A gutsy paramedic jumped into the grimy Hudson River on Monday morning to save a woman from drowning. “This was my first time I jumped in the water [for a rescue],” said Niall O’Shaughnessy, 38. “I have no idea why she jumped in, my concern was to just get her out.” The Long Island resident, who is originally from Ireland, had been stationed with his partner, Moses Nelson, near West and Murray Streets when they received a call at around 7:23 a.
- PUB DATE: 7/21/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: new york post

Two lawmakers are taking steps to stop drones from interfering in firefighting efforts after several incidents in California. One bill, SB167, would increase fines and make jail time possible for drone use that interferes with firefighting efforts. And on Monday, Republican Sen. Ted Gaines of El Dorado and Democratic Assemblyman Mike Gatto of Glendale also announced SB168, which would grant immunity to emergency responders who damage drones during firefighting or rescue operations.
- PUB DATE: 7/21/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGTV-TV ABC 10 San Diego

A federal analysis of a May 2013 fire at the Southwest Inn that killed four Houston firefighters is in "alignment" with earlier local and state reports that cited communication failures and tactics used at the scene of the blaze, Houston Fire Department officials said Monday. The recently released report, from the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is intended "to educate not just the Houston Fire Department, but the entire American fire service," HFD officials said in a statement.
- PUB DATE: 7/21/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: houston chronicle

The director of New Hampshire Fire Standards and Training says bullying and a rigorous physical entrance exam are the principle reasons why only one percent of New Hampshire's 8,000 full-time firefighters are women. Director Deb Pendergast told the Portsmouth Herald that the agility test is given once a year for men and women.
- PUB DATE: 7/20/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMUR-TV ABC 9 Manchester

A college student gets very drunk at a party and posts a video to Vine. A young woman tweets a racial joke. A young man makes explicit claims of sexual conquests on Facebook. Should a fire department take these things into account when conducting a hiring process? Employers in all professions increasingly look at applicants' social media and web presence as part of the hiring process.
- PUB DATE: 7/20/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: firerescue1

Jarring video showing a man stabbing two San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) firefighters was shown in a courtroom Friday during a preliminary hearing for the accused attacker. The short, 10-second clip – captured on a body camera worn by a security guard for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) – shows the chaotic moments when suspect Ryan Allen Jones, 34, lunged at firefighters Benjamin Vernon, 37, and his partner, Alex Wallbrett, 32, on June 24 in East Village in downtown San Diego.
- PUB DATE: 7/20/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNSD-TV NBC San Diego

Several Columbus firefighters are under investigation for damage to city property, and a supervisor has been reassigned after an unauthorized, alcohol-fueled party at a Downtown fire station. Fire Chief Kevin O’Connor ordered the investigation this week after city workers discovered empty alcohol containers and damage at Station 2, 150 E.
- PUB DATE: 7/20/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: columbus dispatch

A city paramedic had died after being hospitalized just a few days earlier, according to the Chief of the Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department. Chief Randy Kuenzli says Firefighter Nick Hemingway was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest late Tuesday afternoon while on duty as a paramedic with the Baltimore City Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 7/20/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJZ-TV CBS 13 Baltimore

That optimism is shared by many public safety agencies and first responders, who see vast potential for unmanned systems—land- and water-borne robots, and aerial drones—to save lives and make firefighters, police, and emergency medical technicians safer and more efficient. As the technology rapidly expands and federal restrictions on operating unmanned systems become more defined, public safety agencies are scrambling to figure out how they can unleash this vast potential in a safe and smart way.
- PUB DATE: 7/17/2015 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: National Fire Protection Association

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