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Posted: Oct 18, 2016

Missing King County firefighter last seen in Roslyn

A missing Western Washington firefighter was last seen in Roslyn, authorities say. Ken Ward, 43, has not been seen since Saturday, when he may have visited acquaintances in the Kittitas County town, said Tim Perciful, a spokesman for Auburn-based Mountain View Fire and Rescue. Ward apparently mentioned that he would be traveling to Spokane, but his current whereabouts are unknown.
- PUB DATE: 10/18/2016 7:27:00 PM - SOURCE: Yakima Herald-Republic
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Posted: Oct 18, 2016

Person Wanted for Setting Ambulance on Fire in Washington D.C.

Metropolitan police are searching for a person who set an ambulance on fire in Northeast, D.C. over the weekend. The arsonist was caught on camera moments before the ambulance went up into flames in the 200 block of K St. in Northeast, D.C.
The video shows the man walking Peter Luce's driveway. One minute later, he turns around and walks back and into his driveway.

Minutes later, the masked man is seen walking, then running away without the bag.

Shortly after, the neighbor's surveillance camera catches the ambulance going up in flames.

Luce and his girlfriend were up watching a movie at the time. He said they heard a loud, popping noise and ran outside. When they got out, the ambulance fully engulfed.

"We've never had an arson," he said.

"We've never had someone set anything on fire."

Luce is a part of the BeatBox D.C. non-profit, a group that supports the arts in the District. The organization used the ambulance as a mobile sound system and platform for different types of eye-popping structure. Luce and his team would bring the dressed up vehicle to block parties and community events like the H Street Festival.

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Posted: Oct 18, 2016

Jackson-Washington Township (IN) VFD to Add Third Fire Station

Jackson-Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department is planning to build a third fire station to better serve the Mutton Creek subdivision and those residents along U.S. 31 and U.S. 50 east of Seymour.
Fire Chief Kurt Fenneberg said the department's two existing stations -- at Dudleytown and on Yankee Road south of Freeman Field -- are too far away from those east side residential areas. That distance is causing increased insurance rates for homeowners, he said.

Plans call for the new station to be built at 11033 E. County Road 500N, south of U.S. 50 and east of U.S. 31. The location also will help put the department closer to Reddington to provide quicker mutual aid.

Even with good response times from its two existing stations, Fenneberg said the fire department is not meeting the fire protection rating distance requirement for the east side of its coverage area.

The department serves all of Jackson Township that is outside Seymour city limits and all of Washington Township. The area is about nine miles east to west and about 10 miles north to south.

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Posted: Oct 18, 2016

Wichita (KS) Approves $7 Million for New Fire Equipment

Wichita is buying $7 million worth of new fire trucks. The new equipment will replace aging and outdated fire equipment. The projected length of service on fire trucks is 12 to 14 years and the trucks being replaced will hit the 14-year mark about the time the new ones arrive, City Manager Robert Layton said.
The Wichita City Council approved the purchase Tuesday.

It had been on the council's consent agenda, a part of the meeting where routine and noncontroversial matters are passed on a single vote. But council member Pete Meitzner said he didn't think the council should approve such a large purchase without more discussion of how the new trucks will be used.

The city is engaged in a pilot program to try to extend the service life of its heavy firefighting equipment.

For many years, the city responded to any emergency call with its closest unit.

Now, the Fire Department is working with the 911 dispatch center to try to cut down on sending the large firetrucks to medical calls if the emergency is not acute and the call can be handled using a smaller truck in a reasonable period of time.

According to Fire Chief Ron Blackwell, the new equipment will include:

▪ A command van with the latest technology for commanding fire units in an emergency situations

▪ Three pumper trucks

▪ Two ladder trucks

▪ One "mobile light and air unit," which provides tower lighting for use in nighttime emergencies and air to supply firefighters breathing masks

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Posted: Oct 18, 2016

Petoskey (MI) Receives $1.1 Million Aerial Fire Apparatus

The city's public safety department took delivery Monday on a nearly new, $1.1 million aerial fire truck. Sutphen Corp. of Ohio, which built the 2016-model truck, used it as a demonstrator for a few months prior to Petoskey's purchase.
The truck logged about 15,000 miles during that time -- mainly from traveling around the country for demonstration purposes -- but was not used for firefighting.

The truck features a 100-foot aerial platform, 1,500-gallon-per-minute water pump and 500-horsepower diesel engine. It replaces a 32-year-old aerial unit, for which the city received a $30,000 trade-in allowance from Sutphen.

Public safety officers have noted that the old truck presented numerous electrical and hydraulic issues in recent years, that replacement parts were sometimes difficult to find because of its age, and that it lacked modern safety features.

Public safety officer Dan Smith estimated that it will take about two weeks to fully train department members in use of the newer truck.

During a city council meeting Monday, city manager Rob Straebel noted plans to feature the truck during a community unveiling event at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the corner of Mitchell and Howard streets. This will take place in conjunction with downtown Petoskey's children's Halloween festivities.

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