Sunday marked 32 years since six Kansas City Missouri firefighters died in an explosion. The explosion happened at a construction site on Nov. 29, 1988. The crews were fighting a trailer fire. They were unaware the trailer had thousands of pounds of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil inside, and the firefighters were killed instantly.
- PUB DATE: 11/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMBC-TV ABC 9 Kansas City

No-Shave November is almost over, and emergency responders across the state will soon go back to a clean-shaven face. But for some Oklahoma firefighters, the mustache will be long-lived. The handlebar. The toothbrush. The pencil. The walrus. The horseshoe. Firefighters with mustaches is an iconic image spanning back decades.
- PUB DATE: 11/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOCO-TV ABC 5 Oklahoma City

VIDEO: A retired New York firefighter who served on the frontlines during September 11, 2001 is on a mission to honor fallen firefighters. Frank Pizarro calls Las Vegas home, but served 22 years on the New York Fire Department. He is on mission to retrofit a fire engine to carry caskets of fallen firefighters on the West Coast.
- PUB DATE: 11/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KVVU-TV FOX 5 Las Vegas

The U.S. will finish the month of November with more than 4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, by far the most it has recorded in any month since the beginning of the pandemic. According to a database kept by Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. recorded 4.3 million new cases of COVID-19 throughout the month of November.
- PUB DATE: 11/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMGH-TV ABC 7 Denver

A grateful retired firefighter reunited with a stranger he says saved his life by getting him to safety after a fiery car crash in Florida. Retired fire lieutenant Richard Broccolo recalled the moment Aug. 23 he thought he was going to die after his car went off the roadway on Florida State Road 429.
- PUB DATE: 11/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKMG-TV CBS 6 Orlando

VIDEO: Four firefighters suffered burns Tuesday while trying to rescue someone they thought was inside a burning home in the New Town neighborhood of Northwest Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department was called just after 1 p.m. and saw flames and heavy smoke coming from the house on Acorn Street near West 2nd Street.
- PUB DATE: 11/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJXT-TV News 4 Jacksonville

The city held a socially-distanced ceremony showcasing Carrollton's newly renovated Harold K. Bessire Park Playground (1117 Dentonshire Drive) on Nov. 21. The City Council approved funding in February for renovations, including a synthetic turf surface as well as new playground equipment with a firefighter theme, honoring Carrollton's first responders and the namesake of the park, former Carrollton Fire Chief and Fire Marshal Harold K.
- PUB DATE: 11/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Carrolton Leader

On May 16, 2020, eleven firefighters were seriously injured during one of the most intense and dangerous fires in the history of the Los Angeles Fire Department. One of those firefighters was Fire Capt. Víctor Aguirre, who suffered serious burns. He spoke with our sister station Telemundo 52 about his miraculous recovery and the voracious fire that almost took his life away.
- PUB DATE: 11/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles

At a fire house in King City Tuesday, crews gave KGW an up-close look at one of their newest tools, the Lucas Mechanical CPR Device. "It's highly efficient," said Capt. Tim Nokes of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R). "It's highly effective." Capt. Nokes says the device is one of three in service in the TVF&R district.
- PUB DATE: 11/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGW-TV NBC 8 Portland

VIDEO: Charleston first responders are joining forces to ‘wave goodnight' to the children and healthcare heroes at Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital. Police, fire and EMS park their vehicles outside the children's hospital, and when the clock strikes 7:30 p.m., they turn their lights on for five minutes, so that the patients inside can see them shine and know their community is here to say goodnight.
- PUB DATE: 11/25/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCBD-TV NBC/CW+ 2 Charleston

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) penned a letter to the nation's governors requesting firefighters and emergency medical personnel on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19 be among those given priority access to a vaccine once it is available. According to the IAFF, over 30,000 firefighters have been exposed to COVID-19 in the line of duty.
- PUB DATE: 11/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCBD-TV NBC/CW+ 2 Charleston

PHOTO: Oshkosh Airport Products, LLC, an Oshkosh Corporation Company, announced on Nov. 20 that the company delivered three Striker 8x8 ARFF vehicles to the San Francisco International Airport in California. The department's new Striker 8x8 vehicles were delivered in late September and early October.
- PUB DATE: 11/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Aviation Pros

COVID-19 is running unabated across almost every American community, and one model projects it will take the country just under two months to reach a staggering 20 million cases. The US could nearly double its current numbers -- about 12.4 million reported infections -- by January 20, according to the Washington University in St.
- PUB DATE: 11/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN Health

