City Firefighter Charged with DUI is Fired

Former firefighters union president James Schlener is fired a month after he is charged with drunken driving while out on sick leave.

  A Bethlehem firefighter and former city Democratic Party chief who was arrested for drunken driving in August – two days after he started taking off for sick leave – has been fired by the city administration, according to published reports. James Schlener, 41, the former president of the city firefighters union, Local 735, was sent a termination letter on about Sept. 20, The Morning Call reported. Schlener’s attorney told The Express-Times that they intend to appeal the termination. Do you think James Schlener deserved to be fired? Vote in our poll and tell us in the comments. Schlener, of 617 Second Ave., Bethlehem, struck a utility pole with his 2011 Jeep Wrangler on the 1000 block of Eighth Avenue at a little before 11 p.m. Aug. 23, …

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Firefighters Beat Cops in Annual Softball Game

Every year since 2002, Bethlehem police and firefighters mark Sept. 11 with a few hours of fun and camaraderie in the park.

  On a day when thoughts often turn to the life-saving work of emergency first responders, it has become an annual tradition for Bethlehem police and firefighters to share a few hours of fun and camaraderie on a softball field. On Tuesday, Sept. 11, the city police and fire departments held their annual memorial picnic and softball game at Saucon Park in South Bethlehem. And while there are bragging rights – and a trophy – on the line between the city’s two uniformed departments, the larger point is for cops, firefighters and their families to enjoy a fun day out together, said Dave Saltzer, president of Bethlehem Firefighters Local 735. The annual event began in 2002. On the strength of slick infield defense and timely hitting, the …

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Crime News

Police: City Man Chained Bike, Self to LANTA Bus

Bethlehem bicyclist refused to use 'broken' bus bike rack, touching off a half-hour standoff with bus driver and police. He is charged with disorderly conduct.

  A Bethlehem man was charged with disorderly conduct Thursday morning after he chained his bicycle and then himself to the inside of a LANTA bus, city police said. Lee Roy Poole-Smith, 23, of 715 Maple St., is accused of creating the disturbance at 7:19 a.m. at LANTA’s Bethlehem bus terminal at W. Broad and Guetter streets, according to a police incident report. The Express-Times reported that the bus driver called police on Poole-Smith after he took the bike on board the bus instead of placing it on the bus bike rack on the bus’s front exterior, making it difficult for other riders to get on and off the bus. According to the newspaper:

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Andy Novick

3:19 pm on Friday, August 31, 2012

Maybe he wanted to take his bike to the Easton McDonalds.. http://tinyurl.com/frieswith   more ›

Crime News

Police: City Firefighter, Dem Party Chairman DUI

James Schlener, former president of city firefighters union, is suspended from his job as a result of drunken driving arrest Thursday night.

  A Bethlehem firefighter who is the chairman of the city Democratic Party was arrested and charged with drunken driving on Thursday, according to The Express-Times. James Schlener, 41, of 617 Second Ave., Bethlehem, struck a utility pole with his 2011 Jeep Wrangler on the 1000 block of Eighth Avenue at 10:55 p.m. Thursday, Bethlehem police said. The Eighth Avenue on-ramp to Route 378 north was closed for more than 12 hours because of the wreck, the newspaper reported. Schlener was driving with a blood-alcohol level of .256 percent, which is more than three times the state’s legal driving limit of .08 percent. Schlener has been suspended from his job with pay, the newspaper reported, quoting city Community and Economic Development Director…

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7 Families Displaced by Fire

A fire hit three row homes and displaced 18 people early Sunday

Several rowhomes in the 500 block of Montclair Street were damaged by fire early Sunday, according to a WFMZ report. The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley was called at 5:30 a.m. to assist residents of rowhouse apartments who were displaced by the fire. The Red Cross provided temporary lodging, meals, clothing, toiletry items and stuffed animals to seven families (11 adults and 7 children) living at 544, 546, 548, 550 and 552 Montclair Avenue.  

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PPL Substation Sparks Brush Fire at Applebutter Rd

At least 4 fire departments at scene of hillside fire, road closed, L. Saucon homes may be threatened.

Four area fire departments are battling a brush fire in the hillside north of Applebutter Road that was sparked by a PPL substation, Bethlehem police said. There are no city homes in danger, however, Bethlehem police have Tweeted that some homes in Lower Saucon Township may be in the path of the fire. Applebutter Road is currently closed between Shimersville and Ringhoffer Roads, police said. Firefighters have made progress in knocking down the hillside brush fire, but their efforts are being hampered by a live electrical wire, said Bethlehem Police Commissioner Jason Schiffer. While PPL has cut power to the line, it is not grounded, Schiffer said. The fire was reported at the Applebutter Road substation at about 2:30 p.m. At least four …

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Video: Firefighters Battle Garbage Truck Fire

A garbage truck fire on Route 22 at Route 378 stalled late afternoon traffic Wednesday. Bethlehem firefighters doused the blaze.

  A garbage truck fire wreaked havoc with late afternoon rush hour traffic at Route 22 near the interchange with Route 378 in Bethlehem on Thursday. Bethlehem firefighters responded to the scene to extinguish the blaze and restore order to the highway, as shown here on on this You Tube video by Nester Video Productions. The videographer reported that the truck -- which carried the markings of J.P. Mascaro & Sons -- was carrying cardboard products and firefighters had to dump some of the truck's contents onto the road to put the fire out.

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5 Homeless After Wyandotte Street Fire

Red Cross is helping Bethlehem family left homeless by fire

The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley was called at 2:53 p.m. Sunday to respond to fire at 812 Wyandotte Street in Bethlehem.  A family of four adults and one child was displaced from their row home. The Red Cross provided lodging, food and toiletry items to the family.

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Smoking Material Left in Trash Can Starts House Fire

An early morning fire at 628 Wyandotte St. in Bethlehem started by discarded smoking materials sent a resident and a firefighter to St. Luke's Hospital for treatment.

A fire that started from discarded smoking materials in a plastic trash can at a Bethlehem home sent two people to the hospital for smoke inhalation.  About 2 a.m. today (Friday), the fire broke out in a bedroom at 628 Wyandotte Street, City Fire Commissioner George Barkanic said. A resident, David Schwartz, tried to put it out and was overcome by smoke. He was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem for treatment.  Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze but a firefighter also suffered smoke inhalation and was treated and released at St. Luke’s, Barkanic said. Fire damage to the house was estimated at $2,500.  The American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley provided temporary shelter for the residents. Barkanic said the house …

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Pink T-shirts Raise Nearly $5k for Cancer Research

The money will go directly to St. Luke's Cancer Center at the Anderson Campus toward research for a cure.

What began as a modest campaign to raise cancer awareness by Bethlehem firefighters who wore and sold pink Bethlehem Fire Department t-shirts during Breast Cancer Awareness month this past October has raised nearly $5,000. Firefighter Brian Padilla, who organized the campaign, presented a check for $4,861.50 to Dr. Lee Riley of the St. Luke's Anderson Campus cancer center at a press event at the South Side station house Thursday afternoon. While not yet specifically earmarked, firefighter and local union president David Saltzer and Riley both indicated the money would likely go directly to support Riley's research into genome-tailored vaccine therapy for melanoma and breast cancer. “(Padilla) is very adamant that it get used in the best …

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