As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the USA, vaccines have begun to be distributed across the country and its territories. Two different vaccines, one made by Pfizer-BioNTech and another from Moderna, have been authorized for emergency use and are part of the widespread distribution process. The first shots were given Dec.
- PUB DATE: 1/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: USA Today

VIDEO: A large fire broke out at an apartment complex near the Industrial Canal in New Orleans East Wednesday night. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but it appears to have broken out at or near the Gentilly Ridge apartment complex off of Chef Menteur Highway. NOFD officials say the complex has about 100 units in it, about 90 of them occupied.
- PUB DATE: 1/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WWL-TV CBS 4 New Orleans

The Thornton Fire Department is one of the first in the country to use new technology to monitor firefighters who were exposed to COVID-19. The department is using the Masimo Pulse Oximeter on quarantined firefighters to check their health status and be notified of a health decline. The device measures oxygen saturation, pulse and breathing rate, circulation and respiratory quality.
- PUB DATE: 1/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCNC-TV CBS 4 Denver

Electric vehicle fires pose safety risks to first responders and guidelines from manufacturers about how to deal with them have been inadequate, according to U.S. investigators. There are also gaps in industry safety standards and research on high-voltage lithium-ion battery fires, especially in high-speed, severe crashes, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 1/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

To the known risk factors for developing severe COVID-19—age, male sex, or any of a series of underlying conditions—a new study adds one more: high levels of the virus in your saliva. Standard COVID-19 tests sample the nasal passage. But several new tests look for SARS-CoV-2, the pandemic coronavirus, in saliva, and the new work finds a striking correlation between high virus levels there and later hospitalization or death.
- PUB DATE: 1/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Science Magazine

Broadview Heights Fire Chief Jeffrey Hajek is giving 19 News a first-hand look at a new piece of technology his department uses to save precious seconds when getting to an emergency. It’s called the HAAS Safety Cloud System. The device alerts drivers to move over because emergency vehicles are coming through.
- PUB DATE: 1/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOIO-TV CBS 19 Cleveland

A Prince George's County firefighter fell out of a fire engine truck that was traveling to a call around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Prince George's County Fire Department (PGFD). The fall from the truck happened around the intersection of Bell Station Road and Annapolis Road in Fairwood, Maryland.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WUSA-TV CBS 9 Washington DC

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has partnered with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL) to develop firefighter tracking technology. The effort would allow first responders to locate team members in burning buildings more accurately. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, domestically, approximately 80 to 100 firefighters are lost in the line of duty each year.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Homeland Preparedness News

Chicago firefighters put their lives on the line every day, and the risks of their jobs are ramped up even more during the coronavirus pandemic. But hundreds of Chicago firefighters who got COVID-19 said they were stunned when they were told it is not considered an on-the-job illness. They told CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov it impacts their pay and medical bills – and they’re fighting it.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBBM-TV CBS 2 Chicago

A Houston firefighter who works two jobs and fought COVID-19 received a surprise live on “TODAY” Tuesday morning. Josue Rios has been with the Houston Fire Department for more than a decade, and works hard to provide for his family by working most 24-hour shifts and managing his second job at his family truck mechanic business, according to “TODAY.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston

VIDEO: Las Vegas Fire & Rescue (LVFAR) says a two-alarm fire destroyed a vacant wedding chapel and caused an estimated $1 million in damages Tuesday night. The building was located near the STRAT on South Las Vegas Boulevard. Authorities say several 911 calls were received reporting thick smoke coming from a “large white building” at 1431 South Las Vegas Boulevard.
- PUB DATE: 1/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KLAS-TV CBS 8 News Las Vegas

A Hamilton County Sheriff's deputy was checking on what he thought was an abandoned vehicle in a wooded area Saturday night, but his quick action might have saved a woman’s life. Newly-released body camera footage shows the life-saving efforts of the deputy, who discovered the woman passed out and having a medical emergency behind the wheel of her burning car.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCPO-TV ABC 9 Cincinnati

VIDEO: Within a year of a crash that killed two first responders and critically injured another, Lubbock Fire Rescue has taken steps to keep its personnel more secure when responding to crashes. Another tactic is in development. “We can’t sit there and allow tragedies to happen,” Lt. Phillip Grandon said.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCBD-TV NBC 11 Lubbock

Illinois Senate passes law extending protection measures for first responders and essential workers for another six months. The law established back in the spring allows essential workers and first responders to file for workers' compensation benefits if they contract COVID-19 during the course of their employment.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAND-TV NBC 17 Decatur

VIDEO: The state is warning people that Christmas tree burning is not permitted at the Kaneohe Bay sandbar and they’re promising enforcement of any violators. State conservation officers got a tip Saturday about a tree bonfire, but were unable to identify those involved. Video posted online showed a tree burning gathering with a large number of people with no masks or social distancing.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hawaii News Now

Fresno firefighters are kicking off what could be another record breaking year. “Last year we had a huge record number of fire, everything, homeless specifically we saw like a 95% increase,” Shane Brown with the Fresno Fire Department said. The new year is not bringing any relief. Brown said so far there have been 223 fires in the city and 123 have been caused by homeless activity — A 71% increase from last year.
- PUB DATE: 1/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGPE-TV CBS 47 Fresno

PHOTOS: Firefighters on Saturday morning extinguished a seven-alarm fire that started late Friday night in a Flushing storefront and extended into an adjacent building, according to the FDNY. After receiving a call just before midnight on Friday, Jan. 8, regarding the blaze at a three-story building located at 136-15 37th Ave.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: QNS.com

VIDEO: Multiple people were transported to local hospitals on Sunday afternoon, after Indianapolis fire officials said a woman ran a red light and crashed into a fire engine, causing a multivehicle accident crash on the east side. A 21-year-old woman driving a Ford Fusion eastbound on 10th Street failed to yield and struck an oncoming fire truck heading north on Arlington Avenue that had its sirens and lights activated, according to a news release from the Indianapolis Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Indy Star - Metered Site

Fire fighter occupational cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths in the fire service. In 2019, more than 75% of the names of fire fighters added to the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Wall of Honor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, were of members who died from occupational cancer. In partnership with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN), the IAFF has designated January as Fire Fighter Cancer Awareness Month to provide fire fighters the necessary tools and guidance to develop life-saving protocols for cancer prevention and to support those with a cancer diagnosis within their departments.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFF.org

On Jan. 10, 1962, all the talk was about bitter cold. At 3 p.m., with the temperature only 4 degrees, Carson Crocker was cutting a customer's hair at 702 Chouteau Avenue. Police officer Kenneth Jones tried to stay warm in his patrol car one block away. Major Nesbit worked inside the Ralston Purina feed mill that towered over the neighborhood just south of downtown.
- PUB DATE: 1/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Metered Site