After months of internal upheaval over a backlog in inspections, the Los Angeles Fire Department is replacing the official in charge of enforcing fire safety codes for apartment houses, schools, hospitals and other high-occupancy buildings. Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas said in a staff memo that Fire Marshal John Vidovich will step down next month and be assigned to the mayor’s office in an advisory position focused on new construction.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

A former fire chief contends that two firefighters were key conspirators in ousting him as chief and should be added as defendants in his lawsuit against the Eighth Utilities District. Paul Litrico claims in court filings that he did not know the two men were involved in plotting against him four years ago until district board member John Topping revealed their names during a deposition this year.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hartford Courant

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit Larry D. Christmas Jr. filed after the city rejected him as a firefighter because he refused to cut off his dreadlocks. U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. dismissed the case at the city’s request because he found the Pascagoula man failed to back up his claim that the city enforced an official policy that led to employment discrimination based on racial or religious beliefs.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sun Herald

The Oswego Common Council voted unanimously tonight to approve the 2017 budget that will eliminate 16 full-time firefighter positions and raise taxes by 1.97 percent. A public hearing, which was held before the vote, drew a standing-room-only crowd to City Hall. People packed the chambers and the hallway, but only four people spoke against the budget.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Syracuse.com

Highway 9 is an ordinary Arkansas country road. It has turn after turn but Sunday morning a Choctaw firefighter took a turn for the worse on the state highway. "My heart just sunk," says Choctaw Fire Chief Lamar Harvey. Harvey says his volunteer firefighter was headed to a house fire when he lost control, rolled over multiple times and crashed into a creek.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: nwahomepage,com