Rafael Comas remembers every detail down to the second while he was responding to the chaotic scene of the Pulse nightclub. Comas is a paramedic for Rural Metro Ambulance and was working the night of the shooting that left 49 dead and more than 50 injured on June 12. "It was very traumatic and very stressful but we train for that," said Comas, who has been a medic for nearly 20 years.
- PUB DATE: 6/21/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: orlando sentinel

Columbus has agreed to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit for $1.2 million after two fire division paramedics failed to properly treat a woman in cardiac arrest, including spending time discussing the pot roast they had left cooking back at the firehouse. The settlement is among the largest payouts in city history and comes after a nearly four-year court battle over the death of Sonia Bray.
- PUB DATE: 6/21/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: the columbus dispatch

“Inherently discriminatory.” That’s how the city of Charlotte described a Facebook post from former fire investigator Crystal Eschert, who was fired in the fall of 2014. In the post, she described someone as a “thug,” “worthless” and a “waste.” A year later, at least six other Fire Department employees faced accusations that they were posting racist memes and other offensive comments to social media.
- PUB DATE: 6/21/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: charlotte observer

A deputy fire chief was temporarily placed on administrative leave after citing broken air conditioning as a safety threat to firefighters on-duty. Chief Rick Rasmussen said that for the last seven years the air conditioning frequently doesn’t work, making the station too hot to sleep in. “When you have sleep deprivation you can’t think well, your motor skills are having problems,” Rasmussen said.
- PUB DATE: 6/21/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: firechief.com

A former city firefighter convicted of attempted bribery has been approved for a disability pension of $36,405 a year from the city. The pension for Aaron Brantley, 36, was recently approved by vote of the trustees of the New Haven Police & Fire Retirement Fund Board. Because the powers of his official position as a city firefighter were not used in the crime for which he was convicted, the state’s pension revocation statute does not apply to Brantley, according to a spokeswoman for the state Office of the Attorney General.
- PUB DATE: 6/21/2016 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: new haven register