VIDEO: A massive fire destroyed a commercial building in Historic South-Central Los Angeles early Thursday morning and spread to a second building, officials said. Firefighters responded about 12:50 a.m. to the 3700 block of South Grand Avenue, near 38th Street, and found heavy fire coming from a one-story 100-foot-by-200-foot building, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 2/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles

VIDEO: If you're swimming in the Gulf in Panama City Beach this summer, you may notice a small boat-like device bobbing through the water. The City's Beach Safety Department is officially adding remote-controlled rescue boats to its fleet. E.M.I.L.Y stands for Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard and Panama City Beach now owns two of them.
- PUB DATE: 2/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMBB-TV ABC 13 Panama City

VIDEO: An 8-year-old boy in the front seat of a fire truck isn't something you see everyday. Conner Randell may be a little too young to reach the gas pedal, but he is old enough to ride along. “He gets a little taste of what being a firefighter is all about,” said Eastland firefighter Amanda Woodley.
- PUB DATE: 2/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Big Country Home Page

PHOTO: Growing up, Johna Denault spent hours on her homework due to her dyslexia. To find an escape from the stress, she turned to photography. "When I was 12, I started taking photos with my parents' Sears35MM camera," she said. "I took photos of nature and really enjoyed taking action shots. From then on, I knew I wanted to explore photography as a career.
- PUB DATE: 2/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Herald - Metered Site

Despite the 95 percent effectiveness at preventing coronavirus infection after two doses of its vaccine, Pfizer is now seeing what a third dose might do. The company announced Thursday that a booster dose is being studied among people who received their first doses of the vaccine more than six months ago.
- PUB DATE: 2/25/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

An 18-wheel truck hit a train carrying chemicals and fuels in Cameron, Texas, early Tuesday, causing a huge explosion and starting a fire that is expected to burn for several days. The Milam County town of 5,400, about 72 miles northeast of Austin, was rocked by the boom around 6:45 a.m., according to Cameron Sheriff Chris White.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

The city of Orlando opened a brand-new fire station in the Rosemont community on Monday. Station 9, known as “Outpost Nine,” is the new home to 30 firefighters on Center Loop off of Shader Road. The 12,000-foot building has private bunk rooms and restrooms for crews and it even includes a secure room for female firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKMG-TV CBS 6 Orlando

It's been 48 years since three volunteer firefighters lost their lives battling a blaze in a downtown Palatine store, but the tragedy still resonates with the community and weighs heavy on its first responders. And so firefighters, village leaders, community members and family of the fallen gathered Tuesday morning at the Palatine Firefighters Memorial to pay tribute to volunteer firefighters Warren "Auggie" Ahlgrim, 32, John Wilson, 40, and Richard Freeman, 25, and honor their ultimate sacrifice.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Herald - Metered Site

VIDEO: An artist's work is now on display at the Black Archives of Mid-America and it's a sense of pride for Sean Tiller. It's also his way of giving back and perhaps inspiring others. "This is one of my more recent, made last year," Tiller said. He calls it space art. Tiller, 27, said painting brings him joy -- the colors, the texture and the fantasy of these imaginary planets.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMBC-TV ABC 9 Kansas City

VIDEO: In the harrowing moments after a rollover crash in Rancho Palos Verdes that left golfer Tiger Woods hospitalized on Tuesday, radio communications by the Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire departments reveal the efforts by deputies and firefighter-paramedics to assess the incident and respond to the scene.
- PUB DATE: 2/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles

VIDEO: Today marks 30 years since one of the worst high-rise fires in Philadelphia history. The deadly fire at One Meridian Plaza took place on February 23, 1991, across from City Hall, where the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton now stands. Firefighters David Holcombe, Phyllis McAllister and James Chappell lost their lives battling that blaze.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia

VIDEO: Crews with the Shreveport Fire Department were called to put out a fire in the Highland neighborhood on the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 23. The call came in just before 6 a.m. to the 400 block of Jordan Street. That's in the same block of Woody's Home for Veterans. The first crew to get on the scene arrived within three minutes.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAFB-TV CBS 9 Baton Rouge

A Twin Cities company is doing something that hasn't been done anywhere else in the country, and it's all to take better care of our first responders. Emergency Technical Decon (ETD) uses a new cleaning process using liquified carbon dioxide to get rid of toxins from gear that firefighters wear, including boots, leather gloves, jackets and helmets.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KARE-TV NBC 11 Minneapolis

