A man is in custody Wednesday night following a hostage situation involving two South Amherst firefighters. Firefighters were called to the house in the 100 block of Hornyak Road about 6:30 p.m. for a report of a fire in a wooded area near Quarry Road. A man who lives at the house armed with a rifle came outside and took two firefighters hostage, South Amherst Fire Chief Al Schmitz said at a press conference.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland Plain Dealer & Cleveland.com

Barry Rezac, whose exploits as a Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighter earned him the nickname “Nine Lives Rezac,” has died. Rezac, 57, died Sept. 27 at St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley of end-stage renal disease and cardiopulmonary arrest, said his wife Sandra Rezac. Rezac underwent a double-lung transplant in 2008 after developing pulmonary fibrosis which causes scarring of the lungs.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: the press-enterprise

The chief of the New Florence Volunteer Fire Department is accused of threatening to kill a firefighter from a neighboring department. Keith Boring is facing charges of harassment and making terroristic threats in connection with an incident in August between Boring and an assistant chief from the Seward Volunteer Fire Company.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPXI-TV NBC 11 Pittsburgh

At least seven U.S. cities and counties have stopped firefighters from collecting charitable donations at busy intersections citing safety concerns. For nearly 61 years, career and volunteer firefighters around the country have participated in “Fill-the-Boot” roadside charity campaigns, often around the Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: usa today

Anthony Smith learned early on, challenges come in all forms. He was born without his right hand. "The cord got wrapped around my wrist whenever I was in my mom's stomach," Smith said. "And it ended up cutting my hand off." In the past, people have wondered if Smith was capable of completing certain tasks, like when he joined the Horseshoe Lake Fire Department nearly 11 years ago.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFVS-TV 12