An urgent message not to cross the dangerous currents on Brays Bayou, which quickly rose during the Memorial Day storms, may not have reached Houston firefighters whose boat capsized, killing three civilians, according to a city report. The report, released on Monday by the Houston Fire Department, details the rescue attempt, one of many made on May 26 that occurred in the immediate aftermath of an unusual stationary storm system that stranded thousands of Houstonians in their homes and vehicles.
- PUB DATE: 12/9/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: houston chronicle

One of my earliest fire service mentors told me, "If the fire service is ever going to get the credit its due from the public, sometimes it's going to have to blow its own horn." Recent events have proven this advice to be both very wise and very accurate. In the past weeks, there have been terrorist attacks of one form or another in several locations around the world.
- PUB DATE: 12/9/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: firechief.com

A little girl in New York with burns over 75 percent of her body has only one wish for Christmas this year -- enough cards to fill her aunt's card tree. Two years ago, Safyre Terry's father and three younger siblings were killed in a fire caused by arson. She was found next to her father, who used his body to shield her from the flames.
- PUB DATE: 12/9/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPIX-TV PIX 11

Volunteer Fire Department is unable to cover calls after 12 members resigned Monday night. Clint Fichter, a consultant for the City of Neola, confirmed that the firefighters quit.“It caught us off guard,” he said. The department has four members currently, and the City Council is set to review eight applications, Fichter said.
- PUB DATE: 12/9/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: omaha World-Herald

No one was injured when a hoverboard caught fire at a mall in Auburn Tuesday morning. Witnesses describe hearing an explosion and seeing flames erupting from the popular device in a hallway of The Outlet Collection around 11:30 am. An employee from a mall kiosk that sells the boards was demonstrating how they work when another board caught fire, shoppers said.
- PUB DATE: 12/9/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: katu