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

Appleton firefighters pulled two cars from a burning garage near downtown Friday afternoon. Firefighters were called for smoke coming from a four-stall garage on the 100-block of W. Atlantic St. shortly after 4 o’clock. While they were putting out the fire, crews found damaged and leaking propane tanks inside the garage.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 11:13:31 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

La Crosse firefighters extinguished a fire in a house in the 1300 block of Charles Street Friday before the flames reached the attic. Firefighters reached the home in 3 minutes and saw light smoke wafting from the back of the two-story house, according to a fire department news release. Fire attack crews who entered the home found that a fire in the ceiling of the first-floor kitchen had reached the floor of the second story.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 4:50:03 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

An in-depth study of Emergency Medical Services capabilities and challenges in Jefferson County by the Wisconsin Policy Forum has found that greater collaboration among existing providers and potential involvement by county government could ease challenges and help in preparing for the future. The Wisconsin Policy Forum, a statewide, non-partisan, independent policy research organization analyzes issues affecting local governments and, in this situation, gives leaders options in developing plans for dealing with staffing shortages and growing demands affecting EMS units.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 10:23:09 AM - SOURCE: Watertown Daily Times

According to a report from The Journal Times, the South Shore (WI) Fire Department (SSFD) is pushing for an increase in resident and nonresident ambulance service fees for the second time in the past two years. The SSFD has 66 uniformed personnel that serve a 38-square-mile area of more than 33,500 residents in the villages of Sturtevant and Mount Pleasant.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 6:23:08 AM - SOURCE: JEMS.com

For only the second time, the Dept. of Health Services recorded more than 5,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, according to the latest numbers provided by Secretary-designee Andrea Palm. During a Friday morning news conference, Palm revealed her agency has tallied 5,096 cases since Thursday afternoon’s report.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMTV NBC 15 Madison

Tracy L. Smith was promoted to the rank of Assistant Chief of the Columbus Division of Fire (CFD) on October 18 after 22 years of service. She is now the highest-ranking woman in the history of CFD. “It’s not significant that it’s me. It’s significant that over the years, the city has changed in the opportunities it gives all people to succeed,” Smith said.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCMH-TV NBC 4 Columbus

The United States reached a daily record for coronavirus when more than 90,000 cases were reported on Thursday, according to the latest NBC News tally. More than 30 states reported more than 1,000 cases. It was the first time the U.S. has crossed 90,000 cases in one day, almost 10,000 more than the previous high of 80,662 cases, which was set just a day before on Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

One week old and weighing a little more than 1 pound, Ellie Whitehall is beating all the odds in the Norton Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit. From Lebanon Junction, her family credits a firefighter for not only delivering Ellie but also saving the child's life. Ellie's mother, Brianna Whitehall, thought nothing of the pain she felt at the 24-week mark of her pregnancy.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDRB-TV FOX 41 Louisville

A tragic fire killed eight people, including three young children, and destroyed St. John's Catholic Orphans Home back in 1912. The fire started around 4:30 a.m. on Oct. 30, 1912, at the orphanage on the corner of San Saba and W. Houston Street, where CHRISTUS Santa Rosa now stands. According to the San Antonio Light, 87 children, ranging in age from 2 to 12 years old, and nine nuns were in the building at the time of the fire.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOAI-TV NBC 4 San Antonio

VIDEO: Five years ago, Carol Cody and her husband Bob Gross, along with Bob’s daughter April, turned their barn into a pirate ship for Halloween with the idea of inviting the public and taking donations to raise money for non-profits. They do Halloween at 73 New Road in Penobscot the way other people might do Christmas, or New Year’s Eve.
- PUB DATE: 10/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABI-TV CBS/CW+ 5 Bangor

The Baraboo District Ambulance Service Commission approved a five-year lease Wednesday between the service and the Baraboo Fire Department. EMS Chief Caleb Johnson said the shift will allow BDAS to reduce utility costs and provide more space for emergency responders. “We’re cramped, very tight for space in the Alma Waite building as it stands and in the administrative building, we’re obviously split from the operational staff by the road,” Johnson said.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2020 5:28:44 PM - SOURCE: Baraboo News Republic

Under an emergency rule created Wednesday by the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, fire departments will have to file a report any time they use firefighting foam that contains PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” The decision prohibits the use of those chemicals during training exercises. They can be used for emergency firefighting, fire prevention operations, and testing purposes as long as guidelines are followed.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2020 1:48:10 PM - SOURCE: WWIS-FM 99.7-FM & AM 1260

Fond du Lac firefighters battled a house fire Thursday morning. Crews responded to 594 E Bank Street for a report of smoke coming from the roof of a home. The department posted photos on social media that show a charred exterior and thick smoke. The department says the occupants escaped without harm.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2020 7:41:54 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

The Racine fire and police departments responded to a man with self-inflicted burns to the face on the 500 block of 8th St. in Racine on Oct. 29 around 2:09 a.m. Fire officials say upon arrival they witnessed a man with facial burns after he had been smoking in bed while on oxygen. Medical personnel attended to the man and officers inspected the house for any other fire damage.
- PUB DATE: 10/29/2020 5:30:24 AM - SOURCE: WTMJ-TV NBC 4 Milwaukee