VIDEO: A massive, five-alarm fire broke out in Brooklyn Thursday evening, roaring through four buildings on one block as more than 200 firefighters battled the flames, officials said. The fire started just after 6 p.m. at a building on Montrose Avenue in East Williamsburg, fire officials said, as flames began on the second floor, shooting up to the third floor and going through the roof shortly after.
- PUB DATE: 1/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

A Georgia fire captain will deliver the Pledge of Allegiance as part of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris next week. The International Association of Fire Fighters and the inauguration committee asked City of South Fulton Fire Capt. Andrea Hall to do the honors of reading the pledge.
- PUB DATE: 1/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAGA-TV FOX 5 Atlanta

North Carolina is the first state in the country to implement a statewide voluntary registry to help combat the spread of COVID-19 among first responders, according to Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal Mike Causey. Causey's office partnered with RTI International to create a survey on the Fire Marshal website to allow fire departments, emergency service workers, and other first responders to report positive COVID-19 cases and quarantines.
- PUB DATE: 1/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WITN-TV NBC 7 Washington

VIDEO: A retired firefighter from Chester, Pennsylvania is accused of being the man seen on video throwing a fire extinguisher that hit three police officers at the Capitol during the riot in Washington, D.C. last week. Robert Sanford, 55, was arrested Thursday morning on four federal charges, including knowingly entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, civil disorder and assaulting officers engaging in their official duties.
- PUB DATE: 1/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia

As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the USA, vaccines have begun to be distributed across the country and its territories. Two different vaccines, one made by Pfizer-BioNTech and another from Moderna, have been authorized for emergency use and are part of the widespread distribution process. The first shots were given Dec.
- PUB DATE: 1/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: USA Today

VIDEO: A large fire broke out at an apartment complex near the Industrial Canal in New Orleans East Wednesday night. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but it appears to have broken out at or near the Gentilly Ridge apartment complex off of Chef Menteur Highway. NOFD officials say the complex has about 100 units in it, about 90 of them occupied.
- PUB DATE: 1/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WWL-TV CBS 4 New Orleans

The Thornton Fire Department is one of the first in the country to use new technology to monitor firefighters who were exposed to COVID-19. The department is using the Masimo Pulse Oximeter on quarantined firefighters to check their health status and be notified of a health decline. The device measures oxygen saturation, pulse and breathing rate, circulation and respiratory quality.
- PUB DATE: 1/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCNC-TV CBS 4 Denver

Electric vehicle fires pose safety risks to first responders and guidelines from manufacturers about how to deal with them have been inadequate, according to U.S. investigators. There are also gaps in industry safety standards and research on high-voltage lithium-ion battery fires, especially in high-speed, severe crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 1/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

To the known risk factors for developing severe COVID-19—age, male sex, or any of a series of underlying conditions—a new study adds one more: high levels of the virus in your saliva. Standard COVID-19 tests sample the nasal passage. But several new tests look for SARS-CoV-2, the pandemic coronavirus, in saliva, and the new work finds a striking correlation between high virus levels there and later hospitalization or death.
- PUB DATE: 1/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Science Magazine

Broadview Heights Fire Chief Jeffrey Hajek is giving 19 News a first-hand look at a new piece of technology his department uses to save precious seconds when getting to an emergency. It's called the HAAS Safety Cloud System. The device alerts drivers to move over because emergency vehicles are coming through.
- PUB DATE: 1/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOIO-TV CBS 19 Cleveland

A Prince George's County firefighter fell out of a fire engine truck that was traveling to a call around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Prince George's County Fire Department (PGFD). The fall from the truck happened around the intersection of Bell Station Road and Annapolis Road in Fairwood, Maryland.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WUSA-TV CBS 9 Washington DC

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has partnered with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL) to develop firefighter tracking technology. The effort would allow first responders to locate team members in burning buildings more accurately. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, domestically, approximately 80 to 100 firefighters are lost in the line of duty each year.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Homeland Preparedness News

Chicago firefighters put their lives on the line every day, and the risks of their jobs are ramped up even more during the coronavirus pandemic. But hundreds of Chicago firefighters who got COVID-19 said they were stunned when they were told it is not considered an on-the-job illness. They told CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov it impacts their pay and medical bills – and they're fighting it.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBBM-TV CBS 2 Chicago

A Houston firefighter who works two jobs and fought COVID-19 received a surprise live on “TODAY” Tuesday morning. Josue Rios has been with the Houston Fire Department for more than a decade, and works hard to provide for his family by working most 24-hour shifts and managing his second job at his family truck mechanic business, according to “TODAY.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston

VIDEO: Las Vegas Fire & Rescue (LVFAR) says a two-alarm fire destroyed a vacant wedding chapel and caused an estimated $1 million in damages Tuesday night. The building was located near the STRAT on South Las Vegas Boulevard. Authorities say several 911 calls were received reporting thick smoke coming from a “large white building” at 1431 South Las Vegas Boulevard.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KLAS-TV CBS 8 News Las Vegas

A Hamilton County Sheriff's deputy was checking on what he thought was an abandoned vehicle in a wooded area Saturday night, but his quick action might have saved a woman's life. Newly-released body camera footage shows the life-saving efforts of the deputy, who discovered the woman passed out and having a medical emergency behind the wheel of her burning car.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCPO-TV ABC 9 Cincinnati

VIDEO: Within a year of a crash that killed two first responders and critically injured another, Lubbock Fire Rescue has taken steps to keep its personnel more secure when responding to crashes. Another tactic is in development. “We can't sit there and allow tragedies to happen,” Lt. Phillip Grandon said.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCBD-TV NBC 11 Lubbock

Illinois Senate passes law extending protection measures for first responders and essential workers for another six months. The law established back in the spring allows essential workers and first responders to file for workers' compensation benefits if they contract COVID-19 during the course of their employment.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAND-TV NBC 17 Decatur

VIDEO: The state is warning people that Christmas tree burning is not permitted at the Kaneohe Bay sandbar and they're promising enforcement of any violators. State conservation officers got a tip Saturday about a tree bonfire, but were unable to identify those involved. Video posted online showed a tree burning gathering with a large number of people with no masks or social distancing.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hawaii News Now

Fresno firefighters are kicking off what could be another record breaking year. “Last year we had a huge record number of fire, everything, homeless specifically we saw like a 95% increase,” Shane Brown with the Fresno Fire Department said. The new year is not bringing any relief. Brown said so far there have been 223 fires in the city and 123 have been caused by homeless activity — A 71% increase from last year.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGPE-TV CBS 47 Fresno

PHOTOS: Firefighters on Saturday morning extinguished a seven-alarm fire that started late Friday night in a Flushing storefront and extended into an adjacent building, according to the FDNY. After receiving a call just before midnight on Friday, Jan. 8, regarding the blaze at a three-story building located at 136-15 37th Ave.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: QNS.com

VIDEO: Multiple people were transported to local hospitals on Sunday afternoon, after Indianapolis fire officials said a woman ran a red light and crashed into a fire engine, causing a multivehicle accident crash on the east side. A 21-year-old woman driving a Ford Fusion eastbound on 10th Street failed to yield and struck an oncoming fire truck heading north on Arlington Avenue that had its sirens and lights activated, according to a news release from the Indianapolis Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Indy Star - Metered Site

Fire fighter occupational cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths in the fire service. In 2019, more than 75% of the names of fire fighters added to the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Wall of Honor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, were of members who died from occupational cancer. In partnership with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN), the IAFF has designated January as Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month to provide fire fighters the necessary tools and guidance to develop life-saving protocols for cancer prevention and to support those with a cancer diagnosis within their departments.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFF.org

On Jan. 10, 1962, all the talk was about bitter cold. At 3 p.m., with the temperature only 4 degrees, Carson Crocker was cutting a customer's hair at 702 Chouteau Avenue. Police officer Kenneth Jones tried to stay warm in his patrol car one block away. Major Nesbit worked inside the Ralston Purina feed mill that towered over the neighborhood just south of downtown.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Metered Site

City of Burlington Fire Chief Alan Babe has an important message for Racine County residents who look to help first responders as the area continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic. Babe, selected from among many chiefs in Racine County, narrates a public service announcement through county social media feeds and on YouTube about stopping COVID-19 transmission.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MY Racine County

VIDEO: A bang and a bright light woke up the quiet residential street. It was 1:30 a.m. in Carlisle, and a crashed car was burning. “We were the very first to be on scene,” said Grace Snyder, an EMT with Cumberland Goodwill EMS. Snyder is now being called a hero for her actions on the scene. The 18-year-old has only been at Cumberland Goodwill for six months.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPMT-TV FOX 43 York

PHOTOS: The CityHawk variant of Urban Aeronautics' Cormorant military VTOL aircraft has taken a step towards being used in emergency medical service (EMS) applications. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with New York-based Hatzolah Air in August 2020, the non-profit medical transport organization has now preordered four of the aircraft.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Atlas

VIDEO: A family of seven is without a home after flames engulfed their house Thursday morning. Crews say they arrived at the scene in the 7400 block of Greenwell Street around 9:15 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 7 to find a home and three vehicles ablaze. Four residents were home at the time of the fire and were evacuated from the home with the help of a neighbor, firefighters say.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAFB-TV CBS 9 Baton Rouge

A retired North Bay paramedic is helping other medics manage their work-related post-traumatic stress through a non-profit group she founded. Officers who respond to emergencies from fires to protests can literally bring their work home. Former paramedic Susan Farren says that stress built up over time can haunt them in forms like depression, stroke, even suicidal thoughts.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPIX-TV CBS 5 San Francisco

A couple of years back, when a boat ran up on the rocks off Hess Pier in Atlantic Highlands, the borough's fire department dispatched its ladder truck to the scene. The old 1985 Grumman Aerial Cat, with its 102-foot reach, came through. “We swung the bucket out across the water to pick people up who were stranded on the boat,” said firefighter Ed Cetron, who assisted in the rescue.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Asbury Park Press - Metered Site

VIDEO: An intense fire early Thursday morning caused significant damage to the New Light Church in Pleasant Grove. Dallas firefighters were called to the church in the 9300 block of Elam Road just before 1:30 a.m. and found flames burning through the roof. The fire was moving so quickly through the large one-story building that firefighters were forced shift to a defensive attack, fighting the fire from outside.
- PUB DATE: 1/7/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXAS-TV NBC 5 Fort Worth

VIDEO: An appeal filed on behalf of Wilmington firefighters killed and injured in a 2016 Canby Park arson has been denied by a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge. The lawsuit, filed against Wilmington and two previous mayors and fire chiefs, sought compensatory damages, including for loss of life, lost wages and emotional injuries.
- PUB DATE: 1/7/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Delaware Online - Metered Site

VIDEO: Firefighters in Alachua County have created new coins to honor the accomplishments of crew members. The first recipient of the Chiefs Challenge Coin was Lieutenant Larry Stewart who advocated for the creation of the awards. He has served the department for more than 30 years. The second recipient is Captain Karem Scott-Kotb who designed the coins.
- PUB DATE: 1/7/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCJB-TV ABC/CW+ 20 Gainesville

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that at least 21 people have had a severe allergic reaction after receiving their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. All of the patients have recovered. The reaction, called anaphylaxis, can be life-threatening, and must be treated immediately with an emergency injection of epinephrin, often given via EpiPen.
- PUB DATE: 1/7/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

From simple beginnings, starting with three hose companies and 75 volunteer firefighters, the Hollister Fire Department can now boast of four dedicated fire stations, each filled with specialized firefighting equipment. The department recently reached its 145th anniversary on Dec. 27. The city was founded when Colonel William Welles Hollister split with his partners in the Flint-Bixby ranch, with Hollister taking the area of the ranch that became the city of Hollister in 1872.
- PUB DATE: 1/7/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Benito Link

VIDEO: Firefighters put out a four-alarm fire that tore through an apartment in Upper Manhattan Tuesday night. According to the FDNY, firefighters responded to of a four-alarm apartment fire at Post Avenue in the Inwood section around 7 p.m. Citizen App video shows firefighters battling the fire. They say the fire was located in an apartment on the top floor of the six-story multiple dwelling at the address.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

Tanya Crabbe has been with the Los Angeles Fire Department for 12 years and a paramedic for four. Crabbe says the job has its challenges, but our current COVID-19 surge has her hanging on by a thread. "It's a tremendous amount of pressure. I only have so many resources with my knowledge and experiences and certifications and my equipment, but if the hospital is unavailable, I just don't have the resources that that patient may need," said Crabbe.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles

Lowcountry authorities arrest a man accused of intentionally coughing on a Burton firefighter. Shawn Patterson faces charges of assault and battery, and a violation of county ordinance on outdoor burning. The firefighters were investigating a report of an unlawful fire on Patterson's property. According to documents, Patterson told firefighters to “get off his damn property.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSAV-TV NBC/CW+3 Savannah

VIDEO: An Albuquerque fire crew is being recognized for saving two lives. In mid-December, the crews of Station 16 and Battalion 3 responded to a house fire near Academy and Wyoming. As they were battling the fire, members of the team also went inside the smoke-filled home, found the couple who lived there and brought them out to safety.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRQE-TV CBS/FOX 13 Albuquerque