A new nationwide pilot program is putting doctors inside ambulances virtually. The MetroHealth System has partnered with three EMS agencies that provide emergency care to bring virtual care via video visits with a doctor in the back of an ambulance. The Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) agreement between MetroHealth, the Brecksville Fire Department, Life Care Ambulance and North Central EMS, is designed to offer more focused care for patients who call 911.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WEWS-TV ABC 5 Cleveland

VIDEO: There is not an expiration date for honoring those lost to tragic events. That is why a local fire department has come together to honor victims of the Marshall County High School Shooting in 2018. The Possum Trot-Sharpe Fire Department dedicated their new truck to Bailey Holt and Preston Cope.
- PUB DATE: 2/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPSD-TV NBC 6 Paducah

A Stockton man was arrested in Richmond late Saturday on suspicion of attempted murder in the drive-by shooting incident that injured a firefighter and a paramedic in Antioch, and now authorities are searching for his girlfriend and 4-year-old son. The arrest of Darryon Williams, 26, followed a pursuit that traversed two counties and ended moments after Williams' vehicle collided with a parked vehicle in Richmond.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNTV NBC 11 San Jose

VIDEO: A massive fire broke out in a hotel in Killeen, Texas, after the building's sprinkler systems failed to work due to frozen pipes. On Friday night, the Killeen Fire Department arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Killeen to find "fire coming from the roof above the fourth floor of the four-story hotel," according to a statement from the fire department.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTRK-TV ABC 13 Houston

When Jersey City firefighters were jarred awake in the wee hours of a cool spring night to put out a blaze in a nearby building, they pretty much knew what to expect. The call, which came in around 3:30 a.m. on May 4, 1949, was for a small fire that started on the first floor of a three-story tenement on Montgomery St.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News - Metered Site

The life of a firefighter means being ready for anything. For some, the burden of tragic calls wears on them, which is why the Sandy Fire Department has made focusing on mental health a priority. For Firefighter EMT Tyson Astin, trying to keep his identities separate is of the utmost importance. “I don't wear my uniform home,” he said.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSL-TV NBC 5 Salt Lake City

Trading professional hockey for a career as a Rome, New York firefighter is working well for Tim Sestito. Particularly for athletes, life can appear to move quicker than for people in other professions. For Sestito, grinding out a career in hockey for 13 seasons went in what seemed in a flash. Training camps, regular seasons, playoffs (including the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals with the New Jersey Devils), off-season workouts, the battle for a roster spot was a continuous competitive cycle.
- PUB DATE: 2/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WIBX-AM 950

VIDEOS: Firefighters are trying to take down a massive fire with little water in the Stone Oak area. The Bexar-Bulverde Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) responded to the fire first, which was reported at the Cortland View apartment complex off TPC Parkway around 1 p.m. Bexar-Bulverde VFD Chief Jerry Bialick said his crews immediately began to investigate and could smell smoke.
- PUB DATE: 2/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOAI-TV NBC 4 San Antonio

VIDEO: Unbelievable video from WGN News' Skycam 9 captured a firefighter jumping to safety while battling a massive fire in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. The extra-alarm fire started around 7 a.m. Friday at a building in the 2700 block of South Lowe. Power lines in the area were catching fire, causing a bigger problem for firefighters to control the flames.
- PUB DATE: 2/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGN-TV 9 Chicago

On Louisville's South 13th Street stands an old brick building - like so many other brick buildings from a century ago. This one has a large "Eight" carved in stone at the top. Many may drive right past it without knowing its history, but the building was the very first firehouse in Louisville to house African American firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 2/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHAS-TV ABC 11 Louisville

Crime scenes, fire scenes and accident scenes eventually are cleared, but the spirit of service for those who respond to them remains. “It's just in our nature. Just because we clock out at the end of the day doesn't mean our desire to help goes away,” said Charlie Phipps, with Chatham Emergency Services.
- PUB DATE: 2/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTOC-TV CBS 11 Savannah

As part of President Biden's push to get at least 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses into the arms of people in the U.S. by the end of April, the White House announced February 9 it will begin shipping doses to 1,300 federally qualified community health centers. These organizations primarily serve patients from Black and brown communities who fall below the poverty line.
- PUB DATE: 2/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Scientific American

