Women firefighters in Vancouver faced greater scrutiny because of their gender and were criticized when they raised concerns about adult magazines left in the workplace and a lack of privacy in the restrooms, according to an investigation obtained by The Columbian. The report highlighted the difficulty the women faced when trying to speak freely about their work environment.
- PUB DATE: 12/22/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Columbian

Steven Wilson escaped a serious crash on Sunday morning involving a tractor-trailer and a fire truck with only a few cuts and scrapes, but he could have been hurt much worse. The Smiths Grove Volunteer Fire Department responded to three collisions on Interstate 65 that morning, which had occurred due to icy road conditions.
- PUB DATE: 12/22/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Glasgow Daily Times

About a week after 36 people died in a fire at an underground music party in Oakland, inspectors acting on a complaint discovered a makeshift nightclub and unpermitted living quarters concealed in a warehouse near Los Angeles International Airport. Authorities searching the drab, two-story building found an illegally constructed dance floor, paired with a bar and DJ booth.
- PUB DATE: 12/22/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Modesto Bee

The neighborhood surrounding Kennedy Furniture was quiet for most of yesterday morning until flames and heavy smoke began to pour out of the Kennedy Boulevard business, creating a chaotic scene on the Union City border. A five-alarm fire tore through the furniture store at the 13th Street intersection sometime around 11:30 a.
- PUB DATE: 12/22/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NJ.com

The Common Council voted Wednesday to ask the Fire Board to allow the city to hire new firefighters who are emergency medical technicians, not more highly trained paramedics. For many years, Lockport has hired only paramedics to join the Fire Department. However, after the current crop of nine candidates for the department went through agility tests, only one paramedic was left on the eligible list.
- PUB DATE: 12/22/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Buffalo News