First responders with the Reedy Creek Improvement District have launched a legal battle to collect workers compensation benefits after being tested and diagnosed with COVID-19. Michael Grant, a paramedic with Reedy Creek since 2018, tested positive with the virus “on the job” on July 3 and quarantined at home for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended 14 days.
- PUB DATE: 7/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKMG-TV CBS 6 Orlando

Four years into his budding career as a firefighter, Glenn Ericksen was used to putting out routine fires in apartments, single-family homes and small businesses in Arlington Heights. Then in the early morning hours of July 31, 1985, he and his co-workers at the firehouse got the call they'll never forget: A fire had broken out in the Horseman's Lounge at Arlington Park.
- PUB DATE: 7/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Herald - Metered Site

For over a month Tony winner Brian Stokes Mitchell serenaded the streets of Manhattan from the window of his Upper West Side apartment to honor frontline workers who were fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. The cause, meaningful to the 62-year-old as he was diagnosed with coronavirus in late March but has since recovered.
- PUB DATE: 7/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNYW-TV FOX 5 New York

More than a year and a half after the Camp Fire, the documentary Rebuilding Paradise is finally being released to the public on July 31. The documentary, directed by Academy Award-winner Ron Howard, depicts the 2018 fire and the rebuilding efforts of the Ridge through the eyes of those who lived it. KRCR spoke with the former mayor of Paradise, Steve “Woody” Culleton, who is featured in the doc.
- PUB DATE: 7/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRCR-TV ABC 7 Redding

The family of a Green Bay toddler calls their little boy a walking miracle after they say he survived six minutes with no pulse and no breath after he choked on a piece of bread. His parents and first responders credit each other for saving the life of Gamaliel Martinez. ”I don’t remember if he died in the ambulance or in the house, because we noticed when he was in the house, he had no pulse,” recalls Mayra Martinez, Gamaliel’s mother.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2020 6:48:06 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

The Wisconsin State Patrol says the driver of an SUV that crashed into Mirror Lake Wednesday evening was rescued, taken to the hospital and arrested for an OWI. Troopers say around 5:20 p.m., they received multiple complaints about an SUV driving erratically. Witnesses reported the SUV had gone off the roadway and crashed into a barrier and sign.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKOW-TV ABC 27 Madison

Callers to 911 in Houston will no longer be asked if they are experiencing COVID-like symptoms, changing a months-long practice to pass on the information to first responders. Firefighters are now told to treat every call as if the patient or home is COVID-positive. Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena said the change is an admission of the widespread nature of the virus in the city and out of concern that callers were not always offering true information.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTRK-TV ABC 14 Houston

Scientists at Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine have launched one of the first tracking tools that provides a daily snapshot into COVID-19 cases in rural communities across the country. Using data from The New York Times and other sources, the COVID Urban Rural Explorer (CURE) focuses specifically on highlighting rural urban inequities in COVID trends by county and provides a daily report on rural areas experiencing spikes in COVID-19 cases.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSU.edu

PHOTOS: Four firefighters were injured after a fire broke out at a mobile home park in Quincy Wednesday afternoon. According to the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office, the fire started just before 1 p.m. in the 600 block of Main Street. The fire spread to three mobile homes and caught other buildings on fire, firefighters said.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOVR-TV CBS 13 Sacramento

Police and fire officials are following leads in a string of fires believed to be arson, including one at the home of the Shelby Fire and Rescue chief. Investigators believe at least six fires were set deliberately in multiple locations in west Shelby this month. On Thursday, Shelby firefighters responded to two fires believed to be connected to this string of recent arsons.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Shelby Star

As the COVID-19 pandemic affects communities across the United States, it has also wreaked havoc on fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters. For 66 years, IAFF members have been standing on sidewalks asking passers-by to fill a firefighter’s boot with dimes, quarters, dollar bills, and more.
- PUB DATE: 7/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFMJ-TV NBC/CW 21 Youngstown

Two people were reported injured after a pontoon boat and fishing boat reportedly crashed Wednesday night on Browns Lake. Town of Burlington firefighters and City of Burlington rescue crews were dispatched at 7:30 p.m. to the Fischer Park boat launch, 30526 Durand Ave. (Highway E), to aid a man with an arm injury and a woman with a nose injury, emergency radio reports indicated.
- PUB DATE: 7/29/2020 6:45:12 PM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times

A federal grand jury indicted a Milwaukee man Tuesday on arson charges stemming from a home that was set on fire during unrest last month. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin said Joshua Lusk, 32, was indicted Tuesday on charges of arson and attempted arson, injuring a Milwaukee firefighter.
- PUB DATE: 7/29/2020 5:37:34 AM - SOURCE: Greater Milwaukee Today

VIDEO: A bridge over Tempe Town Lake has caught on fire and partially collapsed after a train derailed. Tempe Fire Department officials say the derailment happened around 6 a.m. on July 29 and involved a Union Pacific train. At least 90 firefighters are on the scene. One person is being treated of smoke inhalation, officials say.
- PUB DATE: 7/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSAZ-TV FOX 10 Phoenix

World Trade Center (WTC) first responders are at risk for developing dementia, according to two studies led by Stony Brook University researchers and presented virtually at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on July 28, 2020. The studies included individuals with signs of cognitive impairment (CI) who show neuroradiological abnormalities and changes in their blood similar to that seen in Alzheimer’s disease patients and those with related dementias.
- PUB DATE: 7/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Technology Networks

Easy access to fire hydrants is a requirement of every city's building codes, but Reno Fire Department says depending on the location and type of fire, getting to fire hydrants can be extremely difficult. Last week a south Reno apartment complex was engulfed in flames, destroying 14 of 21 buildings.
- PUB DATE: 7/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRNV-DT NBC 4 Reno

Local fire department leaders are speaking out about the calls to increase mental health screenings for first responders following the overdose death of a Winter Park EMS captain. Winter Park fire Capt. A.J. Isaacs overdosed on painkillers, which were stolen from his own department. “I know, without a doubt, there’s definitely PTSD within the fire service,” his widow, Heather Isaacs, said.
- PUB DATE: 7/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFTV ABC 9 News Orlando

Florida on Tuesday hit a new statewide record high for number of coronavirus deaths reported in a single day since the pandemic began — 186 residents. And while there are signs hospitalizations may be leveling off, the virus continues to upend life there and across the country. Nearly half of all states are now part of the government's so-called "red zone" due to rising cases, including Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin.
- PUB DATE: 7/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS News

Beloit first responders and Beloit Health System Emergency Department staff are some of the first medical personnel in contact with sick patients. In a pandemic, both groups work tirelessly to uphold the highest standards of patient care and professionalism. Since the onset of COVID-19 cases in the Beloit area, the Beloit Fire Department shifted protocols to keep first responders safe and to limit contact with potential virus cases.
- PUB DATE: 7/28/2020 8:30:30 PM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

Some Green Bay Metro firefighters earned bragging rights at work this July after an urgent call for help turned their fire engine and ambulance into a labor and delivery ward. The rare call gave the department an idea to start a new program to honor their work on such a special delivery. From the moment a 911 call comes in, firefighters are used to jumping into action.
- PUB DATE: 7/28/2020 4:38:23 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay