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National Fire News

Firefighters rescue parent, child off Fort Funston cliff in San Francisco, officials say

VIDEO: A father and his son were rescued off a cliff at Fort Funston on Saturday, San Francisco fire officials say. Firefighters used ropes and pulleys to rescue the toddler and his dad from a steep and sandy cliff just after 11:30a.m. The father described what happened, after they stepped off a marked trail, near the cliff's edge when they realized they were 70 feet below.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGO-TV ABC 7 San Francisco

Overlooked in flawed 911 response to drowning in two D.C. area counties: A precise map

As authorities in two D.C.-area counties investigate a flawed emergency response to a June drowning, new documents show the 911 center in Montgomery County had an automatically generated map that showed precisely where the call for help had come from. Emergency dispatchers in Maryland sent firefighters to the Potomac River after a teen called to say her friend had slipped underwater while the group was swimming in a “river.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Washington Post - Metered Site

Arizona fire department fights mental health issues head on

When a fellow Glendale firefighter in despair approached Ashley Losch on the job about struggles with mental health, Ashley found herself in an unfamiliar place. Firefighters are highly trained and highly skilled thinkers and problem solvers by trade. Not this time. “I didn’t feel prepared. I didn’t know how to help them in a way that would be effective other than listening,” Ms.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Independent

Ohio dispatch center using new technology that lets 911 callers live stream from scene

Using technology that most everyone already has, regional dispatchers hope to give first responders the ability to see what they will encounter even before they arrive at the scene of an emergency. “When you make a phone call often to 9-1-1 its in a stressful environment or the rate of anxiety is high for the caller, so they are not good information providers at least not at the detail level that we would like to have,” said Roddy Walter, director of WARCOG, a consolidated dispatch center that serves the communities of Ashland, Orrville, Wooster and the fire service for Kidron Ohio.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJW-TV FOX 8 Cleveland

New peer-to-peer program helping Florida firefighters

A new peer-to-peer program is providing St. Lucie fire personnel with much-needed resources during difficult times. "Firefighters know what other firefighters go through," St. Lucie County Fire District Division Chief Aaron Shaw said. "And if nothing else, it's just a way for us to vent and speak to each other.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFLX-TV FOX 29 West Palm Beach

Firefighters on the call for COVID patients in Texas

Firefighters don’t just fight fires, many are also paramedics, EMTs, and registered nurses. Now, they’re also COVID first responders. Firefighters are used to quickly evolving situations. That’s why they were able to jump into action once the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “We hope for the best, but prepare for the worst," said Jaime Lopez.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGNS-TV NBC/ABC 8 Laredo

Iowa fire department shines a light on cancer prevention by recognizing their washing machine

You would think axes or power tools would be a favored tool in firefighting. But for the Waterloo Fire Department, that's not the case. They put a lot of value into their washing machine. With their jobs involving putting themselves at risk daily, Battalion Chief Bill Beck said that also includes the risk of cancer.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KWWL-TV NBC/CW 7 Waterloo

Pennsylvania first responder becomes TikTok star inspiring happiness among his fellow heroes

VIDEO: Kevin Cunrod is a Susquehanna Valley EMT. He is a Manheim firefighter. And in his off time, between calls, he's a TikTok star. "There are a lot of first responders out there who are down and they're stressed," said Cunrod. "If I can help them to not be stressed or my partners not to be stressed, I'll keep doing it.
- PUB DATE: 9/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPMT-TV FOX 43 York

Patient dies in crash between ambulance and fire truck in New York

VIDEO: An ambulance racing a heart attack patient to the hospital collided with a fire truck en route to a fire in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, leaving the patient dead and a family member seriously injured. The fire truck, Ladder 102, t-boned the ambulance at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue And Throop Avenue just after 12:45 a.
- PUB DATE: 9/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

IAFF remembers fallen firefighters virtually in wake of COVID-19

The International Association of Fire Fighters is moving its Fallen Fire Fighter Remembrance to a virtual platform. The International Association of Fire Fighters, the largest firefighters' union in the U.S. and Canada, will hold its annual Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Remembrance virtually on Saturday, Sept.
- PUB DATE: 9/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WIBW-TV CBS 13 Topeka

NTSB: No emergency training for crew on dive boat where fire killed 34 in California

VIDEO: Crew members on a dive boat say they were never instructed on emergency procedures before a predawn fire swept through the vessel as it was anchored off the Southern California coast, killing 34 people as they slept below deck, according to federal documents released Wednesday. National Transportation Safety Board investigators say the cause of the blaze aboard the Conception remains undetermined but a possible ignition point was phones and other electronics plugged into outlets.
- PUB DATE: 9/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

16 hospitalized after fleeing Texas crane collision

PHOTOS: Diane Stewart is used to the occasional construction noise coming from the work site near her Mueller neighborhood apartment In East Austin. But on Wednesday morning, she heard something that made her pause. “It sounded like pipes falling. It was a loud crash; it made me turn,” Stewart said.
- PUB DATE: 9/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Austin American-Statesman

Workers Saved After Scaffold Malfunction Left Them Clinging for Life Off New York Building

VIDEO: Two workers stuck 10 stories above the ground after their scaffold malfunctioned were saved in a daring rescue by FDNY firefighters who rappelled down the side of an Upper West Side building, heart-stopping video showed. Terrified onlookers watched after the two workers, who neighbors said were doing facade work on the building at the corner of West 78th Street and Broadway, were left clinging to the building high above the ground around 4:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

Wisconsin town explores regional partnerships, hiring fire chief into open role

The Town of Beloit Fire Department may become part of a collection of fire departments lead by Janesville Fire Chief Ernie Rhodes. The Town of Beloit Fire Chief Hiring Committee interviewed Rhodes Tuesday morning as it seeks to address the vacancy to be left by retiring Town of Beloit Fire Chief Gene Wright.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

80-year-old firefighter is redefining life after retirement in New Jersey

VIDEO: Bob Halberstadt, an 80-year-old resident of Blairstown, New Jersey, is redefining life after retirement. While many at his age sit back and enjoy life after years of hard work, Halberstadt is just getting started; becoming the oldest volunteer firefighter at Blairstown Hose Company No. 1. "I didn't give it a second thought.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

How the Farmington explosion one year ago changed Maine state law

VIDEO: September 16, 2020 marks one year since the Farmington community experienced an incident that would change life for some forever. An explosion at LEAP Inc. in Farmington killed one firefighter, injured six others, and also injured a building supervisor. Now, Maine state law looks different as a result of an effort to keep Mainers safe in the future.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: News Center Maine

Maryland fire department demonstrates capabilities of new fire boat

VIDEO: For more than ten years now, the Ocean City Fire Department has been able to take their life saving efforts to the water thanks to a larger fire boat they have. However, that fire boat is currently in need of repairs so they have a new vessel that’s allowing them to continue saving lives. “We’ve seen a tremendous response this summer with our fire boat being staffed and being able to provide that rapid service,” says Ryan Whittington, an Ocean City firefighter and medic.
- PUB DATE: 9/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMDT-TV ABC/CW+ 47 Salisbury

New crowdfunding platform exclusively targets first responders and their families

It has been 19 years since September 11 attacks on this country that left thousands dead and first responders feeling the impact to this day. A new crowdfunding site labels itself as a way to exclusively support families of all first responders facing hard times. For Skip and Tammy Danielson, Fund the First is a way to heal financially as their hearts continue to ache.
- PUB DATE: 9/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFYR-TV NBC/FOX Bismarck

Firefighters Respond To Fire At NE Oklahoma City Recycling Plant

Firefighters are responding to a fire, Tuesday morning at a recycling plant in northeast Oklahoma City. According to authorities, the fire is at Derichebourg Recycling USA near Northeast 4th Street and North Martin Luther King Avenue. Fire officials said the fire was called in by someone that was driving by.
- PUB DATE: 9/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KWTV-DT CBS 9 Oklahoma City

Assaults against first responders raising nationwide concern

A reported assault on two Baltimore City firefighters is contributing to the nationwide, rising concern over attacks on first responders. According to the department, the firefighters were assaulted while responding to a reported fire on Eastern Avenue in southeast Baltimore Sunday night. Officials say a man threw glass bottles at the crew as they attempted to enter the home.
- PUB DATE: 9/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBFF-TV FOX 45 Baltimore

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