VIDEO: A crash that sparked a brush fire forced the closure of part of Interstate 80 in Placer County for several hours Thursday. A vehicle slammed into a power pole on westbound I-80 at Highway 193 in the Newcastle area, knocking powerlines onto the highway and Ophir Road and igniting a fire, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento

On Thursday, Brittani Rawls became Passaic Fire Department's first female tillerman. That's the firefighter who sits in a seat in back and steers the tail end of a firetruck. It's the kind of challenge she relishes, because in a city crammed with traffic, tight streets and double-parked cars, life for the tillerman is never dull.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NorthJersey.com (Bergen County Record & Herald News) - Metered Site

This is the first year the Victoria Fire Department will administer flu shots for the homeless and low-income families and it's all part of a long-range plan for the department to have more public health outreach. “Due to COVID-19 we felt this was a great year and a great opportunity to start that,” said Tracy Fox, VFD Chief.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KAVU-TV ABC 25 Victoria

Tifton fighters are trading in their boots for high heels to show support for the fight against domestic violence. Kiefer Daughtry is an engineer at the Tifton Fire Department, and right before the interview, he traded in his work shoes for a pair of fuchsia-colored high heels. “What's going through your head right now? How does it feel?” asked Poitevint.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WALB-TV NBC/ABC 10 Albany

Have you ever heard of a fire truck being raffled off? That's what one Schuylkill County fire company is doing. "We've gotten some messages. I've gotten some messages from people saying, 'what are you guys thinking?' But honestly, it's a good truck, and we're going to give it a shot," said Sam Detweiler of Liberty Fire Company No.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNEP-TV ABC 16 Scranton

It was Tuesday, October 21, 1980, and Phillies fans, including New Castle County volunteer firefighters, were anticipating the start of what would be a Game 6 World Series clinching victory. But everything changed around 6:30 p.m. when a massive explosion rocked the Amoco plant off of River Road in New Castle south of Dobbinsville, blowing out windows, and shaking houses and residents for miles around.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDEL-AM 1150 & WDEL.com

The results of a workplace assessment recently completed for Tucson's Public Safety Communications Department has caused concern among city leaders who are working to address “fundamental problems in the operation of the department.” The department is responsible for dispatching 911 calls for police and fire departments.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Arizona Daily Star

The lounge could pass for a college dorm, ignoring the vintage fire hats, canvass jackets and 1992 training record board hanging on the walls. Half-empty Gatorade bottles and binders sit on end tables next to plush couches the twenty-somethings who live there found on the side of a road. They've got a PlayStation system and a kitchenette that, admittedly, they don't use often, opting for fast food instead.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Morning Call

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed the amount of time it would take for someone to be considered a close contact of a person with COVID-19. Previous language defined a close contact as someone who spent at least 15 minutes within 6 feet of a confirmed case. The CDC now defines a close contact as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NPR

A Farmington artist has become nationally known for the unique way in which she uses the helmets of firefighters as a canvas on which to honor them for their courage and sacrifice. Miranda DeOrnellis grew up in Womack and has been painting for others since she was 18. “I've always been interested in art.
- PUB DATE: 10/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Journal Online

VIDEO: A Hialeah firefighter has recalled the night he flew over a barrier and off the Palmetto Expressway after, investigators said, he was hit by another driver, causing his truck to come to rest on its roof along the street below. Alain Pineiro is at home recovering from a fractured neck and rib, but it will take him longer to recover from the emotional pain of the crash.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSVN-TV FOX 7 Miami

The daughter of Clayton's first fire marshal on Tuesday retrieved her father's retirement badge after losing it in Florida. Jill Halsey, 75, of St. Charles, lost the badge at a Florida restaurant years ago — when, exactly, is unclear. But now, thanks to the diligence of Clayton fire Chief John Paul Jones, as well as the Florida man who found the badge, Halsey again has a piece of family history.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. Louis Post Dispatch

VIDEO: A Davis police officer recalled the tense moments before rescuing a woman from a burning car. It looks like a scene out of a Hollywood movie as Davis Police Cpl. Pheng Ly's body camera shows him pulling a helpless woman out of her burning car and into safety. But the scene happened in real life Saturday night in the middle of Ly's shift.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTXL-TV Fox 40 Sacramento

US COVID-19 cases will begin to rapidly accelerate in about a week, a leading health expert says, as the country's daily averages keep climbing toward the summer's peak and several states are setting hospitalization records. The US recorded more than 60,300 new cases Tuesday, and the national seven-day case average hit about 59,500 -- an increase of about 73% in five and a half weeks, Johns Hopkins University data show.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

Firefighters in Dearborn, Mich, destroyed a $90,000 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 last week, but they had a good reason. The department, which is located in the same town as Ford's headquarters, was using the pre-production muscle car donated by the automaker to hone the vehicle extraction skills needed to rescue victims from wrecked vehicles.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fox News

VIDEO: Authorities are currently investigating a massive fire that consumed a church in northeast Oklahoma City late Monday night. Around 10 p.m. on Monday, Oklahoma City firefighters were called to a large fire at a vacant church in the 2200 block of N. Prospect. As soon as firefighters arrived on the scene, portions of the roof and the masonry walls began to collapse.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFOR-TV NBC 4 Oklahoma City

Second Alarm Brewhouse in Pasadena is pioneering a new business model: Great coffee that helps local volunteer firefighters. The shop has opened its doors in Pasadena and celebrated Saturday. But instead of cutting a ribbon, they cut a hose. The coffee shop was originally a coffee truck, and owner Duane McKee is a volunteer himself.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Capital Gazette - Metered Site

The city and its firefighters union have come to a contract agreement in which the International Association of Firefighters Local 974 agreed to a wage freeze for the first year of the three-year deal. City Council agreed to the new contract during its Zoom meeting held Monday, Oct. 19. With the city facing uncertainty as to its tax collections in a year in which COVID-19 has played havoc with communities' budgets, Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan was grateful for the union's consideration.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com

PHOTOS: The city of Portage's all-new Fire Station No. 2 went into service this October with a design that takes into account the health and wellness of the firefighters who will use it and offers some unique training opportunities. The new facility at 6101 Oakland Drive replaces the oldest of three free stations in the city.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MLive

The Dodgers are headed to the World Series after clinching their third National League pennant in four years Sunday, and all of Los Angeles is celebrating a thrilling 4-3 win over the Braves in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. That includes the Los Angeles Fire Department, whose chief announced via Twitter shortly after the Dodgers' victory that all LAFD firefighters are authorized to wear Dodgers caps while on duty through the end of the World Series.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MLB.com

Damaging winds caused significant damage around the Chicago area Saturday night, and strong winds may have even sparked a fire in the northwest suburbs. Multiple fire departments responded to the massive house fire on Burning Tree Circle in McHenry. McHenry police say the house was fully engulfed when crews arrived.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBBM-TV CBS 2 Chicago

A Houston firefighter was injured while responding to a burning storage unit but not by heat or flames. Investigators said a woman shot him with a pellet gun. Houston Fire Department Engine 82 was at a storage facility about 11:30 a.m. Friday in the 12400 block of Fondren Road. They were able to extinguish the fire using a pump can.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

VIDEO: A new device for the Crescent Township Fire Department will help to search and rescue as well as search and recovery efforts go quicker. It's a drone for underwater. The fire department will be one of the first in our area to have a remote operating vehicle like this for the water. “Just about anything underwater and you want to see if you can find it,” Crescent Township Volunteer Fire Department President John Kriger said.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

On Friday afternoon, someone stole a flag, designed to honor fallen firefighters, from a Middletown fire engine. By Saturday night, thousands of people across the state and across the country knew about the theft, thanks to a deftly written and slightly sarcastic Facebook post by the firefighters' union.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTIC-TV Fox 61 Hartford

On Oct. 17, 1966, 12 firefighters were killed in what was the deadliest day for the New York City Fire Department until the 9/11 terror attacks. Two chiefs, two lieutenants, and eight firefighters lost their lives as they tried to battle a fire at 22nd Street by entering a building on 23rd Street before it collapsed.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News - Metered Site

VIDEO: Seven people were taken to the hospital after a boat explosion and fire on the south fork of the New River early Thursday afternoon. One of those patients had to be airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial's burn unit with burns to over 40 percent of the body. Chopper 4 over the burning boat spotted firefighters shooting a stream of water at it from shore as it drifted near a sea wall at 2001 SW 20th Street.
- PUB DATE: 10/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFOR-TV CBS 4 Miami

