While evading police, a vehicle narrowly avoided colliding into a team of firefighters battling a three-alarm fire, putting a dramatic end to the chase and resulting in their apprehension Friday night, Paterson Police Director Jerry Speziale said. The chase began when Paterson police stopped a sedan around 9:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Jersey Journal

Researchers at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have been awarded a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Cancer Institute in the National Institutes of Health to study the long-term, longitudinal impact of COVID-19 on first responders, healthcare workers and the general population.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Mirage News

VIDEO: A father and his son were rescued off a cliff at Fort Funston on Saturday, San Francisco fire officials say. Firefighters used ropes and pulleys to rescue the toddler and his dad from a steep and sandy cliff just after 11:30a.m. The father described what happened, after they stepped off a marked trail, near the cliff's edge when they realized they were 70 feet below.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGO-TV ABC 7 San Francisco

As authorities in two D.C.-area counties investigate a flawed emergency response to a June drowning, new documents show the 911 center in Montgomery County had an automatically generated map that showed precisely where the call for help had come from. Emergency dispatchers in Maryland sent firefighters to the Potomac River after a teen called to say her friend had slipped underwater while the group was swimming in a “river.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Washington Post - Metered Site

When a fellow Glendale firefighter in despair approached Ashley Losch on the job about struggles with mental health, Ashley found herself in an unfamiliar place. Firefighters are highly trained and highly skilled thinkers and problem solvers by trade. Not this time. “I didn't feel prepared. I didn't know how to help them in a way that would be effective other than listening,” Ms.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Independent

Using technology that most everyone already has, regional dispatchers hope to give first responders the ability to see what they will encounter even before they arrive at the scene of an emergency. “When you make a phone call often to 9-1-1 its in a stressful environment or the rate of anxiety is high for the caller, so they are not good information providers at least not at the detail level that we would like to have,” said Roddy Walter, director of WARCOG, a consolidated dispatch center that serves the communities of Ashland, Orrville, Wooster and the fire service for Kidron Ohio.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJW-TV FOX 8 Cleveland

A new peer-to-peer program is providing St. Lucie fire personnel with much-needed resources during difficult times. "Firefighters know what other firefighters go through," St. Lucie County Fire District Division Chief Aaron Shaw said. "And if nothing else, it's just a way for us to vent and speak to each other.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFLX-TV FOX 29 West Palm Beach

Firefighters don't just fight fires, many are also paramedics, EMTs, and registered nurses. Now, they're also COVID first responders. Firefighters are used to quickly evolving situations. That's why they were able to jump into action once the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “We hope for the best, but prepare for the worst," said Jaime Lopez.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGNS-TV NBC/ABC 8 Laredo

You would think axes or power tools would be a favored tool in firefighting. But for the Waterloo Fire Department, that's not the case. They put a lot of value into their washing machine. With their jobs involving putting themselves at risk daily, Battalion Chief Bill Beck said that also includes the risk of cancer.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KWWL-TV NBC/CW 7 Waterloo

VIDEO: Kevin Cunrod is a Susquehanna Valley EMT. He is a Manheim firefighter. And in his off time, between calls, he's a TikTok star. "There are a lot of first responders out there who are down and they're stressed," said Cunrod. "If I can help them to not be stressed or my partners not to be stressed, I'll keep doing it.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPMT-TV FOX 43 York

VIDEO: An ambulance racing a heart attack patient to the hospital collided with a fire truck en route to a fire in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, leaving the patient dead and a family member seriously injured. The fire truck, Ladder 102, t-boned the ambulance at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue And Throop Avenue just after 12:45 a.
- PUB DATE: 9/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

The International Association of Fire Fighters is moving its Fallen Fire Fighter Remembrance to a virtual platform. The International Association of Fire Fighters, the largest firefighters' union in the U.S. and Canada, will hold its annual Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Remembrance virtually on Saturday, Sept.
- PUB DATE: 9/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WIBW-TV CBS 13 Topeka

VIDEO: Crew members on a dive boat say they were never instructed on emergency procedures before a predawn fire swept through the vessel as it was anchored off the Southern California coast, killing 34 people as they slept below deck, according to federal documents released Wednesday. National Transportation Safety Board investigators say the cause of the blaze aboard the Conception remains undetermined but a possible ignition point was phones and other electronics plugged into outlets.
- PUB DATE: 9/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

PHOTOS: Diane Stewart is used to the occasional construction noise coming from the work site near her Mueller neighborhood apartment In East Austin. But on Wednesday morning, she heard something that made her pause. “It sounded like pipes falling. It was a loud crash; it made me turn,” Stewart said.
- PUB DATE: 9/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Austin American-Statesman

VIDEO: Two workers stuck 10 stories above the ground after their scaffold malfunctioned were saved in a daring rescue by FDNY firefighters who rappelled down the side of an Upper West Side building, heart-stopping video showed. Terrified onlookers watched after the two workers, who neighbors said were doing facade work on the building at the corner of West 78th Street and Broadway, were left clinging to the building high above the ground around 4:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

The Town of Beloit Fire Department may become part of a collection of fire departments lead by Janesville Fire Chief Ernie Rhodes. The Town of Beloit Fire Chief Hiring Committee interviewed Rhodes Tuesday morning as it seeks to address the vacancy to be left by retiring Town of Beloit Fire Chief Gene Wright.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

VIDEO: Bob Halberstadt, an 80-year-old resident of Blairstown, New Jersey, is redefining life after retirement. While many at his age sit back and enjoy life after years of hard work, Halberstadt is just getting started; becoming the oldest volunteer firefighter at Blairstown Hose Company No. 1. "I didn't give it a second thought.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

VIDEO: September 16, 2020 marks one year since the Farmington community experienced an incident that would change life for some forever. An explosion at LEAP Inc. in Farmington killed one firefighter, injured six others, and also injured a building supervisor. Now, Maine state law looks different as a result of an effort to keep Mainers safe in the future.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: News Center Maine

VIDEO: For more than ten years now, the Ocean City Fire Department has been able to take their life saving efforts to the water thanks to a larger fire boat they have. However, that fire boat is currently in need of repairs so they have a new vessel that's allowing them to continue saving lives. “We've seen a tremendous response this summer with our fire boat being staffed and being able to provide that rapid service,” says Ryan Whittington, an Ocean City firefighter and medic.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMDT-TV ABC/CW+ 47 Salisbury

It has been 19 years since September 11 attacks on this country that left thousands dead and first responders feeling the impact to this day. A new crowdfunding site labels itself as a way to exclusively support families of all first responders facing hard times. For Skip and Tammy Danielson, Fund the First is a way to heal financially as their hearts continue to ache.
- PUB DATE: 9/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFYR-TV NBC/FOX Bismarck

Firefighters are responding to a fire, Tuesday morning at a recycling plant in northeast Oklahoma City. According to authorities, the fire is at Derichebourg Recycling USA near Northeast 4th Street and North Martin Luther King Avenue. Fire officials said the fire was called in by someone that was driving by.
- PUB DATE: 9/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KWTV-DT CBS 9 Oklahoma City

A reported assault on two Baltimore City firefighters is contributing to the nationwide, rising concern over attacks on first responders. According to the department, the firefighters were assaulted while responding to a reported fire on Eastern Avenue in southeast Baltimore Sunday night. Officials say a man threw glass bottles at the crew as they attempted to enter the home.
- PUB DATE: 9/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBFF-TV FOX 45 Baltimore

VIDEO: It has been 19 years, but Scott Miller gets the details right. Some memories — especially the really good and really bad — are indelible. Friday night, Miller managed the FDNY baseball team, which, despite nearly blowing an 11-run lead and leaving 17 men on base, edged the NYPD 12-10 in a four-hour marathon.
- PUB DATE: 9/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Poughkeepsie Journal

Borough leaders recently informed firefighters here they would eliminate unionized, full-time positions and transition to a department that relies on part-timers, volunteers and subcontractors. Firefighters whose jobs are on the line are steamed and residents plan to stage a protest outside of Tuesday night's council meeting at the borough's municipal “The fire department has religiously worked in the best interest of the borough,” said firefighter John Fronzoni, a 20-year veteran who is union steward for the department.
- PUB DATE: 9/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Citizens' Voice

VIDEO: An off-duty New York City firefighter watched flames engulf his own home on Sunday but that didn't stop him from doing his duty and rescuing his neighbors -- all without any fire protective gear. The blaze broke out shortly before midnight inside Peter Orlowski's home in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn, authorities said.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

A rural fire chief and several of her volunteer firefighters in Oregon lost their homes and station house to the Holiday Farm Fire as they battled the blaze over the last few days. Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Chief Christiana Rainbow Plews is among thousands of first responders who have been combating the fires that have ravaged the West Coast for weeks.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

Gunfire early Sunday morning rocked a section of the West Rogers Park neighborhood that has long been known as a quiet place to live. As CBS 2's Jeremy Ross reported, the bullets went flying in all directions on California Avenue between Rosemont and Granville avenues. Booze bottles and trash littered West Ridge Plaza on the west side of California Avenue on Sunday.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBBM-TV CBS 2 Chicago

Cleveland Fire Fighters Union President Tim Lally and the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters hopes a new study on dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center attack will provide some answers for those still suffering 19 years later. The study, which started on Sept. 1, is being conducted by Dr.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WEWS-TV ABC 5 Cleveland

Bernie Bierman rubbed his smoke-reddened eyes and managed a grin of relief. It was just after 4 a.m. on Sept. 24, 1936, and the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football coach was standing across the street from the Florence Hotel in downtown Missoula as it went up in flames. Bierman was out his watch, hat, shaving kit and key ring, all left back upstairs in his haste to escape.
- PUB DATE: 9/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Missoulian

Americans are commemorating 9/11 with tributes that have been altered by coronavirus precautions and woven into the presidential campaign, drawing both President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden to pay respects at the same memorial without crossing paths. In New York, a dispute over coronavirus-safety precautions is leading to split-screen remembrances Friday, one at the Sept.
- PUB DATE: 9/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNBC

A chemical plant fire just south of Walburg prompted shelter-in-place orders that were lifted after about three hours Thursday afternoon. Williamson County officials said Friday the fire at the CPI Products plant on Farm to Market Road 1105 is 99% contained, and fire crews are making sure a smoldering palette of cardboard doesn't flare up.
- PUB DATE: 9/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXAN-TV NBC 36 Austin

Sept. 11, 2001, is one of those days where most people can remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the terrorist attacks that Tuesday morning. For those in the fire service today, and especially if they were in the fire service on that particular day, the memories run deep.
- PUB DATE: 9/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Star Herald

Researchers are working to develop and test a tool to help COVID-19 responders in mental distress. The project was one of 14 at the University of South Florida to receive funding. “The key idea is developing this thing that will interact between people in need and all the resources that exist, it will be that go-between,” said assistant professor Jerome Galea.
- PUB DATE: 9/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFTS-TV ABC 28 Tampa

VIDEO: A massive fire erupted early Thursday in Sanford when a gas line ruptured, prompting officials to evacuate more than 800 nearby homes. The fire broke out around 1 a.m. near Michigan Avenue and Oregon Street, west of I-4 near the St. Johns River. A ball of smoke and flames shot 100 feet into the sky for nearly two hours, with News 6 viewers saying they could see flames and smoke from miles away.
- PUB DATE: 9/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKMG-TV CBS 6 Orlando

Chicago firefighters will soon receive $95 million in back pay thanks to a four-year contract, approved by the City Council Wednesday, that dramatically increases health care contributions to generate $10 million in sorely-needed savings. The détente between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and a Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 that gave her a crucial run-off endorsement may be short-lived.
- PUB DATE: 9/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Sun Times - Metered Site

The Great Depression was a tough time in America. Today we can see the effects of 10-11 percent unemployment due to the economic slowdown caused by COVID-19. Imagine what life in the United States would be like if unemployment was around 50 percent. No one was driving Uber to make ends meet in the 1920s, so they had to resort to some pretty spectacular money-making schemes.
- PUB DATE: 9/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: We Are The Mighty

The Solon Fire Department has received the 2020 American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Achievement Award. Fire Chief Mark Vedder informed Mayor Ed Kraus and members of City Council of the award in an email Sept. 2. Several council members congratulated Vedder and the fire department on the achievement at the council meeting Tuesday (Sept.
- PUB DATE: 9/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com

The FDNY added the names of 27 department members who died of illnesses related to their work in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall in a closed ceremony at FDNY Headquarters Wednesday. Those 27 former New York City firefighters died of 9/11-related illnesses in the past year, bringing the total number of firefighters killed after the World Trade Center attacks to 227.
- PUB DATE: 9/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

