More deaths associated with Hurricane Laura were caused by the improper use of portable generators than the storm itself. And officials warn that the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning persists, as thousands of households in Louisiana remain without power. Eight of the 15 hurricane-related deaths confirmed by the Louisiana Department of Health are attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators, which can provide life-saving power in emergency situations but also pose a deadly threat if used incorrectly.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKSU.org

Germantown fire officials on Tuesday morning, Sept. 1 rescued a horse that was apparently spooked by something and ended up becoming trapped in a trailer. According to a post on the Germantown Fire Department's Facebook page, the incident occurred shortly before 8 a.m. The horse, while attempting to break free, fell on its side between two of the permanent retaining dividers within the trailer -- becoming stuck.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 6:38:16 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

A calendar honoring firefighters who participate in fundraising stair climbs across the country has plenty of Wisconsin representation, including four firefighters from the Milwaukee area. Three are on the cover. West Allis Fire Chief Mason Pooler, Retired Lt. Chuck Roberts of the Eagle Fire Department and Assistant Chief Aaron Lipski of the Milwaukee Fire Department grace the front of the American Lung Association’s inaugural Fight For Air Climb Calendar.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 3:11:06 PM - SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

When Tommy McDonough learned to talk, one of his first words was “fire truck.” His father, a longtime St. Paul firefighter, never doubted he would follow in his footsteps. For Mike Paidar, his path to the St. Paul Fire Department came after a successful career as a TV photojournalist. He joined the department when he was 44.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Twin Cities Pioneer Press

More than a dozen Milwaukee firefighters recently rode their bicycles 183 miles. It was all for a fellow firefighter who gave her life to save others. It was the first-ever Pedal for the Brave. "We have people joining us that never cycled before two months ago, but then to do a 100-mile ride one day is just a testament to the kind of grit and will that they have," said Milwaukee firefighter and Ignite the Spirit president, Joe Flick.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTMJ-TV NBC 4 Milwaukee

VIDEO: More than two dozen people are homeless after a 3-alarm fire at an apartment complex in New Orleans’ Central City area Monday night. The New Orleans Fire Department said the fire was reported around 8:38 p.m. at a two-story U shaped apartment complex in the 1600 block of Washington Avenue. Firefighters arriving at the scene found the building heavily involved in flames.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WWL-TV CBS 4 New Orleans

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 847,000 people worldwide. Over 25.3 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

The Rochester Fire Department is expecting to welcome the largest minority group of new firefighters to its ranks during a graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. Sept. 2. Of the 30 recruits on schedule to graduate, 13 are Black, 9 are Latino and one is Asian. Two are female, including one Latina. The minority candidates comprise about 80 percent of the class.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rochester La Voz

An overnight crash sent a speeding driver’s vehicle right into a Madison Fire Dept. firehouse early Tuesday morning. The firefighters were asleep in the back of the station, in the 1200 block of Williamson St., around 1 a.m. when the car skidded into one of the apparatus bay door, blocking in one of the fire trucks, the Madison Police Dept.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 4:01:45 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

2019 Wisconsin Act 101, published on Feb. 6, 2020 and codified in Wisconsin Statutes section 299.48, implements measures that mitigate the discharge of PFAS-containing firefighting foam into the environment, and in doing so supports efforts by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and fire departments to protect the health and safety of Wisconsin residents and the firefighting community.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 11:06:47 AM - SOURCE: Antigo Times

VIDEO: On Saturday morning, the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association tweeted a photo of a collapsed ceiling on ambulance at Fire Station 49. The post accused the City of Houston of years of neglect of the department's fleet and facilities. No one was hurt during the collapse. "Now is the time that this city needs to prioritize not only the fleet [and] facilities, but the health and wellness of the men and women that we are asking to continue to go out there and put themselves on the frontline, not only during this pandemic but on a daily basis," said Marty Lanction, HPFFA President.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRIV-TV FOX 26 Houston

VIDEO: Firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire early Sunday morning at a chemical plant in the Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side, Chicago fire officials said. According to CFD, around 12:33 a.m. crews were dispatched to a building fire at the Imperial Zinc Corporation in the 1000-block of E.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago

A Seminole County employee was killed and three firefighters were injured in a sidewalk collapse in Lake Mary Friday, according to the Seminole County Fire Department. The county environmental services employee was identified as Tomasz Sajkowski, a utilities operations distribution mechanic, by Seminole County spokeswoman Ashley Moore Friday afternoon.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel - Metered Site

Following two shootings in a little more than two months, an Elizabeth City fire station is on track to get bulletproof walls. Shots were most recently fired July 15 near the station on Harney Street, which is manned 24-hours a day. At least one round went through a wall, into its sleeping and eating areas.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Virginian-Pilot

The Hilton Fire Department is now training to take its rescue efforts to the clouds, with the help of drone technology. Department heads say it’s among the first in the area to bring use the drones for certain calls. The idea was the brainchild of fifth-year firefighter David Olney, who is a trained drone pilot himself, he says it was a no-brainer, as the drones could be a real boost for the department, and the community.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHEC-TV NBC 10 Rochester

For the La Crosse Fire Department, today was a day for joy as well as remembrance. At Station 1, the fire department held a private dedication to a new vehicle, Engine 10. They also held a long-overdue memorial for fallen firefighter Assistant Chief Edward Sciborksi, who died in the line of duty in 1964.
- PUB DATE: 8/29/2020 5:43:48 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are working with local law enforcement to investigate over 30 arson cases in Kenosha. ATF said in a news release Friday that members of the National Response Team and special agents from the Chicago Field Division of ATF arrived in Kenosha on Tuesday.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 3:38:13 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

A badly burned body was found following an early morning house fire in Crawford County Friday, August 28. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Department received a call reporting a house fire on Spring Street in the Village of Lynxville at 2:07 a.m. Friday morning. A neighbor told law enforcement that the residence was fully engulfed in flames.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 12:38:07 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

Jim Mallardo and Billy Morrisey are part of a group of residents who have mobilized to help put out fires lit by rioters following protests that have increasingly transformed into violence in downtown Kenosha at night. What they want people to know is that they’re not against the protests. These fire stoppers don’t want their city to burn at the hands of those who are set on destroying it.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 1:06:56 AM - SOURCE: Kenosha News

VIDEOS: A fire has broken out in the Westlake, Louisiana, area, causing gases and smoke to plume over I-10. The Louisiana State Police Emergency Services Unit confirmed the fire involved a chlorine leak at the BioLab plant in Westlake. They are coordinating with plant managers to contain the leak, officials said.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Advertiser