VIDEO: One first responder in North Sioux City, South Dakota is using his creative skills to give back to his brothers and sisters in the department. Firefighter and emergency medical crew member Joe Pham got inspired to create his own Thin Red Line flag to hang inside the North Sioux City Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 10/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTIV-TV NBC/CW+ 4 Sioux City

When you think about how technology is enabling remote government work, what comes to mind? Online city council meetings, or enhanced portals for renewing your driver's license or paying taxes? What about firefighting? While most emergency responders cannot work fully remote due to the nature of their job, they can access the same benefits of unified collaboration tools to quickly connect with stations and seamlessly communicate with other first responders.
- PUB DATE: 10/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: American City and County

An 11-year-old girl from Morris Township is showing just how far one small act of kindness can go. It all started as a service project through Callie Danysh's Cub Scouts, a project to honor a local hero. But with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the assignment was put on hold. That's when "Flags of Gratitude" was born.
- PUB DATE: 10/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Jersey News Network

The National Transportation Safety Board says the U.S. is woefully unprepared to deal with EV fires, which require different strategies than gasoline vehicle fires. 31 percent of fire departments don't train for EV fires, and half say they don't have special protocols in place to deal with EVs after a crash, the agency's report found.
- PUB DATE: 10/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Car and Driver

On Wednesday morning, Tracy Williams, the assistant fire chief for the Westview-Fairforest Fire Department in Spartanburg County, joined other firefighters from across the state at the South Carolina State Fire Academy for a ceremonial bill signing for a law that will support firefighters in the state diagnosed with cancer.
- PUB DATE: 10/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WIS-TV NBC/CW 10 Columbia

VIDEO: Before the age of two-way radios, police and fire call boxes could be found on numerous corners across the District of Columbia. The first installations of these boxes began as early as the 1860s. Firefighter call boxes were connected to a central call station and emergency responders would receive a telegraph of which box to dispatch to.
- PUB DATE: 10/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WUSA-TV CBS 9 Washington, D.C.

San Diego agreed this week to pay $3.4 million to more than 700 city firefighters to compensate them for underpaid overtime they should have received several years ago. The payout comes six months after the city reached a similar legal settlement with more than 2,300 other city workers for the same kind of underpaid overtime.
- PUB DATE: 10/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Metered Site

Coronavirus cases have been rising in Illinois and many of its surrounding states this fall as health experts brace for a second wave during flu season, and while testing numbers could play a large role in the increased numbers, there's another factor that may be contributing to the spike: the return to school at colleges and universities in the Midwest.
- PUB DATE: 10/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMAQ-TV NBC 5 Chicago

Being a firefighter isn't what they do, it's who they are. “It is just something once you start doing it you continue and continue and it builds within you,” said Wayne Cosner. “Either you are going to get in and be in here a couple of years and, BOOM, you are gone, or it grabs hold of you and you become loyal to the system and it becomes a way of life for you.
- PUB DATE: 10/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Richmond Times-Dispatch

A massive fire destroyed an apartment complex under construction Wednesday morning in west Harris County. At least one firefighter was injured. Flames turned the morning sky orange just before sunrise. Heavy smoke could be seen from miles away. Two four-story apartment buildings were leveled by the 3-alarm fire off the Grand Parkway near Katy.
- PUB DATE: 10/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

VIDEO: Every year, local fire departments and KSBY team up to visit elementary schools across the Central Coast for the Burn Relay to teach kids fire safety and prevention. Due to COVID-19 and distance learning, the Burn Relay couldn't happen last week so firefighters with the Atascadero Fire Department got creative instead.
- PUB DATE: 10/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSBY-TV NBC/CW+ 6 San Luis Obispo

When residential fires happen at night while families are sleeping, deaths are more likely to occur. Smoke alarms are important for preventing these deaths, yet research has shown that many pre-teenage children don't wake up to traditional high-frequency tone alarms. Researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Sleep Disorders Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital conducted a series of studies to identify smoke alarm signals that would more effectively awaken children and other members of the household in the event of a fire.
- PUB DATE: 10/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Medical Express

VIDEO: For the first time in the United States, a robotic firefighting vehicle was used Tuesday to battle a major emergency fire in downtown Los Angeles, officials said. The fire broke out in a textile business and spread to an adjacent building, and more than 130 firefighters extinguished the flames and prevented them from spreading further.
- PUB DATE: 10/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCBS-TV CBS 2 Los Angeles