What started a massive salvage yard fire in the Bronx remains unknown, but fire investigators consider its cause suspicious. The blaze and smoke seen for miles prompted a 5-alarm response from the FDNY on Monday afternoon. The heat was so intense that vehicles parked on nearby streets were burned, a fire chief said.
- PUB DATE: 9/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

New Orleans is getting $15.9 million from the federal government to hire 62 firefighters, city officials announced on Tuesday. The grant will pay the full cost of the new hires' salary and benefits for three years, giving the city a way to expand the New Orleans Fire Department, which firefighters have said has been understaffed for years.
- PUB DATE: 9/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NOLA.com

Thirty-five years ago, on Labor Day in 1985, two Passaic boys unwittingly set a fire that would destroy an estimated 20% of the industrial base in a city already under considerable duress. In all, about 2.2 million square feet of industrial space burned down. The fire, known forever after as the Labor Day Fire, produced heat so intense it caused nearby buildings to combust before flames reached them.
- PUB DATE: 9/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NorthJersey.com

Ralph Gismondi knew he wasn't going to make it. The retired FDNY captain, who spent weeks on the smoldering wreckage of Ground Zero, only to find a second career as a JetBlue flight attendant, told his wife Ann in late March that he could no longer fight off the deadly coronavirus that had begun to ravage his 68-year-old body.
- PUB DATE: 9/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Newsday - Metered Site

PHOTOS: The Visalia Fire Department will have a step up in training thanks in partnership with California Water Service. Cal Water awarded VFD a grant worth $102,000, which allowed for the purchase of a 10-foot mobile pump pod for the fire agency. According to Cal Water administration analyst Chrissy Balderama, the new water-saving device is a self-contained unit that recirculates water that is used during firefighter training and pump testing.
- PUB DATE: 9/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Visalia Times Delta

VIDEO: Members of the FDNY jumped into action after witnessing a recent assault in Brooklyn right outside a fire station. CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis got a look at surveillance video on Sunday. The clip shows a woman in a blue shirt walking down the sidewalk on Hancock Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant when a man on a bicycle swerves over and punches her in the face, knocking her down.
- PUB DATE: 9/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCBS-TV CBS 2 New York

VIDEO: The Ridgefield Volunteer Fire Department is rocking new footwear after movie star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson arranged for 100 pairs of his new signature sneakers to be delivered as a thank-you to the "badasses" who keep their community safe. The delivery of Under Armour Project Rock PR3 sneakers was presented on Aug.
- PUB DATE: 9/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NorthJersey.com

When the City Council next meets, it will hold a third and final reading for a face-mask ordinance and Assistant Mayor Jim Splaine will propose a partial exemption for first responders. Splaine's proposed amendment includes the wording, “Exempted from the requirements of the ordinance requiring the wearing of face coverings include law enforcement personnel, first responders, or other workers actively engaged in their tasks if wearing a face covering may hinder their performance.
- PUB DATE: 9/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sea Coast Online - Metered Site

PHOTOS: More than 130 firefighters across three states were called early Saturday morning to contain a fire in Pocomoke City that heavily damaged a commercial warehouse, according to Maryland State Fire Marshal. Deputy state fire marshals were on the scene at 2 a.m. and are now investigating the origin and cause of the fire at Eastern Shore Forest Products.
- PUB DATE: 9/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Delmarva Now

An East Forsyth teenager who was recently surprised for his birthday with a parade and a visit from members of the school's football team got an even bigger surprise. Timothy Tolley who has autism wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. The Alamance Community Fire Department Station 54 in Greensboro wanted to do something special for Tolley after hearing about his story and his ambitions to one day be a firefighter.
- PUB DATE: 9/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIA-TV NBC 11 Atlanta

A firefighter battling a wildfire in Washington state near the Canadian border lost his wife and three children in an early-morning blaze that destroyed their new home. The family's single-wide trailer was almost completely consumed when firefighters and sheriff's deputies responded to the Green Acres Mobile Home Park in Benton City, Washington, just before 1 a.
- PUB DATE: 9/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

VIDEO: If you came across this vehicle, you might have trouble deciphering exactly what it is. It's towering, it has wheels, but also, a propeller. "We pride ourselves in preserving the history of the firefighter," Joe Kufrovich of the Schuylkill Historical Fire Society said. "That would belong to the Reading Scuba Team in the city of Reading.
- PUB DATE: 9/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNEP-TV ABC 16 Scranton

