A fire chief’s alleged smacking of a female employee’s buttocks set back a South Jersey township $30,000, a newspaper reported Monday. Medford Township settled a lawsuit in September that claimed Fire Chief Thomas Thorn sexually harassed former administrative assistant Lorie Cutts in front of two other firefighters in 2012, the Burlington County Times reported Monday.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: philly.com

The Spokane Fire Department is used to battling blazes and saving homes on a daily basis. It’s what they do. But mental health has often been an issue swept under the rug by first responders. “People were ostracized,” Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer said. “We wanted to change things.” Fire departments around the country are beginning to see a spike in cases of Post Traumatic Stress and even suicides within their departments.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: khq.com

Buffalo police are investigating how a firefighter was injured while training over the weekend. And the leader of the firefighter’s union is questioning whether someone took a shot at one of his men. The rookie firefighter from Buffalo’s Ladder 13 was training Saturday evening on the roof of a house in the Riverside area when he felt a sharp pain in his left side.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: wivb.com

The day after Eric Jones was appointed Detroit Fire Commissioner, Detroit EMTs Alfredo Rojas and Kelly Adams were viciously attacked by a man with a box cutter. Now, Jones is fast tracking safety training for Detroit medics "The first thing I want to do is immediately get them some training as it relates to de-escalation and how to handle violent individuals or mental individuals at a scene," Jones said.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDIV-TV NBC 4 Detroit

Fire trade media is written and read to educate the fire service about strategy and tactics. They also spend considerable space focusing on firefighter safety, but again in the context of firehouse and fireground operations. Many reflect upon or review the facts and circumstances of firefighter injuries or deaths, but these reflections are primarily operational in focus.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse.com