VIDEO/PHOTOS: What was supposed to be a routine security detail turned into a harrowing maritime survival story for a group of New Jersey firefighters over the holiday weekend. On Saturday afternoon, members of the Carteret Fire Department Marine Unit found themselves tossed into the water after a whale suddenly surfaced directly underneath their vessel, sinking the boat.

The marine unit was on duty providing security for a local “Parade of Ships” when the unexpected encounter took place at the mouth of Raritan Bay.

Without warning, a whale breached directly beneath the crew’s boat. The impact was severe enough to capsize and quickly sink the vessel, leaving the firefighters stranded in open water. “The boat immediately took on water, and all firefighters aboard had to immediately abandon the boat within seconds of the strike,” Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman said in a Facebook post.

A nearby jet skier and a civilian boat witnessed the capsizing and immediately rushed to the scene to pull the crew from the water.

None of the firefighters sustained injuries during the incident. Officials say every member of the marine unit was wearing a life jacket, which kept them afloat until help arrived. The boat suffered “catastrophic” damage, according to the mayor.

The post Whale sinks New Jersey fire department boat; bystanders come to the rescue appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

Flames tore through the roof of a vacant South Side building early Sunday morning. The Chicago Fire Department responded to the warehouse fire around 3 a.m. near East 25th Street and South Wabash Avenue in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood.

People who live nearby woke up to see that building, which is under construction, on fire. Video captured massive flames and heavy smoke billowing from the warehouse.

Firefighters used several hoses to battle the flames, which were extinguished just after 4 a.m. Crews were still on the scene putting out hot spots at 6 a.m.

No injuries have been reported. What started the fire was not immediately clear.

The post VIDEO: Large fire tears through Chicago’s Bronzeville warehouse appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEOS: A fire destroyed a home in a north Sacramento on Wednesday, video from LiveCopter 3 shows.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said the fire started in a trailer near Alamos Avenue and Belden Street in the South Hagginwood area.

The trailer fire spread to grass, a boat, garage and a house, officials said.

Video from LiveCopter 3 showed a large black plume of smoke and nearby homes threaten.

No injuries were reported in the fire and the cause is unknown.

Two snakes were rescued from the house.

The post Massive fire destroys property in Northern California neighborhood appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: A Delaware bill aimed at strengthening criminal background checks for volunteer firefighters is moving through the General Assembly, but a newly added amendment would narrow who must undergo screening and who would be automatically barred from serving.

Supporters say Senate Bill 325 would close a longstanding gap in Delaware’s current background check process by requiring both state and federal criminal history checks for many volunteer fire company members.

According to the Delaware Volunteer Firefighters Association, Delaware has long required state-level background checks, but those checks do not capture criminal histories from other states.

“The Delaware fire service has been working hand-in-hand with legislative sponsors for several years to get this background check policy right, and SB 325 strikes the exact balance we need,” Executive Manager Jay Jones said in a statement.

The post Delaware bill would expand volunteer firefighter background checks appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: Atlanta Fire Rescue officials are urging FIFA Fan Festival Atlanta visitors to take precautions after responding to hundreds of heat-related medical emergencies.

Since the Fan Festival opened, Atlanta Fire Rescue has responded to more than 700 medical emergencies, with more than 80% of those incidents being related to heat-related illnesses, according to Fire Chief Roderick Smith.

Smith said many visitors underestimate the impact of Atlanta’s humidity, which can make it more difficult for the body to cool itself.

“Many people come to the Atlanta area and they are prepared for heat, but they are not prepared for the humidity,” Smith said. “The humidity prevents your body from naturally perspiring and warding off the heat.”

To handle the large crowds, Atlanta Fire Rescue has a medical response team inside the Fan Festival.

Fire officials are encouraging fans to stay hydrated before arriving, drink water throughout the day and limit alcohol consumption, which can contribute to dehydration.

The post Medical emergencies top 700 at FIFA Fan Festival Atlanta with temperatures in the 90s appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

Milwaukee firefighters were battling a massive fire at Lincoln Avenue School on the city’s south side Tuesday morning.

The fire alarm went off just before 3 a.m. at the MPS elementary school near 18th Street and Lincoln Avenue. Firefighters arrived and initially tried to attack the fire from inside the building.

Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said crews were slowed by items stored in the hallways, making it difficult for firefighters to move through the school.