Local firefighters braved the snowy and frigid conditions while they battled a large warehouse fire in Princeton Wednesday night. The Princeton Fire Department responded to a structure fire at the old Leroi building on South Seminary Street shortly after 8:00 p.m. Caldwell County Emergency Manager Joey McCaslin tells the News Edge 24 firefighters responded to the fire with an aerial truck and two pumper trucks.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKDZ Radio 106.5 FM

Decatur is offering an incentive package to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as an encouragement for hesitant city employees, especially first responders. The DeKalb County city is offering extra vacation time, health insurance credits and raffled gift cards to try to increase vaccination rates. Fewer than half of the city's 150 first responders — police officers, firefighters and public works employees — have gotten vaccinated, Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Porterville Fire Department will honor the memory of two fallen firefighters one year after Capt. Ramon Figueroa and Patrick Jones died making sure nobody was trapped inside a burning library. A virtual memorial service will be posted to the department's social media at 4 p.m. Thursday, officials announced.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Visalia Times Delta - Metered Site

VIDEOS: Emergency crews rescued 12 people from boats in frigid conditions Wednesday night after the roof of a boat dock collapsed in Old Hickory. Both the Nashville Fire Department and Office of Emergency Management responded to the Blue Turtle Bay Marina in the 2000 block of Riverside Road. Callers to 911 reported the roof of the boat dock collapsed on top of multiple houseboats with people inside.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKRN-TV ABC 2 Nashville

Scientists have identified seven new coronavirus variants that have emerged in the United States, according to a study awaiting peer review. All seven variants contained a similar mutation and were found to have emerged as early as July 2020. Scientists say it's not surprising that they're just now identifying new viral variants in the U.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

VIDEO: Firefighters battled a large fire in Duncanville that could be seen from Texas Sky Ranger. The fire engulfed five townhomes at 1408 Crosspointe in Duncanville near Clark and Wheatland Road. Michelle Monterro's home was destroyed by the fire. She said her neighbors had work crews in the home doing some sort of repair work when the fire broke out.
- PUB DATE: 2/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXAS-TV NBC 5 Fort Worth

An agreement was reached Tuesday to protect firefighters with more safety on film sets throughout New York City Eileen Davidson, the widow of a firefighter killed on a movie set in 2018, has pushed hard for the safety crackdown. Michael Davidson, 37, was killed on the set of "Motherless Brooklyn" on March 23, 2018 in Harlem.
- PUB DATE: 2/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

Glasgow Assistant Fire Chief Adam Maulden said in his 19-years of service, he has never been as scared as he was Monday at a massive fire when that nearly killed his colleague. At around 4:30 p.m., the Glasgow Fire Department responded to a fire at Hughes HVAC Supply on West Main Street. The building is a complete loss.
- PUB DATE: 2/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNKY-TV NBC/CBS 40 Bowling Green

The Coal Township Rescue Squad's fire station was temporarily turned into a bakery as members continued a longtime tradition of making doughnuts for Fat Tuesday. "The amount of years I've been here and the last couple of years, this is the most I've seen us make," Kayla Hoffman said. The volunteer firefighters started cooking thousands of doughnuts at midnight and have been here all day.
- PUB DATE: 2/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNEP-TV ABC 16 Scranton

A 29-year-old firefighter who worked for departments in Iredell and Rowan Counties died from COVID-19 last week. Now his family at home and in the fire service have a message they want the community to hear. They spoke very candidly about taking COVID seriously. They say their hope is that their experience will save another family from having to go through the pain they have endured for the last five weeks.
- PUB DATE: 2/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBTV CBS 3 Charlotte

Eight families were displaced by an intense fire that destroyed a Passaic multi-family home Friday night. No injuries were reported. Flames blew through the roof, part of which collapsed less than a half-hour after the four-alarm blaze broke out on the second floor of the wood-frame building at Hope and Highland avenues around 8 p.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: South Passaic Daily Voice

PHOTO: The morning a Winter Storm Warning was issued for Austin and Central Texas, a fire truck in Travis County rolled over, injuring four firefighters. Austin-Travis County EMS confirmed to KVUE's Mike Marut that a Pedernales Fire Department truck rolled over at around 8:39 a.m. in the 16000 block of W.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KVUE-TV ABC 24 Austin

In the public safety world, they are known as LODDs -- line of duty deaths. And now the biggest cause of those deaths in public safety jobs isn't from rushing into burning buildings or getting shot, it is from COVID-19. That's why researchers in the Triangle have developed a way to track coronavirus infections in the public safety group most likely to get them -- firefighters and emergency medical technicians.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVD ABC 11 Raleigh

