In a field on the outskirts of Spokane, Wash., Peter Goldmark points across to a charred, rocky hillside where the Little Spokane fire burned dangerously close to the city limits earlier this month. He says the wildfire was relatively small but had huge potential for destruction. Like many Western cities, greater Spokane has been home to rapid growth in recent years, and the forests surrounding the footprint of the Little Spokane blaze are cluttered with subdivisions, shopping centers and golf courses.
- PUB DATE: 7/22/2015 5:57:13 AM - SOURCE: Northwest Public Radio

Patients in Samaritan Healthcare may see a different ambulance when they travel between hospitals. The Moses Lake City Council approved an agreement with the firefighters union to temporarily stop transporting non-emergency patients from Samaritan Healthcare. Interim City Manager Gilbert Alvarado said the agreement is contingent on American Medical Response (AMR) handling the transportation from the hospital.
- PUB DATE: 7/22/2015 3:11:47 AM - SOURCE: iFiberOne

Laura Caro thought the fire on the freeway in the Cajon Pass was bad. And then she got the bill for leaving her vehicle there. Caro was driving her 80-year-old mother home from a doctor's appointment Friday when the North fire spread to Interstate 15 and started burning vehicles. On officers' orders, she left her SUV and fled, pushing her mom in a wheelchair through a smoky maze of stopped cars and frightened people.
- PUB DATE: 7/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: los angeles times

Dallas Fire-Rescue administrators are investigating one of the agency's employees for what could be a racially-charged comment made on Facebook. The controversy started with a public post on a personal page operated by a firefighter on Sunday. He was sharing a link to video of a story about two San Diego firefighters who were stabbed by a black man who is now on trial in that city.
- PUB DATE: 7/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

The state Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Philadelphia Fire Commissioner has discretion in deciding when to promote firefighters and fill positions. The 3-1 ruling came after a lengthy battle between the city and the firefighters union, IAFF Local 22, over a promotional list that the city allowed to expire while the department had vacancies for captains and lieutenants.
- PUB DATE: 7/22/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: philly.com