VIDEO: Sharon and Dewayne Smoots are making history and breaking barriers. They are considered the first husband and wife duo to hold two of the highest-ranking positions within the Milwaukee Fire Department. Dewayne joined the Milwaukee Fire Department 35 years ago after a long career with the state's justice department.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WISN-TV ABC 12 Milwaukee

Two buildings, including a group home, were involved in a fire on Milwaukee's north side Wednesday morning, Feb. 15. According to the fire department, the initial fire was initially reported at an abandoned building near 39th and Burleigh around 11:25 a.m. Upon arrival, firefighters noted the fire had spread to a neighboring building, the group home.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

The Madison Fire Department says a passerby helped alert firefighters to a garbage truck that was on fire downtown earlier this week. Firefighters were doing their routine fire code inspections east of the Capitol downtown when someone called their attention to a garbage truck that was pulled over on E.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS/MyNetworkTV 3 Madison

Crews are on scene at a massive fire in Kissimmee. The blaze is located at a plant nursery off of Poinciana Boulevard and was first reported at 2 a.m. The name of the company is Nursery Supplies Inc. Two acres worth of pellets holding plastic planters are burning and crews are using 4,500 gallons of water per minute to douse the flames.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WESH-TV NBC 2 Daytona Beach

VIDEO: Sharon and Dewayne Smoots are making history and breaking barriers. They are considered the first husband and wife duo to hold two of the highest-ranking positions within the Milwaukee Fire Department. Dewayne joined the Milwaukee Fire Department 35 years ago after a long career with the state's justice department.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WISN-TV ABC 12 Milwaukee

VIDEO: One of the leading causes of death for firefighters is cancer, often caused by exposure to toxic chemicals that they may face while responding to a fire. Harmful chemicals put firefighters at an additional risk when they’re serving the community, but recent initiatives are hoping to protect them from these dangers.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WECT-TV NBC 6 Wilmington

Firefighters across Tennessee are walking hundreds of miles to raise awareness for the mental health struggles first responders face and push legislation in the state capitol. The walk comes as studies from 2022 found firefighters have higher suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risks. Studies also found suicide happens twice as often with firefighters compared to the general community, and PTSD occurs in 57% of firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKRN-TV ABC 2 Nashville

The nation's first 911 emergency call was placed by an Alabama state politician on this day in history, Feb. 16, 1968. The landmark moment came four years after the shocking unreported murder of a New York City woman proved to many Americans the need for a standard and easy-to-use system to call for emergency assistance.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FOX News

A grease fire caused damage at a home in Kaukauna Tuesday evening. At 8:45 p.m., firefighters were called to a duplex at 102 East Ann Street. The Kaukauna Fire Department says a tenant was making dinner and a grease fire “quickly became out of control.” The tenant got out of the duplex and called 911.
- PUB DATE: 2/15/2023 5:10:00 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

PHOTOS: A two-alarm fire gutted a South Jersey home Tuesday night. It happened just before 8 p.m. on the 200 block of Port Elizabeth-Cumberland Road in Maurice River Township. Action News obtained dramatic video of the inferno-like scene from the ground as intense flames burned through the two-story house.
- PUB DATE: 2/15/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia

Three Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams containing IAFF members continue to search for survivors in the aftermath of the deadly Feb. 6 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The death toll has now surpassed 36,000. “Our USAR team members are dedicated fire fighters trained to work in harrowing situations,” said General President Edward Kelly.
- PUB DATE: 2/15/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: International Association of Firefighters

New Philadelphia has extended the time that firefighters have to earn their paramedic certification in hopes of expanding the pool of potential employees. On Monday, council approved an ordinance that gives firefighters hired by the city two years to earn their certification. Previously, they had one year to do that.
- PUB DATE: 2/15/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Times Reporter - Metered Site

PFAS chemicals help protect firefighters by repelling water and oils off their gear. They’re also used to make fire-suppressing foams “extremely effective.” Firefighters were found to be more likely to get diagnosed with cancer and more likely to die from it, according to research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
- PUB DATE: 2/15/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFYI-FM 90.1 Indianapolis

The city of Hoover has been chosen to host the 2023 U.S. National Firefighter Challenge Championship with up to 300 firefighters from around the country participating in skills-based competitions in September. The firefighters are expected to come from more than 125 fire departments in 19 states, competing in events that simulate the physical demands of real-life firefighting, such as climbing a five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and rescuing a life-sized, 175-pound “victim” as they race against opponents and a clock.
- PUB DATE: 2/15/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hoover Sun

A dog saved its owners from a burning Brookfield home, and then firefighters saved the dog after it got trapped inside – but the daring rescue may not have been possible without the help of high school students. Everyone involved in the heroics reunited at the Brookfield Fire Department on Tuesday, Feb.
- PUB DATE: 2/14/2023 9:49:47 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

A fire in southern Sauk County Tuesday afternoon destroyed a garage and damaged a nearby house, the Sauk City Volunteer Fire Department said. The fire broke out at a property on Schauer Road in the town of Troy southwest of Sauk City around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday. As firefighters rushed to the scene, they learned a 20-foot-by-30-foot garage was fully engulfed in flames and threatening a nearby house, fire officials said in a Facebook post.
- PUB DATE: 2/14/2023 6:57:00 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

For the first time ever, the Wausau Fire Department is collaborating with Northcentral Technical College to train new paramedics. The department recently hired 17 new staff members and six of them are taking part in the nine-month parametric training. Record call volume has prompted the Wausau Fire Department to hire new staff, but it’s been a struggle to hire qualified members.
- PUB DATE: 2/14/2023 3:01:23 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

Improper discarding of smoking materials was the cause of a fire at The Blandine House in Fond du Lac on Monday evening. According to a release, around 5:45 p.m., Fond du Lac Fire & Rescue was sent to The Blandine House at 25 North Park Avenue for a report of smoking coming out from the kitchen wall.
- PUB DATE: 2/14/2023 4:29:39 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

The Wausau Fire Department has been having a bit of fun while the crew isn't fighting fires or rescuing people around the community. The department posted a video on its Facebook page Monday, premiering its full parody episode of "The Office," a popular sitcom that began in 2005. "The Fire Department" introduces the crew while having a good amount of fun, taking to the comedic style of "The Office.
- PUB DATE: 2/14/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLUK-TV FOX 11 Green Bay

A new scholarship program is helping area technical college students pursue public safety careers. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) says it received $15,000 from AT&T as part of the company's philanthropic giving efforts. The new scholarship program was unveiled during NWTC's Public Safety and Human Services Career Fair Monday where area employers from fire, police and EMS networked with students searching for work, internships and information.
- PUB DATE: 2/14/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLUK-TV FOX 11 Green Bay