Purple Heart of WWII vet donated back to AFD

KVUE

Purple Heart of WWII vet donated back to AFD

Seventy-one years after his death, Austin Firefighter and World War II soldier Clarence Doherty’s Purple Heart finds its way home.

A woman found the Purple Heart at an estate sale in Killeen, Texas, and after she did some research she contacted the Austin Fire Department. Doherty’s award was donated, and will reside at the Austin Fire Museum.

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KEYE

Lost Purple Heart Returns to Austin

Seventy-one years ago, 31-year-old Clarence Doherty, an Austin Firefighter and soldier, lost his life in World War II. He left behind a wife and five-year-old daughter. "She'd tell stories of when she was a kid growing up, but she never mentioned he was a firefighter or his past history," said granddaughter Kathy Murchison Hays. And her mother never mentioned a Purple Heart.

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EMS and AFD Demonstrate Flood Rescue to Raise Awareness

KEYE

The floods of Halloween 2013 demonstrated that flash flooding can happen quickly and without warning. To mark the end of National Flood Safety Awareness Week, Austin-Travis County EMS and Austin Fire Department held an event to demonstrate various aspects of how they deal with rescues both on water and in the air.

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Austin firefighters honored for West memorial service

The Blotter, Austin American-Statesman

The Austin Fire Department (AFD) announced today that two members of the department have been chosen to share the 100 Club of Central Texas’ "Outstanding Firefighter of the Year" award, which will be formally presented at a ceremony on April 4. Fire Specialist Reggie Tait and Firefighter Coitt Kessler are being lauded for their work on the West, Texas Memorial Service, which honored the lives of nine firefighters who were killed in an explosion at a fertilizer plant in April 2013.

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Going behind closed doors: New plan for Austin Fire Dept. hiring dispute

By Robert Maxwell

KXAN

For a third time in as many city council meetings, a proposed consent decree item to amend rules around hiring candidates for Austin’s Fire Department has been pulled from an upcoming agenda.

Agendas for Jan. 30 and Feb. 27 contained the item for council’s consideration and possible vote. And now, KXAN confirmed the consent decree will be nowhere on the public agenda for March 6.

Where it will be broached is in executive session March 6, much like any sensitive personnel or legal matter where privacy will allow more frank discussion and the avoidance of legal stumbles. The agenda item (#31) indicates city legal council will attend the executive session.

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City of Austin indefinitely postpones vote on settlement with Justice Department over firefighter hiring

By Ciara O'Rourke
American-Statesman Staff

The city has indefinitely postponed voting on a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations that the Austin Fire Department’s hiring process in 2012 was discriminatory.

The Justice Department has not provided a final version of the proposed settlement, which is called a “consent decree,” and city officials don’t know when one will be available, according to a memo sent from City Attorney Karen Kennard to the mayor and council members Monday.

However, negotiations appear to be ongoing. The federal agency has arranged a Wednesday meeting with the city, the Austin Firefighters Association and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Kennard said in the memo. Former Travis County district judge Patrick Keel is expected to attend the meeting as a mediator.

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