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Posted: Oct 6, 2016

Pierce County investigators search for arsonist who torched memorial of beloved educator

Pierce County investigators say a memorial for a beloved educator who died after a battle with cancer was torched in the middle of the night. Guidance counselor Colleen Blauvelt died in 2013. A bench was placed just outside the main entrance of Peninsula High School to mark her memory. But on Sunday night, September 26, surveillance cameras captured a man leaving his own mark on Colleen’s memorial.
- PUB DATE: 10/5/2016 10:49:01 PM - SOURCE: KCPQ-TV FOX 13
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Posted: Oct 6, 2016

Fire Truck Photo of the Day-E-ONE Quint

Dothan (AL) Fire Department 100-foot rear-mount aerial ladder quint. Cyclone II cab and chassis; Cummins ISX12 500-hp engine; Waterous CSU 2,000-gpm pump.

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Posted: Oct 5, 2016

Spokane assistant fire chief briefly named finalist for top job in Nebraska city

Spokane Fire Department Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer was briefly named one of four finalists to be the next fire chief in Omaha, Nebraska, Wednesday before withdrawing his name from consideration. Schaeffer said he applied for the position early this year while the city was immersed in turmoil of the firing of former police chief Frank Straub.
- PUB DATE: 10/5/2016 7:19:58 PM - SOURCE: Spokane Spokesman-Review
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Posted: Oct 5, 2016

Warren (MI) Looks to Replace Four Fire Apparatus

Years of wear and incessant use in all sorts of weather left four Warren fire trucks out of service after failed inspections earlier this year.

While officials said stations have continuously remained open and full operations have been maintained since, Warren Fire Commissioner Wilburt "Skip" McAdams has told members of the City Council that the city's fire apparatus fleet has been left "razor, razor, razor thin."

McAdams recently sought approval for an extended reciprocal agreement that will allow the city to borrow fire trucks from neighboring Sterling Heights, as needed.

The council unanimously approved that request in late August, and last week McAdams said the process of replacing fire trucks is now ongoing. He said the city will likely take delivery of its first new truck -- a 75-foot ladder apparatus that will also serve as a fire engine -- by mid-November. The city is currently finalizing a bid request for two more fire engines and a 100-foot ladder, with an estimated arrival sometime next spring.

"We've got a two-headed dragon here. We're trying to replace what we lost in the inspections and also better cover our city," McAdams said. Failed inspections, including a metallurgical test, took two frontline trucks -- an engine and one of the city's two 75-foot aerial trucks -- and two reserve engines out of service earlier this year. The city has since relied on its four newest trucks, purchased in 2012, and an aging collection of reserve vehicles, pushed into service in a frontline capacity. The stopgap, however, left the city without an actual reserve to cover for routine vehicle maintenance and emergency repairs.

McAdams said responding to calls for service through deep water during the August 2014 flooding likely decreased the operational life of the vehicles that failed inspections. Metallurgical testing reportedly detected rust damage to the frame rails.

Even so, with a normal life expectancy for fire vehicles ranging from 15 to 20 years, the trucks -- all built in the early to mid-2000s -- were likely nearing the end of their days in service anyway.

In the interim, the city has borrowed trucks from Sterling Heights as needed. McAdams said the department is also exploring options for a longer-term arrangement with a yet-to-be-disclosed municipality.

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Posted: Oct 5, 2016

Montgomery County (MD) Using Fire Apparatus to Block Traffic at Crashes

In an effort to keep first-responders safe, Montgomery County, Maryland, firefighters are positioning their trucks to block traffic at crash scenes. "A lot of times people are confused," Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Capt. Richard Triplett said. "They don't know which way to go."
That confusion, along with bad decisions, has led to 12 Montgomery County fire engines being struck in the past year compared to four crashes in 2015.

Maryland State Police troopers patrolling Montgomery and Prince George's counties encounter similar situations.

"Since the beginning of 2016, I've had 12 troopers on our Capital Beltway here in the D.C. region struck, and most of them are a result of failing to mover over or slow down," State Police Capt. Daniel Pickett.

Because drivers weren't paying attention or didn't move over, two Maryland troopers may not return to the force because of their injuries, Pickett said.

So firefighters are using their trucks as a barrier on emergency calls to try to save lives, while troopers do what they can to do the same.

"Here in this region we are running an initiative," Pickett said. "And we're targeting move over violations and distracted driving."

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