New York City lost two more of its bravest to 9/11-related illnesses. Retired firefighters Paul Deo, Jr. and Richard Jones both died Friday, joining hundreds of other first responders who succumbed to diseases contracted at Ground Zero in the days and weeks after the Twin Towers fell. ”Nearly two decades later, our FDNY family continues to lose remarkable men and women who never wavered in their commitment to protecting life and property in our city," said FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

Some Sacramento city leaders up in arms over the airing of a reality television show that follows Sacramento firefighters and paramedics on the job. A&E's "Live Rescue" features first responders in cities and towns across the country -- and the Sacramento Fire Department is one of them. The show is now in its second season.
- PUB DATE: 2/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento

Just 10 miles from Findlay, Ohio is a small town called Vanlue. That's where you'll find the Fighting 600 Firehouse where a half dozen firefighters volunteer to save lives. "At any given moment," says volunteer firefighter, Ross Wentling, "we get pulled from our families and family events to help people we don't even know.
- PUB DATE: 2/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVG-TV ABC 13 Toledo

Bill Compton, senior vice president for Grady Emergency Medical Services, is happy to deliver data on response times for his ambulances in one of the most vulnerable corners of the state: south Fulton. And why wouldn’t he be pleased? Grady, he said, has shaved off 10 minutes from the previous ambulance service’s response times.
- PUB DATE: 2/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Mike Kitsock never thought he’d still be fighting fires as a sexagenarian. But such is life for Kitsock, 66, in a land where volunteer ranks have dwindled and old wooden homes can quickly turn to ash. “We get a daytime call, I’m hoping there’s two or three others who show up with me,” said Kitsock, who still runs with the Seltzer Hose Company in Norwegian Township in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
- PUB DATE: 2/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSKG-FM 89.3

The Department of Natural Resources is asking fire departments around the state to report their use of any firefighting foam that contains perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances. A news release said the University of Wisconsin-Madison Survey Center is conducting a statewide survey on behalf of the DNR to locate the usage of PFAS in firefighting foams.
- PUB DATE: 2/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Channel 3000 - WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

VIDEOS: Boston firefighters battled a 4-alarm fire in the city’s South Boston neighborhood, and spent most of the evening working to put out remaining hotspots. The fire started in the basement of an unoccupied building that is being renovated on East 7th Street shortly after 5 p.m., and quickly spread to the floors above as well as an attached building that was occupied, Boston Fire officials said.
- PUB DATE: 2/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFXT-TV FOX 25 Boston

VIDEO: The Santa Maria Airport just purchased new equipment that allows the fire department to test its fire-fighting foam, while protecting the environment. The device meets a new FAA regulation regarding foam testing for the airport fire department. It's called NoFoam System. The device is used to test the concentration of water versus foam.
- PUB DATE: 2/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KEYT-TV ABC 3 Santa Barbara

In response to a deadly fire in a Minneapolis high-rise last fall, a group of Minnesota lawmakers on Wednesday, Feb. 5, proposed legislation that would require nearly all tall apartment buildings to install automatic sprinkler systems. Five people died Nov. 27, 2019, in an early-morning fire at Cedar High Apartments, a 25-story building near downtown Minneapolis.
- PUB DATE: 2/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Duluth News Tribune

VIDEO: Two Papillion firefighters are still recovering after what is called a smoke explosion during a fire Saturday night. A video of that blast is shown from a Sarpy County deputy’s cruiser cam. A blast of fire and air that caught three Papillion firefighters off guard and too close. One of them is Joe Lapuzza silhouetted against the flames.
- PUB DATE: 2/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOWT-TV NBC 6 Omaha

A Commonwealth Court panel Wednesday thwarted an attempt by the state attorney general’s office to forcibly dissolve a volunteer fire company that refused to participate in a government-organized merger. The ruling means that, for now at least, Independent Fire Company No. 1 in South Williamsport can continue to exist as a nonprofit entity and might even resume fighting fires outside the borough.
- PUB DATE: 2/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: PennLive

With climate change spurring intense and longer wildfire seasons, fire safety and preparation is no longer an option. As seen in the United States and across the world in Australia and the Amazon, wildfires are devastating and can dramatically affect the economy of a region. With the growing frequency and severity of wildfires, firefighters are needed more than ever to protect cities and communities.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: AdvisorSmith

“Gray Death” is a particularly dangerous mixture of heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil and other synthetic opioids, and it has made its way to Indiana. Carfentanil, which is used as a tranquilizing agent for elephants and other large mammals, is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAVE-TV NBC 3

York City's Fire Chief had to make a choice. So, he chose his home. But because of that decision, he could lose his job by the end of this month. Residency requirements in the city of York require the fire chief to live within the city limits. Deardorff lives in West Manchester Township with his children and wife.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPMT-TV FOX 43 York

VIDEO: According to the National Fire Protection Association, firefighters are 9 percent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the average American. The Toledo Fire and Rescue department is teaming up with Cancer Dogs, a Canadian company that uses dogs to detect possible cancer in someone's breath.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVG-TV ABC 13 Toledo

An interim report on conditions at the fire station include plenty of reasons for alarm. Consultants have documented problems with airflow. No ventilation air is being introduced into the apparatus and rescue vehicle area, and two exhaust fans “do not appear to be functional,” MacRitchie Engineering, Inc.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Cape Cod Chronicle

New city firefighters make less than $15 an hour, a lower starting pay rate than city parks laborers earn. The issue came up at last week's Marion City Council meeting when a city resident questioned the existing pay rates for city parks employees, rates that went before city council for approval. "I'm not trying to say that's not an important job, but in the grand scheme of things, if I need my park to look pretty or my house not to burn down, I'm going to choose house not burning down," said Christian Dunston, an East Fairground Street resident.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Marion Star

Lt. Reece Chambers of East Jefferson Fire Rescue has a lot of heart. He’s now on his second one. Chambers, 42, is believed to be the first firefighter in Washington state to return to front-line duty after receiving a heart transplant. He went back on Jan. 2. “New heart, new start,” Chambers said Friday while working at the Chimacum fire station.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Peninsula Daily News - Metered Site

The Phoenix Fire Department responded to more than 250 mountain rescue calls in 2019, more than one every other day. Working with numbers provided by the Phoenix Fire Department, 12 News broke that number down by mountain and focused on the four busiest mountains in the area: Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, South Mountain, and Papago Park.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPNX-TV NBC 12 Phoenix

VIDEO: From blazes, to crashes and medical emergencies, firefighters risk life and limb everyday to serve their communities, and Great Falls Fire Rescue is no different, tackling all sorts of emergencies since the late 1800s. In its 136 years of service, the Electric City's fire department is no stranger to the history books, scoring statewide firsts in firefighting over the decades, as they tackle both minor and major situations.
- PUB DATE: 2/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTMF-TV ABC/FOX 23 Missoula