Water is integral in fighting fires. Unfortunately, for many stations around Fairbanks, there isn't water readily available when they take on a blaze away from the core Fairbanks area. Pump houses, like this one, provide water for firefighters from old railroad tankers buried underground and filled with water. (John Dougherty/KTVF) While much of the city of Fairbanks and surrounding area has water and fire hydrants, departments like Chena-Goldstream Fire and Rescue have a system in place to help ensure they have water to fight fires. "When we are fighting fire, we have to bring all our water with us to the fire, and when we use the water that's up in a truck… we can empty our trucks relatively quick. So we have to send those trucks someplace to fill," said Chena-Goldstream Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief, Keith Berrian. Berrian said they used to send the trucks all the way back to town to fill up, which tied up resources and made it harder to actually put out fires.  

During the winter, and especially around Christmas, many people's homes are at increased risk of fire. We spoke to a local fire department about some ways to prevent house fires this winter. Ester Volunteer Fire Department firefighter David DeCaro gave some tips for preventing fires if you choose a real Christmas tree. "So with your Christmas tree, making sure it's watered. Check it every day to make sure there is plenty of water and it's staying nice and moist and not drying out," DeCaro said. He added that 33% of fires from Christmas trees are caused by having more than three strands of lights on a tree. He also encourages people to use LED lights as they give off less heat.  

A Front Range fire chief and former firefighter has died from a rare form of cancer that's believed to be job-related. Troy Jackson worked with South Metro Fire Rescue for nearly 30 years. He passed away today after a six-year cancer battle. Doctors diagnosed Jackson with adenoid cystic carcinoma in 2013. Since then, the department has instituted new safety measures. "After the diagnosis and we found out it was a job-related cancer, we started looking at our hygiene habits and cleaning off our bunker gear," assistant chief of operations Jon Adams said. "We just became a lot more aggressive and more informed about the carcinogens and the danger associated with our firefighting." Jackson joined South Metro Fire as a firefighter in 1990 and worked his way up to become assistant chief of operations in 2016. He stepped down in August because of his advancing cancer.  

Mayor Anthony Copeland struck back Tuesday against the city council in their fight over who controls the city firefighters' work schedule. John Bushemi, the city council attorney, announced Tuesday night to the council's public safety committee that the mayor is suing to keep in place a new swing shift he imposed this month on firefighters. Bushemi said the mayor's suit is aimed at blocking a city council ordinance that would return the firefighters to a schedule of 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off. City Councilman Robert Garcia said, despite the suit, the council is set to meet 6 p.m. Monday and vote on its ordinance on a second reading. The ordinance supports the firefighters, who oppose the mayor's swing shift, saying it was an act of political retaliation for their union's opposition to the mayor's reelection earlier this year.  

Fire Chief Scott Burnette has said a captain's decision to respond to a 2012 medical call in a routine, nonemergency fashion did not delay life-saving efforts, despite accounts of two former firefighters who said the patient died but might have been saved with quicker action. Burnette's Dec. 14 statement about the seven-year-old incident brought surprised reactions from a former Asheville Fire Department chief and an ex-captain of the station involved with the call, who said responding to a "difficulty breathing" call as a nonemergency was highly unusual and did not seem appropriate. Allegations about the call first became public at a Dec. 10 City Council meeting, where former firefighter Chad Brooks spoke during a public comment session.  

The union representing Ashland firefighters is sounding the alarm on budget cuts that will affect Ashland Fire & Rescue's ability to respond to emergencies. According to Ashland Firefighters Local 1269, the agency will be running "harder with fewer resources" next year. "Ashland Firefighters received some disappointing news this week, as the fallout from 2019's budget cut continues to evolve," the union said in a Facebook post. "As you may remember, AF&R's operating budget was reduced by several hundred thousand dollars this year in an effort to close a gap in the City's 'General Fund.'" In May, Ashland Fire Chief Mike D'Orazi resigned his position in an effort to thwart firefighter layoffs. While Local 1269 said that those layoffs were indeed averted, the City went ahead with cuts to Ashland Fire & Rescue's personnel budget.  

Firefighters have long complained that a state law meant to assure their bills are paid when they get work-related cancers isn't helping the way it should. And a state review says they're right. The law says that when firefighters get leukemia as well as breast, pancreatic, prostate, rectal and throat cancers, they should be presumed to be the result of their work. But the Workers Compensation Commission and Virginia courts also require them to prove exposure to a specific cancer-causing material that's linked to their specific cancer. Being unable to show that led to seven decisions denying workers comp benefits to firefighters with cancer, out of 20 cases the commission considered between 2008 and 2019, analyst Drew Dickinson told the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission Monday.