This has been a long time coming! Federal Signal Corporation announced after the closing bell on Wall Street yesterday that it has found a buyer for E-One based in Ocala, FL. The purchaser, American Industrial Parters (AIP) is a private equity firm that specializes in investing in medium sized companies. The purchase price was $20 million! Considering the cost of fire apparatus these days, that's not a bad… Continue

Start taking a closer look at your hydrants in your area folks! The downturn in the economy has brought about a new target for those turning metal into cash.



The brass top operating nuts of hydrants can net a tidy sum of money for thieves and it's happening in Northern Virginia. Without the operating nut, the hydrants are rendered inoperable (depending on the hydrant model).



Add this to your list of things you should do while performing district familiarization.… Continue

It is said that women can drive men do the darndest things. We can get so caught up in a woman that we'll go off the deep end if anyone even thinks about looking at our girl. Would I try to kill someone over a woman? Hell no! Apparently one firefighter would.

We hear that police plan on charging a Springfield, MA firefighter with attempted murder after an assult that left a 45-year-old man with a slashed throat! And yes, this… Continue

UPDATED: Here in the Washington, D.C. metro area, we get word from the local media outlets about a 4-year-old firehouse video being leaked to the local news that depicts what the media calls a 'frat house' full of activity. The Kentland Volunteer Fire Department shown in the video operates under the Prince Georges County Fire Department in Maryland .



In the news video below, you can see volunteers shooting illegal… Continue

From the celebrity news wires I'm hearing that Michael J. Fox may jump on board the cast of 'RESCUE ME' during the fifth season. The plan is for Fox to play a love interest to Denis Leary's character's ex (Janet). Entertainment Tonight is reporting this afternoon that Fox is considering the offer - which makes sense since Fox and Leary are longtime friends.

As you may recall, Fox suffers from Parkinson's and hasn't been on TV… Continue

Here's a good discussion: What are your department's policies in regard to the reporting of criminal offenses? Is it required to report traffic tickets? Misdemeanor convictions? Citations?



A story out of Louisville, KY regarding Tammy Renee Brewer who was involved in an accident while transporting a nose bleed patient. Brewer was found later to have a number of criminal offenses which were not reported to her employer OR the… Continue

A volunteer firefighter in Penrose, CO got a lesson in anatomy that he probably doesn't want to go through again. Chris Clear was helping a friend move a roto-tiller when SNAP! He said it was just like a rock hitting his face, but it didn't feel like anything went further than that. He went to his mom who said his nose was pouring with blood.

They drove to the hospital where they took an X-ray of his NECK (the focus of his pain)… Continue

Think about this one: You are minding your own business on a beautiful Sunday morning checking out the apparatus. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and the rookies are doing, well, what rookies do. Then all of a sudden CRASH! An oak tree falls in front of your station directly into the apparatus! That'll wake your ass up.

That's exactly what happened in Hillsborough County, Florida yesterday. An oak tree fell on Engine and… Continue

What are your thoughts about this? If you are a paid firefighter for a city, county or otherwise AND you wear your official badge on your bustier while topless in a parade - should you be disciplined? (For the record, it really doesn't matter what the parade is - the point is about being topless in public while displaying your employers official badge).



We hear out in San Fancisco that an off-duty firefighter was… Continue

News from across the pond in the U.K. - firefighters had to cut a man from a titanium chastity belt used for sex games. This was after the man spent ALL DAY trying to free himself before calling for assistance. Personally, I would have worked at least 48 hours before letting firefighters come rescue me! Apparently, it took about 45 minutes to free the man. During this period, he reportedly slippped in and out of consciousness due to… Continue

Down in Clearwater Florida, we are getting reports that a Pinellas County paramedic molested a patient in the back of the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The patient, a female, reported to police that she had been touched inappropriately. This all happened back on June 26. The paramedic, 38 year old Patrick Livingston was arrested yesterday (July 4) and subsequently charged with sexual battery. Livingston is being held on a… Continue