firefighters

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Firefighter Accused of DUI—With Fire Truck

He resigned; 5 others in San Francisco face discipline after crash

(Newser) - A firefighter in San Francisco has resigned after he crashed the fire truck he was driving into a motorcyclist—and then was found to have had a blood-alcohol level of 0.13, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . That's not only well above the legal limit, it violates the department'...

America Has a Major Arson Problem
 America Has a 
 Major Arson 
 Problem 
investigation
Nov 25, 2013 7:03 AM CST

America Has a Major Arson Problem

Arsons are happening, but we're not reporting them to feds: investigation

(Newser) - America's arson records are a total mess, per a year-long Scripps National Investigation that sums up its findings with this statement: "three-fourths of the arsons ... went unreported [to the federal government], masking a major threat to public safety." Scripps went inside the world of arson, digging into...

At NJ Fire Dept., Veterans Go to Head of Line

Vets get preferential treatment; 43 hired so far this year

(Newser) - Unemployment is a big problem for veterans, so New Jersey's North Hudson Fire Department is doing what it can to help: The department has hired 43 veterans this year, and the fire chief says he plans to hire 10 to 20 more in the near future. The vets who...

We're Fighting Fires With Antique Planes

US Forest Service also uses parts pulled from museums

(Newser) - When the US Forest Service battled wildfires near Yosemite National Park in August, it did so with a fleet of restored tankers first built in the 1950s. The planes help firefighters on the ground by dropping thousands of gallons of retardant ahead of blazes, but critics say the tankers are...

Radio Problems Tied to Deaths of 19 Firefighters

Investigators say communication was shoddy during Arizona blaze

(Newser) - An investigation into the June deaths of 19 firefighters killed while battling an Arizona blaze has found improperly programmed radios, vague updates, and a 30-minute communication blackout just before the flames engulfed the men. The report says at the moment the firefighters were killed, an air tanker carrying fire retardant...

Yosemite Firefighters' Plan: Set More Fires

Rim Fire could be fully contained by Sept. 10, officials say

(Newser) - The giant Rim Fire near Yosemite is still growing—it's now the sixth-largest in California history—but it's also slowing, and firefighters expect to have the 301-square-mile blaze fully contained by Sept. 10, the Los Angeles Times reports. How will they do it? By setting more fires inside...

Wife of Fallen Firefighter in Arizona Has Baby Boy

Two more women are expecting

(Newser) - Jaxon Misner won't get to meet his dad: The newborn is the son of Sean Misner, one of the 19 firefighters killed in June while battling a wildfire, reports the Arizona Republic . Mom Amanda Misner gave birth last night, and she and the child are doing fine. Jaxon (his...

Calif. Wildfire Now Twice as Big as San Francisco

Rim Fire threatens Yosemite National Park

(Newser) - Tourists fled the area around Yosemite National Park yesterday, as a wildfire headed for the park quadrupled in size. The Rim Fire is now 63,000 acres, or about twice the size of San Francisco, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The main highway leading to the park was closed...

When Contract Firefighters Die, Uncle Sam Turns Away

'A horrible inequity,' says one mom

(Newser) - When Caleb Renno died fighting a fire in 2008, his parents naturally sought federal death benefits for first responders. But Renno was a contract firefighter working for a private company, and the government said no way. It's a fine line that is the difference between a lifetime of financial...

Firefighter's Widow Fights for Benefits in Arizona

Juliann Ashcraft's husband was part-time employee

(Newser) - The family of one of the 19 Arizona firefighters killed in June is making a public pitch today to pressure the city of Prescott into giving his widow and their four children health and pension benefits, reports the Arizona Republic . The sticking point is that Andrew Ashcraft wasn't technically...

Sole Surviving Arizona Firefighter Finally Speaks

Brendan McDonough says he isn't quitting firefighting

(Newser) - Brendan McDonough, the only member of the Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew to survive a deadly wildfire in Arizona in June , has given his first interview since the tragedy to ABC News . Contrary to earlier reports, McDonough—known to his colleagues as "Donut"—says the team was aware that...

$500K Fire Set by... Aspiring Firefighter

Joseph Brannen, 18, admits to arson

(Newser) - Firefighters who turned up to battle flames at a Florida library found a guy in firefighting gear was already on the scene. They asked Joseph Brannen, 18, where he'd gotten his protective clothing; he said he bought it on eBay, officials say. He added that he'd heard the...

Cops: Guy Phoned in False Alarms to Rob Firefighters

Worst part: He is a firefighter himself

(Newser) - A New York City firefighter is accused of some especially heinous deeds: Authorities say that Joseph Keene not only called in three false alarms, but he did so to steal cash from his fellow firefighters' lockers when they sped out to investigate, reports the Gothamist . Keene allegedly got about $2,...

SF Crash Victim Was Run Over by Fire Truck

Cops confirm it happened—but it may not have been what killed her

(Newser) - Police have confirmed previous reports that one of the two teenage girls killed in the San Francisco plane crash was indeed run over by a fire truck. But it's still unclear whether that's what actually killed 16-year-old Ye Meng Yuan, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "The passenger...

Lone Survivor Salutes Firefighters at Service

Thousands gather in Arizona

(Newser) - The lone survivor of the Arizona wildfire that killed 19 of his fellow firefighters helped bid them farewell today at a memorial in Prescott, Ariz. A stone-faced Brendan McDonough, 21, filed onto the stage at the end of the service and offered what's called "The Hotshot's Prayer"...

Procession Carries 19 Fallen Firefighters Home

Hours-long journey takes bodies from Phoenix to Prescott

(Newser) - The 19 firefighters killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire are finally going home. Nineteen white hearses left the medical examiner's office in Phoenix earlier today, flanked by an honor guard of firefighters and police officers, embarking on an hours-long, 125-mile procession that will pass through Yarnell, where they lost...

How the Arizona Fire Tragedy Unfolded

New reports detail the final moments of the Hotshot crew

(Newser) - Although the circumstances of how 19 firefighters were killed in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire are already broadly known , new reports offer a more detailed look at how the tragedy unfolded. The AP has compiled a map of the Hotshot crew's final movements, confirmed by fire officials, showing the...

Remains of 9/11 Firefighter Identified

Lt. Jeffrey Walz was killed in north tower of World Trade Center

(Newser) - The "gentle giant" is going back to his family. Improved DNA testing has identified the remains of another of the firefighters killed in the 9/11 attacks, reports the Staten Island Advance . Lt. Jeffrey Walz died in the north tower nearly a dozen years ago. “My family always felt...

Meet the Sole Surviving Arizona Firefighter

He is 21-year-old Brendan McDonough. Now leave him alone

(Newser) - Nineteen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots firefighter crew perished in Arizona last week , but one lone member survived. After days of mounting media scrutiny, his identity has been revealed: He is 21-year-old Brendan McDonough, the Arizona Republic reports. But now that you know, says the Prescott Fire Department, please...

Firefighter Sent Wife Final Image of Doomed Crew

'It’s getting really wild out here,' he said

(Newser) - Before he perished along with 18 other firefighters, Andrew Ashcraft texted his wife a final photograph of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew making camp for lunch as smoke from the Yarnell Hill fire rose in the background. "I'd love to be in a swimming pool right now,"...

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