firefighting

Charleston firefighter Bill Haigler had never heard of Chris Rogers before someone called from Tennessee on his behalf. Rogers was a fellow firefighter in need of help. That's all Haigler needed to know.  

The bushfire threat in the southern states has eased as rain and cooler weather sweep through the fire-affected areas. South Australia was enjoying wet weather on Saturday after coming close to a bushfire disaster during the week with record high temperatures and 25,000 lightning strikes causing more than 100 fires. "Everything is under control," a Country Fire Service spokeswoman told AAP on Saturday.  

There is no immediate threat to lives or property from 66 fires burning across NSW however, "unprecedented conditions" call for extreme vigilance, the premier says. On Saturday morning five major uncontained fires were causing fire fighters concern, including two in the Blue Mountains and Wollemi National parks, west of Sydney. "It has never been this hot, dry or windy in combination ever before," Premier Nathan Rees told reporters on Saturday.

It has never been this hot, dry or windy in combination ever before   -Nathan Rees

 

They are men who show courage in the face of great danger, but 7-year-old Peyton Ricker's story brought the group of Lake Jackson volunteer firefighters to tears. In an effort to honor the boy who is living with cancer, firefighters drove Peyton to school at Bess Brannen Elementary on a fire truck and named him an honorary firefighter Friday. Robert and Jenna Ricker found out Peyton had a tumor on his brain stem in July 2008, Robert Ricker said.

We heard that he’d been wanting a fire truck ride for a long time   -Mike Harper

 

A Friday afternoon fire in Scottsbluff caused heavy damage to the Larry and Linda Cushing home at 2425 Fourth Ave. Scottsbluff Fire Chief Dana Miller said Linda Cushing told firefighters she was beginning to decorate for Christmas and had plugged in a wall display when it sparked and caught fire. The flames spread up the wall as Cushing went to shut off the breaker and call the fire department. Miller said there was active fire in the northwest corner of the home when firefighters arrived and flames  

Information is taken from the records of the Portage Fire Department. The Portage Fire Department has responded to a total of 331 calls since Jan. 1. N7800 block of Highway EE: At 3:34 p.m.  

Up to 100 fires are burning across New South Wales (NSW) as a large swathe of the state begins a day of total fire bans, local media reports Saturday. The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) says more extreme heat is on the way, propelling the "difficult and challenging" conditions for firefighters on Saturday. The fires were moving slowly late on Friday as crews worked with heavy machinery to establish containment lines.  

Thank you for your excellent reporting on fire districts last month. This is in response to the letter by Rebecca Richardson, "Fire pay justified," Oct. 24. In your reporter's article it was stated that the starting firefighter's salary in New York City (whose individual engine companies handle more calls than all of Bonita's,) is $40,490, compared to $55,000 in Bonita Springs, which is above the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics of $45,700 for the average annual firefighter pay.  

The man responsible for allowing three truckies to drive into a blazing inferno will escape any internal punishment after accepting a redundancy from the Department of Environment and Conservation. The DEC was yesterday lashed by State Coroner Alistair Hope, who labelled their management of a bushfire in the eastern Goldfields a "failure of considerable magnitude". Truck drivers Lewis Bedford, Trevor Murley and Robert Taylor drove into a blazing inferno on Great Eastern Highway in the Boorabbin Nation

None of these (members) appear to appreciate the fundamental importance of doing so.   -Alistair Hope