At the almost-end of a crooked, pot-holed and obstacle-laden parliamentary path, the city and its firefighter's union have arrived at an agreement on a five-year contract. Nothing's perfect, but (the contract) is fair," Mayor John Kahl said Tuesday night. "I'm glad to put this to rest and move on to other things." The council approved the contract on a 4-0 vote Tuesday with only one of the five members of the city council voting the same way he did when it first came up more than two months ago. The process stalled last month when Commissioner Mike Sutherland challenged Commissioner Dan Decker's legal right to vote on a firefighter contract because he is an assistant chief on the East Peoria Fire Department. Without Decker's vote there was no consensus on the council and the issue appeared to be headed to arbitration. So, the council tabled a vote and agreed to pay about $3,000 to a Chicago law firm that specializes in municipal law to render an opinion on Decker's legal rights.  

A $226,500 loan to cover the purchase of new ambulance got the OK Tuesday from the Charleston City Council. The loan will fund the purchase of the ambulance that fire Chief Steve Bennett said is heavier duty than the vehicles currently in the fleet. The purchase was included in the fire department's current fiscal year budget, Bennett said. He said the vehicle is already on hand but has to be equipped and then pass a state inspection. It's expected to be in service next month and the department will evaluate whether to take any of its older ambulances out of service, Bennett added. According to information from the city, the loan will be from First Mid Bank & Trust for five years with a 2.31% interest rate.  

When only one guest was able to attend a boy's 7th birthday party, the Plainfied Fire Department stepped in to make sure he had a good time. Only one of the guests Dominic Giatris invited to his birthday party at GymQuest on Saturday was able to come, so the manager made a call to the fire department. Within minutes, nearly a dozen firefighters had arrived to help him celebrate. The firefighters challenged Dominic to a Nerf gun war, and they all enjoyed pizza afterward.  

No one knows how many firefighters have been diagnosed with cancer in the country, let alone the state or Dutchess County. In the past five years, officials from the state to firemen associations, have recognized the prevalence of the cancer risk that career and volunteer firefighters face. And different organizations are taking steps to quantify the problem. On Oct. 17, 2018, the state Volunteer Firefighter Enhanced Cancer Disability Benefits Program, regulations proposed by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, went into effect. It allows volunteer firefighters to file a claim that they had been diagnosed with cancer relating to their fire service. The Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office of Fire Prevention and Control will be able to see how many claims were filed at the end of the year.  

The public safety sector—including fire service, law enforcement, EMS and corrections—has made significant gains in raising awareness around suicide among first responders. But did you know that sometimes the very messages used to promote awareness can cause harm and undermine suicide prevention efforts? Fortunately, there is a safe way to talk about suicide. Public safety professionals of all ranks and positions can learn to convey messages of hope and resiliency and promote positive, help-seeking behaviors. This webinar, brought to you by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and Lexipol, will share actionable steps public safety professionals can take to create honest, empathetic, effective messages that support departmental prevention efforts and focus on solutions. A significant portion of the webinar will be set aside for audience Q&A.  

The Lewiston Fire Department's new Engine 3, a Pierce Ascendant with aerial ladder, is an impressive beast no matter how you look at it. But the rig cost the city nearly $1 million dollars and there are people who want to know how this truck is better than the old one, which lasted the city 22 years. Lt. Rick Emmons is more than happy to help with that. The new truck is going to help firefighters work faster and more efficiently, he says, and in a vast variety of ways. It starts with the heavy-duty aerial ladder, 107 feet long compared to the old truck's 75-foot ladder. "It's much bigger than the old truck's," Emmons says. "It's not always the height that we need. Oftentimes it's the horizontal reach. We're often the second or third to the fire and we have to park back a bit. We need that extra length to get to the buildings." That massive reach has already been put to good use, as it happens.  

All members of the Medical Control Board voted to start testing a pilot program that would allow Charlotte firefighters to leave the scene of a call if the patient is OK and MEDIC is already on its way. "You call 911 and you're going to get a red truck coming pretty fast in a short time frame," said CFD Chief Reginald Johnson. "But there are non-emergency calls -- foot injuries, back injuries where the person is in a stable place at home but still wants to be transported to the emergency room. That could be one of those type of calls." Johnson said the new protocol would free up his firefighters, so they can respond to more serious, life-threatening calls, like cardiac arrests, car wrecks and seizures. Charlotte resident Shay Morgan suffered a seizure and said it required a response from first responders. "They actually took me to the emergency room and I actually had to stay in the hospital a couple of days," said Morgan.  

No one was injured Monday night as Paterson firefighters battled a structure fire on Rosa Parks Boulevard that spread to an adjacent building. The fire was broadcast live on national television as part of a three-hour version of A&E's "Live Rescue." Paterson Fire Chief Brian McDermott told TV viewers, "We had a pretty advanced fire on arrival. ... We had a collapse of the main fire building." Ten to 15 people from four families were displaced by the fire, according to Red Cross New Jersey and the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office. Just before "Live Rescue" wrapped up its coverage at midnight, Capt. Arthur Woods told A&E that crews were able to contain the fire to the two buildings and keep it from spreading to more buildings on the block.