The IAFC applauds the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) for recommending that all firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel be placed in the highest priority tier for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. While firefighters and EMS personnel need reliable access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 testing, vaccines are the ultimate form of defense for those serving on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19.
- PUB DATE: 9/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Journal of Emergency Medical Services

VIDEO: When Superstorm Sandy hit in 2012, it changed everything New York City thought it knew about storms. The storm left behind a trail of damage that put climate change into sharp focus. Scientists say Sandy's catastrophic flooding was made worse by rising sea levels. The "Rising Risk" docuseries explores how those rising sea levels will play out in lower Manhattan of the late 21st century.
- PUB DATE: 9/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

9/11 Day, the nonprofit that successfully worked to establish the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks as a federally-recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance ("9/11 Day"), launched a major new initiative in response to COVID-19, called "9/11 Day At Home." This initiative features a new digital platform that enables millions of Americans to engage in a wide range of charitable service activities virtually, and from the safety of their homes, in observance of 9/11 Day, the nation's largest annual day of service.
- PUB DATE: 9/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFMZ-TV 69 Allentown

VIDEO: Flames engulfed a condemned church building Wednesday evening in downtown Rockford. Several Rockford Fire Department engine companies were on the scene, fighting the blaze at Kishwaukee and Walnut streets and First Avenue. The fire sent thick plumes of smoke into the sky over downtown Rockford.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rockford Register Star

The Centers for Disease Control has urged governors to be prepared for the distribution of a coronavirus vaccine by November 1, which is two days before Election Day. CDC Director Robert Redfield sent the letter dated August 27 to governors, informing them that the government is contracting with the company McKesson to distribute the vaccine to local health departments and doctors' offices and asked them to expedite any applications for distribution facilities requested by the company.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS News

VIDEO: The everyday trauma experienced by first responders across the country and in Northeast Ohio continues to lead to growing levels of post-traumatic stress and the oftentimes life-altering side effects that come with it. In an effort to curb this trend, a coalition of researchers, experts and state officials developed a new science-based mobile app, making Ohio one of the first states with such an offering.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WEWS-TV ABC 5 Cleveland

A Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter who has been missing for nearly two weeks is likely the victim of a "violent kidnapping," according to the head prosecutor of Baja California, Mexico. Frank Aguilar, 48, was last heard from on the night of Aug. 20, when he went down to check on the condo the family rents out through Airbnb, according to his two daughters.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV 5 CW Los Angeles

Alabama is the worst state in the nation to work in during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey out that rates the states based on their policies to protect working families. Oxfam America, a nonprofit agency dedicated to ending poverty, used 27 different data points in three areas of state assistance - worker protections, healthcare protections and unemployment support.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: AL.com

VIDEO: The FDNY put a rarely used maneuver into action to save a woman who was hanging from a 16th-floor window during a high-rise fire in Manhattan. The fire was reported Tuesday near Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street just before 1:30 p.m. Firefighters found a woman panicking at a window on the 16th floor of the Lenox Terrace Apartments and decided to do something they rarely do -- a roof rope rescue from the 17th floor.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 11 New York

Several firefighters battled a fire at a wrecking yard in Kent Tuesday morning. The fire was reported around 4 a.m. in the 26100 block of 78th Avenue South, according to officials with Puget Sound Fire. Firefighters arrived to find about 30-40 junked cars on fire. "(It was a) deep-seeded fire in a stack of cars," said Capt.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

Three months after one of the biggest ship fires in decades in Jacksonville, 10 firefighters injured in a related blast are suing for their injuries. The law firm Pajcic & Pajcic filed a lawsuit on behalf of 10 Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department employees on Tuesday, 90 days after an explosion that severely injured some of them.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJXT-TV 4 Jacksonville

Members of the Harmonville Fire Company are excited to announce the kickoff of their campaign to recruit volunteers featuring a new website JoinHarmonvilleFire.org that highlights the company's strengths and vision and will receive queries from potential volunteers. With the key values of honor, family and community, Harmonville Fire Company hopes to find like-minded people to volunteer in various roles at the historic company, which began in 1924.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Times Herald

More deaths associated with Hurricane Laura were caused by the improper use of portable generators than the storm itself. And officials warn that the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning persists, as thousands of households in Louisiana remain without power. Eight of the 15 hurricane-related deaths confirmed by the Louisiana Department of Health are attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators, which can provide life-saving power in emergency situations but also pose a deadly threat if used incorrectly.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKSU.org

When Tommy McDonough learned to talk, one of his first words was “fire truck.” His father, a longtime St. Paul firefighter, never doubted he would follow in his footsteps. For Mike Paidar, his path to the St. Paul Fire Department came after a successful career as a TV photojournalist. He joined the department when he was 44.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Twin Cities Pioneer Press

More than a dozen Milwaukee firefighters recently rode their bicycles 183 miles. It was all for a fellow firefighter who gave her life to save others. It was the first-ever Pedal for the Brave. "We have people joining us that never cycled before two months ago, but then to do a 100-mile ride one day is just a testament to the kind of grit and will that they have," said Milwaukee firefighter and Ignite the Spirit president, Joe Flick.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTMJ-TV NBC 4 Milwaukee

VIDEO: More than two dozen people are homeless after a 3-alarm fire at an apartment complex in New Orleans' Central City area Monday night. The New Orleans Fire Department said the fire was reported around 8:38 p.m. at a two-story U shaped apartment complex in the 1600 block of Washington Avenue. Firefighters arriving at the scene found the building heavily involved in flames.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WWL-TV CBS 4 New Orleans

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 847,000 people worldwide. Over 25.3 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

The Rochester Fire Department is expecting to welcome the largest minority group of new firefighters to its ranks during a graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. Sept. 2. Of the 30 recruits on schedule to graduate, 13 are Black, 9 are Latino and one is Asian. Two are female, including one Latina. The minority candidates comprise about 80 percent of the class.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rochester La Voz

VIDEO: On Saturday morning, the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association tweeted a photo of a collapsed ceiling on ambulance at Fire Station 49. The post accused the City of Houston of years of neglect of the department's fleet and facilities. No one was hurt during the collapse. "Now is the time that this city needs to prioritize not only the fleet [and] facilities, but the health and wellness of the men and women that we are asking to continue to go out there and put themselves on the frontline, not only during this pandemic but on a daily basis," said Marty Lanction, HPFFA President.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRIV-TV FOX 26 Houston

VIDEO: Firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire early Sunday morning at a chemical plant in the Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side, Chicago fire officials said. According to CFD, around 12:33 a.m. crews were dispatched to a building fire at the Imperial Zinc Corporation in the 1000-block of E.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago

A Seminole County employee was killed and three firefighters were injured in a sidewalk collapse in Lake Mary Friday, according to the Seminole County Fire Department. The county environmental services employee was identified as Tomasz Sajkowski, a utilities operations distribution mechanic, by Seminole County spokeswoman Ashley Moore Friday afternoon.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel - Metered Site

Following two shootings in a little more than two months, an Elizabeth City fire station is on track to get bulletproof walls. Shots were most recently fired July 15 near the station on Harney Street, which is manned 24-hours a day. At least one round went through a wall, into its sleeping and eating areas.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Virginian-Pilot

The Hilton Fire Department is now training to take its rescue efforts to the clouds, with the help of drone technology. Department heads say it's among the first in the area to bring use the drones for certain calls. The idea was the brainchild of fifth-year firefighter David Olney, who is a trained drone pilot himself, he says it was a no-brainer, as the drones could be a real boost for the department, and the community.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHEC-TV NBC 10 Rochester

VIDEOS: A fire has broken out in the Westlake, Louisiana, area, causing gases and smoke to plume over I-10. The Louisiana State Police Emergency Services Unit confirmed the fire involved a chlorine leak at the BioLab plant in Westlake. They are coordinating with plant managers to contain the leak, officials said.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Advertiser

In a video made by Murrieta Fire & Rescue Chief David Lantzer told citizens there's a significant urge to wear masks and follow guidelines, after one of his family members died of COVID-19 recently. “The individual I was talking about in the video was my brother-in-law,” Lantzer said. “He got COVID-19.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Valley News

Styx have released a very special conceptual lyric video for their track "These Are The Times" to celebrate first responders and the digital release of their "Cyclorama" album. The band's 14th album was originally released in 2003 and has not been available digitally until now. The new lyric video pays tribute to the men and woman on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Anti Music

Not long ago, this writer read a commentary by an unknown author who posed the question, “Who changes the course of history...presidents, kings, generals?” And, the answer, of course, was yes. But, the author went on to point out that more often than not, it's men and women with little social standing who most significantly reshape our communities and eventually the world.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Augusta Chronicle

A 64-year-old Belleview woman is accused of hitting a firefighter with a sock filled with two cans of soup because he “brushed her off” when she tried to talk to him during a fire investigation. Claudia Jean Cyr, of 11745 S. U.S. Hwy. 301 #3, was charged with battery on a firefighter after the incident, which happened around 6 p.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Ocala-News

Firefighters in northern California say they are gaining control over historic, deadly wildfires that have burned more than one million acres. However, researchers and former firefighters working on a new study fear the responders battling the blazes are in danger of suffering unprecedented long-term damage, as the wildfires destroy over 1,400 homes and businesses.
- PUB DATE: 8/27/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOTV-DT CBS 6 Tulsa

VIDEO: Hotel directors tried to pay extortionists the $3 million they wanted to keep a 1,000-pound homemade bomb from exploding in the building, but it went off anyway when experts tried to defuse it. Harvey's Resort Hotel and all the surrounding businesses had been evacuated the day before the blast and no one was hurt or killed.
- PUB DATE: 8/27/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Reno Gazette Journal - Metered Site

VIDEO: Arson is suspected as the cause of a July 12 fire that left extensive damage to the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard docked off San Diego, and a U.S. Navy sailor was being questioned as a potential suspect, a senior defense official said Wednesday. The sailor was being questioned as part of the investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the official said, adding that defense department leaders were notified of the development.
- PUB DATE: 8/27/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Navy Times

PHOTOS: Half a dozen fire departments were at the scene of a large fire Thursday morning at the former CharlesTown Mall in Frankfort. Firefighters were called to the scene at about 1:28 a.m. Thursday, according to Frankfort Center Assistant Fire Chief Fred Distefano. The rear section of the building, stretching back to where it ends at Turner Street, was fully involved when firefighters arrived, he said.
- PUB DATE: 8/27/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Utica Observer-Dispatch

As the coronavirus pandemic has taken over headlines and dominated conversations on public health, another crisis has seemingly been swept under the rug. The opioid epidemic. Snohomish County health officials said it their weekly media briefing that opioid use numbers are up since last year. First Lady Melania Trump used some of her time at the Republican National Convention Tuesday to address the national epidemic.
- PUB DATE: 8/27/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

VIDEO: No one was injured fighting an inferno Tuesday that collapsed the roof of the Moose Event Center on Howard Street in Hibbing, according to fire officials. But what does hurt to the small town, is the loss of a building that houses many businesses and memories. “As I stood outside and watched it just kept, no matter how much water it got worse, and worse, and worse,” said Marybeth Perreira, who watched from the Androy Hotel across the street.
- PUB DATE: 8/26/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KQDS-TV FOX 21 Duluth

The majority of calls Honolulu firefighters respond to are medical ones, and many are suspected COVID-19 cases. But the head of their union said the Honolulu Fire Department is making those sickened or quarantined prove they were exposed on the job. If they can't, the union said, they could be denied benefits.
- PUB DATE: 8/26/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hawaii News Now

PHOTO: A farm in Massachusetts is paying tribute to the first responders who sacrificed their own safety to help others during the coronavirus pandemic. This year's corn maze design at Schartner Farm in Bolton serves as a thank you to first responders. Along with the words "Thank You," the maze features the Star of Life, which represents emergency medical services personnel; a police badge; a firefighter crest and the caduceus, also known as the Staff of Hermes, which is often used as a symbol of medicine.
- PUB DATE: 8/26/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCVB-TV ABC 5 Boston

It's been almost eight months since Chinese scientists identified the coronavirus and doctors are still discovering new symptoms that can ravage the body and leave lasting damage months after recovery. While more than 813,000 people have died from the disease, most of the more than 23.6 million people with confirmed infections have recovered.
- PUB DATE: 8/26/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNBC

Dorchester County firefighter and Summerville resident Dave Moore is planning to walk 100 miles across the Lowcountry in 48 hours to raise money for U.S. veterans, families of fallen heroes and local first responders. According to a news release from the Travis Manion Foundation, Moore will start his trek at 7 a.
- PUB DATE: 8/26/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Berkeley Independent

