Across Wisconsin, fire departments and emergency medical service (EMS) agencies have a people problem — a major people problem. They don’t have enough of them. They are struggling to hire and retain paramedics, firefighters and emergency technicians. The problem is so acute that some volunteer fire and EMS departments don’t have enough personnel to respond to 911 calls.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2022 4:15:00 PM - SOURCE: Cambridge News / Deerfield Independent

The Shelby Fire Department is paying tribute to fellow firefighter Captain Jerry Roesler, who passed away on Dec. 12. Roesler was a 56-year veteran of the department and a beloved member of the Holy Cross Diocesan Center. Past and present firefighters gathered to remember and celebrate his life. According to the fire chief, this means going back to work and honoring Roesler’s dedication to the job.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2022 6:39:53 AM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 Milwaukee

...LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING... Light snow will continue at times during the overnight hours as low pressure moves slowly across Wisconsin. Most locations should see an additional one to two inches of snow by Saturday morning, with locally higher amounts possible. Area road reports indicate there are slippery stretches across Special Weather Statement 2022-12-16T15:46:00-06:00 2022-12-17T06:00:00-06:00 Actual Alert Met Expected Minor Observed Brown; Calumet; Door; Florence; Forest; Kewaunee; Langlade; Lincoln; Manitowoc; Marathon; Menominee; Northern Marinette County; Northern Oconto County; Oneida; Outagamie; Portage; Shawano; Southern Marinette County; Southern Oconto County; Vilas; Waupaca; Waushara; Winnebago; Wood FIPS6 055009 055015 055029 055037 055041 055061 055067 055069 055071 055073 055075 055078 055083 055085 055087 055097 055115 055125 055135 055137 055139 055141 UGC WIZ005 WIZ010 WIZ011 WIZ012 WIZ013 WIZ018 WIZ019 WIZ020 WIZ021 WIZ022 WIZ030 WIZ031 WIZ035 WIZ036 WIZ037 WIZ038 WIZ039 WIZ040 WIZ045 WIZ048 WIZ049 WIZ050 WIZ073 WIZ074 VTEC

...LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE AT TIMES INTO TONIGHT... Light snow will continue at times today into tonight as low pressure moves slowly across Wisconsin. Most locations should see an additional one to two inches of snow by late tonight with locally higher amounts possible across central Wisconsin and across northern Door County. Special Weather Statement 2022-12-16T08:53:00-06:00 2022-12-16T13:00:00-06:00 Actual Alert Met Expected Minor Observed Brown; Calumet; Door; Florence; Forest; Kewaunee; Langlade; Lincoln; Manitowoc; Marathon; Menominee; Northern Marinette County; Northern Oconto County; Oneida; Outagamie; Portage; Shawano; Southern Marinette County; Southern Oconto County; Vilas; Waupaca; Waushara; Winnebago; Wood FIPS6 055009 055015 055029 055037 055041 055061 055067 055069 055071 055073 055075 055078 055083 055085 055087 055097 055115 055125 055135 055137 055139 055141 UGC WIZ005 WIZ010 WIZ011 WIZ012 WIZ013 WIZ018 WIZ019 WIZ020 WIZ021 WIZ022 WIZ030 WIZ031 WIZ035 WIZ036 WIZ037 WIZ038 WIZ039 WIZ040 WIZ045 WIZ048 WIZ049 WIZ050 WIZ073 WIZ074 VTEC

Portage's fire chief says the planned hire of another, full-time member of the fire department is expected to slash response time to fires. Chief Troy Haase said the department currently has seven full-time staff and eighteen paid, on-call volunteers. Haase said the volunteers are the backbone of the operation, but he said volunteers must travel from homes or workplaces and the delay of that transit contributes to lengthy response times to get a first engine to a fire scene.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2022 1:49:00 AM - SOURCE: WKOW-TV ABC 27 Madison

Christmas is around the corner, and with the use of open candles, plenty of cooking activity in kitchens and wood burning fireplaces lit up in many homes, the risks of potentially deadly fires is increasing dramatically, The Wisconsin Fire Inspectors Association (WSFIA) urges residents to exercise extreme caution during the holiday season.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WEAU-TV NBC 13 Madison

Multiple departments battled a massive fire in Dillsboro, Indiana, Thursday evening. According to officials, the fire started around 4:35 p.m. on U.S. 50 at Laughery Valley AG, a farming co-op. Area residents said the plant usually closes around 4:30 every day. More than 10 fire departments have responded to the scene.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLWT-TV NBC 5 Cincinnati

PHOTOS: Two city firefighters make history as they become the first women to be appointed as fire investigators in the history of the Buffalo Fire Department. City fire leaders, firefighters, and firefighter families gathered at ECC's downtown campus Thursday afternoon to celebrate a round of promotions and appointments.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKBW-TV ABC 7 Buffalo

First responders face traumatic experiences and emergencies everyday. “Those sights and sounds stick with us throughout our life, so the more those build up, the more sometimes it starts to wear on us,” said Northern Wake Fire Dept. Chaplain and Firefighter Lauren Deer. When Deer came back from her first fatality call, she didn’t know how to handle it.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNCN-TV CBS 17 Goldsboro

“We have a distinguished, prestigious, and proud fire department, which is visible in the heroic actions of our firefighters every single day,” Mayor Steven Fulop said at the ceremony. “Being a firefighter is a difficult job and I want to thank the 21 new firefighters as you raise your hand today and take the Oath of Office to join the best fire department in the state.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hudson County View