Violence against first responders has increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, according to D.C.'s acting chief of DC Fire & EMS (FEMS), John Donnelly, who said he's still trying to come to grips with an incident Sunday where a firefighter/EMT was injured in a shooting. The shooting came just as D.
- PUB DATE: 11/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WUSA-TV CBS 9 Washington DC

It has been a tragic year for gun violence in Milwaukee County. Local leaders are looking for answers. On Monday, Nov. 23, they announced one plan: free gun locks. Fire Chief Aaron Lipski demonstrated one of the gun locks that his firefighters will hand out free to anyone at Milwaukee fire stations, no questions asked.
- PUB DATE: 11/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

VIDEO: Firefighters battled a six-alarm fire Saturday evening at an apartment building under construction near the University of California campus. The blaze was reported shortly before 6 p.m. and was located in an apartment building under construction and believed to be unoccupied in the 2000 block of University Avenue, two blocks west of the Cal campus.
- PUB DATE: 11/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPIX-TV CBS 5 San Francisco

Gunfire struck a D.C. firefighter who was tending to a shooting victim in Southwest Washington Sunday night, police say. A man was shot about 4:20 p.m. in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven at the corner of MLK Avenue and South Capitol Street SW, police said. As firefighters and police responded to the shooting, gunfire erupted across the street in the 3800 block of Halley Terrace SE.
- PUB DATE: 11/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRC-TV NBC 4 Washington DC

VIDEO: Despite a year and holiday season of change amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one sign of normalcy remains: the Macy's holiday windows. This year's light show was unveiled Thursday and will stay lit throughout the holiday season. The theme for this year's display is "Give, Love, Believe" and Macy's is using the show as a way to celebrate the spirit of so many after a tumultuous year.
- PUB DATE: 11/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

After playing under the lights at Mile High Stadium, a former Denver tight end has chosen to trade in his NFL helmet for a Denver Fire helmet. Former Bronco Wesley Duke is now one of Denver Fire Department's newest and most energetic firefighters. Duke, who played for the Broncos in 2005, said the decision to become a firefighter was fueled by commonalities between athletics and firefighting, and a desire to give back to the community that supported his career in the NFL.
- PUB DATE: 11/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCNC-TV CBS 4 Denver

A massive fire destroyed at least one building in Orange County. A large fire broke out around 11 a.m. on Thursday in Middletown at a large commercial building on Midland Avenue. The blaze also started a number of brush fires behind the building. "On Thursday 11/19/2020 Middletown FD was alerted to a structure fire on Midland Avenue Extension.
- PUB DATE: 11/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hudson Valley Post

The Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department says firefighters who have been exposed to COVID-19 but who have not tested positive should continue to work. The fire department says that since the virus hit, 67 members have tested positive. There are more than 400 members of the firefighters union. "I think it's creating a potentially dangerous situation for both the firefighters and the public," said union president J.
- PUB DATE: 11/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMBC-TV ABC 9 Kansas City

The owners of two smoking and vaping supply stores in downtown Los Angeles where a large explosion left several firefighters seriously injured struck plea deals with prosecutors Thursday that call for their businesses to pay more than $100,000 to the city. As part of the agreement with the Los Angeles city attorney's office, the retail businesses, Smoke Tokes and Green Buddha, must pay the Los Angeles Fire Department roughly $127,000 to compensate the agency for the investigation into the May 16 blast, which rocked downtown L.
- PUB DATE: 11/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Los Angeles Times - Metered Site

The coronavirus vaccine works entirely different than any other human vaccine ever used. Scientists say to not think of this vaccine like a flu shot, because it uses new technology some are calling a game changer. “It's a new era in vaccine design,” says postdoctoral researcher Stephen Goldstein. A flu vaccine is a diluted version of the virus that might provide a defense if the actual virus is introduced into the human body.
- PUB DATE: 11/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KUTV-TV CBS 2 News Salt Lake City

PHOTOS: The 775th Civil Engineering Squadron Fire and Emergency Services Flight recently added two new vehicles to their fleet Oct. 29, which will greatly expand emergency and incident response capability. The first of two is a 2020 Oshkosh P-23 Aircraft Rescue Firefighting vehicle. The truck, which has a call sign of “Crash 8,” is a completely modernized, top-tier aircraft fire response vehicle that uses the latest in technology for efficiency and crew safety.
- PUB DATE: 11/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Robins Air Force Base

As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office in two months, he heard Wednesday from a firefighter, nurses and a caregiver who described chronic shortages of protective equipment, tests and contact tracing to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The virus, combined with rebuilding the economy, is the biggest challenge facing Biden.
- PUB DATE: 11/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Daily Journal

VIDEO: A raging fire in Queens forced families out of their homes Wednesday night as temperatures fell below freezing for the first time since last winter. The fire started around 8 p.m. at a seven-story building on New Haven Avenue and Beach 22nd Street in Far Rockaway. CBS2's Cory James reports it took about 100 firefighters two hours to get the blaze under control.
- PUB DATE: 11/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLNY-TV CBS 55 Riverhead

Hiram's fire chief Bruce Pyburn is proud to show off the town's first fire truck. "This is the original lettering, all gold leaf, original hoses, original ladder," Pyburn said. "It's a '37 Dodge that has been with the department since day one." The truck was purchased in 1937, the same year the Hiram Fire Department was started.
- PUB DATE: 11/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTHR-TV NBC 13 Indianapolis

The Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department is celebrating 100 years of full-time service to the community. The city of Wisconsin Rapids was developed as a consolidation of Grand Rapids, which sat on the east side of the Wisconsin River and Centralia, which was situated in the west side. The two municipalities combined in the spring of 1900 and bore the name of Grand Rapids, until the name was changed to Wisconsin Rapids to correct and freight/mail confusion with Grand Rapids, MI.
- PUB DATE: 11/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wisconsin Rapids City Times

Rep. Joe Morelle is calling on a federal agency to reverse a new rule that allows railroad tankers carrying liquefied natural gas to roll through Monroe County. The rule went into effect on Aug. 24, though it faces several legal challenges. It allows trains to carry up to 100 tankers of liquefied gas on American railroads, as long as the gas is stored in a specifically-designed tanker whose safety as a container for the gas has been largely untested.
- PUB DATE: 11/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rochester City Newspaper

VIDEO: On the surface, Bob Halberstadt's roles as a volunteer EMT and firefighter in his native Blairstown are not all that unusual. But considering he is old enough to be the father or even the grandfather of his fellow first responders, the 80-year-old stands out for his service and his sense of duty to keep his community safe.
- PUB DATE: 11/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Jersey Herald - Metered Site

A South Carolina lawmaker has partnered with a fellow congressman from Illinois to introduce a bill to designate October 28 as "National First Responders Day". Republican Congressman Ralph Norman who serves South Carolina's 5th District partnered with Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush of Illinois to introduce the bill.
- PUB DATE: 11/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHNS-TV Fox 21 Greenville

VIDEO: The NYPD is investigating after a video on social media surfaced showing a man shooting a flamethrower into the air as he was on top of an MTA bus with people inside — but it may have all been a part of an unsanctioned stunt. The incident took place Nov. 8 along the B-26 bus route near Franklin Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
- PUB DATE: 11/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

Coronavirus cases have increased in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam over the past 14 days, the latest NBC News data showed Tuesday. And in a dozen of those states — Vermont, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Iowa, Ohio, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, Kansas, Pennsylvania and New York — infections have spiked in the last two weeks, meaning there has been a 100 percent or more increase in confirmed cases over 14 days.
- PUB DATE: 11/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

Welcome to the “Roaring 20s!” Main Journey (Leap!), Anton (Paddington), and Caramel Films have joined forces to create Fireheart, the animated tale of a fearless young girl vying to become the first female firefighter in 1920s New York. The heartwarming film boasts an all-star cast, with Kenneth Branagh (Tenet, Death on the Nile), Olivia Cooke (Thoroughbreds, Ready Player One), William Shatner (Star Trek), and Laurie Holden (The Americans) serving as lead voice actors.
- PUB DATE: 11/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Animation World Network

Eight firefighters were swept into Lake Michigan during a dramatic rescue attempt late Sunday, Nov. 15, on the south pier at Pere Marquette Park. Nine firefighters were injured. One suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized. The search resumed Monday morning for the body of Lance Jenkins, 29, of Fruitport Township.
- PUB DATE: 11/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MLive

A veteran firefighter in Arlington County, Virginia, is breaking barriers as she rises through the ranks. Tiffanye Wesley is the first African American woman named deputy fire chief in all of Northern Virginia. "You can do anything that you put your mind to. I mean, look at what we're looking at in America today having a African-American female as vice president-elect," Wesley said.
- PUB DATE: 11/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRC-TV NBC 4 Washington, D.C.

You don't know what you don't know. Hornell Fire Chief Frank Brzozowski didn't know what to expect a year ago today, when the department was toned out for a fire on Preston Avenue in the city. Each call is treated as a structure fire until proven otherwise, though most don't keep firefighters busy for long — a small oven fire that tripped a smoke detector, perhaps, or maybe leaves burning in a backyard.
- PUB DATE: 11/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Evening Tribune - Metered Site

A group of local firefighters pivoted when the pandemic hit to help in the fight against COVID-19. Their Lake County business is creating custom testing and vaccination trailers for counties across the country. Adapt and overcome: that is a motto firefighters say they live by. When COVID spiked in the U.
- PUB DATE: 11/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago

VIDEO: A fast-moving fire tore through three buildings overnight in the Bronx. The flames broke out around 1:30 a.m. on Harding Avenue near Emerson Avenue in Throggs Neck. Neighbors told CBS2 the strong winds caused the fire to spread. “I looked out the window, and I saw the houses were on fire, and the wind was blowing.
- PUB DATE: 11/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCBS-TV CBS 2 New York

PHOTOS: Not long after the fire burst out of the deli, sending columns of thick black smoke shooting up inside the MGM Grand hotel tower, then-Nevada Gov. Robert List arrived at the flooded casino floor to survey the damage. It was dim, and the debris was blackened and torched. Bodies were on the ground or slumped over gaming tables and chairs.
- PUB DATE: 11/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Las Vegas Review Journal - Metered Site

Alabama State Troopers continue to investigate a two-vehicle crash at about 8:16 a.m. Sunday that resulted in a man's death. A 2005 Nissan Armada struck the back of a Reece City fire truck, killing a passenger in the Nissan. The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene, Senior Trooper Brandon Bailey said in a press release.
- PUB DATE: 11/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Gadsden Times

VIDEO: With volunteer firefighter numbers dwindling in Pennsylvania, some fire companies said they're seeing a positive new trend when it comes to new recruits. "We have to be ready for the unexpected," said Lexi Thompson, a volunteer firefighter with Earl Township Fire Company, "ready for anything to take on.
- PUB DATE: 11/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFMZ-TV 69 Allentown

If there was ever a year where real-life heroes were needed most, 2020 might be it. The past 11 months have brought with them challenges requiring resilience, courage, and most importantly love to overcome them, and heroes to inspire all of us to put our best foot forward. SoCal-based global lifestyle brand UGG wants to celebrate these heroes, introducing three courageous Californians in their FEEL LOVE holiday campaign.
- PUB DATE: 11/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: V Magazine

VIDEO: A Civil Air Patrol pilot was killed when a small plane slammed into multiple vehicles that were parked on a residential street in Pacoima on Thursday morning, igniting a fire near several homes, officials said. No other injuries were reported in the crash, which occurred shortly after 11:30 a.
- PUB DATE: 11/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 News Los Angeles

While Emergency Medical Service workers and firefighters were 15 times more likely to contract the coronavirus than members of the public during the early weeks of the pandemic, the Fire Department's decision to exempt firefighters from responding to calls involving COVID symptoms made them five times less likely to develop infections than their EMS counterparts, according to a study led by Dr.
- PUB DATE: 11/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Chief-Leader - Metered Site

As COVID-19 cases across Connecticut continue to climb, first responders in eastern Connecticut are asking for more regular access to COVID-19 testing. Members of the Region 4 EMS Council, covering New London County and parts of Windham County, are working to secure weekly, in-station testing for their members.
- PUB DATE: 11/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WVIT-TV NBC 30 West Hartford

"Grey's Anatomy" is kicking off its 17th season on ABC. The celebration includes a crossover with their firehouse friends at "Station 19." The blended families of both series allow fans to see the doctors and the firefighters combine their TV worlds; it's even more fun for the actors on both shows. "What I love is the writers treat it like one big world," said "Station 19's" Jason George.
- PUB DATE: 11/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 News Los Angeles

A marina fire in Scottsboro, Alabama, earlier this year illustrated how such a situation can turn tragic in just minutes. At 12:35 a.m. on January 27, 2020, a man living aboard a houseboat at Jackson County Park Marina awoke to a “popping” sound and smoke filled the cabin. According to the report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the owner told investigators he saw flames coming from the forward bulkhead near the vessel's electrical panel.
- PUB DATE: 11/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Marina Dock Age

VIDEO: The wife of a South Florida firefighter died after a fire broke out in their Homestead home Tuesday afternoon, fire officials confirmed Wednesday morning. A GoFundMe created for the firefighter identifies him as Corey Logan. It states Logan has been with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue for over 20 years.
- PUB DATE: 11/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVJ NBC 6 Miami

The FDNY will be ditching its disposable protective coronavirus masks for reusable ones, officials said Tuesday. New elastomeric respirator masks will be distributed to Emergency Medical Service members and firefighters in the weeks to come, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. “This is a substantial piece of equipment, but it will take us out of the supply chain for N95 masks that the whole world uses,” Nigro told the Daily News.
- PUB DATE: 11/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News - Metered Site

VIDEO: Crews responded to what they described as a stubborn fire at an abandoned building in New Haven. Officials said the fire broke out Thursday morning on the 200 block of Winthrop Avenue. The call originally came in around 3 a.m. as a brush fire. First responders arrived and found flames in one of the buildings.
- PUB DATE: 11/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFSB-TV CBS 3 Hartford

Three first responders were hit while responding to a crash in Frederick County that left a motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries, the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services said Tuesday. First responders were called to the scene of a crash involving a motorcycle in the 12900 block of Stottlemyer Road near Wolfsville just after 4:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 11/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJZ-TV CBS 13 Baltimore

As hospitals in the state reach capacity and face dire staff shortages, North Dakota will now allow healthcare workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 to continue working in coronavirus units, officials announced this week. Hospital administrators have asked for the extraordinary action to be taken, Governor Doug Burgum said at a Monday press conference, and interim State Health Officer Dirk Wilke amended an order to allow the new measure to take effect.
- PUB DATE: 11/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

A member of the Easton Township Fire Department was killed in a crash Sunday night while he was on his way to a fire, according to an official with the Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office. Johnny Ivison Jr., 23, rural Leavenworth County, was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash was reported at 10:07 p.
- PUB DATE: 11/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Leavenworth Times

Alameda Fire Department's (AFD) Seagrave Model 760 pumper is approaching an important milestone. Dec. 20 marks the 100th anniversary of AFD placing the apparatus in service as Engine No. 2. Seagrave's creation was one of a pair of triple-combination pumpers that the department purchased in the wake of the Jan.
- PUB DATE: 11/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Alameda Sun

Fighting fires comes with many risks. But new research shows there's a new one to consider: increased exposure to fires appears to raise the likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation, or AFib, an irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other problems. Researchers found the more fires a firefighter fought, the higher the likelihood he or she would report having been diagnosed with AFib.
- PUB DATE: 11/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Times Union

VIDEO: No injuries were reported Monday after fire destroyed the Rainbow Motel in the town of Pamelia. Volunteers from several fire departments were called to the motel on Route 12 at around 1 p.m. The black cloud could be seen a mile away. The heat was so strong, it could be felt across the street, hundreds of feet away.
- PUB DATE: 11/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WWNY-TV CBS 7 Carthage

Throughout the U.S., hospitals and health care workers are tracking the skyrocketing number of new coronavirus cases in their communities and bracing for a flood of patients to come in the wake of those infections. Already, seriously ill COVID-19 patients are starting to fill up hospital beds at unsustainable rates.
- PUB DATE: 11/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Jefferson Public Radio

VIDEO: The Alameda County Fire Department was battling a warehouse fire overnight Monday in San Leandro. By 1:25 a.m., about 50 firefighters were on the scene to fight the large blaze at a Georgia Pacific packaging plant on Alvarado Street. When KRON4 arrived on scene, crews were putting out hot spots and it was finally put out around 5 a.
- PUB DATE: 11/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRON-TV 4 San Francisco

Sixty-two firefighters died in 2019 from injuries sustained while on duty, 22 less than the 2018 total of 84 firefighters, according to a new report from the U.S. Fire Administration. The 2019 total includes 10 firefighters who died under circumstances that were part of inclusion criteria changes resulting from the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefit Act.
- PUB DATE: 11/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Homeland Security Today

Bob Perkins of the Winthrop Fire Department says his wife grows nervous when he and his firefighter sons Connor, 22, and Cody, 19, get called to fires or other emergencies. “By now, she's sorta used to it, but she still gets pretty nervous sometimes,” he said, “and she ends up listening to the pager.
- PUB DATE: 11/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sun Journal

In an unprecedented weekend of COVID-19 infections, nearly all of the US is seeing cases rise as the national total teeters near 10 million. There were 105,927 new coronavirus cases reported on Sunday, marking the 5th day in a row that cases topped 100,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
- PUB DATE: 11/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

Did you know that for over a century the fire trucks in Opelousas had names? That used to be a custom in this town as well as many other towns and cities across the U.S. Let's talk about that. Several days ago I received a message from Debbie Harmon Payne asking if I would know who the Opelousas fire truck “Sid” was named for.
- PUB DATE: 11/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily World

Compared to the general public, New York City firefighters and emergency medical workers were 15 times more likely to be infected with the new coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic, researchers reported on Thursday in ERJ Open Research. They studied nearly 10,800 firefighters and 3,500 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics.
- PUB DATE: 11/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Reuters

A Delray Beach firefighter is sharing his story of survival from cancer in an emotional post on Facebook. Throughout November, the agency is telling stories about firefighters who have battled cancer. They said it part of an effort to increase awareness of the disease and the importance of prevention for everyone.
- PUB DATE: 11/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPTV NBC 5 West Palm Beach

The Rutgers School of Public Health received a $1.5 million Federal Emergency Management Agency grant to support cancer research for volunteer firefighters. The funding will enhance research already being done in collaboration with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey as part of the Cancer Assessment and Prevention Study.
- PUB DATE: 11/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rutgers Today

For the past 24 years in Haskell, Texas, Steel Fire Apparatus has been transforming trucks into firefighting machines. “But we take it and add the bed, the tool boxes, the pump, the water,” Wes Steele, owner, said. But before they're ready to fight brush fires, everything starts with Wes designing the truck on the computer based on a fire department's needs.
- PUB DATE: 11/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRBC-TV NBC 9 Abilene

Four firefighters and an off-duty Boston police officer were injured when a Boston Fire Department vehicle crashed into a bank less than a mile away from a fire scene early Thursday morning. The fire truck crashed into a Bank of America around 2:26 a.m. at the intersection of Talbot Avenue and Washington Street in Dorchester.
- PUB DATE: 11/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NECN-TV NBC 10 Boston

The remains of Los Angeles firefighter Francisco “Frank” Aguilar, who went missing in Mexico in August, have been found after a monthslong investigation, officials announced Wednesday. The Baja California central state prosecutor said the badly burned body was found on Oct. 23 in a desolate field in Rosarito, according to Border Report, an online news source from KTLA parent company Nexstar.
- PUB DATE: 11/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV WB 5 Los Angeles

Some call it controversial, others call it a life saver. In time for the onset of a second wave of the coronavirus, an all-women's EMS service in Brooklyn is finally getting an ambulance after overcoming naysayers in the city who tried to prevent it from happening. As CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported, 4-month-old Sarah Richter sleeps peacefully, even in the pouring rain.
- PUB DATE: 11/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCBS-TV CBS 2 New York

The new Fire Station 8 facility was built on a site that had a doublewide trailer as a temporary station. The new, permanent main station has 14 bunk rooms, a kitchen and dining area, offices, an exercise room, a day room with chairs and a TV, a gear locker room and four garage bays. For the firefighters of Station 8, it goes beyond just a place to come to work.
- PUB DATE: 11/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Business Observer

VIDEO: Heidi Charest of Lady's Island had the slightest of leads in the finals of the Firefighting Combat Challenge World Championships in Irving, Texas, two weeks ago. Her focus turned to keeping that lead as she dragged a 175-pound mannequin across the finish line. “Just keep moving,” she told herself.
- PUB DATE: 11/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Island Packet - Metered Site

When USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) caught fire at the pier over the summer, sailors from across the waterfront rushed to the scene, some in damage control teams from their own ships and some showing up as individuals who wanted to help. Though the five-day firefighting effort became very organized, the first minutes were confusing: it was a Sunday morning, when most of the Bonhomme Richard crew and leadership weren't around, and disparate people who knew how to fight fires but hadn't trained on how to fold in together in an organized way rushed to the scene.
- PUB DATE: 11/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: USNI News

Crews battled massive flames at a home in Schuylkill County. Fire ripped through the home in the 1100 block of West Center Street in West Mahanoy Township just after 10:30 p.m. Monday. Emergency officials said it was a single family home, but no one was hurt. Crews were at the scene for several hours battling the flames.
- PUB DATE: 11/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFMZ-TV 69 Allentown

