulting per student rate is then multiplied by the number of students each school certified to OSPI to determine the school’s annual Fire Services revenue. 

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Posted: Oct 31, 2016

Hurst Jaws of Life® Adds Anthony Morabito as Northeast Regional Sales Manager

HURST Jaws of Life, Inc., an industry-leading global manufacturer of rescue tools, has added Anthony Morabito as northeast regional sales manager. A volunteer firefighter for more than 20 years, Morabito’s experience ranges from end-user expertise to almost 12 years as a HURST dealer.

“Anthony is the best of both worlds,” said Mike Canon, director of rescue sales for HURST Jaws of Life, Inc. “He has extensive experience not only in the field, but also at the dealer level. It’s this unique combination of fire service, sales and repair that makes him an invaluable member of our sales team. We look forward to learning a lot from him.”

Morabito comes to HURST from Firematic, where he worked as a dealer specializing in repairs, teaching HURST tool classes, airbag classes, and bailout system training. He also served as a terminal manager for an armored car company for 13 years. As a volunteer firefighter, Morabito held every rank from second lieutenant to chief as well as numerous certifications, and was nationally certified as a level 2 fire service instructor.

Morabito is most proud of his HURST Green Cross program patch, which he received in recognition of an early morning extrication of three teenagers; he was an assistant fire chief at the time.

For more information on Hurst, please visit www.jawsoflife.com.

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Posted: Oct 31, 2016

Fire Truck, Vehicle Crash Reported in Back Bay

Crews are at the scene of a crash involving a fire truck in Boston's Back Bay. The crash, which involved Engine No. 7 and a vehicle, happened at about 11:30 a.m. Monday at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Dartmouth Street, according to Boston Fire. No injuries were reported.

The fire truck crashed into a line of about 10 parked cars after the collision.

Boston EMS said four people were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital and one person was taken to Tufts Medical Center. The injured persons included four firefighters and one civilian.

Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn said the injuries appeared to be non-life-threatening. It was not immediately clear if the firefighters were wearing seat belts.

The engine was responding to a call about smoke at the time of the crash. Finn said the engine weighs an estimated 30 tons.

Finn said traffic cameras in the area should reveal how the crash happened.

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Posted: Oct 31, 2016

Clermont (FL) Dedicates New Fire Engine to Former Firefighter

CLERMONT - Keith Bernoir had wanted to be a firefighter since he was a child.So, when his parents got him a red plastic firefighter helmet at age 5, he thought the world of it."He thought it was gold," said his father, Bill Bernoir.Keith Bernoir eventually became a firefighter for the city of Clermont before his death in 2008.

Fellow firefighters and his father said he was the kind of person who went out of his way to help people, on and off duty.

The city will show its appreciation for Bernoir on Sunday morning when they roll out a new fire engine at Station 104 that will be dedicated to him. Family members from Mascotte and other cities are expected to attend the dedication ceremony that will take place 9:30 a.m. at 13341 Hartle Road in Clermont, the first fire station jointly operated by the city and Lake County.

The shiny red-and-black Pierce engine will be adorned with Bernoir's name and the date of his death.

“He was one of our brothers … we don’t want to forget him,” said city fire Lt. Aaron Nickerson.

The engine will be staffed by three city firefighters.

Bernoir started off as a volunteer firefighter and served five years with the city before committing suicide at 44. The dedication is open to the public and also will include a blessing of the truck and a history of the fire service in Clermont.

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Posted: Oct 31, 2016

Virginia Beach (VA) Fire Truck Lost to Hurricane Matthew Floods

When flood waters from Hurricane Matthew began to rise Oct. 9 and a fire trapped someone inside a home, Virginia Beach Master Firefighter Alexander Wazlak and his crew responded like they would any other day.

They had no idea they were about to lose a fire truck. Among Virginia Beach first responders, they were not alone.

Two weeks after the storm, the city faces an estimated cost of $1.25 million to replace emergency vehicles lost to flood damage, including police cars, ambulances and a reserve truck from the Virginia Beach Fire Training Academy, according to City Manager David Hansen’s Hurricane Matthew recovery briefing for city council on Tuesday, Oct. 25. The fire truck, which was being used by Fire Station No. 20, will cost $500,000 to replace, an amount budgeted from the Fire Apparatus Capital Improvement Program, according to VBFD Public Information Officer Art Kohn.

Wazlak has worked for VBFD for 13 years, and calls Station No. 1, at 2837 Shore Dr., his office. But the night Matthew hit, he worked at Station No. 20, at 885 Little Neck Rd., because it was short on manpower.

“We were going to wires down calls all over Little Neck Road and trees were coming down … you could see transformers blowing off in the distance,” said Wazlak recalling the night’s work shift. “During those times, I get really focused.”

Wazlak worked through the night of Oct. 8, and at around 8 a.m. on Oct. 9, the call came.

The battalion chief saw smoke rising in the Bow Creek area, confirmed a fire, and Wazlak drove his crew toward it in a reserve 2002 American LaFrance Pumper, a truck designed to attack flames. A typical pumper carries 500 gallons of water and 1,000 feet of 5-inch supply line used to connect to a water source.

“I was trying to get to the fire and I could only go so fast … I didn’t want to get water in the engine and I was watching these waves coming from the fire truck crashing into people’s houses … cars were floating … anything with air in it was floating,” said Wazlak.

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