Even though Jay Wittwer doesn't officially begin his job as Tukwila fire chief until Sept. 15, he already feels right at home. The city selected Wittwer, a Nevada native, after a nationwide search that netted 18 applications. Wittwer was one of six applicants who interviewed for the position last month.
- PUB DATE: 8/19/2016 2:26:14 AM - SOURCE: Tukwila Reporter

A firefighter who drowned in Lake Norman while trying to retrieve the body of a lost swimmer died from a gas embolism after running out of air and surfacing too rapidly, according to a report released Thursday by the Iredell County medical examiner. Bradley Long, 28, of the Sherrills Ford-Terrell Fire and Rescue fire department, died on June 6 after gas bubbles likely blocked an artery during a hurried, emergency ascent, according to the report.
- PUB DATE: 8/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Charlotte Observer

FirstNet Chairwoman Sue Swenson, Vice Chairman Jeff Johnson and board member Teri Tekai have been reappointed to serve additional three-year terms on the board of FirstNet, according to an announcement today from U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. Like Swenson, Johnson and Takei, FirstNet board member Barry Boniface’s current term will expire, but Boniface “decided not to see reappointment to the FirstNet board due to the demands of his business,” according to a U.
- PUB DATE: 8/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Urgent Communications

A firefighter was injured Thursday while battling a blaze that consumed a house near Gilbertsville and drew firefighters from 10 companies in Montgomery and Berks counties, a fire chief said. The firefighter, whose name wasn't released, was taken by ambulance to Pottstown Memorial Medical Center after he suffered a head injury when he was hit by a section of fire hose, Chief Rick Smith of Gilbertsville Fire & Rescue Company said.
- PUB DATE: 8/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Days after a decision to have American flags removed from Arlington Fire District's three trucks ignited national scrutiny, a new flag again adorns an engine. But though a compromise was reached, the controversy hasn't ended for some in opposition to the district's decision. Arlington district officials reached an agreement Thursday "to install a flag on an engine and continue to work together to develop a standard and protocol.
- PUB DATE: 8/19/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Poughkeepsie Journal