VIDEO: Mental Health Awareness month kicks off this week, which is the same time a brand new fire station opens to the public in Burnsville. It's designed to prioritize the wellbeing of firefighters and paramedics. From a meditation garden to a wellness room, there are many features that promote relaxation.
- PUB DATE: 5/5/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KARE-TV NBC 11 Minneapolis

The Portage City Council has approved spending about 70% of the city’s share of federal pandemic relief money to fund numerous projects, including subsidizing the purchase of a new aerial platform for the Fire Department and helping homeowners replace lead pipes. Portage received $1.08 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a stimulus bill aimed to help public health and local economies recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2022 3:15:00 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

In 2004, the Pittsville, Arpin and Vesper fire departments came together to form the Central Wood County Rapid Intervention Team. Rapid intervention teams, or RITs, are designated groups of firefighters who train to rescue their fellow firefighters who become trapped or injured while responding to a fire.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2022 4:10:09 AM - SOURCE: Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune - Metered Site

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Firefighters were called to a scrapyard fire in Tampa that sent heavy plumes of smoke into the sky on Tuesday evening. Tampa Fire Rescue were called to Worldwide Scrap Metals on North Lois Avenue to what they said was a “fully-involved” scrapyard fire. Tampa Fire said they got help from workers at the scrapyard, who used their excavator to move the piles around to allow firefighters to attack hotspots.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFLA-TV NBC 8 Tampa

PHOTOS: On Saturday, May 7, Atascadero firefighters and community members will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the city's fire department, Atascadero Fire & Emergency Services. This year, Atascadero Fire & Emergency Services is celebrating 100 years of fire service to their community. Atascadero firefighters would like to honor those who came before them, recognize all who are currently serving and express appreciation for those who will carry on the legacy into the future.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KEYT-TV ABC 3 Santa Barbara

Capt. Josh Gibson has learned to expect the unexpected. Adjusting his baseball cap and running a hand through his short, dark brown beard, he remembers a day in 2020 when the six officers manning the Bald Head Island Public Safety Department couldn't seem to catch a break. A large structure fire broke out in the Keepers Landing area of the island.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Star News Online - Metered Site

VIDEO: A new study, led by LSU Health Shreveport cardiac electrophysiologist and professor Dr. Paari Dominic, finds that firefighters are at an increased risk for a dangerous heart condition. Atrial fibrillation, or A-Fib, is an irregular heart rhythm in the top chambers of the heart. The condition causes the upper chambers to beat so fast they can no longer pump blood, putting the body at risk for clotting and stroke.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTBS-TV ABC 3 Shreveport

The COVID-19 subvariant estimated by New York state health officials to be even more contagious than the first descendant of the potently infectious omicron strain now accounts for up to 70% of all virus circulating in the region that encompasses the Empire State, according to new CDC data released Tuesday.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

Three fire departments responded to a house fire in Genoa early Tuesday morning. Viroqua, Stoddard and Genoa-Harmony responded the call for a fire in an upstairs bedroom at a residence on Venner Hollow Road. Genoa-Harmony Fire Chief Mike Hanson said "it could've been a lot worse." "We got here and when the flames started coming out fo the windows we couldn't find the fire," Hanson said.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2022 3:04:00 PM - SOURCE: WXOW-TV ABC 19 La Crosse

VIDEO/PHOTOS: La Crosse Fire Department responded to a basement fire on Prospect Street early Tuesday afternoon. Along with the fire department, Tri-State Ambulance and La Crosse Police Department responded to the call around 11:15 a.m. at 1917 Prospect St. According to La Crosse Fire Department Battalion Chief Greg Temp, no one was in the home when firefighters arrived and searched the home.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2022 2:53:00 PM - SOURCE: WXOW-TV ABC 19 La Crosse

Pending a final vote, the Mequon and Thiensville fire and EMS departments will merge as soon as July. The decision came Monday, May 2 after some emotional public comments. Some Thiensville homeowners said they're worried the merger would mean the loss of the fire station and actually worsen response times, but ultimately, the board listened to its fire chief who, just weeks from retirement, wanted the department to be stable before he's gone.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

VIDEOS: Seven buildings were damaged by a four-alarm fire in West Baltimore on Monday afternoon, the Baltimore Fire Department said. Firefighters battled flames that chewed away at multiple buildings in the 1500 block of West Baltimore Street, Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734 said on Twitter. Video from the scene shows the front facade of a burning building collapse onto the pavement below.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJZ-TV CBS 13 Baltimore

Pennsylvania had more deadly house fires than any other state last year, and it may be on its way to claiming that sad distinction again. And yet many people continue to ignore or neglect the simple tool that could save their lives. The smoke detector. At least 73 people have died in fires across the state this year, according to data compiled by the U.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Williamsport Sun-Gazette - Metered Site

PHOTOS: There is an outpouring of sorrow on social media from first responders and their organizations for a Braxton County firefighter hailed as a hero after losing his life during a water rescue attempt. John Dean Forbush, 24, a four-year veteran of the Gassaway Volunteer Fire Department, died Sunday after emergency crews said a vehicle carrying Latonya Bell, 42, and her daughter, Havana Pipkins, 8, both from Cleveland, Ohio, plunged into the water.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCHS-TV ABC/FOX 8 Charleston

VIDEO: A unique program in a Valley school district is giving students on-the-job training and setting them up for life after graduation. While the Fire Sciences program is typically a male-driven field, a group of ladies is stealing the show. The high school students are going through the rigorous hands-on training a firefighter would do, to prepare to join a station in town.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPNX-TV NBC 12 Phoenix

PHOTOS: 121 years ago Tuesday -- downtown Jacksonville burned to the ground. The Great Fire of 1901 destroyed 90% of downtown. To grasp the magnitude of the Great Fire of 1901, you need to understand the significance of the downtown area of Jacksonville in 1901. It was the “it” place to live and run a business.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJXT-TV 4 Jacksonville

Another case of improperly disposed of smoking material appears to be the cause of a fire in downtown Fond du Lac. The call came in Monday (5/2/2022) just before 5:30 p.m. to 20 Forest Ave (Empire Building) for a report of flames visible. The fire was contained to a section of the exterior wall near the Forest Ave.
- PUB DATE: 5/2/2022 7:36:44 PM - SOURCE: KFIZ-AM 1450 Fon du Lac

The Police and Fire Commission announced Monday it has appointed a new fire chief for the city. Interim Wisconsin Rapids Fire Chief Todd Eckes will take over the position left vacant by the retirement of Fire Chief Scott Young in October, according to a news release from the commission. Eckes has been with the Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department for 16 years and became deputy chief in 2019 before becoming interim fire chief with Young's retirement.
- PUB DATE: 5/2/2022 1:43:51 PM - SOURCE: Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune

Two people were hospitalized on Saturday after a porch collapsed near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus during an end-of-the-year celebration. According to the Madison Police Department, officers and fire crews were called to a home on the 500 block of Mifflin Street at around 11:45 a.m. A porch had collapsed and injured “at least” three people, the incident report stated.
- PUB DATE: 5/2/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Bring Me The News

VIDEO: Emergency crews from 27 different agencies responded to a large fire at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort Saturday afternoon. Photos and videos shared by people in the area showed smoke and flames coming out of rooms on the second and third floors. The Chief of the North Conway Fire Department says there were four injuries, two people at the resort and two firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 5/2/2022 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMTW-TV ABC 8 Poland Spring