The FireLedeFirefighter Updates for Rockland County NY

The Associated PressHOUSTON — Officials say a collision between a transit bus and light-rail train in downtown Houston has sent 19 people to the hospital. No serious injuries were reported.The Metropolitan Transit Authority says the accident happened at the same intersection where five weeks earlier another bus and light-rail train collided.Metro transit police are investigating Monday’s collision …

The station was lost in a fire; the former president and treasurer was voted out for breach of trust and misappropriation of funds

The station was lost in a fire; the former president and treasurer was voted out for breach of trust and misappropriation of funds

By Jack Minch The Sentinel & EnterpriseLANCASTER, Mass. — It all looked so real when Sgt. Ed Burgwinkel ordered a gunman to raise his arms and drop to the floor in a corridor at Mary Rowlandson Elementary School Saturday morning.There were three victims lying in the corridor and the shooter was standing over them.But it was a mock training exercise and nobody was hurt.It was the largest inter-agency …

By Jack Minch The Sentinel & EnterpriseLANCASTER, Mass. — It all looked so real when Sgt. Ed Burgwinkel ordered a gunman to raise his arms and drop to the floor in a corridor at Mary Rowlandson Elementary School Saturday morning.There were three victims lying in the corridor and the shooter was standing over them.But it was a mock training exercise and nobody was hurt.It was the largest inter-agency …

Two families of fallen firefighters say commanders exposed fire crews to deadly risks without sufficient training and leadership

Two families of fallen firefighters say commanders exposed fire crews to deadly risks without sufficient training and leadership

One effect of technology and social networking is that people have an increased expectation of giving and receiving feedback. Spend some time with Facebook or Twitter and you see the nearly insatiable desire for constant connection with and response from others.

One effect of technology and social networking is that people have an increased expectation of giving and receiving feedback. Spend some time with Facebook or Twitter and you see the nearly insatiable desire for constant connection with and response from others.

STATter911.comROCKVILLE, Md. — Russell Dawson admits, "It has not been a pleasant time to be chief". Chief Dawson and the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department heard twice in two days last week from the Rockville Police Department that firefighters were found in places where they shouldn’t have been.The most serious incident was around 1:00 Friday morning at the Montgomery County Fire …

STATter911.comROCKVILLE, Md. — Russell Dawson admits, "It has not been a pleasant time to be chief". Chief Dawson and the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department heard twice in two days last week from the Rockville Police Department that firefighters were found in places where they shouldn’t have been.The most serious incident was around 1:00 Friday morning at the Montgomery County Fire …

By Carolyn Jones The San Francisco ChronicleSAN FRANCISCO — The Coast Guard, with help from a Good Samaritan, rescued a stranded kite surfer after he used a waterproof handheld radio to call for help."This is a great example of why we urge water enthusiasts to carry these radios," said Coast Guard Lt. Jeremy Pichette. "Without the radio, things might have turned out very differently."The …

By Shaun Bishop The San Jose Mercury NewsSAN CARLOS, Calif. — State firefighters and San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies would respond to emergencies in San Carlos under a budget scenario proposed by the city manager.Outsourcing police and fire protection services would save the city an estimated $3 million to $5.5 million, said City Manager Mark Weiss, who on late Friday released his "two …

The Associated PressFORT LEE, N.J. — Two people who’d moved into a northern New Jersey town house a day earlier have died in a fire that started in their kitchen and spread upstairs.Police say 52-year-old Eliot C. Nisenbaum and 55-year-old Ronald Sandberg were found Saturday night in the second-floor master bedroom of their home in Fort Lee, overlooking the Hudson River.Firefighters had to break …

Forest Service spokesman Joe Walsh said officials in Washington are assessing the legislation and have yet to take a position

The Palm Beach PostPALM BEACH, Fla. — The county’s fire-rescue department lost basically three grown men. The sheriff’s office lost what adds up to about two. And both organizations are celebrating. Heck, the fire chief is bragging he lost more.That happens when weight loss gets competitive and the men lost are actually pounds of fat — hundreds of pounds.On Thursday, Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue …

By Gene Ghiotto The Press Enterprise RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIF. — As friends and family looked on, a section of Interstate 215 was dedicated to the memory of a California Department of Forestry firefighter who died of injuries he suffered while battling a fire more than 50 years ago. "One night, August 8, 1959, this firefighter stood the test," Fire Chief John Hawkins said at the ceremony …