Personnel safety is Hillsborough County Fire Rescue's highest priority. So they're getting new equipment to make sure crews are protected. The newest addition to firefighter safety in their cars are Active Air Purification Systems. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue is installing 63 of them in fire trucks, ambulances, ladder trucks and other vehicles.
- PUB DATE: 1/6/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTSP-TV CBS 10 Tampa

Due to the pandemic, the city of Oakland is facing a huge $62 million budget deficit this year. So far, one of the proposed cuts drawing the most heat is to the Fire Department. With all the revenue it's lost during COVID-19, Oakland has some difficult choices to make. Mayor Libby Schaaf and City Administrator Ed Reiskin sent a letter to city employees last month saying without massive cuts, “…the General Purpose Fund will be insolvent before the end of the fiscal year… Even the City's emergency reserve will be completely exhausted.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPIX-TV CBS 5 San Francisco

The Baltimore City Fire Department said history was made in 2020 as the department recorded its lowest number of fire fatalities in the history of the department, according to Fire Chief Niles R. Ford. Reaching a historic low, the department confirmed that there were only seven fire fatalities in 2020.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBAL-TV NBC 11 Baltimore

For want of $500 in repairs, the Porter County Courthouse was destroyed by fire on Dec. 27, 1934. It was a spectacular fire that changed the face of downtown Valparaiso. Firefighters from as far as Gary and LaPorte raced to Valparaiso to fight the fire. A LaPorte firefighter's face was frozen while driving the firetruck without a windshield in subzero weather.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Northwest Indiana Times (nwitimes.com) - Metered Site

PHOTO: Nineteen-year-old owner/operator Dylan Mercier is waiting to get his unique Mack Vision out on the road. The St. Anne, Ill., firefighter and owner/operator purchased the 2005 truck with his dad, Ralph, a little over a year ago, and it didn't take long for his vision to become a reality. “I purchased a firefighter costume for the Mack bulldog on the hood, and after that, I knew what needed to be done,” Mercier said.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fleet Equipment Magazine

VIDEO: An evening fire heavily damaged an 11-unit apartment complex Monday in Muskegon. The involved apartment building is located at 1850 Valley Street, where Porter School was once located. Firefighters on scene said the fire started on the first floor and then spread up the stairs. According to a Facebook post from the Muskegon Professional Firefighters Unit, crews had water pressure issues while fighting the flames.
- PUB DATE: 1/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WZZM-TV ABC 13 Grand Rapids

VIDEO: A strip mall in Moreno Valley is partially destroyed after a fire broke out late Friday night. The fire started around 11:30 p.m. on Friday at Indian Street and Sunnymeade Blvd and fire crews spent several hours battling the flames. As firefighters were working, part of the second story collapsed.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCBS-TV CBS 2 Los Angeles

VIDEO: Most everyone would agree 2020 was a dumpster fire. A town thought that a dumpster fire was, in fact, the perfect way to say farewell to the past year. “Tonight, we're basically just saying bye to 2020 in a different way,” Fire Chief Brett Ruff said. “Tonight we are having a literal dumpster fire in Belen,” Mayor Jerah Cordova said.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGNS-TV NBC/ABC 8 Laredo

The United States started 2021 they way it ended 2020: Setting new records amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The country passed the 20 million mark for coronavirus cases on Friday, setting the mark sometime around noon, according to Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 tracker. The total is nearly twice as many as the next worst country – India, which has 10.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WebMD

They say one man's trash is another's treasure. Three homes on High Street in downtown Macon went up in flames on a Wednesday night in 2019, sending five firefighters to the hospital. "It was a house under renovation that wasn't being occupied and it was a pretty bad fire. It totaled that house. It totaled this house," said Andrew Eck while pointing to the remnants of a downtown Macon home.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMAZ-TV CBS/CW+ 13 Macon

Chicago-area industrialist George F. Getz Jr. and his wife, Olive Atwater Getz, were driving through Wilmette, Illinois, when they saw a broken-down fire truck on the side of the road. George casually remarked he would like the 1924, Type 12 American La France fire engine. Considering the Globe Corp.
- PUB DATE: 1/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: San Tan Sun News

VIDEO: Las Vegas Fire & Rescue was battling a massive 2nd-alarm fire at a tire shop near Meadows Lane and Decatur Boulevard Wednesday afternoon. SKY 3 appeared to show the structure fully engulfed as of 4:45 p.m. and fire officials called a second-alarm due to the extensiveness of the blaze. Authorities believed employees at the Econo Lube N Tube were working on a fuel tank on a vehicle when they dropped the tank, causing the fire to quickly spread.
- PUB DATE: 12/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSNV-TV NBC 3 Las Vegas

PHOTOS: Dayton's newest mural stretches an entire city block and tells the history of the city's Fire Department. It starts at the corner of Main and Buckeye Streets, then runs down Buckeye, all the way to Dayton Fire Station Number Eleven. For this long mural, Tiffany Clark used classic comic book style, borrowing from mid-century versions of Spiderman and the Fantastic Four.
- PUB DATE: 12/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WYSO-FM 91.3

A new poster and fact sheet from NIOSH are designed to help educate firefighters about the unique nature of row house fires and how to stay safe when fighting these blazes. Row houses are dwellings connected by shared sidewalls that form a single building. The resources outline typical features of exterior and interior row houses, tactics for fighting fires in these locations, and common areas where fires may spread.
- PUB DATE: 12/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Safety+Health

VIDEO: Union County Sheriff's Deputy Chris Castrogiovanni, a former NYPD officer, was at the scene of 9/11. “I had been looking at those buildings my whole life so to see what happened was just, it's so surreal,” Castrogiovanni said. Castrogiovanni worked in and around Ground Zero for about seven weeks and then again during the holiday season that year.
- PUB DATE: 12/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSOC-TV ABC 9 Charlotte

PHOTOS: North Beach Volunteer Fire Department (NBVFD) is pleased to announce the arrival of an iconic piece of the department's history. In 1947, the department took delivery of an FMC John Bean high pressure pumper built on a KB International chassis. The truck served the Twin Beaches communities for a number of years before being sold and lost track of.
- PUB DATE: 12/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Southern Maryland News Net

VIDEO: Large piles of scrap metal caught fire at an Opa-locka recycling plant, sending heavy plumes of smoke into the sky. The firefight, which began around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Trademark Metals Recycling Plant, stretched well into the evening. Firefighters said because of the metal that is burning, these type of fires take a long time to put out.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPLG-TV ABC 10 Miami

Some ambulances have been forced to wait as long as 12 hours outside Memphis hospitals to drop off patients, according to the Memphis Fire Fighters Association. The problem appears to be tied to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, which has brought many hospitals to capacity. Tuesday afternoon, the Memphis Fire Department confirmed ambulances were backed up at St.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WREG-TV CBS 3 Memphis

A burglary and theft of $50,000 worth of firefighting and emergency equipment at a Woodland fire station could temporarily slow emergency services to the nearby rural community, fire officials said Tuesday. Cowlitz County Fire District 1 Assistant Chief Bob Kofstad said volunteers with the station discovered the break-in Monday, Dec.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Longview Daily News - Metered Site

Firefighters in Massachusetts are sounding the alarm about delays in COVID-19 vaccinations for first responders. On Tuesday, Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, the statewide union, posted on Twitter claiming the state has “no viable plan” to vaccinate local firefighters. The union president says the union learned the state planned to place the responsibility for distributing vaccines to first responders on local city and town boards of health.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBZ-TV CBS 4 Boston

U.S. emergency medical personnel are getting quick access to COVID-19 vaccines in some parts of the United States while fire chiefs in other areas forecast a delay of weeks or months, highlighting the chaotic nature of a rollout that relies on states and counties to plan and administer distribution. A lack of detailed federal guidelines has forced U.
- PUB DATE: 12/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: U.S. News & World Report

VIDEO: Kansas City firefighters battled a multi-alarm apartment fire Monday night near 80th Terrace and Troost Avenue. Fire crews were called to the Waldo Heights apartments just after 8 p.m. and found a working fire when they arrived. Authorities said three people were rescued from the 36-unit building.
- PUB DATE: 12/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMBC-TV ABC 9 Kansas City

The vulnerability of the telecommunications system in Nashville and beyond became clear Christmas Day when AT&T's central office in downtown became the site of a bombing. Mayor John Cooper called the blast on Second Avenue an attack on infrastructure. The effects of that attack are sure to ripple through the region for weeks, as the telecom giant scrambles to restore services while also maintaining the integrity of an active investigation site teeming with federal agents.
- PUB DATE: 12/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: USA Today

More than two dozen hospital intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency rooms were full on Monday, according to the Georgia Coordinating Center (GCC). The online database shows bed capacity at medical facilities across the state and allows users to find the closest hospital to them with the most resources.
- PUB DATE: 12/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIA-TV NBC 11 Atlanta

