Voters in the city of Beaver Dam approved a referendum to raise the tax levy and fund six new positions in the fire department on Tuesday. Voters approved of the referendum by 5,127 "yes" votes to 2,591 “no” votes, or 66.43 percent approval to 33.57 percent disapproval. The revenue from the referendum will cover six full-time firefighter/paramedic staff members in the department.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 11:24:32 PM - SOURCE: WISC News

A Tuesday morning fire caused about $85,000 damage to a residence on Eau Claire's north side. According to the Eau Claire Fire Department the fire was reported at 6:55 a.m. at 3120 Venus Ave. All of the residents were out of the house when firefighters arrived. Firefighters found flames coming from the second floor windows.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 10:50:17 AM - SOURCE: Eau Claire Leader-Telegram

Racine Fire Department Engine 6 was dispatched just before midnight Monday to a report of a parked vehicle on fire near the intersection of DeKoven and Kearney avenues, according to a press release from the Racine Fire Department. Engine 6 arrived to a 2008 Ford Explorer on fire with fire mainly in the rear cargo area.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 4:43:37 AM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times

Nobody who lives or works in the vicinity of downtown Rochester needs a watch to know when it’s lunchtime. Six days a week, at high noon, the blast of the fire department’s siren marks the midday hour. However, the daily sounding of the noon whistle has nothing to do with signaling a meal break and everything to do with a devastating fire that nearly destroyed an iconic Main Street business.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rochester Media

Nobody who lives or works in the vicinity of downtown Rochester needs a watch to know when it’s lunchtime. Six days a week, at high noon, the blast of the fire department’s siren marks the midday hour. However, the daily sounding of the noon whistle has nothing to do with signaling a meal break and everything to do with a devastating fire that nearly destroyed an iconic Main Street business.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rochester Media

A San Francisco firefighter was in critical condition Monday after hitting his head while at the scene of a high-rise fire, the fire department said. The injury happened after firefighters responded to a fire at 55 Spear St., San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Jonathan Baxter said. "As this incident was resolving, a Muni bus from SFMTA was driving through the incident operational area.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNTV NBC 11 San Jose

VIDEO: A Seymour gas station is a total loss after it went up in flames Monday afternoon. Seymour Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Linsenbigler says crews were called to the scene at the Seymour Speedway Market on Highway 411 just before 12:45 p.m. Linsenbigler says everyone inside made it out of the business, and no injuries were reported.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WATE-TV ABC 6 Knoxville

Four minutes, 57 seconds. Five minutes, 13 seconds. Sixteen minutes, 30 seconds. They add up to minutes and seconds. But when that time is spent on a 911 call during an emergency, it's not as inconsequential. "If somebody is down there having a heart attack, minutes count. Seconds count," New Lexington Fire Chief Jim Fain said.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Zanesville Times Recorder

Nobody who lives or works in the vicinity of downtown Rochester needs a watch to know when it’s lunchtime. Six days a week, at high noon, the blast of the fire department’s siren marks the midday hour. However, the daily sounding of the noon whistle has nothing to do with signaling a meal break and everything to do with a devastating fire that nearly destroyed an iconic Main Street business.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rochester Media

Mauston and the surrounding communities are changing the structure of fire service in the area, dissolving the association between the towns and instead entering into individual contracts for fire service. The Mauston Common Council approved the change during a meeting Oct. 27. The council approved a memorandum of understanding with the Townships Rural Fire Association and individual contracts with six municipalities.
- PUB DATE: 11/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Juneau County Star Times

A marsh fire in Winnebago county is under investigation for possible arson. The fire was located on County Road MM, west of Winchester and east of Lake Poygan. The Fire Chief for the Town of Winchester Fire Departent, Glenn Mathison said, “It’s under investigation at this time… It’s possibly a suspicious fire.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 9:00:25 PM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

Kristopher Grod is prepared to lead the Sussex Fire Department toward meeting its goal of following industry best standards by 2023. The village's board of fire commissioners on Oct. 28 hired Grod as the new fire chief. He previously served as chief for the village of Kronenwetter — between Stevens Point and Wausau — since May 2019.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 8:04:15 AM - SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

VIDEO: Neighbors in Meadowmere Park first heard the explosion around 6 a.m. Meadowmere Park Fire Chief Kevin Carrero lives in the neighborhood and woke up to the noise. "It was like a big explosion, like a bomb went off. I thought it was a transformer that blew up but it was just too loud," Carrero said.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

A copper time capsule, placed 101 years ago behind a granite cornerstone at the downtown fire station, was opened by firefighters Friday. The copper box contained a hand-signed ledger of the fire crew at the time, news clippings, a penny and mementos from a fireman's ball with the York, Maine, Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Sea Coast Online - Metered Site

A new video shows San Antonio firefighters rescuing several riders stuck on a rollercoaster at SeaWorld. SAFD crews were called out to SeaWorld, located at 10500 Sea World Drive on the far West Side, around 1 p.m. Sunday. The riders were reportedly stranded on SeaWorld’s Wave Breaker rollercoaster. The video shows firefighters utilizing a high-extension ladder to reach the riders and get them down safely.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSAT-TV ABC 12 San Antonio

After 72 years of putting out fires, responding to crashes and helping out in medical emergencies, the largely volunteer-run town of Madison Fire Department flickers out Sunday. The city of Madison Fire Department officially takes over fire protection responsibilities for town residents at midnight on Sunday in preparation for the eventual dissolution of the town of Madison in two years.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Wisconsin State Journal

It feels like whenever I cough these days it triggers a mini-panic attack that I promptly try to quash with a steady stream of chamomile tea. Thankfully, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they figured out a way to gauge whether a person has COVID-19 just from the sound of their cough, so I may soon get to put my inner hypochondriac to rest.
- PUB DATE: 11/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Gizmodo

The City of Madison Fire Department responded to the first fire call in the Town of Madison this morning when a fire broke out at Vinny’s Lockers on the 1300 block of Culmen Street around 6:30 a.m. The report said that upon arrival, the crew reported smoke showing from all sides of the structure. They entered the building and found items and debris on fire.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2020 8:35:32 PM - SOURCE: WMSN-TV Fox 47 Madison

Authorities say firefighters swam about 20 yards to a vehicle that was sinking into a Madison lake and rescued a person who was trapped in the back seat. The State Journal reports that the victim was unresponsive and did not have a pulse when pulled from the vehicle near the Warner Park Boat Launch on Saturday night.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2020 10:47:33 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

After 10 years of serving the Milwaukee Fire Department, Chief Mark Rohlfing is retiring. "The amazing thing is I’m not actually an emotional person," Rohlfing said. Milwaukee Fire Chief Mark Rohlfing is hanging up his fire hat. "We didn’t think we’d be here 10 years, but it went by very quickly," he said.
- PUB DATE: 10/31/2020 2:22:00 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee