By Douglas Holtz-Eakin
The young drop coverage to avoid higher premiums
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
The D.C. fire department now has two fully-stocked, reserve ambulances ready to be put on the street in case others have mechanical problems — a new tactic meant to prevent an incident such as occurred Tuesday, when several ambulances had mechanical problems and none were available to transport a police officer injured in a hit-and-run to a hospital.
If the District's fire chief resigned, it's doubtful that Wikipedia would be the website to break the news.
A bedbug infestation at a Northwest Washington fire station left firefighters sleeping in their personal vehicles or in the firetrucks to avoid being bitten by the bugs in their bunkrooms, a report on the conditions at D.C. firehouses found.
A controversial redeployment plan that would leave D.C. ambulances staffed with no paramedics during the overnight hours will not take effect until next year at the soonest, as stakeholders consider the benefits of a proposal that national authorities are calling everything from "innovative" to "unconscionable."
The District's fire chief has proposed a plan to redeploy the department's emergency medical service workers into a configuration that would leave ambulances staffed with no paramedics during the overnight hours.
D.C. Fire Chief Kenneth Ellerbe unlawfully retaliated against the president of the city firefighters union by transferring him from his work assignment and seeking to manufacture a justification for the move, an arbitrator has ruled.
National Weather Service officials are predicting savage weather conditions for the next 72 hours, warning residents to stay home to avoid blistering winds and heavy rainfall.
D.C. fire officials are investigating an order that directed firefighters to fill a private swimming pool over the weekend in the midst of an onslaught of emergency calls related to Friday's storm.
The District's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is concerned that D.C. firefighters facing departmental disciplinary hearings are not receiving fair trials, according to a letter it sent to the D.C. attorney general's office.
D.C. Council members planned to meet face-to-face with officials from Pepco as soon as Tuesday to address the "unacceptable" pace of the utility's recovery efforts after Friday night's fierce storm swept through the region and left hundreds of thousands without power in stifling heat.
A battalion fire chief who found a firefighter not guilty on charges related to the discovery of beer in a U Street Northwest fire station was transferred in what he says is retaliation for going against the wishes of the D.C. fire chief.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, whose five-year employment contract expired in April, is negotiating a new pact that could further elevate her $253,000 per year salary, the fourth-highest in the nation.
A new uniform policy for the D.C. fire department would have allowed the agency to make use of nearly $70,000 worth of polo-style shirts that have gone unused since they were ordered in October 2010, officials said.
A battalion chief with the District's fire department has received orders he will be demoted to the rank of captain next month as a result of his handling of the punishment of two firefighters who were faulted for allowing beer in their firehouse.
D.C. fire chief never fully vetted; D.C. having budget 'kerfuffle'; Romney wins Virginia; P.G. police decide to charge council member Toles with reckless driving; Details emerge about Md. assembly's 'doomsday' budget; Maryland Democrats pose another smoking ban; 50th anniversary of deadly Ash Wednesday storm; Muth indicted for first-degree murder in death of Georgetown socialite; MoCo approves cameras on outside of school buses.
"I am worried about the real possibility of someone dying unnecessarily, be it an accident victim, a wounded police officer or a firefighter," he said.
Council candidate calls on mayor to replace D.C. fire chief →
"I think people should have confidence in our department because people have been transported," Chief Ellerbe said, referring to several recent instances when D.C. ambulances were unavailable to respond to calls for service.
D.C. fire officials address ambulance problems in bizarre press event →