A pilot program could leave first responders better equipped with additional training, tools and resources to handle the steady volume of mental health-related calls that come through emergency dispatch. After months of discussions that included behavioral health professionals and the safety forces, City Council put $100,000 into this year's budget for a “hybrid” Crisis Response Pilot Program.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com

Broward County has invested millions in a new emergency response system experts say is helping firefighters and officers to respond to emergencies faster. “You as a resident at home when you call 911, you want the closest available unit to come handle your emergency,” said Sunrise Fire Rescue Chief John McNamara.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVJ NBC 6 Miami

Firefighters are battling a massive house fire early Friday morning. The fire started around 2 a.m. at a duplex on Montgomery Drive near New World Drive. Firefighters arrived to find flames shooting up through the roof of the house, which was nearly fully engulfed. The strong winds made the fire more difficult for firefighters to get it under control.
- PUB DATE: 2/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOAI-TV NBC 4 San Antonio

On Broadway, just south of Lincoln, is another Wichita landmark that is hidden in plain sight: the Kansas Firefighters Museum. The museum is small in size but uses the space wisely. The walls, ceilings — every square inch, it seems — is full of memorabilia. There are photos, plaques, logbooks and, best of all, old fire equipment.
- PUB DATE: 2/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMUW.org

Yes, Stipe Miocic still works as a firefighter when he is not fighting inside the UFC octagon. The current UFC heavyweight champion is a long-running member of the Oakwood and Valley View Fire Departments in his hometown Ohio, where he works as a dedicated firefighter and a paramedic. Over the years, many have cast doubt over his ability to balance the two professions, but Stipe Miocic has proved them all wrong by giving his best to both his careers and not compromising with either.
- PUB DATE: 2/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sports Skeeda

February 10, 2021, marked 40 years since the second deadly hotel fire in three months shook Las Vegas to its core. The city was already reeling from the November fire that claimed 87 lives at the old MGM Grand (today Bally's). Then, on February 10, 1981, it was a terrible case of déjà vu. This time it was the Hilton (now the Westgate), which was the largest hotel in the world at that time.
- PUB DATE: 2/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSNV-TV NBC 3 Las Vegas

Together, they have fought fires, cut back metal to extricate accident victims from cars, taken turns compressing the chest of someone whose heart isn't beating and, since last fall, warmed baby bottles and changed diapers. A shared love of helping their neighbors led Hopewell Volunteer Firefighters Jim and Annie Ferry to fall in love with each other.
- PUB DATE: 2/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Mercer Me

VIDEO: Dozens of people have been displaced by a massive fire at a condo building in Boxboro. As firefighters poured water on the smoldering brick shell on Swanson Road, one longtime resident stood nearby in shock. “I've lived there for 45 years, so there's a lot of memories there,” one woman said. It was just after five o'clock when firefighters responding to a call for smoke in the attic were greeted by an inferno.
- PUB DATE: 2/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBZ-TV CBS 4 Boston

The Cedar Rapids firefighters who were seriously injured over the weekend when a hose line ruptured have been released from the hospital while fire officials investigate what happened. Both firefighters were treated for fractures and were released from the hospital Sunday, Cedar Rapids public safety spokesperson Greg Buelow told The Gazette on Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 2/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Gazette

VIDEO: Lauderhill Fire Rescue crews used a drone equipped with infrared technology to help them fight a house fire Wednesday afternoon. “We were able to find the source of the fire in the drone. It was in the attic. It had not penetrated the roof yet,” said Captain Jerry Gonzalez. Gonzalez said it was the first time the department used the technology to locate what he called a “hidden fire.
- PUB DATE: 2/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPLG-TV ABC 10 Miami

Michigan's Lewis Cass building made headlines last summer when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer renamed it the Elliott-Larsen building. But this week 70 years ago, Michigan's oldest standing state office building was in the news for something else entirely: a massive fire lit by a state employee who hoped it would help him avoid the Korean War.
- PUB DATE: 2/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Mlive.com

The state of Indiana is dedicating tens of thousands of federal dollars to making naloxone, the opioid-involved overdose reversal medication, publicly available every day and around the clock. On February 5, Governor Eric Holcomb announced that the state will be partnering with the harm reduction nonprofit Overdose Lifeline to bring NaloxBoxes—hard acrylic boxes that can be mounted to an exterior wall—to all 92 Indiana counties.
- PUB DATE: 2/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Filter Magazine

VIDEO: A familiar red glow encouraged Dwayne Ivey to make a beeline for the landmark Krispy Kreme on Ponce de Leon Avenue early Wednesday morning. When he neared the store, however, he realized the doughnuts weren't the only things hot. Flames were shooting from the back of the building, an Atlanta institution for more than 60 years.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Spirit of Liberty Foundation, a local 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, recently unveiled the soft-launch of a national campaign “Operation Thumbs Up!” with the first “Thumbs Up” billboard installed in San Diego. The Spirit of Liberty Foundation's Operation Thumbs Up campaign provides an opportunity for Americans to positively recognize and thank first responders, healthcare professionals, members of law enforcement, firefighters, Armed Forces and veterans whenever they see them by just giving them a big smile and an “enthusiastic Thumbs Up!” “These are very difficult times and now more than ever we need to bring America together for positive causes and one that almost every American can embrace when recognizing and thanking America's real heroes — our first responders, healthcare professionals and military, the people who have kept us safe 24/7,” said Richard Rovsek, chairman of the Spirit of Liberty Foundation.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rancho Sante Fe Review

“Brotherhood.” That's one word that's used a lot around a firehouse, or when talking about the fire service. But within these tightly-knit groups of brothers are sisters, too, scattered throughout the ranks of career and volunteer fire departments across the country. According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), women made up eight percent of the more than 1.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Times Herald

Lawmakers have reintroduced legislation which aims at protecting firefighters and the communities they serve from PFAS and other dangerous chemicals. The Protect Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act was introduced in the Senate Feb. 4 by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, and other lawmakers.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Holland Sentinel

Even though the pace of vaccination has picked up dramatically and the number of daily new COVID-19 cases continues to decline in all regions of the United States, the emergence of new strains of the disease remains cause for serious concern. The COVID Tracking Project has reported that seven-day average cases in the U.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Forbes

VIDEO: Firefighters responded to a four-alarm fire in Pleasantville, New Jersey that destroyed a warehouse and injured two firefighters. Crews were called to the 100 block of Main Street shortly before midnight Tuesday. Twenty companies responded from the surrounding areas. The warehouse, filled with auto parts and tires, collapsed in on itself after an intense fire raged for hours overnight.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Jacksonville firefighters saved a 27-year-old man in a dramatic rescue Saturday evening in the St. Johns River, hoisting him out of the water after his car fell over the Dames Point Bridge. Photos from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department show a captain harnessing the man as crews on the bridge pulled him to safety.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJXT-TV News 4 Jacksonville

PHOTOS: The emptiness across the block still unsettles Elsa Reyes after midnight, when she returns from work to her North 13th Street home in Allentown. During the first five years Reyes lived on the east side of the 500 block, eight row homes stood across the street. Her son Joel would walk to school with a girl, Katherine Cruz, who lived at 542 N.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Morning Call - Metered Site

As first responders are busy reporting to multiple accidents across the metro, officials say the cold temperatures and slick spots are wreaking havoc on rescue efforts. Batt. Chief Benny Fulkerson, with the Oklahoma City Fire Department, told KFOR that crews had already responded to 32 wrecks before 8:30 a.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFOR-TV NBC 4 Oklahoma

One person is dead and four firefighters suffered injuries after a car crashed into the back of a fire truck early Saturday morning in Vermilion. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, crews were responding to a separate rollover crash on State Route 2 near Baumhart Road around 3:12 a.m. when a Honda Insight slammed into the rear of the engine.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKYC-TV NBC 3 Cleveland

VIDEO: The Abilene Fire Department said an early morning fire at an apartment complex was intentionally set. Kevin Earl Spurlock, 31, is charged with arson and terror threat of family or household. His bond has not yet been set. The fire at the Briarwood Apartments started around 6:15 a.m. Sunday.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTXS-TV ABC 12 Abiline

About 10 p.m. on the night of Feb. 8, 1933, guests staying on the fourth floor of the Millard Hotel in downtown Omaha began to notice flames licking out of windows on floors below. Minutes later, the hotel's lights went dark. By 10:04 p.m., the first alarms were called into Omaha fire stations, according to World-Herald archives.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Omaha World-Herald

The newest Franklin firefighter is the second female firefighter in the city's history, and the first in a while. Diversity is a priority of the Franklin Fire Department, and one that is starting to come to fruition. Casey Whitaker is not new to Franklin or public safety. She worked for Seals Ambulance Service since 2016, and was an EMT for nine years.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Journal

The mutant coronavirus strain first identified in the United Kingdom remains at low levels in the United States but is doubling its reach approximately every 10 days, according to a study published by researchers on Sunday. The study bolstered modeling done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which predicted last month that the more contagious variant could be the dominant strain in the U.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNBC

VIDEO: Videos and photos are circulating of the historic Mason County Courthouse engulfed in flames. County Judge Jerry Bearden said the building is destroyed. In the overnight hours of Feb. 5, multiple volunteer fire departments including the Brady Fire Department were called to Mason County to respond to "multiple structure fires" including the Mason County Courthouse, the Brady Fire Department said on Facebook.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

I have no doubt we've all done it. We're watching a movie or TV show and they're doing something that we personally know really well. Maybe you're a dancer and this person is supposed to be a prima ballerina and you're thinking, "Nope. No way." Maybe you pitched in college and watch an actor try to throw a fastball and you can't help but laugh.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSL-TV NBC 5 Salt Lake City

The Spokane Fire Department is finding new ways to connect with families during COVID. They've recently launched a new webpage to teach young kids about fire safety. It's like a virtual classroom, with icons and avatars for kids to click on. Jamie McIntyre, with the Spokane Fire Department, says firefighters really value that one-on-one connection they can have with the community.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHQ-TV NBC 6 Spokane

A Black Firefighters Association fundraiser in Indianapolis starts with t-shirt sales, but it ends with big dreams of owning the property right next door to their headquarters. Capt. Corey Floyd serves as the recruitment officer for the Indianapolis Fire Department. He is also president of the Black Firefighters Association, which was created back in 1992 to help people of color at IFD fight against injustices and equality.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTHR-TV NBC 13 Indianapolis

Frightening coronavirus variants have found footing in the U.S. Experts caution that the worst may still be yet to come. Super Bowl watch parties could be the next superspreader event. This is, without question, not the time to let one's guard down. And yet, the COVID-19 picture in America at this moment in time is vastly improved from what it was just a few weeks ago.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Intelligencer - Metered Site

A Greensboro firefighter is being recognized for his life-saving invention. Capt. CJ Woody earned the city's Innovator of the Year award for designing and creating a decontamination shower head that attaches to fire trucks. The idea came to Woody after battling cancer. Firefighters are at a high risk of exposure to cancer-causing toxins.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGHP-TV Fox 8 High Point

24-year-old Dejah Woods will make history when she begins her first shift as a firefighter in DeLand Thursday. At that moment, Woods will officially become the city's first ever black female firefighter. Of the 49 firefighters in the department, Woods is one of just three women, and four minorities.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFTV ABC 9 News Orlando

Google asked the US Federal Aviation Administration for permission to test a drone for monitoring and fighting fires. However, its drone plans, which were published Thursday in the federal register, have since been extinguished. The request came from Alphabet's Google Research Climate and Energy Group -- not the company's Wing subsidiary, whose drone delivery service was certified by the FAA in 2019.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNET

PHOTOS: In nearly 50 years of reminiscing about his hometown of Park Ridge with fellow members of the Park Ridge Historical Society, a favorite topic for Ralph R. Bishop was his adventures with the Lil' Pirsch fire truck, first bought by the city in 1921. His father, Ralph E. Bishop, was fire chief when the city bought the pumper truck, built by Nash.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Journal & Topics

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, recently commented in a blog post that a next pandemic could be 10 times worse than the one we are currently experiencing. In this context, the billionaire proposes to create "a squad of pandemic firefighters" to take action against such a threat. “The unfortunate reality is that COVID-19 may not be the last pandemic.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Hour

VIDEO: A Fort Meade voluntary firefighter is “responsive and talking” after being struck by a train while battling a brush fire Tuesday. Polk County firefighters were on the scene of a 3-4 acre wildfire near 1491 14th St. NW in Fort Meade after it began threatening buildings in the area. The fire was contained and buildings were saved but while working on the blaze, officials said a Fort Meade voluntary firefighter was struck by a train.
- PUB DATE: 2/3/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFLA-TV NBC 8 Tampa

