National News

  • Houston City Council Approves Laying Off 220 Firefighters
    More than 200 Houston firefighters will be laid off after the City Council approved the measure Wednesday during a heated debate. The decision comes as the city tries to implement voter-mandated pay parity between the local police and fire departments. Mayor Sylvester Turner has said that the measure will cost the city $307 million from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2023.
    - PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Houston Public Media
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  • 110-Year-Old Pennsylvania Fire Company Shuts Down
    This fire company was a staple in the community for 110 years. Now, it’s gone. Millbourne Fire Company in Delaware County voted to shut down Tuesday night following five years of financial instability. Chief Joseph Artmont Jr. has been at the fire company since 1982 and became chief three years ago.
    - PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC 10 Philadelphia
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  • Why Are Boston Area Firefighters Called 'Jakes'?
    Listener Roberta "Bobbie" Brown recently emailed the Curiosity Desk, after reading a story in the paper about Boston firefighters. In the piece, the author referred to them as "jakes." She wanted to know where that term comes from and how it came to refer to firefighters in the region. Like our curious listener, I too have seen firefighters called “jakes” in the papers.
    - PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGBH
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  • Fiery Train Derailment in Texas Prompts Evacuations
    VIDEOS: A Union Pacific freight train carrying ethanol careened off its tracks in a Fort Worth neighborhood Wednesday and burst into flames, prompting an evacuation of nearby homes and a hazardous materials response. It happened at about 12:40 a.m. near the 3200 block of Yuma Street, on the city's southeast side and near Echo Lake.
    - PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
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  • Arkansas police, firefighters will be paid in $1.15M class action lawsuit settlement
    More than 120 current and former Conway police and firefighters will receive money payment before the end of the year after the city agreed to settle the class action lawsuit for $1.15 million. The Conway City Council voted on Monday in a special-called meeting to give Mayor Bart Castleberry the OK to request a preliminary approval in the suit that was filed against the city in 2012, a case Castleberry inherited when he was voted in as mayor in 2016.
    - PUB DATE: 4/25/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Log Cabin Democrat
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  • Oregon firefighter positions could get the ax in budget cuts
    VIDEO: In 2016, Ashland hired three additional firefighters for the first time since 2001 in response to service demands. Due to a $2 million budget deficit, those brand new positions could be eliminated in the 2019-2021 budget. Ultimately, that would affect service levels in the city and reduce the number of staffed crews from about 10 members to a maximum of nine members.
    - PUB DATE: 4/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVL News 10
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  • Texas city sues own fire department
    VIDEO: Concerns over title transfers and insurance lead the City of Howardwick to file a lawsuit against the volunteer fire department that protects it. In a recent lawsuit, the City of Howardwick contends a former city secretary improperly transferred the titles of three fire trucks and an ambulance to the Howardwick Volunteer Fire Department instead of to the city.
    - PUB DATE: 4/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFDA News 10 Amarillo
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  • Volunteer fire department in West Virginia restored, shares progress with the community
    The Talcott Volunteer Fire Department sits proudly with its engines in line. It was in June of 2016 when the department was closed by state officials who cited lack of crew members and equipment testing. As the community had to rely on other departments as far away as Alderson to respond to calls, Chief Bill Costomiris and board members were forced to build from the ground up to get recertified.
    - PUB DATE: 4/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WVNS-TV FOX 59
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  • NTSB: Disconnected gas regulator, unknown ignition source caused deadly 2016 Maryland apartment blast
    The National Transportation Safety Board has been unable to determine the ignition source that sparked the explosion in a Silver Spring apartment complex meter room, where natural gas had been building up for at least three hours. Seven people were killed and 65 were sent to the hospital after the explosion and fire at the Flower Branch Apartments on Aug.
    - PUB DATE: 4/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTOP-FM
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  • Some fallen first responders' children in Michigan not getting tuition aid due to loophole
    VIDEO: The wife of a fallen police officer thought she would be getting help - but found out her family won't be getting the benefit of help with tuition bills. A law in the books is supposed to take care of in-state college tuition for the families of fallen officers and firefighters, but there's a loophole that two freshman lawmakers want to tie up to make sure no family is left behind.
    - PUB DATE: 4/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fox 2 News Detroit
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