Firefighter Hurt During Training Exercise Improving
A critically injured Hamilton, Ohio firefighter is breathing
on his own. Chris Gabbard has occasionally been taken off a ventilator
that helped him breathe since the April 16 training accident nearly
drowned him. But on Tuesday, he was breathing well enough that
doctors at University Hospital removed the machine from his room.
Three other firefighters also fell into the Great Miami River
during the training exercise. Only Gabbard and John Hansbauer
remain hospitalized. Hansbauer is rehabilitating at the Drake
Center in Hartwell. Gabbard's supporters say he might be moved
there as well. About a dozen firefighters were participating in
water rescue training below a dam on the river when one of the
boats was pulled toward the "boil," the turbulent area
caused by falling water. The boat then capsized.
Gas Explosion Injures Firefighters
A Canby, Oregon home was blown to pieces after a gas leak caused
an explosion and a two-alarm fire. A utility crew worker was using
a backhoe when he first smelled natural gas and reported it to
authorities. Four firefighters were checking the leak and ventilating
the home when it suddenly exploded. The blast shattered windows
and blew the doors off of the house. The garage door was found
across the street. One of the firefighters suffered burns in the
blast but was able to walk out of the home for help. He is currently
recovering at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. The three other firefighters
were unharmed.
Court Rejects Injured Firefighter's Bid for Command
The City of Los Angeles did not invidiously discriminate against
a fire captain who lost a leg in the line of duty by assigning
him to a training position rather than to command a fire station,
the Court of Appeal for this district has ruled.
Div. One affirmed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elizabeth
Grimes' ruling that Gregory Malais' rights were not violated because
the training position carries the same rank, pay, eligibility
for overtime, and promotional opportunities as the command post.
Malais joined the LAFD in 1980 and was promoted to the rank of
Captain II in 2000. In 2002, he was injured in a work-related
accident, and as a result his right leg was amputated below the
knee.
Training is classified as a special duty, as opposed to platoon
duty, assignment. Malais is one of 38 persons who hold the rank
of Captain II and work at special duty, which generally means
office-type work, with a regular 40-hour work week. Platoon duty,
at the same rank, involves working in a fire station with 24-hour
shifts.
The case is Malais v Los Angeles City Fire Department,
B189575.
