By Jonathon Shacat/Wick Communications

2008 Fire Service
Leadership Conference

Sponsored by the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association


July 29 - August 2, 2008
Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa

The EXPO is free for everyone, showcasing the very latest in technology and apparatus! Come in and take a look at the latest offerings.

by Matthew Benson - Jul. 3, 2008 02:05 PM
The Arizona Republic

Arizona Department of Health Services Director Sue Gerard is resigning her position, effective Aug. 1.

“I'd like to thank Governor Napolitano for giving me the opportunity to work at my dream job for the last three years,” Gerard wrote in a statement released Thursday. “It has been a privilege to work for the people of Arizona and we've made some wonderful progress toward improving the quality and availability of health care. But I think this is the right time for me to move on. We have an excellent staff in place and I'm proud of the progress we've made.”Previously, the 35-year Arizona resident was a chief adviser to Gov. Janet Napolitano on health care issues, and served as a Republican legislator from 1988 to 2002. Replacing Gerard on an interim basis is January Contreras, the governor's adviser on health issues.

“My thanks go to Susan for her commitment to Arizona , and for sharing her expertise with DHS,” Napolitano wrote in a statement. “She has been an outstanding public servant for more than two decades. Much of the progress we've made in health care is a direct result of legislation Susan introduced and improvements she made at DHS.”

Regardless of the sunny statements released Thursday by Napolitano and Gerard, their relationship became strained over the last year or so with the uncovering by Gerard's inspectors of a string of patient-care problems at the Arizona State Veteran Home, which is part of the state Department of Veterans Services.

In May, the state-run nursing home came under criticism after sending home without home-health services or medications a 67-year-old diabetic man recovering from brain surgery. DHS declared that residents in the home were in "immediate jeopardy,” the worst possible designation for such a facility. It was the second time in a year-and-a-half that the home had received the designation.

After that incident, the outspoken Gerard revealed some of her frustration with the Governor's Office in a series of inter-agency e-mails, which subsequently became public.

In one, Gerard wrote that the Governor's Office and Department of Veterans Services had a habit of siding with the veterans home rather than DHS when it came to questions of patient care at the nursing home. In another, Gerard described the reaction to her agency's negative inspections of the veterans home as a “shoot the messenger mentality.”

Napolitano spokeswoman Jeanine L'Ecuyer said the governor didn't request Gerard's resignation, and denied that recent problems at the veterans home played any role in the shakeup.

“Sue Gerard made the decision to resign,” L'Ecuyer said. “It was her decision. The timing of Gerard's decision was Gerard's.” News of her resignation comes two days after General Richard “Gregg” Maxon stepped down from has position as head of the Department of Veterans Services. Stepping in to replace Maxon is Col. Joey Strickland, who most recently was deputy secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs.

by Republic staff - Jul. 1, 2008 12:34 PM
The Arizona Republic

The Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF -
A fiery collision that killed six people aboard two medical helicopters has underscored the dangers of emergency flights and renewed questions about whether they are worth the risks.
Experts agree air ambulances can save lives when the victim is in grave condition and the hospital is a long way off or hard to reach by road. But they say there are other cases in which an ordinary ground ambulance is just as good, and perhaps safer.
The collision involved two helicopters that were arriving with patients Sunday at Flagstaff Medical Center. It was the ninth accident in the U.S. this year involving emergency medical aircraft, bringing the number of deaths to 16, National Transportation Safety Board officials said Monday.
"This has been a serious issue," NTSB chairman Mark Rosenker said. "We're going to work very, very hard to make sure we understand exactly what happened here, determine the probable cause and make recommendations to prevent it from happening again."
Crashes of medical aircraft have been on the rise since the 1990s for a number of reasons, experts said. It is a booming business, fueled by the closing of emergency rooms in rural areas and an aging population, according to the National EMS Pilots Association. The number of emergency medical helicopters has climbed from roughly 400 in 2002 to more than 800 now, according to the Association of Air Medical Services, an industry group in Washington, D.C.
From 2002 to 2005, about 1 of every 50 medical helicopters in the U.S. fleet was involved in a crash, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. That is a far deadlier rate than that of the U.S. airline industry, which earlier this decade went nearly five years without a single commercial jetliner crash.
The report also cited NTSB figures that said the accident rate for emergency medical helicopters has risen from 3.52 accidents per 100,000 flight hours between 1992 and 2001 to 4.56 accidents per 100,000 flight hours between 1997 and 2001.
Dr. Bryan Bledsoe, an emergency medicine physician who teaches at the University of Nevada and has researched accident rates of medical helicopters, said flights benefit only a small subset of patients, such as those needing a cardiac stent or balloon within a 90-minute window.
But helicopters aren't necessary for transporting most other patients and needlessly expose them to danger, Bledsoe said.
While helicopters are faster than ground transportation, traditional ambulances can often get patients there quicker, given the difficulty of finding places to land helicopters and the decision sometimes to turn off the engines when the aircraft arrives and then power them up again when it is time to take off, Bledsoe said.
Bledsoe said 2 out of 3 patients transported by an EMS helicopter generally have minor injuries, and 1 in 4 is sent home without being admitted to the hospital. He said the standards for the severity of injuries for transporting people are too low.
"It's an amazingly liberal criteria, and because the industry is driven by profit, there is little movement to change it," Bledsoe said.

By Elizabeth Jackman
During his 33-year career with the Glendale Fire Department, Assistant Chief Dave Villalovos has done it all, from fighting fires to delivering babies.

“I have delivered 13 babies,” Villalovos said. “One of the fathers wanted to name the baby after me, but I said, ‘please don’t do that,’ because it was a little girl. He invited me back after my shift for a beer.”

That was early in his career, back in the late 1970s, he said.

Villalovos, 57, who is the second-longest serving member of the department behind Engineer Gary Flannery, who has close to 35 years, celebrated his retirement June 20.

“I decided to retire because I am never going to have more years than him,” Villalovos said with a chuckle.

Born and raised in Compton, Calif., a suburb in south Los Angeles, Villalovos joined the Air Force a year after completing high school. He worked as a jet mechanic.

He was stationed at Luke Air Force Base when he left the service in May 1973 and went to work as a cable splicer for Mountain Bell.

His career with the fire department almost never happened because at 5-feet 5-inches tall, he was told he was too short.

A chance acquaintance with a man he played handball with for two years at a park at 59th Avenue and Bethany Home Road, which they used to call “chicken park” because there was a chicken ranch across the street, changed the course of his life.

The man turned out to be then Fire Chief Gray Crabtree, but Villalovos said he had no idea he was the fire chief.

“He told me Glendale did not have a height requirement, only that your weight be proportionate to your height,” Villalovos said. “I tested and got hired along with seven other recruits in September 1974. I was 24.”

After two weeks of on the job training, he was put on Engine 153 at 59th Avenue and Thunderbird Road.

“At that time we had about 30 members and only three fire stations,” Villalovos said.

He spent three years as a firefighter and then became an engineer, was promoted to captain in 1986 at Station No. 152 at 69th Avenue and Bethany Home Road and to battalion chief in 1997. In 2005, he was appointed deputy chief and assistant chief in 2007.

“After one year as a firefighter I had the opportunity to go to paramedic school,” he said.

Along the way, he was also part of the first bicycle paramedic team developed for special events such as the Fourth of July, worked as a Fire Pal in the schools teaching fire safety and was an original member of the department’s HAZMAT (hazardous materials) team.

“I stayed pretty busy,” Villalovos said. “It’s been a good career. I’ve seen the best and the worst, a lot of tragic calls; drownings, traffic fatalities, and unexpected trauma such as shootings, all very sad. We do what we can to provide comfort. At least I was there to try and help.”

Villalovos remembered one very special thank you that came 22 years after he saved the life of a woman who had been choking to death on a piece of meat while at her home eating dinner.

