A bill that would help first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) is closer to becoming law in South Carolina. Unlike a physical injury, mental illnesses or mental injuries are not covered under workers’ compensation. House bill 3939 will allow first responders like firefighters and law enforcement to receive workers compensation if diagnosed with a stress-related and mental illness caused by a traumatic event while on duty.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTOC-TV CBS 11 Savannah

The first week of May is Arson Awareness Week. “Arson is one of those things that people think doesn’t happen a lot but it actually does. It’s the fifth most common cause of fires for house fires and third for non house fires,” said John Holland, the Public Information Officer for the Oshkosh Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2021 11:52:55 PM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

The SAFER Fire Department said more than 150 firefighters aided in the response to a fire reported at Gundman’s Garage in Wausau Saturday afternoon. Both SAFER and Marathon Fire initially responded around 3:17 p.m. Saturday with many more departments joining in during the eight-hour response. Investigators said six buildings were lost in the fire, but two homes were saved as a result of the joint effort.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2021 1:52:41 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

VIDEO: At least 15 buildings in Gary, Indiana were on fire overnight, forcing firefighters to call backup. At least a dozen different fire departments were at the scene and battled structural fires, according to the Highland Fire Department on its Facebook page. One of the houses that had already been boarded up had its roof cave in due to a fire.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago

Volunteer firefighters — who comprise more than 65 percent of the U.S. fire service — have higher levels of “forever chemicals,” per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in their bodies than the general public, according to a Rutgers study. The study, which was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, compared the levels of nine PFAS chemicals in the blood of volunteer firefighters against levels in the general population.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: News Wise

VIDEO: Firefighters in one Florida city have clearly been sparking some flames at home. Seven Orlando firefighters have transitioned from fighting fires to pacifiers as they’ve become dads over the past few months. The Orlando Fire Department welcomed three baby girls and four boys during the pandemic and happily reported all moms, dads and babies are doing well.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFLA-TV NBC 8 Tampa

Light the town red to support hometown heroes in commemoration of International Firefighters’ Day on Tuesday, May 4. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is asking residents, communities, businesses and fire departments from coast to coast to celebrate firefighters — the special men and women who respond to calls for help every day, with pride and compassion.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Villages-News

The state Fire Marshal’s Office and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are trying to make the public more aware of the threat of people using fire as a weapon. Both agencies released a Fire as a Weapon Guide, which describes people using fire as a weapon as setting fires or firebombs to hurt people and property.
- PUB DATE: 5/3/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MetroNews

VIDEO: More than 120 firefighters responded to a massive fire at the former Whiting Paper Mill in Menasha. Crews were called to the scene at 100 River Street at 7:29 p.m. Sunday. Neenah-Menasha Fire Rescue called in mutual aid and 123 firefighters responded to help at the scene and respond to other calls for service in the area.
- PUB DATE: 5/2/2021 9:54:34 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

April showers have not been enough to protect May’s flowers. Fire danger across the state remains very high, according to a press release by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Sunday. In early April, the cause was the dryness in the air and on the ground, with high winds. Spring greens — referring to the grass turning green and trees sprouting leaves thanks to rain promoting growth — had yet to come, making the potential for wildfires high.
- PUB DATE: 5/2/2021 1:01:22 PM - SOURCE: Lake Geneva News

Firefighters say no one was injured during a fire Saturday nigh in Appleton. The Appleton Fire Department says crews were called to the 500 block of N. Division Street at 9:30 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they found smoke on the first floor and flames in a second floor bedroom. Firefighters said those inside the home tried throwing a “couple buckets of water” at the flames, but were able to control the flames within minutes using water fire extinguishers.
- PUB DATE: 5/2/2021 9:46:44 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Two people and two dogs are without a home Saturday after their house caught fire, according to the Madison Fire Department. Firefighters responded to the house, located in the 4100 block of Vidon Drive on Madison’s north side., around 10:30 a.m. Madison Fire says several neighbors called reporting multiple sides of the house were engulfed in fire.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2021 3:34:38 PM - SOURCE: WMTV NBC 15 Madison

A nation-wide shortage of volunteer firefighters has departments in Door County leaning on each other for a little more for help. “It’s nearing crisis mode speaking generically for volunteer fire departments,” said Chris Hecht, Fire Chief for the Sister Bay-Liberty Grove Fire Department. The department has about 65 volunteer firefighters but could always use more.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2021 10:12:42 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Columbus Fire Chief Randy Koehn announced he will retired July 30. Koehn, a Columbus native, has served as the fire chief in Columbus for 12 years and spent over 46 years working at both the Columbus and Beaver Dam fire departments. “I’ve been thinking about it for several months,” Koehn said. “I gave it a lot of thought and decided it was time.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2021 10:55:07 AM - SOURCE: Daily Citizen - Metered Site

Two people were hurt after a fire Friday morning in Sheboygan. Crews add one pet is still unaccounted for. The house fire happened around 1 a.m. on the 2500 block of N. 19th St. in the City of Sheboygan. Firefighters were able to put out the flames on the rear of the house and garage in ten minutes.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2021 3:59:52 AM - SOURCE: WGBA-TV NBC 26 Green Bay

VIDEO: A firefighter was injured and hundreds of people were evacuated after a massive fire at Manor Chemicals plant Thursday afternoon. The Affton plant, located in the 6900 block of Heege Road near Tower Tee, had a fire break out around 2:30, and it quickly grew until smoke could be seen for miles.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMOV-TV CBS 4 St. Louis

PHOTOS: In looking over the burned district with the fire still raging fiercely on Bay Street, in the most important retail business portion of the city it’s sad. The entire length of Beaver Street from Davis to the creek, over Liberty Street, have been totally destroyed. This is fourteen solid blocks of residences east and west.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Florida Times-Union - Metered Site

VIDEO: A fire at a Tempe duplex that left a nine-year-old boy dead is highlighting the need for mental health services for firefighters. "How do you prepare for someone to see something -- a child that's dead or dying or that's been injured," said Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Deputy Chief Mark Manor. Manor says fire departments have to be reactive when caring for a firefighter's mental health.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KASW-CW6 & KTVK-3TV (azfamily.com)

A bill strengthening penalties for drivers endangering first responders working on Montana roadways was signed into law Thursday by Gov. Greg Gianforte. House Bill 264 was driven in part by testimony in both the House and Senate from family of Casie Allen and Nick Visser, two Hanser's Automotive tow truck operators who were hit and killed by a truck while clearing a crash on I-90 between Park City and Columbus on an icy morning in October.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPVI-DT NBC 6 Pocatello

Millions of Americans are receiving their COVID-19 vaccines, and in a world of over-sharing on social media, that means Instagram and Twitter feeds are also being flooded with shots. People are not only sharing when they receive their vaccine, but also which vaccine they receive, often using hashtags like #PfizerGang or #TeamModerna.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS News