A new study shows Fire and EMS agencies across the state are struggling to maintain appropriate service levels in the face of numerous challenges. A local fire department says those findings ring true here in the Chippewa Valley. The Wisconsin Policy Forum studied 30 Fire and EMS providers throughout the state.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WQOW-TV ABC 18 Eau Claire

VIDEO: AIR11 was over the scene as massive flames engulfed a car service center in Linden, New Jersey early Friday morning. The three-alarm blaze ripped through the Reydel Volkswagen service center on East Elizabeth Avenue, at the corner of Lincoln Street. Large flames were shooting from the roof and thick, heavy smoke could be seen billowing from the building.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPIX-TV CW 11 New York

Between the COVID-19 pandemic, more intense hurricanes, and ongoing wildfires impacting the western U.S., first responders are being challenged more than ever. While first responders are on the front lines during emergencies and face more danger than most people do in their occupations, they don’t earn much more.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Statesville Record & Landmark

PHOTOS: Prepare to be scared. Take a walk past the "human sacrifice" and into the "Chop Shop," while the strobe lights, fog and eerie music add to the creepy mood. These are just two of the chilling attractions at the Palm Coast Fire Department's 20th annual Hall of Terror, and because it’s free, you can go through as many times as you dare.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Daytona Beach News-Journal

George Strait is tipping his hat to first responders in his latest music video. The country music legend premiered “Weight of the Badge” on Thursday (October 28), marking National First Responders Day. It focuses on first responders — police, fire and others — and their families, sharing their personal stories throughout the video.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRWD-FM 107.3 Highland

VIDEO: New technology will change how the Springfield Fire Department completes its investigations. It’s called Matterport, and it was donated to the fire department a little less than a year ago. The technology allows fire marshals to go back into a scene through 3D renderings and virtual reality. Matterport consists of a camera that swivels 360 degrees, taking photos to turn into those 3D renderings of a house.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KYTV NBC 3 Springfield

No one is hurt in a fire late Wednesday night in Onalaska. Chief Troy Gudie said firefighters were called to a home in the 800 block of Sand Lake Road just before midnight for a report of a fire on a deck that was spreading to a garage and inside of a home. Everyone inside the home including the family dog were able to safely escape unharmed.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2021 1:45:06 PM - SOURCE: WXOW-TV ABC 19 LaCrosse

When flames tore through a Fort Atkinson warehouse in early August, fire departments from as far away as Illinois responded. Jefferson Fire Chief Ronald Wegner, president of the Jefferson County Fire Chiefs Association and whose department was one of many who responded that week, said that when a call for response went out–there just wasn’t enough people close by to go.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMSN-TV FOX 47 Madison

One person is dead and an ambulance flipped after multiple incidents in Marathon County. It started on Grand Avenue when a person was hit by a vehicle in Schofield. The Riverside Fire Department was transporting the person from the scene. The ambulance was hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Scott Street and North First Street in Wausau and flipped over.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAOW-TV ABC 9 Wausau

VIDEO: A massive fire has spread to three homes in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood. The fire broke out early on Thursday morning in the 300 block of Kennedy Avenue. Several fire companies are on the scene battling the flames. According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, the residents of the homes were able to make it out safely.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

With a vaccine mandate for FDNY members days away from kicking in, officials warned fire companies across New York City could close and ambulances could be taken off streets because of worker shortages. Many firefighters and emergency medical workers are still unvaccinated and have no plans of getting the COVID jab.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPIX-TV CW 11 New York

Is there a haunted fire station in North Charleston? A couple of firefighters seem convinced an entity named "The Hag" is residing in old Station 6. The city of North Charleston released a video ominously titled "Is this place haunted?" on YouTube today where two fire personnel tell about their encounters with the mysterious spirit.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCIV-TV ABC 36 Charleston

A Delray Beach firefighter is running in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 7. He's hoping his run will help bring to light an important issue. Tyler Adams has been with Delray Beach Fire Rescue for 12 years. He's been preparing for a big race that is scheduled to occur in less than two weeks. "I was fortunate enough to be chosen by the "Movember" charity to run the New York Marathon in the 50th anniversary of the marathon," Adams said.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPTV NBC 5 West Palm Beach

The Springfield Fire Department may begin registering new firefighters into the U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program. In September, Springfield City Council voted to approve an agreement between the Springfield Fire Department and the U.S. Department of Labor. The fire department sought out the program to provide opportunities for firefighters to earn credit while accomplishing their formal fire academy and fire service-related on-the-job training.
- PUB DATE: 10/28/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KYTV NBC 3 Springfield

Twin Lakes Volunteer Fire Department Advanced Emergency Medical Technician Kristen Herreid has been named First Responder of the Year for the 61st Assembly District. State Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Salem Lakes, presented the award to Herreid. The EMT joined more than 70 other first responders at the State Capitol Wednesday to receive the award and be honored by the Wisconsin State Assembly.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2021 1:06:35 PM - SOURCE: Kenosha News - Metered Site

Firefighters were dousing hot spots early Wednesday morning after a four-alarm fire destroyed an auto sales and repair building in Pennsauken, New Jersey. The cleanup effort could delay the morning commute for drivers heading from South Jersey into Philadelphia due to road closures on Route 130/South Crescent Boulevard.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia

Every year, millions of 911 calls involve a person experiencing an emergency related to a mental health or substance use disorder—situations often referred to as behavioral health crises. How these calls are handled can determine whether the incident ends safely, the person in crisis is arrested, or the person is connected to appropriate care.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The PEW Charitable Trusts

VIDEO: It’s the most dangerous part of being a firefighter: entering a burning structure blind to look for victims. What if a robot could go in first? As these first responders search for people who might be inside the flames, dangers like toxic gases pose life-threatening hazards. Additionally, burning buildings may be unstable and could collapse on those inside at any moment.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXAN-TV NBC 36 Austin

For years, fire departments have been using a foam laced with toxic chemicals to fight large, fuel-based fires – a new program in Colorado allows fire departments to swap out their original foam with a safer alternative. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has linked cancer and other medical conditions to the chemicals, known as PFAS, in the firefighting foam and are considered "forever chemicals" that are extremely hard to remove from the environment and the human body once they are introduced.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KUSA-TV NBC 9 Denver

31-year-old Clay Geiger of Lakeland understands the risks of a firefighter but he never imagined a rare cancer would put his life on the brink and a state law would help him pay for the medical treatments to fight it. “I didn’t have to worry about bills and mortgage and everything like that,” he said,”I was able to just focus on treatment and getting through it.
- PUB DATE: 10/27/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKMG-TV CBS 6 Orlando