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ST. LOUIS COUNTY 
Florissant resident Patrick Renner, 19, listens to instructions during a recent outdoor drill at the St. Louis County Fire Academy. Like about 80 percent of the academy's recruits, Renner is
self-sponsored, paying for his own training.
THE FIRE INSIDE: EVEN WITH LIMITED PROSPECTS, RECRUITS ARE WILLING TO PAY THEIR WAY
April 23, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - Aaron Cizek was married on Saturday, but his honeymoon will have to wait. He is chasing his dream of becoming a firefighter.
Cizek is training at the St. Louis County Fire Academy and won't graduate until June 25. He says his wife understands that timing is everything. He tried for two years to get into the academy and knows he may not get another chance for a long time.
He is competing with hundreds of people who apply for a few available spaces at the academy."A firefighter's license is a golden ticket to work in (St. Louis) county," said Cizek, 23, of Hazelwood. "I also don't want to work 8 to 5. You apply yourself to get a job. You keep pursuing it."
Cizek is "self-sponsored," paying for the course without any immediate job prospects. He and other self-sponsors are willing to take the gamble that the expense and work will eventually pay off, even with limited job prospects for new firefighters.
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FIREFIGHTERS FACE RETRAINING WHEN MOVING TO A NEW COUNTY
BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS 
FIERY CRASH, FLYING AXLE ON I-270 BLAMED ON TRUCKER
April 23, 2008 - (ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH) - A portion of Interstate 270 was shut down for more than six hours overnight after a big rig rear-ended another vehicle, overturned and caught fire east of Highway 367, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
At one point, the truck's front axle flew off, striking an oncoming car.
No one was seriously injured in the crash.
It all started about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 270, just east of Highway 367.
The driver of an eastbound Freightliner tractor-trailer didn't slow his rig down in time and rear-ended a Chevrolet Blazer in front of him. The Blazer overturned. The tractor-trailer then hit the concrete median and overturned, catching fire.
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ST. CHARLES
MAN RESCUED AFTER JUMPING INTO THE MISSOURI RIVER
April 25, 2008 - (ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH) - A man was pulled from the Missouri River by firefighters using night vision goggles after he jumped from the Discovery Bridge this morning.
Firefighters received a report of a man hanging from the bridge structure about 2 a.m. Police officer from St. Charles and the Missouri Highway Patrol were attempting to negotiate with the man when he let go at 2:17 a.m.
St. Charles city firefighters had just launched their rescue boat with paramedics on board from the Olive Street ramp less than a mile away. They were advised the man was in the water and raced to the area in an attempt to locate the victim in the water. They were able to spot the victim in the water using night vision goggles.
The man would not respond to verbal commands due to injuries and possible hypothermia so firefighter Jamie Young entered the water to rescue the man. The victim was pulled into the rescue boat just six minutes after he jumped.
The man was transported to St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles in serious condition but is expected to survive the event. Firefighters from the Pattonville and Robertson Fire Districts were called to assist in the rescue.
NORMANDY 
BLUNT WANTS NORTHEAST FIRE, AMBULANCE DISTRICT AUDITED
April 17, 2008 - (ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH) - Gov. Matt Blunt said Wednesday that he would ask for a state audit of St. Louis County's Northeast Ambulance & Fire Protection District, formerly known as the Normandy Fire Protection District.
"Serious concerns about the Northeast Fire and Ambulance District have been brought to my attention, and I intend to request an audit of the district once we receive funding from the General Assembly," Blunt said in a statement.
Blunt received a request for the state auditor to step in from Sen. Rita Heard Days, D-Bel-Nor, who represents the district.
Days said Wednesday evening that she had sent a letter to Blunt on April 8 asking for an audit.
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ST. LOUIS 
STL FIREFIGHTERS TO GET OXYGEN MASKS FOR PETS
April 15, 2008 - (ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH) - Firefighters have long been the go-to guys for pets trapped in trees, but soon they’ll be better prepared to help four-footed victims of fires in St. Louis.
On Wednesday, the owner of the dog wash and pet boutique Four Muddy Paws plans to present the St. Louis Fire Department with 36 sets of pet oxygen masks to help dogs and cats suffering from smoke inhalation.
Local artists helped raise money for the pet masks by painting four fire hydrants and auctioning them off.
LOCAL VET DONATES PET MASKS TO SPANISH LAKE FIREFIGHTERS
MEHLVILLE 
FIREFIGHTERS CALLED TO APARTMENT FIRE IN SOUTH COUNTY
April 9, 2008 - (KSDK) - The Mehlville Fire Department was called to extinguish a cooking fire in South St. Louis County on Wednesday.
The fire broke out before 3:10 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 5000 block of Clayridge Drive, according to authorities.
Firefighters contained the blaze to just one unit before putting it out, but several other units have sustained smoke and water damage. A man and two children were in the building at the time of the fire, but managed to escape unscathed. No one was injured in the fire.
Officials said the blaze appears to have been a cooking fire.
The fire department closed off the westbound lanes of nearby Butler Hill Road to handle the size of emergency equipment. Only one eastbound lane is open on Butler Hill Road, between I-55 and Lemay Ferry.
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NORTHEAST FIRE DISTRICT 
RESIDENTS WORRY ABOUT AGENCIES RELIABILITY
April 8, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - Marilyn Martin of Bel-Ridge wonders if her local ambulance and fire protection service will be able to get to her in time if she needs them.
She's not alone. Given the ongoing upheaval in the Northeast Ambulance and Fire Protection District, formerly known as the Normandy Fire Protection District, some people, especially older residents, are concerned.
"We live in an area where there are so many older people," Martin said in a meeting Thursday night of the Fire District Reform Political Action Committee (FDR PAC).Getting about with the aid of a cane, John Crawford, also of Bel-Ridge, said adequate staffing of the ambulances is key to residents like him.
"I'm concerned," Crawford said, referring to reports that some ambulances are dispatched without a paramedic on board. "I've got health problems."
Concerns about staffing levels were voiced during the two-hour gathering at Normandy City Hall. Some district residents argue that upper-level staff changes have resulted in less-trained personnel making ambulance runs.
"It's important to me to have someone who's trained" staffing the ambulance runs, Martin said.
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ST. LOUIS COUNTY
VOTERS SPLIT ON AREA BOND ISSUES, REFERENDUMS
April 9, 2008 - (ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH) - Voters in the Northeast Ambulance and Fire Protection District in north St. Louis County on Tuesday turned down a bond issue to build a new firehouse.
The Northeast district wanted voters to authorize a $10.7 million bond issue mainly to pay for a six-bay firehouse. Elbert Walton, attorney for the district, said officials would find a location and work out details about the firehouse after they were sure they had money for the project.
The North County Citizen Group, which supports the recall of two of the district's three directors, opposed the bond issue.
In the nearby Robertson Fire Protection District, voters approved a bond issue and tax increase that its fire chief said would prepare his district for the future. Voters authorized a $10 million bond issue and approved a tax increase of 15 cents for each $100 of assessed valuation.
Robertson Fire Chief Dave Tilley said the district is looking for a site for a firehouse in the area near the St. Louis Mills shopping mall, before growth in the area drives up land prices.
"We want to buy property while its price is in acres, not square feet," the chief said.
When the district wants to construct the new firehouse, it would ask voters to finance it, he said.
The district would use money to purchase fire trucks and other equipment in the next few years, Tilley said.
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WEBSTER GROVES 
WEBSTER GROVES FIREFIGHTER GOES TO HOSPITAL AFTER FIGHTING HOUSE FIRE
April 8, 2008 - (KSDK) - A firefighter went to the hospital to get checked out for smoke inhalation after fighting a fire in Webster Groves Tuesday afternoon.
The firefighter helped fight a second-alarm house fire at 326 Simmons, which started around 3:30 p.m.
The firefighter is expected to be alright.
There is no word on what started the fire.
WENTZVILLE 
FIREFIGHTERS TRAIN FOR RAILROAD EMERGENCIES
March 31, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - A road locomotive carries up to 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel. One empty railcar can weigh more than 67,000 pounds. Hit the emergency break and a train won't stop for 1.5 miles.
"You don't realize how big that stuff is until you're right up next to it," said Rick Deichmann, a railroad policeman for Norfolk Southern Railroad.
