August 13th marks a somber anniversary for the Green Bay Metro Fire Department. Fourteen years ago, Lieutenant Arnie Wolff died fighting a house fire on Edgewood Drive. As the anniversary of his death approaches, one of the few remaining firefighters who responded that day is talking about the importance of honoring his legacy.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2020 4:39:56 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Firefighters on Thursday morning, Aug. 6 responded to the scene of a porch fire on Everett Street near Division Street in Fond du Lac. The call came in around 4:20 a.m. Upon arrival, crews found a small fire burning through part of the newly-constructed wood stairs leading up to the front porch. The fire caused moderate damage to the staircase.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2020 5:41:35 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation Wednesday aimed at protecting police and other first responders from bias-motivated crimes in Georgia, capping a series of controversial moves by state Republican leaders that nearly derailed passage of a separate bill outlawing hate crimes. The bill Kemp signed into law sets out punishments for those who commit crimes against police officers, firefighters and medics because of their “actual or perceived employment as a first responder.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Jackson Progress

Four firefighters were overcome by fumes after stumbling onto a drug mill operating in the basement of a Paterson home. The firefighters were responding to a small fire in the basement of the Illinois Avenue home when they were overcome just before 1:30 a.m. Thursday. They evacuated the structure and collapsed on the driveway.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

PHOTOS: On Tuesday, Lebanon’s capital city of Beirut was rocked by a massive explosion at the city’s port. Thousands were injured and at least 100 people are known to have died so far. While citizens and government officials there are still evaluating the extent of the damage, others are pointing out similarities between this disaster and one that happened in a small Texas town in the 1940s.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spectrum News

Public safety should retain control of its 50 MHz of 4.9 GHz spectrum—airwaves that the FCC is considering for at least some commercial use—through an allocation to the FirstNet Authority, according to the newly formed Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA). “We’re concerned that public safety is going to lose spectrum that we might need,” Jeff Johnson, CEO of the Western Fire Chiefs Association and former vice chairman of the FirstNet Authority, said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IWCE's Urgent Communications

Using anonymous cell phone data, University of South Florida researchers are pinpointing how and where people in the Bay area move to try to predict how the coronavirus will spread and impact our hospitals. The data is collected by a third-party vendor from devices on which users have enabled location services.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTSP-TV CBS 10 Tampa

As the city and town of Milton weigh how to transition from a volunteer fire department to a department staffed by full-time employees, cost has always been a consideration. “The whole causation of the problem is staffing. Our volunteer pool has decreased significantly—and that is a problem across the United States,” Janesville Fire Chief Ernie Rhodes said in an interview Thursday with Adams Publishing Group.
- PUB DATE: 8/5/2020 9:03:36 AM - SOURCE: Janesville Gazette

A fire that displaced five people and three pets on the south side of Madison on Aug. 3 was determined to be started accidentally by a candle, the Madison Fire Department said on Wednesday. On Aug. 3, the Madison Fire Department responded to the 900 block of Magnolia Lane to find smoke coming out of the building.
- PUB DATE: 8/5/2020 7:40:03 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

Dustin Chacon is the Racine County Eye Hometown Hero of the Week. The Firefighter was born and raised in Sturtevant, Wisconsin. He grew up watching his grandfather and uncle serve the community as firefighters. Heroism runs in their blood. Now, his Uncle is one of the owners of Bell Ambulance. In 2001, Dustin became a member of the US Army.
- PUB DATE: 8/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Racine County Eye

This summer’s pandemic-altered traffic configuration in downtown Hyannis has led the village Fire Department to adapt, too. And for now, at least, two wheels could be better than eight to ensure rapid emergency response in the downtown area. Last week, the department initiated bicycle patrols on Main, North and South streets and on Ocean Street near the harbor.
- PUB DATE: 8/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cape Cod Times

The first fallen Columbus Firefighter is finally receiving a headstone at his gravesite after 150 years. Mark B. Newman was a Columbus firefighter in the 1800s, he also worked as a police officer. Newman was recognized as the first Columbus firefighter to die in the line of duty more than a century ago.
- PUB DATE: 8/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSYX-TV ABC 6 Columbus

VIDEO: The Midland Fire Department responded to a tank battery fire southeast the city at S. County Road 1173 and E. County Road 113. The fire department says that the department is making significant progress in controlling the fire and no injuries have been reported. The Midland Fire Department and other volunteer crews on the scene are focusing on ensuring that the fire doesn't spread to any other tanks, they plan to let the fire burn off overnight.
- PUB DATE: 8/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KWES-TV NBC 9 Odessa

The Elba Fire Department is now home to a $65,000 airboat. In December 2015, flood waters breached the dam and sent water rushing through the Pea River. Now, five years later, the river struggles to stay at 2.5 feet. This has led to people getting stuck and sometimes stranded while trying to enjoy a day on the water.
- PUB DATE: 8/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDHN-TV ABC 18 Dothan

Fire officials say one person has died following an accident in Sheboygan on Tuesday involving a kayaker. According to Sheboygan fire officials, crews were called to the Deland Park area for a kayaker that was in the water at 11:40 a.m. When crews arrived, they were able to find witnesses, who gave them directions to where the kayaker had last been spotted.
- PUB DATE: 8/4/2020 3:42:55 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Calling all artists! Madison’s Fire Station 6 is searching for a local artist for a mural project using repurposed materials in the station. The firefighters at the south side station, located on West Badger Road, are looking to beautify the building through the work of a local artist or artists, according to a press release from the City of Madison Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 8/4/2020 8:42:50 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

PHOTOS: A massive fire burned in downtown St. Paul early Tuesday morning, apparently destroying a hotel under construction across from the Xcel Energy Center. The flames were more than 40 feet high at one point and visible on freeway traffic cameras nearby. Fire officials said shortly after 5 a.m. that a substantial part of the blaze had been knocked down.
- PUB DATE: 8/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Minnesota Public Radio News

According to the UC Davis Fire Department, nearly 25% of its firefighters are wearing gear that doesn’t fit them. UC Davis Fire Chief Nathan Trauernicht told FOX40 Monday that he is calling on uniform manufacturers to do better. “They need to have maximum range of motion, and at critical times, they have to be able to make critical movements, and if that doesn’t happen, it puts all of us in danger,” Trauernicht explained.
- PUB DATE: 8/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTXL-TV FOX 40 Sacramento

The bad news: COVID-19 appears to be filling hospitals throughout the South and the Southwest with patients with a deadly, highly contagious disease. The good news: The federal government is now publishing a COVID-19 hospital bed occupancy map that looks terrible. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been trying to track COVID-19 with a weekly collection of maps, tables and charts based largely on the data sources and methods used to track influenza.
- PUB DATE: 8/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Think Advisor

City Council has tabled a proposal to hire, for the first time, part-time firefighters to beef up the Fire Department staff, instead opting to seek a tax increase that would pay for additional full-time firefighters. The Strongsville Fire Fighters Association, the union representing firefighters here, opposed hiring the part-timers, saying it would undermine the professionalism of their department.
- PUB DATE: 8/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com