“In 2001, a woman named Vicki from our IT department came to work on my computer,” Villalovos said. “During that time she showed me a business card of Chief Crabtree’s and on the back was written my name and Gary Flannery. She told me we were the two paramedics who came and saved her mom’s life. She said when she started working at the city she hoped she would run into them one day so she could say thank you. She carried that card around for more than 20 years. I asked her how her mom was, she said she just celebrated her 80th birthday and she brought her down to meet me and Gary.”

The best part about being a firefighter is the chance to serve the public and help people, he said.

“I feel that is what firefighters are all about, helping people,” Villalovos said.

His plans for retirement include playing more golf and handball which he still loves playing and traveling with his wife Cindy, a fleet manager for the Glendale police department who he married in 2007.

Villalovos first wife, Virginia, passed away in 2003. The couple raised three children who Villalovos calls the “M and Ms,” Melissa, Mike and Melinda. He has three grandchildren.

Reach the reporter at ejackman@star-times.com, or 623-847-4615.

by Jim Walsh - Jun. 30, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

FLAGSTAFF - Six people were killed and three were injured Sunday after two helicopters collided near a Flagstaff hospital and set off an explosion that blasted emergency responders off their feet, federal and local authorities said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said no bystanders on the ground were hurt. No names have been released. Officials are still trying to reach the victims' families.
The crash occurred less than 48 hours after another medical helicopter crash-landed about 30 miles outside Prescott, injuring its crew of three.

It is the second deadly helicopter collision in Arizona in a year. Last July, four people in two news copters were killed. Their aircraft collided as they were tracking a low-speed police chase through Phoenix.

A Coconino County sheriff's spokesman, Gerry Blair, called the Flagstaff collision "unprecedented" for the city, and said he believes it's the biggest mass-casualty event in its history.

Local police and fire officials were called to the crash scene near Flagstaff Medical Center at 3:48 p.m. Both helicopters were headed for the hospital and were less than a mile away from the facility when they hit and spun out of control over a forested area that's a popular spot for bicyclists and hikers.

Fire officials said one landed on Switzer Mesa - also called McMillan Mesa - and exploded soon after they arrived. The other landed downhill in a tangle of debris.

A patient was among the three passengers who died in the Bell 407 helicopter operated by a Colorado company, Air Methods, based in Colorado, Gregor said. Another three were killed and one was injured in the other aircraft, a Bell 407 run by Classic Helicopter Service of Utah.

Two paramedics responding to the crash suffered burns to their hands and were taken to Flagstaff Medical for treatment. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

Capt. Mark Johnson, a Flagstaff Fire Department spokesman, said one of his co-workers, Capt. Ray Gonzalez, was running up the hill toward one of the downed helicopters near Turquoise and Forest roads when he was struck by a blast.

"He said it felt like someone had pulled his feet out from under him," Johnson said.

John Kincade of Flagstaff was spending the afternoon with his family at a nearby park when he saw the helicopters hit and fall. A woman who looked to be a patient was ejected from one of the aircraft.

Kincade said he ran to help but found she had no pulse. Seconds later, the explosion hit and threw a firefighter 15 or 20 feet in the air. Officials said started a brush fire that burned about 10 acres before fire crews contained it about 90 minutes later.

"Even if I had all the training in the world, there was nothing I could have done," Kincade said.

The helicopter downhill from the mesa was so badly wrecked by the impact that firefighters spent 20 minutes trying to extricate the victims.

Two people managed to escape but were hurt by the nearby explosion. They were expected to survive and are likely in good condition, said Blair, of the Coconino County Sheriff's Office.

Gregor said FAA and National Transportation and Safety Board authorities have been called to the scene to determine what happened.

The devastating collision has stunned law enforcement and fire officials, who said they cannot imagine what led to the crash.

"It was calm. It was clear. There was no wind," Johnson said.

Conditions were similar in last year's crash that killed pilots Craig Smith and Scott Bowerbank, and TV cameramen Jim Cox and Rich Krolak.

In a preliminary report on the July 27 crash, the NTSB said the Channel 3 helicopter was hovering when the Channel 15 craft struck it, causing the crash. A final report is expected this summer.