Deichmann knows his facts. He recited them last week, walking up and down the Wentzville railroad yard with firefighters by his side. The Wentzville, Lake Saint Louis and O'Fallon fire protection districts were participating in the Wentzville fire district's training session on railroad familiarization. In the past few weeks, hands-on sessions at the yard and three hours of classroom training gave firefighters a heads-up on railroad equipment, rail operations and communication with railroad officials.The reason being, Deichmann said, is the potential for many incidents on a railroad. Trains could hit pedestrians, crash into vehicles or catch fire. They might be hauling hazardous materials, or employees could need emergency assistance. The training lets firefighters know how to take proper safety precautions when called to the scene, Diechmann said.
Those many precautions included understanding how the 800-pound doors on railroad cars are attached, becoming familiar with the train's brake system and calling in identification numbers on railcars to determine what materials are being transported.
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NORMANDY UPDATE:
JUDGE REFUSES TO MAKE NORMANDY CITY HALL OFF LIMITS TO RECALL GROUP
April 2, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - A judge this morning (Tuesday) rejected a request to prevent the use of Normandy City Hall later this week by a group seeking the recall of two directors of the Northeast Ambulance & Fire Protection District.
St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Melvin W. Wiesman denied a motion for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented the recall group — Fire District Reform Political Action Committee (FDR PAC) — from using City Hall Thursday night for another meeting. The group is seeking the ouster of Northeast directors Joseph Washington and Robert Edwards.
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NORMANDY 
FIRE DISTRICT TRYS TO BLOCK RECALL GROUP FROM USING CITY HALL
April 2, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - Attorney Elbert Walton Jr. burned the midnight oil Sunday as he prepared documents aimed at preventing a meeting this week of supporters of a recall of two local fire agency directors.
Walton, the legal counsel of the Northeast Ambulance and Fire Protection District, sought a court order banning the Fire District Reform Political Action Committee (FDR PAC) from meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Normandy City Hall to discuss the recall of Northeast board members Joseph Washington and Robert Edwards. The group also met there March 17.
Walton argues that the March 17 meeting at City Hall was a violation of state law. That meeting, he said in a statement issued late Sunday, included the use of city equipment and supplies and city government staff and employees for maintenance and security. The costs associated with the meeting should be reimbursed by the organizers, Walton said.Normandy City Administrator Brent Bury, who is named in the fire district's petition along with Mayor Jim Murphy and all eight Normandy City Council members, said early Monday morning that he had just received a copy of the petition. He declined to comment, pending review of the document.
Speaking generally about the availability of City Hall to groups, Bury said the building is open to a variety of organizations.
"Anybody can use it who wants to use it," he said.
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MAPLEWOOD
MAPLEWOOD FIREFIGHTER CHARGED WITH FELONY STEALING
March 31, 2008 - (ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH) - A Maplewood firefighter has been accused of falsely reporting his pickup truck stolen in order to collect an insurance check.
Michael Brown, 41, who is the husband of of Maplewood City Councilwoman Dodi Brown, was charged Sunday with felony stealing. He was released from St. Louis County Jail after posting $10,000 bond. The Browns could not immediately be reached for comment this morning.
Maplewood police said that Michael Brown reported his 1999 Dodge Ram pickup stolen on Sept. 4. But tipsters told police the truck was really being held by a friend of Michael Brown at his property in Bloomsdale, Mo.
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NORMANDY
TROUBLED FIRE DISTRICT SEEKS $10.7 MILLION BOND ISSUE
March 25, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - A North County fire protection district wracked by controversy in the last year is asking voters to approve a $10.7 million bond issue to finance a new firehouse, equipment and other expenses.
Critics of the district, including some elected officials of municipalities the agency serves, say Northeast Ambulance and Fire Protection District administrators have not provided residents with a firm plan on how they would use the money.
"They have no plans made," said Matt Lauer, a resident of the district and the police chief of Bel-Nor.Proposition B on the April 8 ballot seeks approval to sell bonds worth $10.7 million to cover a laundry list of items, from land to buildings to fire trucks, ambulances and other items.
A four-sevenths majority is needed for passage.
