Free Republic

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley was summoned to Mayor Karen Bass' office for a closed-door meeting hours after she slammed the city's leadership over its handling of the fire department's budget as deadly wildfires continue to rip through Southern California, according to reports. The meeting started at 4 p.m., NBC reported, citing sources. SNIP The mayor's office denied media reports that Crowley was fired. "This is false," it said in a statement to ABC7.

The department said Clarence L. Cash Jr. died at 71 on Wednesday after a sudden illness that had him hospitalized for the last two weeks. Cash became a firefighter private in 1973 after he was honorably discharged from the Vietnam War. He was named fire chief by then-Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton Jr. in 2004. "Fire Chief Cash has left his mark on this and other agencies here in West Tennessee," the department said in a Facebook post. "He will be remembered for many many years to come due to his many traits and his unwavering devotion to this...

A dumpster fire is a perfect metaphor for our world's newest country, CHAZ. If you haven't heard, there is an "autonomous zone" located in Seattle, Washington on Capitol Hill. They are calling it CHAZ (Capital Hill Autonomous Zone). Here is a great explanation of CHAZ: .....

Fire rescue officials say half a dozen workers were spraying a marshy area Wednesday near Southwest 7th Street and 184th Terrace when they encountered the bees. Officials one of the workers was stung and was hospitalized. His condition is not known. Rescuers were initially concerned because the workers were separated when they jumped into the water, but officials said they were eventually all accounted for. Officials said the workers were on a boat spraying pest repellent when they encountered the bees.

CHICAGO – Mayor Rahm Emanuel pitched a massive property tax hike Tuesday as a "last resort" to correct Chicago's financial footing, suggesting the only alternative for the nation's third-largest city would include severe cuts to police and fire services, recycling programs, pothole repair and even rodent control. Emanuel, who needs approval from state lawmakers and the governor for at least part of his sweeping plan, outlined a $543 million property tax over four years, a $45 million tax to modernize schools, and other new fees for residential garbage pickup, e-cigarettes and ride-sharing services. The property tax revenue would go toward...

Five firefighters and four emergency dispatchers will face discipline over the poor handling and lack of response to an incident in which firefighters did not come to the aid of a man who collapsed across the street from a D.C. fire station, according to a report released Friday. The 13-page internal report issued by Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Paul A. Quander Jr. lays the blame on both the trained medical personnel inside the fire station who refused to come to the aid of a man who was suffering from a heart attack as well as on emergency...

For the first time, the Boston Fire Department has won state approval to hire 15 Spanish-speakers in its next class of 50 firefighters, allowing administrators to move applicants with language skills to the top of the civil service list. But a group of military veterans, normally given preference for the jobs, has challenged the decision. Alleging in legal documents that the bilingual requirement is being used to “recruit people of color into the uniformed ranks,’’ the veterans have asked the state Civil Service Commission to investigate.

Fire forced a women to climb out of a window on the 25th floor of an apartment building. As she dangled 250 feet in the air, her husband and firefighters struggled to pull her to safety. It happened at 1700 Bedford Avenue in the Crown Heights, section of Brooklyn. That's where we find Eyewitness News reporter Stacey Sager, live with the story. It is not a time when you want to look down, that's for sure. In fact it's hard to believe anyone could stay clam when they're hanging off the roof of a high rise building. There's no doubt...

As he lay dying, ambulances went elsewhere By John Semien semien@gomemphis.com July 17, 2003 As ambulance drivers bounced from one wrong destination to another, James Hill Wagner lay on a pool hall floor, friends pleading with him to stay alive. The 68-year-old was competing in a pool tournament when he collapsed over a pool table shortly after 9 p.m. July 9. It took 30 minutes from the first 911 call for an ambulance to reach Wagner at The Billiard Club, 2686 Kirby-Whitten - after units were mistakenly sent to at least three other locations. Friends and club employees spent those...

Blaze, smoke engulf victims within seconds 02/22/2003 BY JENNIFER LEVITZ and ZACHARY R. MIDER Journal Staff Writers WEST WARWICK -- A fireworks display exploded into flames at a small-town nightclub, killing at least 96 people, injuring another 180, and turning a carefree night of rock 'n' roll into the worst disaster in Rhode Island since the Hurricane of 1938. There were up to 360 people in The Station in West Warwick around 11 p.m. Thursday as the band, Great White, launched into its first song, "Desert Moon." Pyrotechnics ignited on the back of the stage. Within 20 seconds, the club...