Crews eventually pulled out of the building because of the size of the school, the amount of furniture and items in the hallways, and the fire spreading on multiple floors.

By 4:30 a.m., the fire had grown to a 5-alarm fire. Officials said about 110 firefighters were working at the scene.

Video from the scene shows huge flames shooting from the roof of the building. Smoke could be seen for miles.

Crews from Milwaukee, West Allis, Greenfield and Greendale were assisting.

The post VIDEO: Massive 5-alarm fire rips through Wisconsin elementary school appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

Researchers have found evidence showing first responders who were dispatched during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York City, and suffer from PTSD, are aging faster.

Researchers at Stony Brook University tested blood samples from 393 responders that were collected 18 years after the terror attack, according to a university press release.

Out of the sampled responders, 232 were diagnosed with PTSD and 161 were not. Between the two groups, 114 proteins and seven metabolites were significantly different.

In particular, the researchers detected changes in blood markers linked to brain function, immune activity, energy metabolism, protection against cell damage and how cells communicate and repair tissues.

Also reported were signs of accelerated biological aging in multiple organs — including the heart, kidneys, liver and lungs — among responders with PTSD.

The post 9/11 responders with PTSD face higher risk of accelerated aging, research suggests appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: A training center is enabling Polk County firefighters to prepare for emergencies while supporting the area’s rapid growth.

Fire Captain Jon Hall is part of 1,000 men and women who make up Polk County Fire Rescue. He said the department is one of the busiest in Florida, but did not have a dedicated training space.

“We’ve had to borrow places from different organizations to train. Even something as simple as finding a fire hydrant to hook up to, sometimes we just had to find a field on the side of the road in order to do that training,” Hall said.

A new $16 million, state-of-the-art Polk County Fire Rescue training center is officially open in Winter Haven. The 30,000-square-foot facility sits on 15 acres and gives firefighters the ability to train entirely in-house.

“We now have a place that we can all come together. We can train repeatedly until you don’t get it wrong, until you get it perfect. And then when you transfer that to the field for the real emergencies, that’s where the fruits of your labor really show,” Hall said.

The post Florida county opens $16 million fire rescue training center amid rapid growth appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: A massive three-alarm fire gutted a historic church in San Francisco’s lower Pacific Heights neighborhood Monday afternoon, prompting evacuations and leaving the 134-year-old structure in ruins.

Despite the extensive damage to the San Francisco Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church, located at the intersection of California and Broderick streets, the San Francisco Fire Department reported no injuries or permanent displacements.

The blaze is now contained.

All evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were lifted by Monday evening. However, the area remained an active scene.

Firefighters were expected to remain on “firewatch” through Tuesday to monitor hot spots and prevent the fire from rekindling.

The fire broke out around 1:15 p.m. Monday, sending thick plumes of smoke wafting into nearby homes and forcing some residents to wear masks outdoors.

Eventually, some 100 firefighters were assigned to knock down the flames. The church, built in 1892, was constructed with a significant amount of wood and featured extensive void spaces that allowed the fire to spread rapidly.

The post Historic San Francisco church gutted by massive three-alarm fire during renovations appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: What started as a Facebook Marketplace listing has turned into a years-long passion project for Yuma firefighter Raul Carlos.

Carlos, who has spent the last 10 years in the fire service, found the vintage 1978 Pierce fire engine online and knew he couldn’t pass it up.

“When I saw it, the listing was posted maybe a couple days, and it was one of those where I knew I had to do it,” Carlos said.

The fire engine has a long history.

Originally built for a fire department in Ohio, it later made its way to Arizona, where several owners began restoring it before Carlos took over the project.

Despite its new purpose, the truck still operates much like a traditional fire engine.

“You have a captain, you have a driver, or what we call engineers,” Carlos explained. “All these switches control how you get water to your nozzles and your hoses.”

But inside the truck’s compartments, the story changes.

Carlos is converting the fire engine into a mobile tap truck featuring eight taps capable of serving everything from nitro cold brew and lemonade to mocktails and other specialty drinks.

The post Arizona firefighter transforms vintage fire engine into one-of-a-kind tap truck appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: One firefighter was injured after a second-alarm fire tore through a commercial building in Midtown early Tuesday morning.

The fire broke out just before 4 a.m. inside a building on West 30th Street.

Video from the scene showed heavy flames shooting from the building’s windows as firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control.

A large emergency response converged on the area, with thick smoke billowing into the air.

Officials said the commercial building was unoccupied when the fire started.

One firefighter was injured while battling the blaze. Officials have not released the firefighter’s condition.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The post Firefighter injured while battling second-alarm fire at New York commercial building appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: Three federal firefighters were killed and two were injured Saturday in a wildfire burning near the Colorado-Utah state line, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service reported Sunday.

The agency — created earlier this year to streamline firefighting and fire reduction across public lands — said the firefighters had been part of an interagency response to the Knowles and Gore fires on Saturday.

In a release, the agency said it occurred during a burnover incident, in which fire sweeps through an area or overtakes personnel or equipment, leaving no viable escape routes or safety zones.

The two injured firefighters are being treated for burn injuries, according to the department. The identities of the two firefighters are being withheld pending notifications.

Gov. Jared Polis also declared an emergency on Saturday, and authorized the use of the National Guard to tackle the fires.

According to his office, the Jones, Snyder Mesa, and Knowles Fires combined and are now the Snyder Mesa Fire, which has burned more than 28,000 acres.

The post 3 federal firefighters killed, 2 injured in Snyder Mesa Fire near Colorado-Utah state line appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Rescue crews are still working to find survivors of the earthquake in Venezuela and one local task force saved the life of a mother and child stuck in the rubble.

According to Virginia Task Force 1 on Facebook, the crew worked alongside local firefighters and rescued a mother and her nine-month-old baby from a collapsed structure. Both were found alive with only minor injuries.

“This is our why: the delivery of hope,” VATF1 wrote in the Facebook post.

On Thursday, June 25, Virginia Task Force 1, an elite urban search and rescue team based in Fairfax County, deployed to Venezuela following two earthquakes that have killed 1,430 people as of Saturday, June 27 according to Associated Press.

More than 68,900 people are still missing due to the devastation.

The task force is operated by Fairfax County Fire and Rescue in partnership with the U.S. government and is widely regarded as one of the world’s premier urban search and rescue teams.

The post Virginia Task Force 1 crews help save mother and 9-month-old baby from earthquake rubble in Venezuela appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: Along Route 209 in Middle Smithfield Township sits a stark reminder of history.

Friday marked 62 years since the Marshall’s Creek explosion.

In June 1964, just after 4 a.m., firefighters responded to a burning tractor-trailer on Route 209.

The truck was carrying explosives with no warning.

“When the firemen had come to put the flames out, it detonated, killing three of the firemen who were here and three other remaining victims,” said James Brechbiel, economic development manager for Middle Smithfield Township.

Thirteen others were injured.

The tragedy prompted change across the country.

“So, this event was the catalyst for the Transportation Safety Act of 1974, where vehicles have to be marked if they are carrying explosives, because likely, if that vehicle had been marked, the lives of those six individuals would have been spared that day,” Brechbiel explained.

Those lives lost are still commemorated to this day.

The post Remembering the Marshall’s Creek explosion: The Pennsylvania tragedy that sparked the Transportation Safety Act appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

Approximately 700 pounds of fireworks detonated on Whidbey Island in Greenbank on Wednesday afternoon, destroying two homes and damaging a third.

Five people, including three firefighters and two residents, were injured in the incident, though all are expected to recover.

Chief Jerry Helm with Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue said, “I believe it was a significant amount…probably in the 700 pound range…enough to fill a pallet.”

Fire officials reported multiple explosions, one of which caused injuries to the firefighters.

Of the five injured individuals, two firefighters have been released from the hospital. A third firefighter is undergoing hand surgery.

The two residents of the home where the fire started drove themselves to the hospital.

All five people are expected to recover from their injuries. Investigators believe smoking materials were around the fireworks in question. Helm also stated, “I believe this person was buying fireworks for an event they were doing.”

The post VIDEO: 700 pounds of fireworks inside Washington home that exploded; 3 firefighters injured appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

PHOTOS: Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials on Thursday unveiled a new training academy in Rancho Cordova, marking the completion of a project more than two decades in the making.

The Zinfandel First Responder Training Facility, at 3801 Zinfandel Drive, will serve as the district’s permanent training academy, preparing recruits and other first responders who protect more than 750,000 residents in Sacramento and Placer counties. The inaugural class includes 19 recruits.

“This facility represents an investment in our most important asset, our people, but also serves as an investment in regional preparedness, statewide resilience and the future of public safety,” Metro Fire Chief Adam House said during Thursday’s open house.

The facility features classrooms, a gym, locker rooms and office space, as well as outdoor training buildings.

“The challenges facing first responders today are increasingly complex and require training that is realistic, collaborative, and adaptable,” House said. “This facility represents the next steps toward supporting those needs. It strengthens our ability to train safely, consistently, and effectively. “

The post California fire district unveils new first responder training academy, two decades in the making appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: An 87-year-old fire captain is being honored at this weekend’s Celebrate Poland festival. He’s being recognized for over 50 years of service.

James Deemer has been a firefighter since his early 20s and started volunteering with Poland shortly after.

On Wednesday, he told us his whole story and explained why he’s still with the department decades later.

“It’s in your blood. I don’t know why, but it’s in your blood,” Deemer said.

In 1961, he was living in a house trailer with his wife and newborn son when they caught a glance of flames outside and his life changed forever.

“A trailer next door caught fire. Coitsville Fire arrived. I took the son of my wife and we walked out and hard out of the way, and I asked one of the firemen how to become a fireman. He said, ‘You come to the station on Monday night. We have drill every Monday,’” Deemer said.

He showed up at the Coitsville Fire Department the following Monday and joined the team.

Years later in 1967, he moved to Poland and was quickly recruited by the village’s volunteer fire department.

The post 87-year-old fire captain to be honored for more than 50 years of service in Ohio appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

A former furniture factory is now a shell after a massive 6-alarm blaze burned through the commercial building in Allentown on Wednesday night.

Several homes across the street were also damaged by the fire.

The blaze broke out around 8:45 p.m. in the 300 block of North Front Street.

Chopper 6 video showed heavy flames engulfing the structure, which sustained significant damage. Portions of the roof and interior floors have collapsed.

Authorities urged residents on the 300 block of North Front Street to evacuate through the rear of their homes, since it was too dangerous out front. Residents in surrounding areas were advised to shelter in place until further notice.

No injuries have been reported.

“The biggest fire I’ve ever seen in my entire life. It was insane. It was hot — smoke everywhere,” said Shawn Sell. “I got text messages from friends 30 miles away, asking me if I was ok. And they saw the big plumes of smoke.”

The building was the former American Atelier furniture factory, which has since moved to another location.

The post VIDEOS: Massive 6-alarm blaze burns former furniture factory in Pennsylvania appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: The Vincennes Fire Department has received a new set of wheels, or rather a restored set of wheels, as the department temporarily has a fully restored 1926 fire truck that the department used to own at their headquarters for people to see.

For one member of the fire department, Larry Howerton, a retired firefighter and the current chaplain for the department, seeing this restored truck means more as he used to see this same truck when he was on the department back in the 1960s.

“I slept in the same building with it for a few years and have operated it before,” Howerton said. “Not on a working fire, only to test the pump or test the hose in that capacity.”

Howerton was blown away when he saw the same truck he saw every day restored to its former glory.

“It’s a beautiful piece of equipment,” Howerton said. “It looks a whole lot different than it had when it left here many years ago.”

The wheels were set in motion on this project last year when Jeff Latta, training division chief for the Vincennes Fire Department, did some research on the history of the department and found this 100-year-old truck sitting in California.

The post Indiana fire department receives fully restored 1926 fire truck appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: Inside the hangar at the Mission Fire Department’s headquarters sits a bright red gleaming unit that’s the newest — and smallest — addition to its fleet.

It’s a utility remote terrain vehicle, or UTV, that was paid for by a special grant from the governor’s office just for fire departments that are on or near the Texas-Mexico border.

Mission Fire Chief Michael Silva says it will come in handy fighting fires and for searches and rescues in the rugged South Texas border terrain.

“They’re all 4-wheel drive but it allows us to go on uneven terrain where our fire trucks and our ambulances cannot go,” Silva told Border Report on Tuesday as he showed off the unit.

It’s similar to an ATV, but UTVs have regular vehicle transmission, not motorcycle handles, and can hold multiple people.

This one seats four and has a special canopy rack that can be pulled down to keep victims and firefighters cool in the blazing South Texas heat. It also has souped up flood and scene lights, and a massive suspension system.

The post Specialized UTVs help South Texas crews fight border-hopping fires appeared first on Daily Dispatch.