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FENTON 
FENTON FIRE DISTRICT WINS NATIONAL ACCREDITATION
March 25, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - The Fenton Fire Protection District scored another first recently by becoming the only fire department in St. Louis County to be nationally accredited.
"This means we can provide better services and more efficient services for the taxpayers," Fire Captain Tim Buehne said. "I think it shows to the taxpayers that they can trust us with their tax dollars, and we want to ensure we're providing them the best possible services for those tax dollars. And we want to continue to get better, and that's what the accreditation model is all about."
The Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) named the district the first in the county and only the second in the state to become accredited. The O'Fallon, Mo., fire department is also accredited by CFAI.The CFAI program is a comprehensive self-assessment and evaluation model for fire and emergency service organizations. Using the program, fire and emergency medical service (EMS) departments can improve levels of professionalism and enhance service delivery.
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BLACK JACK 
FIREFIGHTING IS ALL IN THE FAMILY FOR GANTNER
March 18, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - Black Jack Fire Chief Michael Gantner says fighting fires could be well on its way to becoming a family tradition.
Among Gantner’s four children, two have made firefighting their career. In addition, his brother serves as chief of the volunteer fire department in Matthews, Mo.
Firefighting is not new to the family. Gantner’s uncle was a firefighter for the St. Louis Fire Department decades ago. He lost his life in the line of duty.Gantner began his career as a fireman in 1974 and became fire chief seven years ago.
“I wanted to do it once I’d seen what it was all about,” he said. “Then I just got hooked.”
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NATIONAL 
RECALLED TOASTERS CAN TURN THEMSELVES ON, CATCH FIRE
March 20, 2008 - (ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH) - There could be danger in your kitchen: your toaster might be able to turn itself on and catch fire.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced this week that two-slice chrome electric toasters made by Salton Inc.of Lake Forest, Ill., are being recalled. The types are the:
* Farberware models FCT200 and FCT100.
* Hoffritz models HZT2 and HZT2M.
* Russell Hobbs model RH2MT.
The brand names and model numbers are printed on a plate under the toasters.
The commission says that the toasters can turn on without bread in the toaster slots. That means that anything above the toaster or crumbs left inside of it can ignite and cause a fire.
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SAFETY RECALLS
CHESTERFIELD 
MONARCH, FIREFIGHTERS AGREE ON CONTRACT
March 18, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - The Monarch Fire Protection District and the Monarch shop of Local 2665 of the International Association of Fire Fighters have reached a three-year contract/memo of understanding on salary, benefits and working conditions, running from March 1, 2008, to Dec. 31, 2011.
The district board of directors unanimously approved the document March 13.
Andy Stecko, co-shop steward of the Monarch shop which includes 115 employees, said the contract was ratified March 5."Though we don't give the vote, it was approved by the overwhelming majority," Stecko said.
Highlights of the contract include that the district plans to provide a 2.4 percent wage increase, attempting to be in line with the consumer price index.
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BEL-RIDGE 
FIVE-YEAR-OLD BOY DIES IN OVERNIGHT FIRE IN BEL-RIDGE
March 17, 2008 - (KSDK) - A 7-year-old girl is recovering from a house fire that killed her younger brother in Bel-Ridge on Sunday.
Rashaad Roberts, 5, was sleeping when the fire started in his bedroom. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused it.
When firefighters arrived at the house in the 3200 block of North Hanley, they rescued his sister, Rochelle Thompson, 7, from the living room. She had burns to her ear and hand.
The children's grandfather was sleeping in the basement and got out on his own.
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HAZELWOOD 
CANADIAN RESCUE EXPERT TEACHES HAZELWOOD FIREFIGHTERS
March 3, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - Keith Shields was away from his home turf - about 1,000 miles away, in Hazelwood.
He is a captain in the Saanich Fire Department in Victoria, British Columbia. The community is about 100 miles north of Seattle.
One thing Shields has learned in his travels is that a firefighter is a firefighter, no matter what the country."I can be sitting in a room with (American) firefighters, and the conversations are pretty much the same," he said. "We all talk about the job and our experiences. The job is pretty similar wherever you go."
Although the jobs are similar, there are some differences, he said. The rescue method he teaches is called confined-space rescue.