VIDEO: Doctors will say some of the most painful recoveries come in the burn unit. A Detroit firefighter just lived through a recovery and he has a unique perspective. He's in charge of the department's clown team that works to cheer up child burn victims. Firefighter Mark Taylor went inside a burning vacant home to see if there was anybody inside and that's when the roof collapsed on him.
- PUB DATE: 10/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDIV-TV NBC 4 Detroit

VIDEO: A Riverside family's Halloween decor is so realistic that multiple people have made emergency phone calls summoning firefighters to the home. To say Carmen and Travis Long love Halloween is an understatement. They began creating their "Pirates of the Caribbean"-themed creation three years ago.
- PUB DATE: 10/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 News Los Angeles

VIDEO: In his 15 year career as a firefighter, Lt. Stephen Curry with Roanoke Fire-EMS has never seen anything like the fire that happened on Bullitt Avenue in southeast Roanoke over the weekend. A fire broke out around 5:45 on Saturday morning at a vacant house on the 700 block of Bullitt Avenue. As the fire burned through the structure, it started to collapse.
- PUB DATE: 10/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSLS-TV NBC10 Roanoke

The first New Orleans firefighters were furloughed on Sunday under a plan requiring six unpaid days off by the end of the year to help stem a precipitous decline in city sales tax revenue during the coronavirus pandemic. The city's furlough requires almost all 4,700 employees to take the six unpaid days, including police, firefighters and other safety workers, reducing their salaries by about 10% and saving the city $6 million.
- PUB DATE: 10/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Nola.com

Just as predicted, the US is now grappling with a new Covid-19 surge -- one that could overwhelm hospitals, kill thousands of Americans a day by January and leave even young survivors with long-term complications. "We went down to the lowest point lately in early September, around 30,000-35,000 new cases a day.
- PUB DATE: 10/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN Health

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says New York City will have to cover a $4 million shortfall to a program that helps 9/11 first responders pay for medical bills. The federal government removed funds to the World Trade Center Health Program to settle debts with the city over several years. Attorney Michael Barasch represents thousands of 9/11 first responders and survivors.
- PUB DATE: 10/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSHU Public Radio

VIDEO: Jason Cortez, a beloved San Francisco firefighter-paramedic who was killed during a training accident last week, was knocked over a third-floor railing by a water blast from a valve he had “inadvertently” opened, authorities said in a preliminary report released Sunday. Cortez, 42, was participating in a training drill Wednesday when he was injured.
- PUB DATE: 10/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPIX-TV CBS 5 San Francisco

VIDEO: An extra-alarm fire involving multiple homes in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood Sunday night has left one firefighter suffering from minor injuries. The fire started just after 11:30 p.m. inside of a vacant 2 1/2-story home in the 800-block of North Lawndale Avenue, the Chicago Fire Department said.
- PUB DATE: 10/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago

Across the US, coronavirus outbreaks seem to be larger than ever before. On Saturday, 12 states hit record seven-day rolling average case counts, according to a Business Insider analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project, which compiles data from state and territory-level public health authorities.
- PUB DATE: 10/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Science Alert

More than three-quarters of FDNY employees who retired last year qualified for annual pensions exceeding $100,000 — with many awarded extra because of disabilities related to 9/11, a new study and data reveal. Forty of the 491 retirees landed gold-plated pensions of more than $200,000 a year, according to the study by the Empire Center for Public Policy.
- PUB DATE: 10/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post - Metered Site

They're the first on the scene at major trauma events and this weekend, San Antonio firefighters, EMS and police officers were the first in line to give back to the community by donating blood. Conrad Gonzales, a retired San Antonio firefighter, felt he needed to step up when he heard that the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center's blood supply continues to be at an all-time low, due to the pandemic.
- PUB DATE: 10/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSAT-TV ABC 12 San Antonio

VIDEO: Authorities said a truck hit the Ellinwood Fire Department late Tuesday night. The driver was heading westbound on U.S. 56 at over 100 mph. After the truck hit the building, it started on fire. “We got the fire extinguished rather soon, and then, we had to extricate, took about 20 minutes to extricate the subject in the pickup,” said Ellinwood Fire Chief Chris Komarek.
- PUB DATE: 10/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSNW-TV NBC 3 Whichita

VIDEO: At least 70 people are displaced after a major apartment fire in DeKalb County. According to DeKalb Fire Capt. Deon Bentley, the fire ripped through the Alderwood Trail Apartments at 2947 N. DeKalb Dr. Images from above the fire showed flames shooting through the roof of the building and plumes of white smoke billowing in the air as crews worked to put out the fire.
- PUB DATE: 10/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIA-TV NBC 11 Atlanta

Is this person with chest pain having a heart attack? That's a question EMTs frequently confront when responding to 911 calls. A study conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Health shows that on-scene use of a new protocol and advanced diagnostic equipment can help paramedics better identify patients at high risk for adverse cardiac events.
- PUB DATE: 10/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: News Medical Life Sciences

Caitlin Crandall's morning routine looked much different a couple of years ago. The 35-year-old went from working 9-5 at a desk to 24 hours for the Syracuse Fire Department at Station 5, preparing to save lives. “Life was just so blah and just so mundane,” said Crandall. “Something just clicked for me.
- PUB DATE: 10/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spectrum News

More than a dozen individuals who traveled to Charleston this week to take the state electrician's exam were instead arrested on federal charges alleging they are in the U.S. illegally. The Office of the State Fire Marshal became suspicious of several exam applications received earlier this month. The investigation and increased scrutiny that resulted flagged several additional applications.
- PUB DATE: 10/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WVVA-TV NBC/CW+ 6 Bluefield

A firefighter-paramedic has died after a training incident on Wednesday morning, San Francisco Fire Department officials said. Officials say the firefighter was at a SFFD training facility on 19th and Folsom Street when he fell three stories, causing severe head injuries. SFFD Lt. Jonathan Baxter said the firefighter was transferred to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where he died before 11 a.
- PUB DATE: 10/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGO-TV ABC 7 San Francisco

The city is moving forward with a study of the Fire Department, nearly a year after pledging to review firefighter safety in wake of the line-of-duty death of Lt. Jason Menard. The city said this week it had hired Emergency Services Consulting International of Virginia to study the Fire Department. The consultant is seeking input about the department through survey questions posed to community and business stakeholders in the city.
- PUB DATE: 10/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Telegram.com

VIDEO: A massive pallet fire fueled by gusty winds Wednesday burned down an Ohio 101 business and threw up billowing black smoke clouds that could be seen throughout Sandusky County. More than a dozen fire departments from Sandusky and Erie counties dispatched trucks and firefighters to try to contain the blaze, which forced police to shut down Ohio 101 in both directions for several hours.
- PUB DATE: 10/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fremont News Messenger

A technology company out of Tyler called FIRST iZ creates drones to help aid first responders during emergency situations within a minute's notice. CEO, Phil Burks explains how these drones can benefit first responders. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) also known as a drone, can provide situational awareness for first responders when they head towards a scene and can send visuals before arriving to an incident scene.
- PUB DATE: 10/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KLTV ABC 7 Tyler

Airline passenger travel is down because of the coronavirus pandemic, but industry leaders say cargo flights will become busier once a COVID-19 vaccine is developed and released. “It will be a logistical challenge that the world has not seen before,” DHL Global Forwarding CEO David Goldberg said. DHL is already discussing how they will handle transporting the vaccine.
- PUB DATE: 10/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRIC-TV ABC 8 Richmond

Police arrested five people from Switzerland County Monday on numerous theft-related charges after a six-month Indiana State Police investigation into theft from the Patriot Volunteer Fire Department that allegedly included a secret meeting and filing fake state paperwork to take over department accounts.
- PUB DATE: 10/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCPO-TV ABC 9 Cincinnati

The Mattoon City Council and the firefighters union may temporarily reduce the emergency medical technician (EMT) certification requirements for new firefighters to expedite hiring. The council will consider approving a memorandum of understanding with Mattoon Firefighters Local 691 during the council meeting at 6:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 10/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Journal Gazette Times Courier

In May, doctors announced they were seeing a new and rare coronavirus complication in children. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta warns, it's appearing in adults, too. Called MIS-C, which stands for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, the complication manifests roughly two to four weeks after a coronavirus infection.
- PUB DATE: 10/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Atlanta Journal Constitution