Firefighters love their job, but it comes with hazards that not only threaten their physical safety, but also their emotional and mental well-being. Responding to hundreds of emergency related calls each year exposes firefighters and other first responders to a tremendous amount of trauma, from deadly car accidents and house fires to medical calls.
- PUB DATE: 11/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tallahassee Democrat

Over 44 million people have contracted the novel coronavirus as of Oct. 28, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. About 1.2 million have died. As this pandemic rages across the globe and irrevocably changes more and more lives, its impact becomes increasingly difficult to visualize: 1.
- PUB DATE: 11/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Stacker

A San Francisco firefighter was in critical condition Monday after hitting his head while at the scene of a high-rise fire, the fire department said. The injury happened after firefighters responded to a fire at 55 Spear St., San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Jonathan Baxter said. "As this incident was resolving, a Muni bus from SFMTA was driving through the incident operational area.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNTV NBC 11 San Jose

VIDEO: A Seymour gas station is a total loss after it went up in flames Monday afternoon. Seymour Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Linsenbigler says crews were called to the scene at the Seymour Speedway Market on Highway 411 just before 12:45 p.m. Linsenbigler says everyone inside made it out of the business, and no injuries were reported.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WATE-TV ABC 6 Knoxville

Four minutes, 57 seconds. Five minutes, 13 seconds. Sixteen minutes, 30 seconds. They add up to minutes and seconds. But when that time is spent on a 911 call during an emergency, it's not as inconsequential. "If somebody is down there having a heart attack, minutes count. Seconds count," New Lexington Fire Chief Jim Fain said.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Zanesville Times Recorder

Nobody who lives or works in the vicinity of downtown Rochester needs a watch to know when it's lunchtime. Six days a week, at high noon, the blast of the fire department's siren marks the midday hour. However, the daily sounding of the noon whistle has nothing to do with signaling a meal break and everything to do with a devastating fire that nearly destroyed an iconic Main Street business.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rochester Media

VIDEO: Neighbors in Meadowmere Park first heard the explosion around 6 a.m. Meadowmere Park Fire Chief Kevin Carrero lives in the neighborhood and woke up to the noise. "It was like a big explosion, like a bomb went off. I thought it was a transformer that blew up but it was just too loud," Carrero said.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

A copper time capsule, placed 101 years ago behind a granite cornerstone at the downtown fire station, was opened by firefighters Friday. The copper box contained a hand-signed ledger of the fire crew at the time, news clippings, a penny and mementos from a fireman's ball with the York, Maine, Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sea Coast Online - Metered Site

A new video shows San Antonio firefighters rescuing several riders stuck on a rollercoaster at SeaWorld. SAFD crews were called out to SeaWorld, located at 10500 Sea World Drive on the far West Side, around 1 p.m. Sunday. The riders were reportedly stranded on SeaWorld's Wave Breaker rollercoaster. The video shows firefighters utilizing a high-extension ladder to reach the riders and get them down safely.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSAT-TV ABC 12 San Antonio

After 72 years of putting out fires, responding to crashes and helping out in medical emergencies, the largely volunteer-run town of Madison Fire Department flickers out Sunday. The city of Madison Fire Department officially takes over fire protection responsibilities for town residents at midnight on Sunday in preparation for the eventual dissolution of the town of Madison in two years.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wisconsin State Journal

It feels like whenever I cough these days it triggers a mini-panic attack that I promptly try to quash with a steady stream of chamomile tea. Thankfully, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they figured out a way to gauge whether a person has COVID-19 just from the sound of their cough, so I may soon get to put my inner hypochondriac to rest.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Gizmodo

Tracy L. Smith was promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief of the Columbus Division of Fire (CFD) on October 18 after 22 years of service. She is now the highest-ranking woman in the history of CFD. “It's not significant that it's me. It's significant that over the years, the city has changed in the opportunities it gives all people to succeed,” Smith said.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCMH-TV NBC 4 Columbus

The United States reached a daily record for coronavirus when more than 90,000 cases were reported on Thursday, according to the latest NBC News tally. More than 30 states reported more than 1,000 cases. It was the first time the U.S. has crossed 90,000 cases in one day, almost 10,000 more than the previous high of 80,662 cases, which was set just a day before on Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

One week old and weighing a little more than 1 pound, Ellie Whitehall is beating all the odds in the Norton Children's Hospital neonatal intensive care unit. From Lebanon Junction, her family credits a firefighter for not only delivering Ellie but also saving the child's life. Ellie's mother, Brianna Whitehall, thought nothing of the pain she felt at the 24-week mark of her pregnancy.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDRB-TV FOX 41 Louisville

A tragic fire killed eight people, including three young children, and destroyed St. John's Catholic Orphans Home back in 1912. The fire started around 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 30, 1912, at the orphanage on the corner of San Saba and W. Houston Street, where CHRISTUS Santa Rosa now stands. According to the San Antonio Light, 87 children, ranging in age from 2 to 12 years old, and nine nuns were in the building at the time of the fire.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOAI-TV NBC 4 San Antonio

VIDEO: Five years ago, Carol Cody and her husband Bob Gross, along with Bob's daughter April, turned their barn into a pirate ship for Halloween with the idea of inviting the public and taking donations to raise money for non-profits. They do Halloween at 73 New Road in Penobscot the way other people might do Christmas, or New Year's Eve.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABI-TV CBS/CW+ 5 Bangor

VIDEOS: A fire caused significant damage to a home in Bryan on West 16th Street just after 5:00 a.m. Monday. As the call came over the radio for a structure fire, Bryan Police Officer Marshal Field says he ran to his vehicle, threw on his lights and sirens, and headed straight to the house. Once Field arrived, he says he could hear someone yelling from the house that they were stuck.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KBTX-TV CBS 3 Bryan

Wednesday was National First Responders Day, intended to honor the men and women putting their lives on the line day after day. Unfortunately, with that comes the danger of illnesses, among them cancer, the leading cause of death in firefighters. It's why the Ohio Firefighters Attacking the Cancer Epidemic Group, known as the FACE team, gathered Wednesday afternoon to bring awareness to what they describe as a crisis.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIX-TV FOX 19 Cincinnati

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Tennessee have risen at a far lower rate in areas that have mask-wearing mandates than those that don't, a new analysis from Vanderbilt University researchers found, reinforcing evidence showing that face masks play a significant role in slowing coronavirus transmission. The study found that in Tennessee hospitals where less than 25% of patients came from counties with a mask mandate, hospitalizations as of Oct.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Forbes

It's National First Responders Day -- a day when the country comes together as a country to recognize the heroes who choose to run toward danger to save lives. Among them, firefighter Al Coombs of Brooklyn, who says he was inspired by his nurse mother. He was honored by our parent company Disney. The 43-year-old is a first responder at Engine 224 in Brooklyn Heights.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

PHOTOS: Approximately 60 firefighters are working a 3rd-alarm fire in the city of San Bernardino Tuesday night. The fire was reported before 8:00 PM on October 27, 2020, at 4183 N Mountain View Avenue in San Bernardino. San Bernardino County Fire tweeted about the incident and reported fire in a multi unit strip mall with significant ember cast.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Victor Valley News Group

PHOTOS: The Sumter Fire Department is battling a structure fire near South Lafayette Drive and Fulton Street that broke out a little after 10 p.m. Tuesday. The building, the former VB Williams Furniture Plant located at 602 E Fulton St, is engulfed in flames. The building is now known as Howell's recyclable Materials, a recyclables warehouse according to officials.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMBF-TV NBC News Myrtle Beach

COVID-19 may dominate the headlines. But another epidemic that was already raging before it arrived has flared up in recent months, too, according to new University of Michigan data. A real-time tracking system that launched in 2019 shows a 15% rise in suspected opioid overdose deaths across most of Michigan since March, compared with the same time last year, and a 29% rise in first responders' use of a rescue drug called naloxone that can reverse an opioid overdose if given in time.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Michigan Health Lab

A group of St. Lucie County firefighters are world champions after winning first place in the team category of the 2020 Firefighter Combat Challenge held over the weekend in Texas. Brian Riebe, Kevin Reilly, Caden Wilson, Matt Coney and Dante Hill of the St. Lucie County Fire District had the best averaged completion time of the course dubbed as the "toughest two minutes in sports" by ESPN.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: TC Palm

A new report from Minnesota's State Fire Marshal Division says fire sprinklers could've saved the lives of those killed in a November 2019 high-rise fire in Minneapolis. "It's a bold statement, but it's a very accurate statement," said State Fire Marshal Jim Smith. "We know through our experiences that sprinkler systems put fires out.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSTP-TV ABC 5 Minneapolis

VIDEO: For six months now, the Philadelphia Fire Department and Drexel University have partnered to study the levels of stress and mental health of first responders in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Presently, they are crunching the data collected, but already there are preliminary findings that could help guide officials going forward.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia