The San Francisco Fire Department has made strides in getting ambulances to emergencies faster, but still lags behind state response time standards and is not training crews to deal with a disaster, a civil grand jury said Thursday. The 19-member civilian panel began its investigation after The Chronicle reported last year about the city’s troubled response time record.
- PUB DATE: 7/17/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: sfgate

Humans have an amazing capacity to do monumental things, and that includes royally screwing up. So, let's assume you've executed a grand career-crusher move. Like an Olympic gymnast sticking a perfect landing, your great blunder was worthy of a "ta-da" and high marks from the judges. The question becomes, what happens now? Can your career be saved? The answer depends on the size and nature of the blunder.
- PUB DATE: 7/17/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: firerescue1

Nothing in the city charter prevents San Bernardino from outsourcing its Fire Department, a federal bankruptcy judge ruled Wednesday in a blow to the fire union that its attorneys immediately said they would appeal. The ruling clears the way for the city’s plans to replace city firefighters — plans that have been underway for months with the San Bernardino County Fire Department and the private firm Centerra submitting bids to provide fire service, and which the city counted on to save $7 million to $10 million a year in its bankruptcy exit plan filed in May.
- PUB DATE: 7/17/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: the sun

The unofficial results of the IAFC election have been returned; they show that Chief Tom Jenkins, Rogers (Ark.) Fire Department, has received the majority of IAFC members' votes and will become the IAFC's second vice president in August at Fire-Rescue International 2015 in Atlanta. "I'd like to commend both Chief Ford and Chief Jenkins for offering their candidacies to help lead our great organization and running professional campaigns for this important office," said Chief G.
- PUB DATE: 7/17/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: international association of fire chiefs

Bethel Volunteer Fire Department chief David Aldrighetti said he's dealing with a tough situation. "[I'm] stressed out. You know, this is something that it's harder to deal with than when you have a major fire because it's personal," Aldrighetti said. The fire chief needs to figure out how to move forward after 66-year-old veteran firefighter James Hart responded to a serious motorcycle accident while intoxicated.
- PUB DATE: 7/16/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPTZ-TV NBC 5 Plattsburgh/WNNE-TV NBC 31

Firefighters next year will start working more hours at a lower rate of pay because the city cannot afford "above market prices" for their services, an arbitrator has ruled. A new work schedule that takes effect Jan. 3 will have Grand Rapids firefighters working an average of 54 hours per week, rather than the current 50.
- PUB DATE: 7/16/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: mlive.com

An off-duty Mansfield firefighter physically stopped an armed robber at a convenience store in Midlothian recently. Firefighter Daniel Gaskey stopped in the Oasis Food Store in Midlothian before heading to work on June 26. Then a 19-year-old shoved past him and held out a hunting knife about five inches long to the cashier.
- PUB DATE: 7/16/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTBC-TV MyFoxAustin

A Volusia County firefighter, described by a superior as a danger to co-workers during an angry outburst at the fire station, served a suspension for threatening to cut up his commander into a thousand pieces, records show. Eric Middlebrook, 48, a retired U.S. Army medic who did a tour in Afghanistan, has been working with Volusia County Fire Services for 12 years.
- PUB DATE: 7/16/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daytona Beach News-Journal

John Whelan, a Denver firefighter who was injured while fighting a fire north of downtown last month, died Wednesday night, the Denver Fire Department said. Whelan was on a routine call of a dumpster fire on June 28. Crews were able to put out the fire quickly but to make sure everything was OK, Whelan and other firefighters climbed onto the roof of a building at 3860 Blake St.
- PUB DATE: 7/16/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KDVR-TV FOX 31 Denver

It’s a tough anniversary for a family to mark. It’s two years since the passing of Miami Dade Fire Captain Rafeal Herraro. His journey and battle with cancer, lymphoma, the first in a series of cases that triggered a CBS4 investigation, The Silent Killer. “The rate of cancer we are seeing in our fire department is huge and that made us start looking at what could it be,” says Captain Shane Anderson.
- PUB DATE: 7/15/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: cbs miami