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| Proposed Houston firefighter pay raises to cost $115.3M for next 3 years, Mayor says Despite anticipating budgetary challenges in the near future, Mayor Sylvester Turner laid out the city's proposed plan to institute pay raises for Houston firefighters that would begin as soon as July. Under the plan, firefighters would see salary increases of 6% for each of the next three fiscal years. In total, the pay raises will cost $115.3 million. Illustrating the raises' impact on firefighter pay, the proposed plan would see first-year firefighters earn nearly $8,000 more each year. According to Turner, firefighters last accepted a pay increase back in 2014, which amounted to a 3% jump. While the pay raises are the culmination of two-and-a-half years of court battles between the city and the firefighters' union, the mayor in the last week indicated the salary hikes are ones that "the city can afford." KTRK-TV ABC 13 HOUSTON History made for Huntsville Fire Department, as Kitto is named first full-time female firefighter Huntsville native and trailblazer Melissa Kitto is making history as Huntsville Fire Department's first full-time female firefighter in its 96 years of operation. When an opening emerged last year for a full-time firefighter to join the ranks of the Huntsville Fire Department, Kitto was among the first in line to fill the vacancy, given her history as an active volunteer for the department since 2010. After persevering through multiple attempts to pass her phase training exams, Kitto left behind a full-time position with the Houston Fire Department to finally complete her goal of returning to her roots in her hometown of Huntsville as its first-ever full-time female firefighter in December. "It is a huge honor (to be the first female firefighter in the department.) I like to think trailblazer, the first one – that's history type stuff. It's an honor and I'd honestly like to lead by example and set the standard for any future female firefighter," Kitto said. HUNTSVILLE ITEM Retired Dallas firefighter walks in honor of those who died in the line of duty David Lindsey and his team have walked more than 170 miles with Carry The Load. They started at West Point in New York more than two weeks ago, and made it to Georgia National Cemetery on Wednesday. On May 30, they will make their way back to Dallas at Reverchon Park. Lindsey is a retired firefighter with the City of Dallas. He spent more than 38 years with the department. To this day, he helps firefighters from across Texas file worker's compensation claims for occupational cancer. Being a part of Carry The Load is Lindsey's passion. "The mission is really to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day and to honor those veterans and those police and firefighters that have given their lives in the ultimate sacrifice," said Lindsey. Every day he walks, he pins the names of firefighters on his backpack. WFAA-TV ABC 8 DALLAS Longview firefighters relocate to Jasper as backup for water rescue Several Longview firefighters have been deployed to Jasper in case water rescues are needed during flooding in south Texas. The responders are part of Texas Task Force 1, a state-organized rescue team ready for deployment on short notice. The crew left Tuesday and will stage in Jasper ready for deployment anywhere they are needed. "That area has had so much rain and flooding already that when they started predicting these new rainstorms coming in, that they were looking for the potential for some more flooding and they wanted to go ahead and get those people in place for the resources and the rescues that they knew would happen," said Longview Fire Marshall Kevin May. The crew will be deployed as long as the state deems necessary. KLTV ABC 7 TYLER Lightning strikes Gunter home A Gunter home was damaged by fire after it was struck by lightning Tuesday afternoon. Fire officials said it happened just before 1 p.m. on Fox Bend Trace Road. The family was inside at the time, but was able to make it out safely. Gunter Fire Chief David Gallagher says the home's garage and a car were destroyed in the fire and the interior of the home has smoke damage. Gallagher says to always call 911 if you believe your home has been struck by lightning. "There have been some houses that get struck by lightning, people don't see fire or anything right away because it might be hidden inside the attic, so we definitely recommend even if you don't see any flames or smell any smoke, go ahead and call 9-1-1 and have the fire department come out and check," Gallagher said. Texas led the nation in lightning strikes in 2019 with over 47 million counted. KWTX-TV CBS 10 WACO PREVIOUS STATE NEWS |
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| 3 youths blamed for starting fire that engulfed California home, neighbors startled by fireball VIDEO/PHOTOS: A fireball explosion at a home in Martinez was captured in multiple videos Wednesday afternoon, destroying the residence and sending up thick, black smoke hundreds of feet into the air. Investigators say three minors playing with fire were the cause. Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said Wednesday evening that the fire started in a backyard on Arthur Road. The current conditions led to the fire the youths were playing with to get out of hand. The juveniles were released to their parents. Several videos of the explosion show flashes of electrical wires arching inside the rising ball of fire and smoke. Crews responded to the large fire, which was burning on the 4000 block of Arthur Road. When they arrived, they found one home fully engulfed. Officials said that fast work spared other homes from destruction. However, vehicles and other equipment were destroyed. KTVU-TV FOX 2 OAKLAND Pennsylvania health network teams up with Marvel Comics to celebrate EMS heroes Allegheny Health Network has teamed up with Marvel Comics to tell the true-life stories of medical responders from community EMS services, who have been serving the community through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Set in the winter of 2020, the first responders' stories are brought to life in a comic book, titled "The Vitals: True EMS Stories," that was unveiled Monday. In 2020, the Pittsburgh winter felt darker and colder than most. The COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, and hospitals were jammed with patients, as every day an increasing number of people were diagnosed with the virus. The roads stayed quiet as people sheltered in their homes, missing the fun of gathering for sporting events or celebrating Christmas with family and friends. WPXI-TV NBC 11 PITTSBURGH Behind the scenes in North Carolina: The making of 'Deadlier than Fire' documentary PHOTOS: The Asheville Fire Department might be the most accepting of change in the fire service, given what firefighters have been through over the last several years. The department has made significant changes in a short period of time, specifically when it comes to effort to better protect a firefighter from a risk many weren't even talking about a decade ago. Now they're talking about a firefighter's cancer risk and changing their protocols, including ensuring their health care provider makes firefighters aware of important cancer screenings during annual physicals and keeping a firefighter's SCBA or self-contained breathing apparatus on longer at a fire scene. This better protects their airway and hopefully lowers their exposure to dangerous gases and chemicals, ultimately lowering their risk for cancer. The impact of cancer on the Asheville Fire Department and their losses have been fueling change, not only in the mountains, but across the state. WLOS-TV ABC 13 ASHEVILLE Texas mayor announces firefighters will receive 18% pay raise over 3 fiscal years Mayor Sylvester Turner joined Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena to announce the proposed pay raise for Houston firefighters. Turner said because of the $670 million American Rescue Plan from President Joe Biden's administration, the city will be able to use those funds to help raise firefighters' pay. He said under the new pay, Houston firefighters will receive an 18% increase in pay over the next three fiscal years, which will be based on qualifications. Turner said the first pay increase of 6% will begin in July, another 6% in 2023 and 6% in 2024. In all, the city of Houston will use $115.3 million of the American Rescue plan to help with the pay increase. Turner said firefighters making $17 an hour will see an increase to $21.35 an hour. The mayor thanked the Biden administration for putting firefighters in better standing with the city of Houston. Pena also thanked Mayor Turner and Houston City Council for bringing firefighters' pay wages up in the market rate. KPRC-TV NBC 2 HOUSTON Robot developed at University of Florida could help first responders see through walls during rescues A University of Florida research team is working on a robot dog that has the ability to enter an enclosed space, scan it, and provide humans with a visual of what's inside, an application that could lessen dangerous situations for first responders. The team of graduate and undergraduate students is led by Eric Jing Du, Ph.D., a professor of civil and coastal engineering at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Du said the inspiration behind the robotic dog was learning that firefighters often get trapped in dangerous places because of the unfamiliarity of the environments during rescues. The dogs have the ability to scan a room in three seconds and quickly build a 3D model, which is sent to augmented reality goggles and allows the user to see inside a room before walking into it. Du said he spent a lot of time thinking about what the renderings would look like once they got the dog working. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA NEWS PREVIOUS NATIONAL NEWS |
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| Assistant Director: Public Safety Programs - Mt. San Antonio Community College - Walnut, CA Battalion Chief - Columbia River Fire & Rescue - St. Helens, OR Firefighter / EMT / Paramedic - Temporary Duty Assignment with Constellis - Multiple Locations Fire Chief - City of League City - League City, Texas Battalion Chief - City of Corvallis - Corvallis, OR Confidential Recruiting: - What is it? EMS/Fire Chief-Assistant Public Safety Director - City of Woodbury - Woodbury, MN (closes: May 21, 2021) Chief of Fire and EMS Services - Cities of Eugene and Springfield - Eugene and Springfield, OR (closes: May 24, 2021) Assistant Chief –Training & Operations - Aurora Fire District - Aurora, OR (closes: May 28, 2021) Division Chief - Scappoose Rural Fire Protection District - Scappoose, OR (closes: May 28, 2021) Chief Training Officer - City of Columbia - Columbia, MO (closes: May 31, 2021) Resident Firefighter - Missoula Rural Fire District - Missoula, MT (closes: Jun 01, 2021) Fire Inspector - Estes Valley Fire Protection District - Estes Park, CO (closes: Jun 01, 2021) Firefighter/EMTs and Firefighter/ Paramedics (Traditional Firefighter Assessment) - Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue - The Dalles, OR (closes: Jun 03, 2021) Firefighter/EMT - Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 - Pflugerville, TX (closes: Jun 11, 2021) Training/Safety Captain - North Whidbey Fire & Rescue - Oak Harbor, WA (closes: Jun 14, 2021) POST JOB MORE JOBS |
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