In a typical school year, students often look forward to visits from their local fire departments — or perhaps they're lucky to visit a nearby station in-person. But this year, those visits and field trips have been put on hold due to the pandemic. So the Overland Park Fire Department is hoping to bring that experience to you and your student.
- PUB DATE: 12/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSHB-TV NBC 41 Kansas City

The innovative new station of Rescue Company 2 in Brooklyn is a welcome upgrade from their former station house, which was built in 1893 when the FDNY still used horses. Designed through a partnership with the New York City Department of Design and Construction and the illustrious architecture firm Studio Gang, the multifaceted new building serves as a training space where the specially-trained unit can practice responding to fires, building collapses, water rescues, and other dangerous scenarios.
- PUB DATE: 12/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Untapped New York

VIDEO: It's considered one of the toughest firefighter training programs in the country, with a waitlist stretching three years and filled with the names of firefighters from as far away as California and Washington State. The North Carolina Breathing Equipment School, which is held twice a year at Gaston College's Dallas campus, even held the distinction of being named the "Top Gun" of firefighter schools.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCNC-TV NBC 36 Charlotte

Nashville residents were jolted awake by a loud explosion in the city's historic downtown district on Christmas morning. The bomb, hidden inside a recreational vehicle, devastated businesses in the area and disrupted AT&T communication networks throughout the state. Officials described the event as an “intentional act” and a “deliberate bomb.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Washington Post - Metered Site

VIDEO: A homeowner said she is glad to be alive after her house exploded into a fireball that damaged multiple homes in southeast Houston. The explosion happened around 11 a.m. Sunday at a home in the 6000 block of Doulton Drive near Bellfort Avenue. Mildred Whitfield captured the fire on her phone across the street.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston

A Muhlenberg boy is finishing up a year-long journey. Seven-year-old Ayden Robbins does good deeds year-round, but he's most proud of the thousands of cards he's written to first responders. In all, he's written cards to 68 departments across the country, from California to Alaska to Florida to Maine.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WYMT-TV CBS 15 Hazard

VIDEO: On Sunday 37 years ago, five Buffalo firefighters and two civilians died in one of the worst disasters the city has ever seen. A propane explosion leveled a portion of North Division Street downtown. Every year, the Buffalo Fire Department marks the exact time of the blast, 8:23 p.m., with a moment of silence.
- PUB DATE: 12/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGRZ-TV ABC 2 Buffalo

VIDEO: A De Soto recycling plant was destroyed in a fire Tuesday night. A view from Sky5 around 6:30 p.m. showed massive flames at the Proud Veteran Resources and Recycling. Several fire trucks could be seen spraying water on the flames. By about 7:45 p.m., it appeared firefighters were able to extinguish most of the heavy flames.
- PUB DATE: 12/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSDK-TV NBC 5 St. Louis

Everyone remembers the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but the blaze that left over 300 dead and thousands homeless was not the last disaster to scorch the city — not by a long shot. On Dec. 22, 1910, a fire broke out at the Morris and Co. meatpacking plant at the Union Stockyards, burning out of control despite the efforts of many heroic firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 12/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Sun Times - Metered Site

New Orleans residents and visitors having emergencies can now talk to first responders by video when they call or text 911, thanks to a program city officials say will be a big help for people in crisis. The Orleans Parish Communications District, which handles the city's emergency dispatches and 911 calls, will also be able to better determine a person's location using upgraded software from its private partner, Carbyne, a call handling platform.
- PUB DATE: 12/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Nola.com

Steve Buscemi hosted a virtual fireside chat on Tuesday in support of Friends of Firefighters, which offers essential programs and services to help active and retired firefighters and their families support, prioritize and clearly communicate their physical and mental health needs during stressful times.
- PUB DATE: 12/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter

A certain fellow in a red coat has the City of Laurinburg Fire Department to thank after he was stuck in a chimney. Or, at least, that's what the department said. The department posted a video on Sunday to its Facebook page paying tribute to first responders, detailing a firefighter's version of the classic “The Night Before Christmas.
- PUB DATE: 12/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBTW-TV CBS 13 Florence

Two buildings were destroyed Monday night in a major emergency fire in North Hollywood that burned for nearly two hours before being extinguished. The fire was first reported around 9 p.m. in the 5400 block of North Tujunga Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire was "well developed" by 9:15 p.
- PUB DATE: 12/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles

The 91st class of 65 new Orange County Fire Rescue recruits marks the department's most diverse class in history. Department officials say more than half of the members in the group are Hispanic, Black or Asian. Recruit Paris Nunn, a graduate of the University of Central Florida, is one of 19 women in the class.
- PUB DATE: 12/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKMG-TV CBS 6 Orlando

At 5:15 p.m. today church bells will ring downtown, not for the upcoming Christmas holiday but for a more somber reason — the 100th anniversary of the Lyons Union School fire that killed two young girls and destroyed the school. It will be exactly 100 years to the time when a fast-moving blaze tore through the William Street building, trapping and killing 12-year-old Helen Baltzel and 13-year-old Elizabeth Burns.
- PUB DATE: 12/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Finger Lakes Times - Metered Site

As health care workers and nursing home residents await the first syringes of the COVID-19 vaccine, few realize that when they will get a dose depends a lot on what state they live in. Though they're first in line for the vaccine, some people in those groups may get vaccinated after people in other states who are deemed lower priority.
- PUB DATE: 12/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: USA Today

PHOTOS: Dating back to 1938, the New Deal-financed Austin Central Fire Station No. 1 sitting at 401 East Fifth Street on the northwest corner of Brush Square is an unlikely gem of downtown architecture, one of the few really striking examples of the Art Deco subset known as Moderne or Streamline Moderne in the city's stock of public buildings — unfortunately, great vintage design doesn't necessarily mesh with the facilities requirements of modern firefighting, meaning the Austin Fire Department has tolerated a growing list of frustrations with operating out of the the aging structure despite its obvious historic merit to those of us not actually fighting the fires.
- PUB DATE: 12/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: TOWERS Austin

VIDEO: Four firefighters in Routt County suffered minor injuries after the fire truck they were in rolled off 200 feet down a steep embankment. The crash happened on Saturday after the firefighters were leaving the scene of a garage fire. The West Routt Fire Protection District responded to the home on Peak View Court to find the back of a garage on fire.
- PUB DATE: 12/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCNC-TV CBS 4 Denver

VIDEO: A paraglider dressed as Santa Claus was rescued after being caught in power lines in Rio Linda on Sunday. Santa was removed safely from the power lines near 7th Avenue after being trapped for over an hour, according to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. SMUD, the Sacramento Fire Department and California Highway Patrol units in North Sacramento were called to the scene for assistance.
- PUB DATE: 12/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOVR-TV CBS 13 Sacramento

VIDEO: Flames tore through the rectory of a Townsend church early Monday morning, sending a priest to the hospital with burns to his hands, officials said. The rectory of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, at 20 Highland St., still had flames shooting from the roof just after 5 a.m. and fire crews from several towns were called in to help as the fire, which started just before 2 a.
- PUB DATE: 12/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Telegram & Gazette

On Dec. 14, 1920, a shiny, new, red truck rumbled into Mount Vernon. It wasn't Santa's sleigh come to spread early holiday cheer, but was instead the newest addition to the Mount Vernon Fire Department — Skagit County's first motorized fire engine. “It was something new and different than what a lot of people had,” said retired Mount Vernon firefighter Terry Hill.
- PUB DATE: 12/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Skagit Valley Herald

Many first responders in the Tampa Bay area say they won't take the coronavirus vaccine. Local fire and police departments conducted surveys about the coronavirus vaccine, and a significant number of first responders say they are not taking it or are undecided. “It's just so new and it's been so highly publicized and so highly politicized, I think for a lot of our members,” said John Klinefelter, Clearwater Fire & Rescue Division Chief of Health and Safety.
- PUB DATE: 12/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFTS-TV ABC 28 Tampa

VIDEO: History has been made in League City! The city's volunteer fire department now has it's first-ever all-female day crew. A photo of the five women, seen posing in full gear, was posted on the department's Facebook page on Wednesday. "These ladies are proudly representing Stations 3, 4 and 6! Way to represent and make history ladies," read the post.
- PUB DATE: 12/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTRK-TV ABC 13 Houston

A 15-year-old boy faces a murder charge in the fatal shooting of a retired Chicago firefighter earlier this month outside a Morgan Park popcorn shop. The teen, who is not being identified because he is charged as a juvenile, was unarmed at the time of the shooting. He was with two other people who had guns when they confronted 65-year-old Dwain Williams Dec.
- PUB DATE: 12/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Sun Times - Metered Site

VIDEO: Instead of Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer, a retired Redding firefighter has created his own handmade reindeer display in honor of first responders. Patrick Westrip created the eight not-so-tiny reindeer out of cardboard and paper-mâché and painted blankets on each one to honor different first responders such as firefighters, law enforcement, and medical workers.
- PUB DATE: 12/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRCR-TV ABC 7 Redding

One person is dead, two paramedics injured after a shooting Thursday morning in Pine Bluff. Officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of West 23rd Avenue at 4:30 a.m. and discovered the two paramedics suffering from gunshot wounds. According to Pine Bluff investigators a third individual, 22-year-old Kevin Curl Jr.
- PUB DATE: 12/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KARK-TV NBC 4 Little Rock

VIDEO: Fire trucks made at Rosenbauer USA, just north of Sioux Falls, are now featured in a new video game– and the company is giving away 250 free downloads this holiday season. Firefighting simulator The Squad just launched on Steam in November. This new worldwide video game features fire trucks made right here in South Dakota.
- PUB DATE: 12/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KELO-TV CBS 11 Sioux Falls

Crews extinguished a large fire that gutted a commercial building in Chatsworth Wednesday night. The flames were reported around 9:50 p.m. at a one-story building at 20150 Sunburst St., the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert. The structure houses Arizona Pipeline Co., fire officials said.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV 5 CW Los Angeles

PHOTOS: Floyd Guenther wanted cereal. It was early Dec. 21, 2019, about 4 a.m. Quiet. Many of his neighbors at the Alpine Motel Apartments were asleep. Nothing seemed unusual as he headed for the corner store, closing up his third-floor room and walking down a narrow hallway toward the building's front stairwell.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Las Vegas Review Journal - Metered Site

Columbus police and fire divisions this week have welcomed their most diverse recruitment classes in recent years, the city Department of Public Safety reported. Forty-five new Columbus police recruits and 35 new city fire recruits began working toward careers as first responders this week. Nineteen members of the Division of Police recruitment class are female or non-white, representing about 42% of the entire class.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Columbus Dispatch

First responders are asking drivers to slow down after a crew in Allegheny County was almost hit by a truck sliding on snow covered roads. Collier Township EMS posted the video to Facebook Wednesday as a reminder for drivers to use caution if they need to be out and about. Officials say crews were on scene of a minor crash and were checking on the occupant for injuries when a truck came sliding into one of their emergency vehicles nearly hitting one of them.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJAC-TV NBC/CW+ 6 Johnstown

The state's first Safe Haven Baby Box was unveiled in front scores of residents, law enforcement and fire officials, as well as politicians and well-wishers at the southeast corner of the newly built fire and police building in Ocala. The occasion, attended by Monica Kelsey, founder and CEO of the Safe Haven Baby Box and Linda Znachko, founder of He Knows Your Name, was to let people know that a parent can leave a child in a safe environment.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Ocala StarBanner

The Canton Fire Department shared a video on Facebook of their crews responding to a fire at a warehouse Tuesday. The fire broke out at 2206 12th St. NE around 4:30 p.m. A plume of smoke could be seen hundreds of feet in the air. According to the Canton Fire Department, people could see the smoke from miles away.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJW-TV FOX 8 Cleveland

As the COVID-19 vaccine begins to be available in the United States, the federal government largely has left distribution up to the states. One of the biggest challenges facing states is to decide who should receive the vaccine first. The IAFC has developed a chart which lists the priority tier to which firefighters and EMS personnel have been assigned in each state.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org

An 18-year effort to get Flagler County to recognize former county firefighter John R. Keppler's line-of-duty death in 2002 finally ended Monday evening with the county commission's decision to rename the fire rescue training facility on Justice Lane after Keppler. Until then, Keppler had been honored on two state memorials, including the the Florida Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Ocala, the Florida's Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the grounds of the state Capitol, and the national firefighters' memorial in Emmitsburg, Md.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Flagler Live

The Muskegon County "Yellow Dot" program started small in 2019 with money from Mercy Health and took a big step forward in 2020 with additional funding from the Muskegon County Senior Millage. But due to COVID-19, police and fire departments around Muskegon County weren't able to hold open houses and community safety events to introduce community members to Yellow Dot.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WZZM-TV ABC 13 Grand Rapids

VIDEO: A mother and her two young daughters rescued two weeks ago from a two-alarm fire at their home in Boston's South End were reunited with their heroes Tuesday. "Thank you so much Boston fire for your help and bringing my family to safety," Alicia Soto told her rescuers. On the morning of Dec. 2, thirty-one-year Soto and her two children, Annabelle and Amelia, were trapped in their third-floor apartment on West Newton Street when a fire broke out.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NECN-TV NBC 10 Boston