Shields, 51, was in Hazelwood teaching rope rescues, a method used to vertically lift accident victims from steep locations. The captain is an expert instructor with the Roco Rescue Training Corp., a firm that teaches these techniques to fire departments throughout Canada and the United States.
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FERGUSON 
TWO WOMAN DIE IN FERGUSON FIRE
March 10, 2008 - (KMOV) - Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a fatal fire in Ferguson.
Authorities tell News 4 that a woman and her mother died in that fire.
It happened Monday morning in the 6100 block of Behle Ave.
News 4’s Erica Van Ross is following this story and will have more information as soon as it becomes available.
more photos
CHESTERFIELD
MONARCH FPD BOARD APPROVES REVIEW OF EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN AUDIT
February 19, 2008 - (SUBURBAN JOURNAL) - MONARCH FPD Let's audit the audit.
That's basically what the Monarch Fire Protection District Board of Directors decided Thursday, Feb. 14, by a 2-1 vote, with Kim Evans objecting.
The board approved what president Rick Gans called an independent review, by the CBIZ national certified public accountant firm, of a recent audit of the district's self-funded employee health plan. CBIZ also will review the district's planned response to the original audit and provide an opinion about findings in the audit.
Gans stressed this review is not a formal audit.
That original audit was funded by firefighters and accuses two current and one former board member of fraud. The board has not yet released its response to the document three months after its release.
The review of the audit is expected to cost up to $20,000. It may be completed by the end of March.
Gans and fellow board member Dr. David Terschluse claim the firefighter-funded audit is biased and that they could not receive a fair hearing to their audit response from the original auditor, Independent Insurance Auditing Services (IAS).
"Having an independent, nationally recognized firm with no ax to grind is very important," Terschluse said. He said CBIZ "will not be subject to any kind of political forces to sway their decision."
Gans also said the firefighter-funded audit contained private, protected health information of plan participants, which was released by the auditor to those not authorized to see it.
Evans claimed the original audit "was done by a highly-reputable firm."
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HAZELWOOD  
HAZELWOOD OFFICER FINED $18,000.00 FOR ARRESTING FIREFIGHTER ON EMERGENCY CALL
February 14, 2008 - (KMOV) - A battle between a police officer and a firefighter in the middle of an emergency call is costing the officer almost $18,000.
News 4 has obtained police video that shows a Hazelwood police officer arresting a fire captain in the middle of efforts to move an injured driver from Interstate 270.
The videotape is what led to the federal court jury's verdict Wednesday afternoon.
The incident happened almost five years ago, but the tape has turned out to be very powerful evidence.
Missouri law grants firefighters the right to park their vehicles wherever they want, but Hazelwood's police chief says he still believes police have the right to regulate traffic and have fire trucks moved.
Watch raw video from the dashcam
HAZELWOOD
JURORS HEAR DISPUTE OVER ARREST OF FIREFIGHTER AT SCENE
February 13, 2008 - (ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH) - As Joe Mack lay trapped in a traffic crash along Interstate 270, he listened, perplexed, to a peculiar exchange between a police officer and a firefighter.
The two argued over who was in charge, and whether a firetruck was going to be moved to unblock traffic.
Both won. The firetruck stayed, and Officer Todd Greeves handcuffed fire Capt. David Wilson and marched him to a patrol car.
Although Mack has healed, the rescuers' dispute has not. Wilson is seeking damages in a civil rights lawsuit now on trial in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
Mack told jurors Tuesday that he had been hit so hard from behind by another vehicle on May 12, 2003, that his seat back broke and his radio popped out of the dash.
The wreckage was in one of the exit lanes at McDonnell Boulevard. Police blocked that lane and the slow lane of 270 northbound.
The Robertson Fire Protection District truck in which Wilson arrived parked in a way that blocked another lane to the left. Wilson, with the district nearly 27 years, testified that his crew needed the room to work safely, and that he believed he was in charge.
Wilson admitted that he heard and ignored Greeves' warning that someone would be arrested if the truck wasn't moved. He said he was "startled and dumbfounded" when he was cuffed, and upset and angry that Greeves was interfering.
The fire captain said he felt at risk sitting in Greeves' car, the first emergency vehicle that passing traffic would encounter.
Wilson was released after Greeves called a supervisor, and no charges were ever filed.
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