VIDEO: Crews are at the old Royal Coach building in Hastings Wednesday morning battling a massive fire. Due to the fire, thousands in the Hastings area are without power. According to Lt. Lani Forbes with the Freeport Fire Department, Barry County Central Dispatch alerted authorities around 3:30 a.m.
- PUB DATE: 10/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WZZM-TV ABC 13 Grand Rapids

PHOTOS: A five-alarm fire in Elizabeth left two young girls dead and two adults hospitalized in critical condition Monday, a city official said. The children who died were approximately 7 and 11 years old, according to city spokeswoman Kelly Martins. The blaze began around 6 p.m. in the 800 block of Elizabeth Avenue and was under control about two hours later.
- PUB DATE: 10/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Jersey Journal

When Ray Tannatta first introduced the Highrise Lifeline in the early 1990s, it seemed to be all the rage, being repeatedly featured on national TV. “I got a lot of attention. I had people calling me from all over the country, all over the world,” Tannatta said. “At the time, I thought my product was working and the message is getting out there and people should be buying it.
- PUB DATE: 10/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spectrum News

First responder sirens were wailing nearly non-stop as Hurricane Isaias churned above eastern Pennsylvania. Listening to dispatches about people trapped by flood waters, motor vehicle accidents, and a commercial structure fire, I was concerned and praying for the first responders during this storm. As Isaias swept northward, a cascade of agencies responded.
- PUB DATE: 10/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IN Public Safety

Salt Lake City firefighters were warned not to expect police officers as often as they have before because of a regular backlog of calls, according to a leaked department memo. The note, penned by Assistant Fire Chief Mike Fox, begins by saying the police department has changed some of their responses “due to COVID” and that they are experiencing “regular days when they have a backlog of calls.
- PUB DATE: 10/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KUTV-TV CBS 2 News Salt Lake City

A new drone technology program launched Monday at Great Oaks Career Campuses, and it's the first of its kind in the world. Through the program, first responders can become drone certified as an emergency services drone operator. “It's opening up doors to programs beyond your traditional law enforcement and firefighter basic training academy.
- PUB DATE: 10/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLWT-TV NBC 5 Cincinnati

The roof of a commercial building collapsed in East L.A. after a large fire broke out on Sunday night. A sign that read, “Casa Olympica,” the name of a vintage clothing store, was seen in flames. Several other storefronts were also involved. Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said the two-story strip mall is located in the 4700 block of East Whittier Boulevard near Arizona Avenue.
- PUB DATE: 10/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCBS-TV CBS 2 Los Angeles

PHOTOS: Fire stations across Hampton Roads are honoring fallen firefighters by participating in the nationwide “Light the Night” event as part of National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. The Virginia Beach Fire Department arranged for the red light illumination of the VB Emergency Operations Center (Bldg.
- PUB DATE: 10/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAVY-TV NBC 10 Portsmouth

Only three US states are reporting a decline in new COVID-19 cases compared to last week, as the country hit its highest daily rate of new cases in almost two months. As of Saturday night, new cases were down in Texas, Missouri and South Carolina, while 21 states reported a rise in cases and a little more than half held steady compared with the week before.
- PUB DATE: 10/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

PHOTOS: A volunteer firefighter was injured Saturday evening when he swerved to avoid another vehicle and overturned the firetruck in Breezy Point, Queens, FDNY fire officials said. The injured firefighter was taken to Community Hospital in Brooklyn where his injuries were not considered serious. The crash occurred at 5:27 p.
- PUB DATE: 10/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: AM New York

PHOTOS: A dozen hot air balloon pilots were in the air over Battle Creek Saturday to thank those working during the pandemic. The flight was part of a world-wide effort by balloon pilots to honor front-line workers. Called "Lifting Spirits Around the World," the flights were to say to front-line workers "that we are all very grateful and thankful for them," according to Tom Brown, one of the organizers of the Battle Creek flight.
- PUB DATE: 10/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Battle Creek Enquirer

New Yorkers can now download a free app to their smartphones that will alert them if they come near people who test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday the launch of the state's new COVID Alert NY app. New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware will offer their own versions of the app as well.
- PUB DATE: 10/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Nyack-Piermont Patch

