Firehouse Magazine

CHICAGO -- Bill Rosales had struggled for months to ask for help by the time he got a call from a high school friend. The Chicago firefighter desperately needed a kidney transplant to treat a rare genetic disorder. He hadn’t spoken much in several years to the friend, Jason Fuggiti, who also happens to be a firefighter in the southwest suburbs. Rosales assumed he was simply checking in on his health, so he was floored by Fuggiti’s announcement.

In remembrance of firefighters who have lost their lives while performing their duties, famous structures, fire stations, and residences around the country will start to turn red in the days preceding the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend.

Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier’s proposed budget will include more than $3 million to add 12 battalion chiefs to the county fire department — a move she says will speed command response and improve safety as call volumes surge. The plan, outlined on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s fiscal 2027 budget rollout, would more than double the department’s current number of battalion chiefs.

Lawsuit Alleges Henderson, NV, Fire Department Mishandled Severed Finger, Leading to Permanent Injury The man claims that Henderson firefighters failed to preserve the severed finger correctly, preventing surgical reattachment.

High-rise, mid-rise, big-box and large commercial occupancies are where the fire service’s margins erode fastest. These aren’t routine structure fires that involve a longer walk. They are incidents in which architecture, distance and building systems either stabilize the event early or amplify it into a long-duration campaign. Even when ignition sources are commonplace, vertical transport, smoke movement, complex layouts and occupant decision-making increase consequence.

Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood Landing, NY.

Fire Forces ICU Evacuations at Boston Medical Center Boston Fire Chief Paul Burke said evacuations were still underway Wednesday morning, with firefighters, hospital staff and emergency responders helping patients down the stairs. A fire at Boston Medical Center in Brighton forced more than two dozen patients to evacuate Wednesday. The fire broke out in an electrical room and was contained by firefighters, but the hospital’s intensive care unit and emergency room were impacted.

SALISBURY — Emotions ran high this week as the Salisbury City Council took a first step toward ending collective bargaining rights for most city workers — including police and firefighters — with critics warning the move could undermine public safety and worsen staffing shortages. Mayor Randy Taylor, who introduced the proposal to repeal a 2022 charter amendment granting those rights, said Monday that the city’s deteriorating finances left few options.

Eight Kansas City, MO, Firefighters Among Top 10 Highest Paid Firefighter Paramedic John Morrow made $378,151 last year while seven other Kansas City fire personnel took home pay ranging from $339,836 to $272,469. Source The Kansas City Star (TNS) Kanas City Fire Department/Facebook Your Kansas City tax dollars pay for salaries of city employees, from road engineers and firefighters to nurses and attorneys. But who makes the most?

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