FireWatch

FireWatch is a service that provides links to news stories from the fire community that have attracted our attention.

City fires most prolific shift-trading firefighter

The city has terminated the last Cleveland firefighter to plead guilty in the department's shift-trading scandal.  He was considered the most brazen of the 13 firefighters accused of illegally paying coworkers to work their shifts.  Prosecutors said he...

Fire ambulance idea ridiculed

This controversial idea would involve firefighters driving individuals to hospital in ambulances. However, the Fire Brigades Union ( FBU ) has lambasted the concept, saying it was akin to "playing Russian roulette with fire safety", as it could result in property...

Prince George BC suspicious wildfires

Prince George (BC) Fire Centre has responded to 23 fires over the past two weeks, nine of them being investigated as suspicious. .  All of these fires are being reported within the Fort St. John Fire Zone.  The Wildfire Management Branch and the RCMP suspect...

Spate of fires may be linked Victoria police say

Victoria police want the public to assist with information on at least nine suspicious fires that have occurred in Victoria since April 25. The graphic in the link below shows where and when the fires occurred and their nature. This leads to the question “is this...

Fire apparatus manufacturing in North America 2014

This report examines the business of the manufacture of fire apparatus in North America. Product types examined include aerial ladders, aerial platforms, pumpers, rescue trucks, wildland/brush trucks, and aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) trucks. The study is a...

Pickering couple fined $30,000 for illegal seniors’ home

A Pickering couple has been fined $30,000 for operating an illegal seniors’ home out of their house.  According to court documents Murney Brook and his wife Jane Brook both pleaded guilty to fire code violations and were fined $15,000 each. This isn’t the first...

Lithium-ion batteries that won’t catch fire

Scientists have discovered a new way to create high-output lithium ion batteries that do not pose a fire risk as the world continues to make greater use of the technology. These batteries are the first of their kind to have both high output and high life-span despite...

What not to do if there is a grease fire in your home

This is a graphic video of the danger of putting water on a grease fire.  You may want to add it to your fire prevention video collection. The article says the previous advice from fire prevention personnel to throw a damp tea-towel over a pan on fire was...

Worcester fire fighters dying at an alarming rate, not from fires

New statistical information highlights firefighter work-related illnesses that present later in life. The report, which was prepared by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and MassCOSH, states that 19 percent of worker deaths that occurred in Massachusetts in 2013 were...

Another reminder for fire apparatus drivers

Fourteen people, including five firefighters, were injured when two fire trucks collided sending one careening across a sidewalk and into a restaurant. One of the victims is in critical condition, officials said....

Fire department seeks new inspection fees, increase in fines

Public safety may be priceless, but the same probably can't be said for long about fire inspections intended to protect it. “We were charged (by council) to look at what other municipalities are doing, and more often than not they charge for inspections,” Fire Chief...

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