Police are investigating a deadly car crash in Puyallup that killed three people early Saturday morning. According to the Puyallup Police Department (PPD), just before 5:00 a.m., a homeowner called 911 saying that a car had crash-landed onto his yard and was on fire. Officers arrived at the scene near the corner of 19th Ave.
- PUB DATE: 3/20/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCPQ-TV FOX 13 Tacoma

The James O. Page Legacy Scholarship, endowed by Hartwell Medical, is now open and accepting applications through May 1^st. Created in partnership with the Fitch EMS Foundation, the scholarship program is named after the late Jim Page, regarded by many as the father of modern EMS.  It is designed to broaden the perspective and sharpen the skills of new and aspiring leaders to help formulate the future of EMS here and abroad.

“I worked with Jim in the early years of JEMS and EMS Today,” said Gary Williams, President and CEO of Hartwell Medical.  “He made a tremendous impression on me personally and on my career.  Jim was passionate about mentoring young leaders with a consistent message of making the patient the priority. We are proud to endow this scholarship and continue Jim’s vision.”

The scholarship recipient receives a free registration and travel expenses to the 2023 Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum, hosted by Fitch & Associates. The core of the scholarship is a structured six-part mentorship program, facilitated by Dr. Jay Fitch himself, founding partner of the firm named after him and well-known speaker, author and educator. 

The mentorship, which begins at Pinnacle, will tackle tough leadership questions over the course of six months, such as ethical decision making, effective communication skills and the use of personal vs. positional power.  

A fire chief, attorney, state EMS director, writer, publisher and speaker, Jim Page dedicated his life to serving others.  Go here to learn more about the James O. Page Legacy Scholarship and the man himself.

Fire Station 151 at the Clark County Fairgrounds will have round-the-clock crews if plans for the two districts who jointly oversee the station go into effect this year. The station, housed at 505 NW 179th St. in Ridgefield, could see a full three shifts at the location starting in July, chiefs for Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue (CCFR) and Clark County Fire District 6 (FD6) said.
- PUB DATE: 3/19/2023 5:00:00 PM - SOURCE: The Reflector

Fire crews from Yakima County Fire District 5 had to battle two fires less than a mile apart from one another Saturday. The first call for help went out just before 1:30 a.m. to a house fire on South Street in Wapato. When fire crews got to the scene, they said they could see smoke and flames coming from the home and it was spreading to nearby structures.
- PUB DATE: 3/19/2023 10:04:00 AM - SOURCE: KVEW-TV ABC 42 Kennewick/KAPP-TV ABC 35 Yakima

Madison Hart
Redlands Daily Facts, Calif.
(TNS)

Mar. 16—Redlands will remove and replant an acre of poorly performing city orange groves that may become the site of a future fire station, city leaders have decided.

The city has been looking for a new fire facility location, and the opportunity presented itself with the City Council’s approval March 7 of several agreements for the grove removal and replant project. The removal and replanting work is funded by the Nevada Palmetto Grove sale proceeds in the amount of $227,700.

The city, along with the Redlands Fire Department, identified the groves at the southwest corner of Lugonia Avenue and Judson Street as an ideal location for a new fire station. The possibility of the new fire station is expected to be discussed by the council at a later date.

The Lugonia Grove is 18 acres and, due to its age, its productivity is flat, Assistant City Manager Chris Boatman said. Under contracts approved by the council, Washburn Grove Management will clear 1 acre for “an amount not to exceed $59,400,” and Mariposa Landscapes will install an irrigation system and replant the groves for “an amount not to exceed $105,100.”

The city will order 2,500 Washington Navel orange trees from Gless Ranch Nursery for “an amount not to exceed $42,500.”

In October 2022, staff proposed the Citrus Preservation Commission reserve 1 acre of the Lugonia grove for a future fire station. The commission agreed, but as part of the proposal, the city would replace the acre removed.

The acre of lost citrus in the Lugonia grove will be replanted in other existing groves, the city said. Currently, the city is looking at replanting the acre adjacent to the California Grove on California Street. City staff are scoping out other groves, if that area doesn’t work out.

The city farms nearly 200 acres of citrus, many of them requiring replanting, according to Boatman. During the council meeting, he said the Citrus Preservation Commission has had the grove on Lugonia in mind for replanting for over a year.

“It’s going to seem like it’s tearing at our heart, and our soul — part of our heritage being torn down,” Councilmember Mario Saucedo said at the meeting, noting his sadness about having to remove the groves. “But progress has to happen.”

Saucedo said he was in full support of a new fire station, and the council unanimously approved of the replanting project with plans to discuss the fire station at a later time.

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(c)2023 the Redlands Daily Facts (Redlands, Calif.)

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