Port Huron firefighters responded to 83 fewer medical calls from June 15 to July 13 than they did during the same time period the previous year. Administrators hope the decrease in medical runs — a result of a new medical response policy — will lead to cost savings. Public Safety Director Michael Reaves said it is much too early to tell.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: the times herald

Firefighters working for the Navy in Hampton Roads say a manpower shortage is forcing them to work mandatory overtime that often means shifts of 72 or 96 hours straight with just a 24-hour break. Local union leaders say their members are suffering under exhausting schedules, while complaints to their civilian and Navy bosses have not yielded results.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Norfolk Virginian-Pilot/HamptonRoads.com

Huge explosions in a warehouse district sent up massive fireballs that turned the night sky into day, killing at least 50 people and injuring hundred in the Chinese port city of Tianjin, officials and witnesses said Thursday. That was more than double the number previously reported. Twelve of the dead were from among the more than 1,000 firefighters sent to fight the blaze set off by the explosions shortly before midnight, the official Xinhua News agency said.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: cbs news

PHOTOS - The Zeigler Fire Department says a fire truck was involved in a rollover crash on Tuesday morning, Aug. 11 while responding to a fire. They say all six firefighters on board were taken to an area hospital. According to the fire department, the truck captain was pinned until crews could arrive to remove her.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFVS-TV 12

The National EMS Memorial Service, the National EMS Memorial Foundation and the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride, all charitable 501 c3 organizations, have agreed to collaborate on a strategic plan to honor EMS providers who gave their lives in the line of duty. Over the years, distinct efforts have been undertaken to honor these fallen heroes and their families.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ems world

It's a sign of the times in Atlanta -- a new highway billboard that warns people they enter Atlanta at their own risk. And there is rough-and-tumble politicking behind that provocative billboard. The billboard is a public jab at Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and it is a new twist to the war of words between the police and fire unions on one side, and the mayor on the other -- over pay and pensions.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIA-TV NBC 11 Atlanta

The former fire chief and secretary of the defunct Eastern Derry Volunteer Fire Company are accused by state police of stealing more than $67,000 from the department during a two-year period, forcing it to close. After the department folded, the couple allegedly sold some of its equipment, including smoke protection masks, to pawn shops, police said.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

VIDEO - A Tyler firefighter is on the mend after receiving minor burns while responding to a house fire sparked by lightning. Tuesday evening, Tyler fire crews were dispatched to the 200 block of Dinah Lane around 7 p.m. after flames enveloped the home's garage. The firefighter, whose name was not released, was moving a gas can away from the flames.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: kltv.com

PHOTOS - The fire truck, with four firefighters inside, was rushing to a blaze. The paramedic truck, with three firefighters inside, was heading to the hospital with two young children and their grandmother. The two red emergency vehicles, lights flashing and sirens blaring, crossed paths near Miami’s hospital district.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: miami herald

Pittsburgh officials reversed course on a controversial decision Friday to take away a lifesaving opiate antidote from firefighters who often are among the first emergency personnel to respond to 911 calls. Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Stephen Bucar ordered fire officials to suspend issuing naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, from fire trucks because the city paramedics union threatened to file a grievance, said Ralph Sicuro, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local No.
- PUB DATE: 8/11/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review