VIDEO: Firefighters in Deltona, Florida made a special visit Thursday to the home of a boy they helped deliver 11 years ago. Susan Rubi credits the paramedics for saving her son Jacks' life after she unexpectedly went into labor at 26 weeks. "Doing what they did especially as fast as they did we wouldn’t have had him today," she said.
- PUB DATE: 12/16/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOFL-TV FOX 35 Orlando

Tomah's fire chief is asking people to help them out by making sure fire hydrants near their residences are clear of snow. Chief Tim Adler sent a message out Thursday morning asking for the assistance. "...with the recent heavy wet snowfall we received our Fire Hydrants have now be compromised by being buried and hidden from our view which can delay our response, and as the next 24 to 36 hours take place the air temperatures are going to drop into the single digits to below zero which is going to make digging the hydrants out even that more difficult as they will be a frozen block of ice," he said in his message.
- PUB DATE: 12/15/2022 10:23:00 PM - SOURCE: WXOW-TV ABC 19 La Crosse

...LIGHT SNOW WILL RETURN TO CENTRAL AND NORTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN LATE TONIGHT... A swath of steady light snow will return to central and north- central Wisconsin later this evening into the overnight hours. While the snow will not be heavy, 1 to 2 inches of accumulations will be possible by the start of the Friday morning commute. Be Special Weather Statement 2022-12-15T20:04:00-06:00 2022-12-16T06:00:00-06:00 Actual Alert Met Expected Minor Observed Forest; Langlade; Lincoln; Marathon; Menominee; Northern Oconto County; Oneida; Portage; Shawano; Vilas; Waupaca; Wood FIPS6 055041 055067 055069 055073 055078 055083 055085 055097 055115 055125 055135 055141 UGC WIZ005 WIZ010 WIZ011 WIZ018 WIZ019 WIZ020 WIZ021 WIZ030 WIZ031 WIZ035 WIZ036 WIZ037 VTEC

...A LIGHT WINTRY MIX MAY CONTINUE TO CREATE SLIPPERY ROADS THIS MORNING... The combination of light snow, drizzle or freezing drizzle may continue to create slippery roads this morning as temperatures hover around the freezing mark. Any additional snowfall accumulation this morning should be less than an inch with only Special Weather Statement 2022-12-15T10:17:00-06:00 2022-12-15T11:45:00-06:00 Actual Alert Met Expected Minor Observed Florence; Forest; Langlade; Lincoln; Menominee; Northern Marinette County; Northern Oconto County; Oneida; Vilas FIPS6 055037 055041 055067 055069 055075 055078 055083 055085 055125 UGC WIZ005 WIZ010 WIZ011 WIZ012 WIZ013 WIZ018 WIZ019 WIZ020 WIZ021 VTEC

...WINTER STORM WILL BRING HEAVY SNOW TO MUCH OF THE AREA THIS MORNING... .Snow, heavy at times, is expected from the Fox Valley north and west this morning. Further east, precipitation will change from rain and a wintry mix to snow during the morning hours. Travel is expected to be hazardous for the morning commute. Winter Storm Warning 2022-12-15T03:09:00-06:00 2022-12-15T09:00:00-06:00 Actual Alert Met Expected Moderate Likely Florence; Forest; Langlade; Lincoln; Menominee; Northern Marinette County; Northern Oconto County; Oneida; Shawano; Southern Marinette County; Southern Oconto County; Vilas FIPS6 055037 055041 055067 055069 055075 055078 055083 055085 055115 055125 UGC WIZ005 WIZ010 WIZ011 WIZ012 WIZ013 WIZ018 WIZ019 WIZ020 WIZ021 WIZ031 WIZ073 WIZ074 VTEC /O.CON.KGRB.WS.W.0010.000000T0000Z-221215T1500Z/

Fire crews in northern Wisconsin saved a house from further damage after a vehicle next to a residence was ‘fully’ in flames. The Pine Lake Fire/Rescue shared in a Facebook post that the incident happened on Riverbend Road in the Town of Pelican. Crews were made aware of the incident after a neighbor reported the fire.
- PUB DATE: 12/15/2022 12:45:28 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

VIDEO: Three people are dead after a horrific fiery crash involving a City of Milwaukee Public Works heavy-duty pickup truck in southeast Wisconsin. According to the Wauwatosa Police Department, on Tuesday, December 13, around noon, the Wauwatosa 911 Dispatch Center received multiple calls reporting a minor hit-and-run crash on Mayfair Road and Watertown Plank Road involving a public works-type vehicle.
- PUB DATE: 12/15/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

Four-year-old Delaney Krings of Wisconsin is suffering from terminal brain cancer. Delaney, who turns five on Friday, was unable to participate in her Make-A-Wish trip due to an infection, and people across the country have tried to brighten her spirits for the holidays. Once Delaney’s plight went public, a family friend of theirs made an appeal for people to send the child holiday cards.
- PUB DATE: 12/15/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Mid Hudson News

A building collapsed after a fire sparked Thursday morning in northwest Oklahoma City. The fire started at a building in the 2400 block of Northwest 40th Street, near Interstate 44 and Pennsylvania Avenue. When crews arrived, they found heavy flames coming from the building. The building has since collapsed, and crews firefighters are working to put out the flames.
- PUB DATE: 12/15/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOCO-TV ABC 5 Oklahoma City

The Baltimore City Fire Department began a pilot program Monday to assign senior officers to assistants responsible for making numerous fire scene decisions. Dubbed “battalion technicians,” the assistants aim to assist firefighters with tasks that can become overwhelming in an emergency, such as: B.
- PUB DATE: 12/15/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Local Today