The city and its firefighters union have come to a contract agreement in which the International Association of Firefighters Local 974 agreed to a wage freeze for the first year of the three-year deal. City Council agreed to the new contract during its Zoom meeting held Monday, Oct. 19. With the city facing uncertainty as to its tax collections in a year in which COVID-19 has played havoc with communities' budgets, Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan was grateful for the union’s consideration.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com

PHOTOS: The city of Portage’s all-new Fire Station No. 2 went into service this October with a design that takes into account the health and wellness of the firefighters who will use it and offers some unique training opportunities. The new facility at 6101 Oakland Drive replaces the oldest of three free stations in the city.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MLive

The Dodgers are headed to the World Series after clinching their third National League pennant in four years Sunday, and all of Los Angeles is celebrating a thrilling 4-3 win over the Braves in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. That includes the Los Angeles Fire Department, whose chief announced via Twitter shortly after the Dodgers' victory that all LAFD firefighters are authorized to wear Dodgers caps while on duty through the end of the World Series.
- PUB DATE: 10/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MLB.com

Two vehicles sustained fire damage after heavy winds blew burning leaves into the street Saturday. Officials were sent to the area of Traceway Drive and Post Road at about 12:45 p.m. regarding thick smoke that filled the street. Police closed the street while firefighters accessed a nearby hydrant.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 8:34:41 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

The City of Beloit and Town of Beloit have reached an agreement for Beloit Fire Department Chief Daniel Pease to also serve as chief for the Town of Beloit Fire Department, marking a historic move of shared services between the two municipalities. The Beloit City Council and Town of Beloit Board of Supervisors both met separately in closed session on Monday night to approve sharing Pease as chief for both departments.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 8:34:27 PM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

Emergency crews responded Monday to a fire at a metal recycling facility on Madison’s east side after a flammable liquid was ignited by a spark inside an automobile shredder. Madison firefighters responded to Alter Metal Recycling in the 4400 block of Sycamore Ave. around 1:40 p.m. When crews arrived, they found flames engulfing a metal compactor that was located at the top of a large industrial conveyor belt.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 4:56:37 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

Woodland Fire Department will cease serving the area after 150 years due in part to a lack of volunteers. “It is the membership,” Woodland Fire Department Chief Tony Roethle said. “People are busy these days and with young married couples both work and they share child care duties as they should.” Roethle said he found many people showing interest in joining were not able to make the time commitment.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 4:29:04 PM - SOURCE: Wisc News - Metered Site

After ushering in an era of shared services and more collaboration with suburban fire departments, retiring Milwaukee Fire Chief Mark Rohlfing sees consolidation as “the next logical step" for firefighting in the area. Under his stewardship, nine Milwaukee County fire departments reached a shared services agreement pledging that the closest unit, regardless of municipal boundaries, will respond to emergency calls.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 4:36:16 AM - SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Damaging winds caused significant damage around the Chicago area Saturday night, and strong winds may have even sparked a fire in the northwest suburbs. Multiple fire departments responded to the massive house fire on Burning Tree Circle in McHenry. McHenry police say the house was fully engulfed when crews arrived.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBBM-TV CBS 2 Chicago

A Houston firefighter was injured while responding to a burning storage unit but not by heat or flames. Investigators said a woman shot him with a pellet gun. Houston Fire Department Engine 82 was at a storage facility about 11:30 a.m. Friday in the 12400 block of Fondren Road. They were able to extinguish the fire using a pump can.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

VIDEO: A new device for the Crescent Township Fire Department will help to search and rescue as well as search and recovery efforts go quicker. It’s a drone for underwater. The fire department will be one of the first in our area to have a remote operating vehicle like this for the water. “Just about anything underwater and you want to see if you can find it,” Crescent Township Volunteer Fire Department President John Kriger said.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

On Friday afternoon, someone stole a flag, designed to honor fallen firefighters, from a Middletown fire engine. By Saturday night, thousands of people across the state and across the country knew about the theft, thanks to a deftly written and slightly sarcastic Facebook post by the firefighters' union.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTIC-TV Fox 61 Hartford

On Oct. 17, 1966, 12 firefighters were killed in what was the deadliest day for the New York City Fire Department until the 9/11 terror attacks. Two chiefs, two lieutenants, and eight firefighters lost their lives as they tried to battle a fire at 22nd Street by entering a building on 23rd Street before it collapsed.
- PUB DATE: 10/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News - Metered Site

Facing a nearly $5 million projected shortfall, city leaders in Racine knew they had to make budget changes for 2021. While tightening the belt, Racine Mayor Cory Mason says his proposal still provides a key point of focus: improving racial disparities. In a year that's seen budgets topple, between the coronavirus pandemic, declining revenues and more, Mayor Mason said he's still focused on long-term goals.
- PUB DATE: 10/18/2020 9:32:40 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

VIDEO: Seven people were taken to the hospital after a boat explosion and fire on the south fork of the New River early Thursday afternoon. One of those patients had to be airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial’s burn unit with burns to over 40 percent of the body. Chopper 4 over the burning boat spotted firefighters shooting a stream of water at it from shore as it drifted near a sea wall at 2001 SW 20th Street.
- PUB DATE: 10/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFOR-TV CBS 4 Miami

VIDEO: One first responder in North Sioux City, South Dakota is using his creative skills to give back to his brothers and sisters in the department. Firefighter and emergency medical crew member Joe Pham got inspired to create his own Thin Red Line flag to hang inside the North Sioux City Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 10/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTIV-TV NBC/CW+ 4 Sioux City

When you think about how technology is enabling remote government work, what comes to mind? Online city council meetings, or enhanced portals for renewing your driver’s license or paying taxes? What about firefighting? While most emergency responders cannot work fully remote due to the nature of their job, they can access the same benefits of unified collaboration tools to quickly connect with stations and seamlessly communicate with other first responders.
- PUB DATE: 10/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: American City and County

An 11-year-old girl from Morris Township is showing just how far one small act of kindness can go. It all started as a service project through Callie Danysh's Cub Scouts, a project to honor a local hero. But with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the assignment was put on hold. That's when "Flags of Gratitude" was born.
- PUB DATE: 10/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Jersey News Network

The National Transportation Safety Board says the U.S. is woefully unprepared to deal with EV fires, which require different strategies than gasoline vehicle fires. 31 percent of fire departments don't train for EV fires, and half say they don't have special protocols in place to deal with EVs after a crash, the agency's report found.
- PUB DATE: 10/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Car and Driver

The City of Portage finalized the decision for the city’s next fire chief on Thursday after an “extensive selection process” with the Police and Fire Commission. The city and the commission announced Portage native Troy Haase will succeed current fire chief Clayton Simonson. Simonson announced earlier this year that he was retiring in January.
- PUB DATE: 10/15/2020 4:29:16 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison