Just days before a series of deadly, record-setting wildfires began exploding across Washington, the acting chief pilot for the state’s wildfire-attack helicopters wrote a letter to his superiors. Unfilled pilot positions were grounding some helicopters, John Adolphson wrote to senior staff at the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Seattle Times

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) today announced the official launch of its 2015 U.S. Needs Assessment survey, the fourth distributed since 2001. The survey works to capture the level of resources and staffing among U.S. fire departments, and to identify where fire departments are meeting the needs of their communities and where there are gaps in the service they provide.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: National Fire Protection Association

When Platte Fire Chief Rick Gustad arrived on the scene of a fire that killed six people Thursday in Platte, the one-and-a-half-story house was almost completely destroyed. "It's not a real common occurrence to have a fully engulfed structure fire on arrival," Gustad said. "The house was pretty well destroyed when we arrived on the scene.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: INFORUM-Fargo

Mayor Kasim Reed is vowing to fire any city employee who had a role in an embarrassing photo scandal in which an Atlanta fire station was used as a backdrop for escort advertisements. “We’re going to fully investigate it, get to the bottom of it, and fire the people involved,” Reed said on Thursday.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Brainerd is considering restructuring its fire department, saving almost $266,000 a year by eliminating full-time firefighter positions stationed in its fire hall. The department currently has five full-time equipment operators who work over three shifts to staff the fire hall 24 hours per day. There is also 38 paid on-call firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Bemidji Pioneer