VIDEO: A huge fire broke out at an apartment building that is under construction in central Phoenix early Tuesday morning. Video from the scene shows massive flames engulfing the building north of 12th Street and Indian School Road. A large plume of black smoke could be seen for miles. Capt. Todd Keller with the Phoenix Fire Department said it is a two-story apartment building that has been under construction for about seven months.
- PUB DATE: 8/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KASW-CW6 & KTVK-3TV (azfamily.com)

PHOTOS: When Jeannette fire Chief Bill Frye and Mark Scalzitti were junior firemen, they would jump on the back of a 1965 Mack fire engine to respond to calls. Too young to drive it at the time, both have fond memories of getting suited up in the fire station and riding Engine 6 through town, the siren blaring.
- PUB DATE: 8/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

VIDEO: Lubbock Fire Rescue is partnering with the Texas Tech Whitacre College of Engineering to help improve firefighter safety. Their current project is developing a safer firefighter helmet to help mitigate the risk of traumatic head injuries while on the job. Lt. Brady Robinette said what spurred this research was the tragedy on Jan.
- PUB DATE: 8/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KJTV-TV FOX 34 Lubbock

People living in some of the largest U.S. cities and their surrounding areas face the highest risk of contracting COVID-19 in the near future, according to a new set of online dashboards created by researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. The risk analysis model used by the website examines more than 3,000 U.
- PUB DATE: 8/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The University of Texas at Austin

Back in April, in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, there was a national shortage of protective N95 masks. Ryan Githens and Joe Webster, both engineers for Oceaneering, an engineering and applied technologies company with offices in Hanover, used their design skills to create a workaround solution to keep first responders in their community safe — an adapter that allows firefighters to use their SCBA masks as an N95 filter, "protecting their respiratory system and face from potential exposure to the virus," Githens said.
- PUB DATE: 8/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Baltimore Sun - Metered Site

VIDEO: Hundreds of firefighters battled a six-alarm fire at a warehouse in the Tioga-Nicetown section of Philadelphia Sunday morning. Fire Commissioner Adam Theil said that about half of all on-duty firefighters were at the scene battling the blaze at a warehouse on the 3300 block of Stokley Avenue.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia

PHOTOS: IMPD is investigating after a woman was killed when her car collided with an IFD fire engine at the intersection of Shelby Street and Southern Avenue Sunday morning. Around 10:45 a.m., the IFD truck was responding, with lights and sirens activated, to a possible residence fire on Sumner Avenue.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTHR-TV NBC 13 Indianapolis

VIDEO: A group of DeKalb County firefighters showed off their musical skills during a recent jam session. In a video posted to Twitter, DeKalb County Fire Company 23C jammed together to Carlos Santana's "Maria Maria" in a "post workout jam session." A group of DeKalb County firefighters showed off their musical skills during a recent jam session.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAGA-TV FOX 5 Atlanta

The budget Austin City Council approved on Aug. 23 for the 2020-2021 Fiscal Year comes with a number of different investments in Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Much of the discussion around Austin's new budget revolved around the ways the budget begins a process of transitioning around $150 million dollars from the Austin Police Department into other areas of public health and safety over the course of the next year.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXAN-TV NBC 36 Austin

New York's first responders were given an unusual warning this week, a first since the Sept. 11 terror attacks: skip this year's in-person anniversary events. In a letter addressed to members of the FDNY, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro cautioned against the department's members attending anniversary events this year as the coronavirus pandemic continues to threaten the safety of everyone, especially retired members and families of 9/11 victims that are at a greater risk due to health and age.
- PUB DATE: 8/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

VIDEO: A raging fire engulfed a home in Great Kills early Friday morning, displacing a family and injuring nine firefighters. Video from the scene shows flames and thick black smoke pouring from the upper floors and roof as FDNY members sprayed the inferno with hoses. The three-alarm blaze was reported at about 3 a.
- PUB DATE: 8/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Staten Island Live

A new Oregon State University study suggests that firefighters are more likely to be exposed to potentially harmful chemicals while on duty compared to off duty. The on-duty firefighters in the Kansas City, Missouri, area experienced higher exposures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are a family of chemicals that are known to have the potential to cause cancer.
- PUB DATE: 8/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Science Daily