Republic reporter Lily Leung contributed to this article.




http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/30/20080630helicoptercrash0630.html

Jun. 28, 2008 10:05 AM

Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF - The condition of a crewman critically hurt in the crash of a medical helicopter near Ash Fork is improving and he is now listed in serious condition.

Jonathan Collier with Air Evac Inc. says the flight paramedic had surgery after Friday's crash but is now doing much better. He called Saturday's developments "very good news" and says they are encouraged he will continue to recover.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/28/20080628choppercrash-ON.html

by Samantha Hauser and 12 News - Jun. 27, 2008 03:04 PM
The Arizona Republic

Three people were injured early Friday morning when a medical helicopter crashed about 30 miles outside of Prescott near Ash Fork.

The Air Evac helicopter crew was flying to pick up a patient near Ash Fork, which is near the junction of Interstate 40 and Arizona 89.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/27/20080627n12-0627chopperlanding.html

Reported by: Chris Kline
Email: ckline@abc15.com
Last Update: 6/22 6:20 pm

A man bit two Phoenix firefighters on Saturday before crews transported him to a local hospital where he died from an unreleased medical condition.

Police said the firefighters were originally sent to a home near 75th Avenue and Indian School Road to respond to a medical emergency.


http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=f2a6c80f-826e-4ff4-ab64-21a2c4372507

The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson (June 23, 2008)

Jun. 23--The 30-year-old man's irritable-bowel syndrome was causing severe pain and he could barely stand up. His mother called 911.

It was the third time last week the mother and son had called 911 from their trailer. Both suffer from the same ailment. With no car, no doctor and not knowing many people in Tucson, they found themselves with few choices.

http://www.fireengineering.com/display_news/163439/25/none/No_flames%2C_but_firefighters_answer_calls_in_AZ

Reported by: Deborah Stocks
Email: dstocks@abc15.com
Last Update: 11:03 am

A police officer helped get a family of five out of their west Phoenix home as an early morning blaze moved from a house next door to theirs.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=bb29ef67-cb7c-43f1-9ab0-ce042c071e32

Published on Sunday, June 22, 2008

Julie Ann Marra
Herald/Review

SIERRA VISTA — Those protecting Sierra Vista residents will work on protecting themselves this week as the Sierra Vista Fire Department focuses on Firefighters’ and Emergency Medical Technicians’ health and safety this week during the 2008 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week.

“It is essential to the organization that all emergency response personnel participate in this important program that will address and educate our staff to help minimize the risk of on-the-job illnesses and injuries,” Sierra Vista Fire Marshal Paul Cimino said in a news release Friday.

http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/06/22/news/doc485e0d78ba01f381024457.txt

KOLD News 13 Reporter, Suleika Acosta

Two brush fires sparked up Saturday evening Southeast of Tucson, because of lightning. One of them is the Cumaro Fire burning 700 acres. It's burning in Happy Valley, near the Mescal Road Exit, off of Interstate Ten.

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=8538544&nav=menu86_2

by Brent Whiting - Jun. 19, 2008 01:50 PM
The Arizona Republic

A 20-year-old woman was reported in critical condition Thursday after being pulled from an SUV that plunged to the bottom of a man-made lake in Glendale, authorities said.

The woman, whose name was not immediately released, was saved in a dramatic rescue by two Glendale firefighters, Dave Green and Michael Higgins, who were on their way back to the station from a training exercise, officials said.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/19/20080619gl-rescue0619-ON.html

by Adriane Hopkins - Jun. 19, 2008 05:44 AM
Special for the Republic
Comedians will come together Saturday for the Comedy for Cancer charity show to benefit breast cancer patients, with an assist from a Glendale firefighter.

This is the third year that local comic Jeff Maxwell, owner of KneeSlappers Comedy Lounge in Tempe, has gathered comedians together to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

June 20th, 2008 @ 6:11am
by Jim Cross/KTAR

The first big urban brush fire of the season sent a stream of smoke over the southwest Valley this morning.

http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=873154

by Lily Leung - Jun. 19, 2008 09:48 AM
The Arizona Republic
Fingerprints of brotherly aid have been left over the years in all corners of the central fire station in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora.