The swearing in last month of Dominick Trozzi as a new Parma Fire Department cadet marked a two-decades-old dream come true for the Parma native. However, setting goals and reaching for dreams is nothing new to Trozzi, who has been competing as a world-class weightlifter around the globe for the last decade.
- PUB DATE: 2/3/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com

VIDEO: Firefighters early Wednesday doused a two-alarm blaze at an abandoned building in West San Jose, near O'Connor Hospital, according to the fire department. At about 2:20 a.m., multiple units responded to the scene of a structure fire in the 200 block of Bascom Avenue, near Forest Avenue, the San Jose Fire Department said.
- PUB DATE: 2/3/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNTV NBC 11 San Jose

A small Morgan County community is safer after getting a surprise that will save lives. In Rugby, a new donated fire truck is the talk of the town. Rugby is mostly quiet, with few cars passing by the historic sign and the town's R.M. Brooks Store. But, on Tuesday night, the air was filled with sirens and the sky with flashing lights.
- PUB DATE: 2/3/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBIR-TV NBC 10 Knoxville

VIDEO: Firefighters protected nearby buildings from flames that tore through an auto parts storage center early Tuesday in Cypress Park. Over 100 firefighters were battling the fire in the community north of downtown Los Angeles. Crews responded to the 1000 block of N. San Fernando Road at about 4 a.
- PUB DATE: 2/2/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles

VIDEO: Dramatic video shows first responders rescue two people from a vehicle submerged into Long Island Sound during the nor'easter on Monday afternoon. Two people were in the pickup truck when it went 35 feet out into the water. Only the bed of the truck was sticking out. A woman in the truck got out through the rear window and was able to get onto the bed of the truck and out of the water, but a man in the truck was stuck.
- PUB DATE: 2/2/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

The Goodyear Fire Department is one of the first fire departments in the country to take a major step toward preventing firefighters from getting cancer from the important work they do. Goodyear opened up Station 186 near Willis and Rainbow Valley roads in early January. The station is one of three that will be built with special air partitioning systems to keep carcinogens away from firefighters in between calls.
- PUB DATE: 2/2/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPNX-TV NBC 12 Phoenix

With the Alabama state legislative session starting on Feb. 2, a bill has already been proposed to give more help towards first responders suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. When people hear the term PTSD, most do not think about firefighters, police officers, or other safety staff. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 30 percent of first responders are expected to develop some type of behavioral condition.
- PUB DATE: 2/2/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDHN-TV ABC 18 Dothan

VIDEO: A huge fire broke out overnight inside a recycling plant in New Jersey. The 11-alarm fire is contained but is still not under control at Atlantic Fiber Company that started just after midnight Saturday. Firefighters from over 20 departments including Rutherford, Paterson, Lodi and Wallington responded to the fire on the brutally cold night.
- PUB DATE: 2/1/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

PHOTOS: A crew from Lakeside Fire House was sent to the hospital Sunday morning when their firetruck rolled off the road while it was snowing. Henrico Fire tweeted on Sunday, Jan. 31 around 10:50 a.m. that it received a call that one of its units -- Henrico Fire Engine 305 -- was involved in a rollover accident.
- PUB DATE: 2/1/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WVEC-TV ABC 13 Hampton

Dylan Mercier was not unlike any number of boys growing up. He loved playing with toy cars and trucks. The St. Anne man, who recently had his Mack semi-tractor and trailer wrapped to pay tribute to firefighters, is now stepping into a world he never could have imagined. Mercier, who will soon turn the age of 20, was contacted by die cast toy manufacturer First Gear, Inc.
- PUB DATE: 2/1/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Journal - Metered Site

A Durham company is developing a new technology that will help fight COVID-19. It's what EmitBio said will potentially save millions of lives. The handheld device is inserted into the mouth aims precise wavelengths of targeted light at a spot in the back of the throat known as your oropharynx. It's turned on for five minutes, and later that same day the treatment is repeated.
- PUB DATE: 2/1/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBTW-TV CBS 13 Florence

VIDEO: Beautiful, hand-made wooden American flags to benefit local fire departments -- that's the idea behind Flags for Frontlines. Michael Jolley is a 17-year-old volunteer firefighter at Ryegate Fire Department. “I just have a passion for volunteer firefighting, I went to emergency services and criminal justice at Riverbank Career and Technical Center in Bradford where I just really found my passion in Emergency Services through that,” he says.
- PUB DATE: 2/1/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCAX-TV CBS 3 Burlington

