All three Sun Prairie emergency services chiefs welcomed the recent announcement that Next Generation 911 has arrived in Wisconsin, saying in a joint statement it is an exciting opportunity to improve emergency communications — especially in rural areas of the state. The Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, Office of Emergency Communications has selected AT&T to implement AT&T ESInet, including Next Generation 911 (NextGen 911) call routing and emergency call statistic reporting, to improve emergency communications across the state.
- PUB DATE: 9/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sun Prairie Star

State Representative Calvin Callahan (R-Tomahawk) announced on Thursday, Sept. 23 that his office is seeking nominations for the 35th Assembly District’s 2021 First Responder of the Year Award. The 35th Assembly District includes all of Lincoln County and portions of Langlade, Marathon, Oneida, and Shawano Counties.
- PUB DATE: 9/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tomahawk Leader

VIDEO: Two people have been hospitalized with minor injuries after an early morning house fire in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Five people in all escaped from the home on Carleton Street around 3 a.m. Thursday before firefighters were able to arrive. Fire Chief David Moriarty said heavy fire was showing on the second floor when firefighters first arrived at the scene.
- PUB DATE: 9/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBTS-TV NBC 10 Boston

Throughout his more than 30-year career as a firefighter, Bobby Duffus' mission was to save lives. It was a mission he was able to continue after his untimely passing. When the Richmond Fire Battalion Chief died on September 17 following a medical emergency, he gave the gift of life to others by donating his organs to those in need.
- PUB DATE: 9/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVR-TV CBS 6 Richmond

PHOTOS: Hardly any rain had fallen on Chicago for months, and the drought was getting worse. Over the 22 days leading up to October 8, 1871, it had rained only once—a measly 0.11 inches. “Under the burning sun for so many weeks, the whole city became virtually a tinderbox,” recalled William Bross, one of the Chicago Tribune’s owners.
- PUB DATE: 9/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Magazine

The Lexington council took its first vote Tuesday to set aside $15 million in federal coronavirus relief money for supplemental pay for up to 1,700 essential city employees who have worked during the pandemic. During a Tuesday council work session, Lexington city administrators did not have the full details on exactly how many people and departments qualify as essential workers, nor did it have an exact amount each of those essential workers would receive under the pay program.
- PUB DATE: 9/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Lexington Herald-Leader - Metered Site

Tara O’Connor is a firefighter and EMT for Atkins Volunteer Fire Department. She’s learned to overcome narcolepsy, and is using World Narcolepsy Day, held every year on September 22, to tell her story. O’Connor joined the department two years ago at age 22. She wanted to do it right after high school but had to figure out what was wrong first.
- PUB DATE: 9/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCRG-TV ABC 9 Cedar Rapids

Wisconsin inferno of 150 years ago remains America’s deadliest. While coverage of wildfires in the American West dominates 2021 news coverage, most people don’t know that the deadliest wildfire in the nation’s history occurred 150 years ago along the shores of Lake Michigan, right here in Wisconsin. On Oct.
- PUB DATE: 9/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Up North News

VIDEO: According to the Little Rock Fire Department, the Goldman Recycling building was "fully engulfed" and created a large dark cloud of smoke on Tuesday evening. The recycling center is located at 1701 E. 14th Street. The Little Rock Police Department asked people to avoid the immediate area. Neighboring the recycling center is a Budweiser distribution center.
- PUB DATE: 9/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTHV-TV CBS 11 Little Rock

A man is dead after he crashed his pickup truck into two fire trucks, hit a firefighter and finally collided with a fire hydrant. And authorities say they have no idea why he did it. It all started around 3 a.m. Wednesday when first responders got the call of a crash along U.S. 19 at Innisbrook Drive.
- PUB DATE: 9/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTSP-TV CBS 10 St. Petersburg

VIDEO: The Olathe Fire Department is testing out new technology that could help keep firefighters safe. Thanks to a new partnership with Squishy Robotics, the department now has access to three new tensegrity robots that can be used to prevent exposure to hazardous chemicals. The six-month pilot program will allow firefighters to get hands-on experience operating the new technology.
- PUB DATE: 9/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDAF-TV FOX 4 Kansas City

PHOTOS: La Crosse Fire Station No. 5 has another claim to fame, in addition to being the last station in the city to use horse brigades: It’s now listed on the State Register of Historic Places. The Wisconsin Historical Society, which bestowed the distinction on the station last month, cements the building’s heritage as the last surviving firehouse in the city, although it’s no longer used as a fire station.
- PUB DATE: 9/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

PHOTOS: La Crosse Fire Station No. 5 has another claim to fame, in addition to being the last station in the city to use horse brigades: It’s now listed on the State Register of Historic Places. The Wisconsin Historical Society, which bestowed the distinction on the station last month, cements the building’s heritage as the last surviving firehouse in the city, although it’s no longer used as a fire station.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2021 4:37:39 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

One person is dead and another is injured after a crash Monday, in a post on the Marathon County Sheriff's Facebook. The post said it happened around 8:15 p.m. in the Town of Marathon. Officials said they were called to the intersection of County Road N and County Road B. According to the sheriff's department, one person was dead when deputies got on scene and another person was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAOW-TV ABC 9 Wausau

A diverse round of calls the past four days for the La Crosse Fire Department. The traditional, on Friday — a fire. After that, firefighters had to deal with a bit of everything, including a gas line that was struck Monday, sending La Crosse emergency crews to the scene. Around 11:15 a.m., the department was dispatched to the 13th and Jackson street area, where a two-inch gas line had been hit by a worker using a hydraulic auger.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WIZM-AM 1410 La Crosse

VIDEO: One person is in critical condition after a possible honey oil lab explosion in Merced Monday morning. Merced Fire Department Fire Chief Derek Parker said the person was airlifted to a local hospital. "The garage door was in the middle of the street,' Parker told ABC10. The explosion was reported just after 8 a.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXTV ABC 10 Sacramento

Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. submitted to the City Council on Monday a 248-page report that examined every aspect of the Worcester Fire Department, including how it can better prevent line-of-duty deaths. Since 1999, the city has suffered the loss of nine firefighters who all died while battling blazes.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Masslive.com

Ryan O’Connor has spent more than a decade handling thousands of calls while working as a volunteer emergency medical technician with the Snyder Fire Department. Most came evenings and overnights because O’Connor works full-time in the banking field. The way he sees it, that service didn’t matter much to the state Bureau of Emergency Medical Services last spring, in the midst of a pandemic, after a miscommunication within the all-volunteer department caused O’Connor’s EMT recertification paperwork to be sent six days after his certification expired.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Buffalo News

It’s been two years since WCCO first reported on the dangerous needle littering problem in parts of south Minneapolis. At that time, Minneapolis firefighters planned to pick up the needles until the city found a better solution. But despite their efforts, the problem is arguably worse, says Assistant Minneapolis Fire Chief Melanie Rucker.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCCO-TV CBS 4 Minneapolis

A fire in an attic may not be the way most people start their day, but for rookie Tampa firefighter Lauren Glanton, it seems to come naturally. "That was my alarm clock," she said. "It was fire time, time to rock and roll!" Answering the call runs in the family. "Broken legs, gunshot wounds, overdoses and everything else," said Lauren’s dad, Larry, a Tampa Fire Rescue paramedic who has seen it all during his 24 years with the department.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVT-TV FOX 13 Tampa