Years back, the Mexican fire department acquired one of its firetrucks as a donation from Montecito, a small Southern California town adjacent to Santa Barbara. Another fire engine also came westward, from Tijuana, Mexico.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/2008/06/19/20080619gl-nwvrocky0620.html

By, KOLD News 13 Live This Morning Anchor/Reporter, Jenny Anchondo

Five years ago, the devastating Aspen Fire in the Catalina Mountains hit the town of Summerhaven at the top of Mount Lemmon.

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=8524375

Reported by: Deborah Stocks
Email: dstocks@abc15.com
Last Update: 6/19 9:11 am

Junkyard fire in west Phoenix A Phoenix junkyard fire created big flames but was put out quickly by firefighters early Thursday morning.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=b58d0652-c725-4d47-a699-00dcdde05878

June 18th, 2008 @ 10:41am
by Jim Cross/KTAR

This is the week that all fire commanders in Arizona circle on the calendar. Since 1990, the biggest wildfire disasters in state history have started between June 17 and June 26.


http://www.620ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=870824

Reported by: Deborah Stocks
Email: dstocks@abc15.com
Last Update: 6/18 9:16 am

Flames shot high into the sky early Wednesday after pallets and trash at a Mesa cement plant caught fire and burned overnight.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=26ea03c6-3148-4c0b-9f13-03d905681363

Reported by: Alex Gonzalez
ABC15.com

A Mesa family lost their home to fire Tuesday, but escaped unharmed.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=934f506c-dedd-4fe2-acb5-9e4ff3fc0be7

The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson (June 17, 2008)

Jun. 17--Tucson now needs a new fire chief as well as police chief. Fire Chief Dan Newburn announced his retirement Monday after 34 years with the city.
http://www.fireengineering.com/display_news/163188/25/none/Tucson_fire_chief_leaving_in_September

June 17th, 2008 @ 6:29am
by Jim Cross/KTAR

The summer heat has arrived and fire commanders statewide are on alert.

Phoenix Fire Chief Bob Khan said it could be a very challenging summer.

http://www.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=869500

Staff and wire reports
Jun. 17, 2008 12:00 AM

Two tires on a Southwest Airlines 737 blew out and caught fire as the airliner landed Monday at Sky Harbor Airport, a Phoenix Fire Department spokesman said.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0617B1-talker0617.html

By Diane Saunders
Staff Writer
Published on Monday, June 16, 2008 9:19 AM MST

Sometimes, seemingly minor decisions or a few spoken words make the difference between life and death, the family of Safford Fire Chief Mike Rhodes learned when it was in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 70 west of the Bylas bridge.
http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2008/06/16/news/doc48530c7730712299230352.txt

By Jim Becker, KOLD News 13 Reporter
Posted 6-16-08

If your life depended on jogging away from a fire, you might not be able to make it if Buffelgrass is involved.

A test burn on 160 acres of city of Tucson owned land shows Buffelgrass fires will move as fast as the wind.

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=8500195

Submitted by city staff
June 14 , 2008
Pinal County's Firefighter of the Year earned the distinction through service in Maricopa.

Paul Neumann, who has worked for Maricopa Fire Department for about a year, has experience working in fire service in various capacities and has serving his community with excellence for more than decade.

http://www.85239.com/NEWS/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?mid1=390&&ArticleID=3625

Posted: June 12, 2008 04:05 PM MST
By Dan Marries, KOLD News 13

Firefighters and police officers often work hand in hand on scenes. Both careers are extremely dangerous and there is a mutual respect between the different departments. During Tuesday's funeral procession for Tucson police officer Erik Hite that mutual respect was evident when the Tucson Fire Department paid special tribute to the fallen officer. Firefighters set up two ladder trucks which criss-crossed across Grant Road with an American flag hanging overhead. Officer Hite's family passed under it on their way to East Lawn Cemetery. Tucson firefighters also wore a black band across their badges to honor Hite's memory.

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=8484443&nav=menu86_13_1

Michael Kiefer
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 13, 2008 12:00 AM

Two parents whose children died in hot cars last year will not be prosecuted.

Separate grand juries - one in April and one in May - declined to return indictments against Ashly Duchene, who accidentally left her 3-month-old son in a parked car in Phoenix last October, or Kyle Brown, who accidentally left his 3-month-old daughter in a car in Chandler last June while he ran errands.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0613cardeaths0613.html

Reported by: Deborah Stocks
Email: dstocks@abc15.com
Last Update: 6/12 12:20 pm

Fire damages two homes in Mesa A fire at a Mesa home quickly jumped to a neighbor's home late Thursday morning.

Firefighters believe the blaze began in the carport of a home near Broadway Road and Stapley Drive at about 11:30 a.m.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=dc15456c-3f9a-4a20-9dca-c10b05d5f12d

by Megan Boehnke - Jun. 12, 2008 03:42 PM
The Arizona Republic

Chandler police arrested a man suspected of being a serial arsonist Wednesday evening after officers said they watched him set a dumpster on fire behind Food City at the corner of Arizona Avenue and Ray Road.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/12/20080612cr-arsonist0612.html

Lupita Murillo reports

Tucson Fire says they responded around eleven o'clock this morning to a mobile home on West Rillito near Oracle and Grant Roads.

Fire crews had their work cut out for them. In a matter of only a few hours there was a two alarm fire at a business and a mobile home fire in midtown that cost a man his life.

http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=8468135&nav=menu216_2

Reported by: Katrina Wessman
Email: kwessman@abc15.com
Last Update: 6/12 5:50 am

A Phoenix family lost their home to fire after two children playing with matches caught nearby oleanders on fire Wednesday afternoon.
The children were playing with matches outside the home near Northern and 23rd avenues at around 5 p.m.
The fire quickly spread to the home, according to a Phoenix Fire Department official.
Firefighters were challenged with downed power lines, a gas meter, and wind while they battled the flames.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=b7376f41-27ad-4f68-bb87-7c18d7675ad0

Last Edited: Wednesday, 11 Jun 2008, 10:12 PM MST
Created: Wednesday, 11 Jun 2008, 10:12 PM MST

It took more than 100 firefighters to put out a fire at a Phoenix recycling plant on Tuesday night. But those firefighters had another obstacle to overcome... the sweltering heat. It was 95-degrees outside when the fire started and it got even hotter once those flames shot up into the air. FOX 10's Miriam Garcia tells us how firefighters kept from overheating.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6752102&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Jun. 12, 2008 12:00 AM

TEMPE - Arizona State University's Student Services building was closed Wednesday after an employee reported smelling smoke on the second floor. The building was evacuated, and firefighters searched the building but reported no visible flames. Fire officials believe the smoke was caused when a motor in the air-conditioning system burned out.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0612evbriefs0612.html

Tuesday, June 10, 2008


After a snowy winter and a dry spring, Flagstaff has entered June with no fire restrictions in the city or surrounding forest, and gas prices may be part of the reason.

If fuel costs are cutting the number of visitors to the forest near Flagstaff, that could explain why their have been fewer wildfires started lately, said Flagstaff Fire Department Chief Mike Iacona. Flagstaff Police patrolling by bicycle and all-terrain vehicle are noticing fewer illegal camps within city limits this year.

http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2008/06/10/news/20080610_front_page_3.txt

By HILLARY DAVIS
Sun Staff Reporter
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Not all bluebird Sunday mornings are appreciated from a rope dangling beneath a helicopter hovering thousands of feet above the Colorado River.
But that was the case this weekend for one sheriff's deputy and an injured hiker. Cpl. Mark Anton, who is cross-trained as a medic and a technical rescuer known as a short-haul technician, had a long, sleepless night Saturday when he sat on an exposed ledge in Supai Canyon for 12 hours, tending to a fallen hiker who couldn't be removed from her precarious position until sunrise.

http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2008/06/10/news/20080610_front_page_4.txt

June 10, 2008 - 7:36AM
Mitchell Vantrease
Daily News-Sun

The Youngtown council has filed an appeal with the Arizona Corporation Commission in its effort to improve fire safety in the community by adding fire hydrants and upgrading water piplines.

http://www.yourwestvalley.com/articles/fire_2791___article.html/youngtown_improvements.html

by Sadie Jo Smokey - Jun. 9, 2008 06:01 PM
The Arizona Republic

Observation, quick thinking and teamwork helped the Phoenix Fire Department identify and bring into custody two arson suspects who admitted to starting a house fire in northeast Phoenix.

Just before 5 a.m. on June 1, dispatchers sent firefighters to a home under construction in the 2900 block of E. le Marche Ave. While the fire was being fought, another dispatcher directed paramedics to a nearby residence where Kyle Whitfield, 18, was suffering from burn injuries to his hands and leg.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/09/20080609phx-fire0611cover.html

Reported by: Angie Holdsworth
Email: aholdsworth@abc15.com
Last Update: 6/10 9:17 am

Phoenix firefighters now say the victim of a Saturday house fire was a 14-year-old teen.

He was caught in a room of a house destroyed near 19th Avenue & Union Hills.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=75e0fd07-45f8-4ee6-aa46-af311e652dc2

By East Valley Tribune
East Valley Tribune
updated 1:00 p.m. MT, Tues., June. 10, 2008
Mesa, Arizona - Mesa resident Ed Gonzalez said America has given him so many opportunities that now he wants to give back.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25027926/

Firefighters said it was a cigarette that started a Chandler house fire early Friday morning.

When crews got to the scene, near Elliott and Alma School roads, thick smoke was pouring from the back of the home.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=1257528e-5d61-4465-b327-0e0487ee14ee

By Explorer Staff
Published:
Wednesday, June 4, 2008 10:55 AM CDT
Northwest Fire / Rescue Captain Dustin Schaub has been named “outstanding firefighter” by American Legion Post #7.

Representatives from the Morgan McDermott Post #7 recognized Schaub for his “high ethical standards, can-do spirit, and mentoring of younger firefighters,” a release said.

http://www.explorernews.com/articles/2008/06/05/news/doc4845de743436e691783374.txt

by Jim Walsh - Jun. 4, 2008 07:12 AM
The Arizona Republic
Mesa Fire Department Capt. Mike DuBois had to make a split-second decision as his firetruck rolled up on the scene of a car fire with an injured driver unconscious inside.

DuBois decided the victim could die if he took the time to change into protective clothing, so the veteran firefighter grabbed some gloves and pulled the man out of his burning car to safety.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2008/06/04/20080604mr-award0604.html

by Brent Whiting - Jun. 3, 2008 06:15 AM
The Arizona Republic
Soaring fuel expenses are helping to drive up the cost of providing fire service in Sun City and Sun City West.

Other factors include higher pension and health-insurance increases, officials said.

"These are costs that are beyond our control," said Jim Haner, an assistant chief for the Sun City Fire Department.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/2008/06/03/20080603gl-nwvbudgets0530-ON.html

by Elias C. Arnold - May. 31, 2008 06:53 AM
The Arizona Republic
The Buckeye Fire Department is looking elsewhere to purchase fire engines after canceling its contract last week with manufacturer American LaFrance.

Town officials ordered four fire engines from the South Carolina-based company in October 2006 and had been waiting for more than a year when they learned American LaFrance had filed for bankruptcy. It takes about a year to build and deliver a fire engine.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/swvalley/articles/2008/05/31/20080531swv-firetrucks0531.html

by Brent Whiting - May. 31, 2008 07:17 AM
The Arizona Republic
Things have come full circle for Mark Burdick, the Glendale fire chief.

Years ago, as a young firefighter, Burdick used to battle grassfires on a vacant lot on the east side of 52nd Avenue just south of Glendale Avenue.

Burdick recently returned to the site, across the street from the city's abandoned sugar-beet factory, to participate in the ceremonial groundbreaking on a $4.7 million fire station.

Reported by: Christina Boomer
Email: cboomer@abc15.com
Last Update: 6/01 10:24 pm

A mom faces a child abuse charge after leaving her 7-week-old daughter in a hot car Saturday.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=d746ff55-a58e-4d8f-984b-801aa916cbef