Officers with the Riverside Police Department had a woman in a pink dress stand up outside their patrol car for witnesses to identify after she allegedly stole a fire truck and took it on a joy ride Thursday night. The 31-year-old woman is suspected of stealing a Riverside Fire Department truck and taking it on a joyride while first responders were handling a life-threatening medical emergency.
- PUB DATE: 10/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCAL-TV CBS 9 Los Angeles

The City of Glendale has a new peer support program they hope will help end suicide growing rates among firefighters. The program is one of the first of its kind in the state, addressing nationwide statistics that firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than on the job. One hundred twenty times a day, that's the amount firefighters here in Glendale are called to duty.
- PUB DATE: 10/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KASW-CW6 & KTVK-3TV (azfamily.com)

Springfield firefighters have released a series of videos in honor of Fire Prevention Month. According to the City of Springfield, the videos will be released throughout October on the Springfield Fire Department's social media pages. Here is a list of all seven of the educational videos: Cooking Safety (by Firefighter Justine, for fourth and fifth graders); Firefighters Are Our Friends (by Firefighter Tanner, for PreK-K); Stay Away From Dangerous Things (by Firefighter Geoff, for PreK-K); Recognizing Home Hazards (by Firefighter Tanner, for first-graders); Escape Drills in the Home (by Firefighter Mark, for second-graders); How and When to Call 911 (by Firefighter Mark, for third-graders); and The Fire Triangle (by Firefighter Geoff, for fifth-graders).
- PUB DATE: 10/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOLR-TV CBS 10 Springfield

A very cool historical look at the volunteer fire service in Maryland from WMAR-TV in Baltimore. The half-hour documentary is from October 10, 1969 and has film from fire companies in a number of counties throughout the state. There is also a section on University of Maryland's Fire Service Extension, the forerunner to Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute.
- PUB DATE: 10/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: STATer 911

A tractor-trailer driver was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving in Hanover County Circuit Court on Wednesday for a 2018 crash that left Hanover County Fire & EMS Lt. Brad Clark dead and several other firefighters injured. The driver, Lester Labarge, faces up to 11 years in prison when he is sentenced.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVR-TV CBS 6 Richmond

Leaders in states across the country are sounding the alarm about rising COVID-19 cases that experts say could foreshadow a coming surge. In New York, several COVID-19 clusters have created "hotspot" zip codes, the governor said, with a positivity rate about five times more than the statewide figure.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

Topeka's first structure fire came soon after the city was founded. The nine men who founded this city in December 1854 built a cabin here, which was destroyed in an accidental fire soon afterward. Still, it wasn't until March 1870 that Topeka created a fire department. This week's History Guy video at CJOnline focuses on that department, which turned 150 years old this year.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Topeka Capital-Journal

Water surrounds three sides of Logan International Airport, with all departures and arrivals flying over Boston Harbor. There are a handful of coveted jobs on the Massachusetts Port Authority team that protects the harbor, the Massport Fire Department's Marine Unit. The $7 million vessel is equipped with water guns that can pump up to 6,000 gallons of water per minute.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCVB-TV ABC 5 Boston

In an emergency, seconds count. During a fire, choosing the right door to enter or pinpointing where someone is trapped can be a deadly guessing game. In response to emergency situations, the first tool of its kind in Southwest Florida is helping to save lives. When North Collier County firefighters head out on a call, they respond with a $5,000 drone packed in the chief's truck.
- PUB DATE: 10/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WINK-TV CBS 11 Fort Myers

VIDEO: The Bernalillo County Fire Department and Albuquerque Fire Rescue have contained a large fire at a recycling yard in the area of Edith and Montano on Tuesday. “The smoke was very black, I don't know if that means it's hot or what; you could see the flames, they were probably higher than our building.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRQE-TV CBS/FOX 13 Albuquerque

The terrifying moment a gunman opened fire on a crowd of Las Vegas concertgoers is painfully etched into survivor Dean McAuley's memory. Now he and others who escaped the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting on the Strip are having healing images etched on their skin, something McAuley calls a “reminder of survival” and a “badge of honor.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun

It started as a seemingly perplexing case of pneumonia. From a wet market in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 has spread to nearly every country on the globe in just under nine months. It's overturned daily lives, shuttered businesses and schools, and disrupted the world economy. It's infected more than 33 million people worldwide and has killed at least 1 million people — a toll that's likely to be far more than the official tallies show, global health officials say.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNBC

Modern day firefighters benefit from high tech equipment and regular training but those measures do little to shield them from their number one killer: suicide. "Our firefighters experience terrible things. Terrible things that they can't share with their families because it is just going to depress their families, quite honestly," said Los Angeles City Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles

The foundation invites residents to watch the 45 minute special on the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation website and through the foundation's social media platforms at 10 a.m. Sunday, as well as take a moment to read the 2020 Roll of Honor; a collection of stories about fire heroes submitted by their families, friends and fellow firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 9/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Rolla Daily News

A fast-moving fire trapped three children inside a Bronx home on Monday morning. They had to be rescued by firefighters. Police said the girls' mother brought her 7-year-old son to the hospital for an unspecified injury and left the three girls, who range in age from 16 months to 6 years old, home alone.
- PUB DATE: 9/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCBS-TV CBS 2 New York

Philadelphia is about to promote its first Black female battalion fire chief. CBS3 spoke exclusively with the trailblazing firefighter for our Justice and Understanding series. “It kind of feels weird because I've been a captain for seven years so to hear chief, because people have already started, but I'm like no, that's not me yet,” Capt.
- PUB DATE: 9/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KYW-TV CBS 3 Philadelphia

Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved legislation prompted by the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others in Calabasas earlier this year. The bill signed Monday makes it a crime for first responders to take unauthorized photos of deceased people at the scene of an accident or crime. Reports surfaced after the Jan.
- PUB DATE: 9/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV 5 CW Los Angeles

An explosion related to an earlier reported gas leak in Dubuque was the source of a large fire on Monday evening along Loras Boulevard. Dubuque Fire Department Chief Rick Steines said that a house was destroyed in the explosion, but nobody who lives there was injured. One firefighter was hurt, though the extent of their injury was not released.
- PUB DATE: 9/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KWQC-TV NBC 6 Davenport

The Atlantic City firefighters union, saying the city has shown “blatant disregard” for the health and safety of its members, has sued the city and state after six firefighters tested positive last week for the coronavirus, potentially exposing 65 firefighters to the pandemic. The union's complaint, filed Friday in Superior Court, alleges that the department's policy of directing firefighters to return to work after they were exposed to infected coworkers, but tested negative themselves for COVID-19, risks spreading the coronavirus among firefighters, their families and the public.
- PUB DATE: 9/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Philadelphia Inquirer - Metered Site

Almost half the US is reporting increased numbers of new COVID-19 cases as health experts warn of a potential coronavirus surge in the fall and winter. As of Sunday, the number of new coronavirus cases has increased by at least 10% or more compared to the week before in 21 states, most of them in the West, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.
- PUB DATE: 9/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

PHOTO: Three China Grove firefighters were injured Friday morning after the firetruck they were riding in overturned while responding to an emergency call. The firefighters — George Stewart, Cameron Harwell and Adam Wingler — were all taken to the hospital with minor injuries, said Town Manager Ken Deal.
- PUB DATE: 9/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Salisbury Post

VIDEO: A Naperville firefighter found a creative way to tell residents ‘Get Your Mask On'. You may have heard Florida Georgia Line's song 'Get Your Shine On', but one Naperville firefighter and paramedic has a different version. Billy Croft wrote 'Get Your Mask On' as a way to promote public safety and bring a little humor to life amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
- PUB DATE: 9/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBBM News Radio

Despite the cancelation of the annual Tunnel to Towers 5K run and walk due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some people still walked through Battery Tunnel on Sunday. Frank Siller, brother of fallen firefighter, Stephen Siller, showed up to honor the memory of those who died on September 11, 2001.
- PUB DATE: 9/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Silive.com

PHOTOS: On Thursday September 24, 2020 at 2:50 pm the Bath Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched for a working structure fire at T&R Environmental Services Haz Mat building located next door to T&R Towing on Route 415 North of the Village of Bath. Large plumes of heavy black smoke could be seen for miles.
- PUB DATE: 9/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WETM-TV NBC 13 El Mira

VIDEO: Tamara Thacher is believed to have died from her job as a firefighter, years after running into burning buildings. Her memorial last December was a time of reflection, not just of her life and service but the illness that cut her life short. The Sacramento Fire Department said her cancer is presumed to be the result of exposure to toxic chemicals firefighters potentially encounter every day.
- PUB DATE: 9/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTXL-TV FOX 40 Sacramento