Senate passes bill to make killing a first responder a capital crime

The Alabama Senate passed House Bill 59 Thursday making it a capital crime to murder a first responder in the state of Alabama. State Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, said a police officer in his district was killed in the line of duty on Sunday... HB59 passed the Senate after a very quick debate. The change in the law, if signed into law, would make it an aggravating circumstance if a murder victim was a law enforcement or correctional officer, first responder or was under 14 years of age. Murdering a law enforcement officer was already a capital crime. This would add ambulance drivers, firefighters and paramedics to the capital crimes list. The district attorney is able to seek the death penalty in a capital murder.
Alabama Political Reporter

Birmingham firefighter suffers minor injuries while fighting house fire

Officials with Birmingham Fire & Rescue say a firefighter was injured while fighting a house fire Thursday afternoon. Crews were called to a scene located on 66th Street and Division Avenue in Birmingham around 2 p.m. The unidentified firefighter received minor burns to his hands and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. No word yet on what started the fire.
WBRC-TV Fox 6 Birmingham

Huntsville Fire and Rescue seeing fewer applicants

Huntsville Fire and Rescue is seeing a drop in recruits, causing some uncertainty for the department's future. Deputy Chief Tim Barnack said there isn't one simple answer, but part of the reason is high-paying tech jobs that reduce the applicant pool. To some, it's concerning. "My kids were in one of them, a matter of fact, and my brother and his family," Terrell Harlin said, explaining Huntsville Fire and Rescue had to help his family members twice, when their houses caught fire. Harlin saw first-hand what the first responders do for the community, and questions why more people don't apply for the job. "I don't see why not be a fireman?" Harlin said. "Save somebody's life right here at home." Deputy Chief Barnack says it's not causing a problem right now.
WAAY-TV ABC 31 Huntsville

Fire fatalities trending downward in Alabama

Harmony Kelley was the first and only female in the training class Wednesday in Alex City. She suited up, strapping on 75 pounds worth of gear. “You do have to be strong. I just want to do my best," the 28-year-old said. Kelley joined her fellow firefighters from five different departments in a live fire exercise, the burning of a vacant duplex. “The bottom line is you set up with your training and be the best version of yourself that you can be," said Kelley, a firefighter with the Sylacauga Fire Department. These kinds of training sessions may be one of the reasons why fire fatalities in Alabama are trending downward. “The equipment and training we have and the thermal imaging cameras we have allows us to find somebody in the structure so much faster," said Alex City Fire Department Capt. Jeff Brewer.
WSFA-TV NBC 12 Montgomery

Springville Fire Chief earns Master InVest Coin

Congratulations to Springville Fire Chief Richard Harvey, who was presented his Master InVest Coin (to go along with his Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Coins) at a recent meeting of the St. Clair Fire & EMS Association. This is the culmination of training that began with his completion of the Volunteer Firefighter course in 1992. Congratulations are also in order to the students who completed the fighter certification course and were presented certificates and Basic level InVest Coins. A special thanks to Skip Kittrell, Alabama Fire College regional coordinator, and to Kim Davis and Cindy Woods with the AFC Certification Unit for making these presentations possible. Congratulations also to the Springville High School Tiger baseball team for winning the Class 5A State Baseball Championship at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery last week.
Anniston Star