Six people died and 10 were injured following a liquid nitrogen leak at a food processing facility in Gainesville. Fire crews from Hall County and Gainesville responded to a report of burns at Foundation Food Group around 10:12 a.m. When units arrived, Zach Brackett of Hall County Fire Services said they found a large group of employees that had evacuated, along with multiple people who were experiencing medical emergencies in and around the facility.
- PUB DATE: 1/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGCL-TV CBS 46 Atlanta

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) National Response Team has been deployed to assist the Chula Vista Fire Department in the investigation into the shoe store fire that injured four firefighters Monday. The fire broke out at around 5:40 p.m., inside the Action Footwear, at 655 H Street, according to the Chula Vista Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 1/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNSD-TV NBC 39 San Diego

VIDEO: Firefighters were called to a fire Thursday evening at the Meredith Marina and Boating Center. Meredith police dispatch confirmed that a building was fully involved in flames. Witnesses said they heard and felt an explosion. Thick smoke could be seen coming from the area of the marina. "There was a loud explosion.
- PUB DATE: 1/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMUR-TV ABC 9 Manchester

On Thursday, Harris County officials outlined all the actions it has taken over the past two years to enhance environmental monitoring and enforcement. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said since the ITC chemical fire that happened in Deer Park in March 2019, county officials have taken numerous steps to protect the county's environment against threats to public health and safety.
- PUB DATE: 1/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

More infectious COVID-19 variants have emerged around the world, and experts are saying the United States must adapt to a changed pandemic playing field. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these variants spread more easily, and it's unknown whether the illness caused is more severe.
- PUB DATE: 1/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

VIDEO: A female FDNY EMT was assaulted at the scene of a three-alarm fire in the Bronx that damaged seven businesses. The fire broke out on Westchester Avenue in the Parkchester section just before 6:30 a.m. Thursday, right near the elevated subway tracks. The fire appears to have started in a 99-cent store.
- PUB DATE: 1/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

VIDEO: One NASA Kennedy Space Center firefighter went above and beyond in his rescue back in October. A broken scaffolding left a team of painters hanging on the side of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. The painters were dangling 375-feet above ground while painting the flag on the VAB.
- PUB DATE: 1/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOFL-TV FOX 35 Orlando

The Bourne Fire Department has been selected to take part in a nationwide program with a goal of building a digital tool that will share information on community risk factors. Assistant Fire Chief David S. Pelonzi announced that Bourne Fire/Rescue and Emergency Services was selected by the National Fire Protection Association to participate in the second phase of the pilot program.
- PUB DATE: 1/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cape News - Metered Site

Scientists around the world are on the lookout for new COVID-19 variants, which are caused by mutations of the virus when its replication machinery makes an error. Experts say these mutations and the new variants are normal and to be expected. In recent months, so-called variants of concern have been identified in the U.
- PUB DATE: 1/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

When we need help, first responders are the ones who answer the call. Firefighters, EMTs, and police officers put their health and lives at risk every day to serve those in their community. During the pandemic, those risks have only become more pronounced as first responders venture into dozens of homes each week, many of them for COVID-19-related calls.
- PUB DATE: 1/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KERO-TV ABC 23 Bakersfield

A fiery crash between a pickup truck and an antique Chevrolet was captured on camera on Sunday near Atlantic City, New Jersey. According to Galloway Township police, a Ford F-150 pickup truck hit the back of a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air about 8 p.m. Footage from multiple security cameras and broadcast on NBC News Philadelphia showed the antique vehicle burst into flames.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

A former Kansas City firefighter believes he's developed a product that could be a game-changer in getting COVID-19 vaccines to people at the temperatures in which the doses need to be stored. On Tuesday, Edward Collins gave FOX4 an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at his company, Vaccine Pods. “We assure that these vaccines are making it to the end user and the shot in the arm and the proper temperature the entire time,” Collins said.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDAF-TV Fox 4 Kansas City

AUDIO: Rescue 42 CEO Tim O'Connell describes how agency-owned Compact Rapid Deployable (CRD) units can provide an easy-to-deploy FirstNet cell tower that can be transported to an incident site with first responders, typically sooner than deployable can arrive from FirstNet, built by AT&T. AT&T cited the CRD program as part of its innovation announcement on Tuesday.
- PUB DATE: 1/27/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IWCE's Urgent Communications