By Greg Moore Charleston Gazette CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County firefighter was lost and presumed dead in Raleigh County overnight, after the boat he was in capsized. The firefighter, whose name was not released Saturday morning, was in the Bradley area on a rescue mission when a boat that he and several other firefighters were in turned over."It appears that he was lost when his boat …

By Scott M. Bruner FireRescue1 Product EditorRescueNet Link is the newest system offering for ZOLL’s RescueNet Data Management Suite, a group of software applications that integrates fire, rescue and EMS data. It features a number of different software applications that can handle data from the time of a rescue call all the way through payment. RescueNet Link is the newest application to be bundled …

By Jim Hook The Public Opinion CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — The oldest volunteer fire company in Chambersburg plans to remain in the borough and to work with the Chambersburg Fire Department, according to the volunteers’ top officer.Friendship Engine & Hose Company is among five volunteer fire companies in the borough, but currently has no members certified to run with the borough’s professional firefighters …

By Patricia Villers The New Haven RegisterDERBY, Conn. — As the flames roared and the black smoke billowed around them, David Kostrey pulled his sister, Joann, from their burning house early Wednesday.They made it outside, but then David Kostrey stopped and turned around. Someone was missing; his dog was still inside.Kostrey, 57, rushed back into the burning house. It was last time anyone saw …

By Fred Hanson The Patriot LedgerQUINCY, Mass. — A three-judge federal appeals court has agreed with a lower-court decision dismissing a suit brought against the town by Fire Chief Charles Foley.The chief sued the town and the five members of the then-board of selectmen, saying they violated his free-speech rights for suspending him for three weeks without pay, in part for comments he made at …

By FireRescue1 StaffWASHINGTON — Three people have been seriously injured in a collision with a D.C. fire truck Friday morning.The fire truck was en route to a reported fire in Washington when it collided with two vehicles, according to local news reports.Witnesses and officials said the fire truck was responding with emergency lights and sirens active.No firefighters were injured.An investigation …

By Gary T. Kubota The Honolulu Star-BulletinLANIAKEA, Hawaii — A helicopter fire rescue crew saw three sharks showing "aggressive" behavior near a body about 7:30 a.m. yesterday, city officials said.The city Emergency Services Department said the shark warning at Chun’s Reef and Laniakea will remain in effect until noon today unless conditions change.The body was believed to be that …

By Matthew Cella The Washington TimesWASHINGTON, D.C. — The former D.C. fire chief tasked with merging his firefighting and emergency medical services divisions to improve a beleaguered ambulance service now says the department should be divided, in large part because the "culture" of the historically white fire service makes employees indifferent to treating needy city residents.Adrian …

Michelle Smith was struck and killed by a paraplegic who was operating his car’s pedals with a stick

The Associated PressNEW YORK — New York City has agreed to pay up to $657 million to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits filed by ground zero rescue and response workers who say they were sickened by World Trade Center dust.The settlement was announced Thursday evening by the WTC Captive Insurance Company, a special entity established to indemnify the city and its contractors against potential legal …

By Elizabeth Piazza The Farmington Daily TimesFARMINGTON, N.M. — A San Juan County volunteer firefighter accused of setting his truck on fire to collect insurance money waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Farmington Magistrate Court. His case will be heard in district court.Jonathan Ziemer, 23, was charged with third-degree felony arson to collect insurance money and third-degree …

By Sandy Meindersma The Telegram & GazetteRUTLAND, Mass. — Fire Chief Thomas P. Ruchala told the Board of Selectmen this week that Engine 2 can no longer be used and has been placed out of service."We’ve moved all the equipment on it to Engine 3," he said at the selectmen’s meeting Monday night.Selectman Joseph Becker asked if a replacement for Engine 2 was needed "yesterday.""Not …

The Associated PressLONG BEACH, Calif. — A woman whose car plunged off a bridge into the murky Los Angeles River was fighting for her life Thursday after being submerged for nearly a half-hour, officials said.The 23-year-old woman was in a sport utility vehicle that smashed through a guardrail and plunged about 40 feet off off the northbound Interstate 710 bridge at Seventh Street around 7:30 …