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We close out this busy week with the following stories… Have a safe weekend! Tom — 2 killed in small plane crash in Southern California by: Lily Dallow Two people were killed when a small plane crashed in Southern California on Wednesday morning, officials said. The single-engine Aeronca Champion aircraft went down around 9:45 a.m.…

Another world class event by a world class organization! Congratulations to the entire group for putting on this event, it was an awesome week of learning, networking and friend making! Now looking forward to the 2027 Leadership Symposium, January 25th through 28th at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada. And I…

Yesterday afternoon at the 36th Annual ARFF Working Group Conference, the organization proudly presented the 2026 Legend Award to Retired Pheonix Sky Harbor ARFF Chief Beth Hendel as well as an award posthumously to Dana Diamond, UPS Captain and Bastrop County, Texas Fire Chief. We thank UPS Captain Eric McClish for accepting Dana’s award, which…

After a great evening at the “Welcome Reception” gathering last night, today is the official opening day of the 2026 ARFFWG Annual Educational Symposium here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We’re here all week, so if your here, stop by booth 62 and say hello! These are the news stories for today… Be safe out there! Tom…

From Chattanooga, Tennessee where we’re setting up for the kick-off event this evening at the 2026 ARFFWG Annual Educational Symposium, the premier event for those involved in the aviation firefighting profession. Looking forward to meeting my old ARFF Brothers and Sisters as well as having the opportunity to make new ones at these ARFF Working…

We close out the week with the following stories… Have a safe weekend, especially those traveling to Chattanooga for the 2026 ARFFWG Annual Educational Symposium kicking off on Monday! Tom == First responders, public exposed to toxic chemical after jet crash The Detroit News A fiery military jet crash that forced evacuations near Traverse City…

Here are your stories for today… Be safe out there! Tom — 2 injured after small plane crashes into southern Indiana home after takeoff A plane crash in Indiana injured two as a Cessna 172 hit a home during takeoff. The FAA and NTSB are investigating, says the sheriff’s office. Author: Gehrig Mickels LOUISVILLE, Ky. –…

These are the stories for today… Be safe out there! Tom — 3 dead including reporter, pilot in news helicopter crash in LA The NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash in Chatsworth, California. By Jack Moore A reporter, a pilot and one person on the ground were killed when a news helicopter crashed in…

Here are the stories for today… Of note, yesterday we talked about aircraft that carry Haz-Mat for agricultural use, like pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers. Today we have the story of an Air Tractor AT-802A that was transporting diesel fuel when it crashed in Indonesia. The Air Tractor AT-802A features an 800-gallon tank for chemicals or liquids…

Here are the stories from over the weekend… Of note, a few stories that involve aircraft on fire, one in particular involving an agricultural aircraft (crop duster) used to spray crops with fertilizer, pesticides or other chemicals. All of that smoke you see is full of crap that can mess you up, maybe even kill…