COVID-19 has "brought this nation to its knees," Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday. The country is probably going to spend about $7 trillion "because of one little virus," Redfield said during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

With the 4th of July right around the corner, many people are gearing up to celebrate. In Roswell, however, the holiday is a painful reminder of the loss of one of their own. Last year, a huge explosion injured 12 firefighters and left one dead as they were preparing for the city’s annual fireworks display.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOB-TV NBC 4 Albuquerque

VIDEO: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced a task force Tuesday aimed at cracking down on illegal fireworks after city residents have registered thousands of complaints. “We have concerns about this from all over the city, this is a real problem. It is not just a quality of life problem and noise problem, and it is certainly that … but it can also be dangerous,” the mayor said Tuesday at a press conference.
- PUB DATE: 6/24/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Hill

Beloit Fire Station Two was unstaffed for eight hours on Sunday, but medical services were not impacted, according to Beloit Fire Chief Daniel Pease. Pease said the station, at 2111 Cranston Road, was unstaffed due to a firefighter taking sick leave that was unrelated to COVID-19 exposure. “This caused the station to drop to two personnel, which is not enough to staff an engine,” Pease said.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 8:11:45 PM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

A natural gas leak from a gas line struck by an excavator was fixed at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, about an hour after homes downwind were evacuated. The 2-inch line was broken under the intersection of McKinley and Academy streets. Alliant Energy crews stopped the leak and were checking evacuated homes in the area for natural gas and reconnecting gas appliances before letting people back into their homes, said Ron Bomkamp, a battalion chief with the fire department.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 2:16:14 PM - SOURCE: Janesville Gazette

PHOTOS: A group of Madison firefighters rescued a group of ducklings Tuesday morning after they had fallen into a sewer. Engine 1 with the Madison Fire Department was notified that the ducklings had fallen into a sewer at the intersection of W. Dayton Street and Randall Avenue. Firefighters Wiese, Timm, Bower and Lt.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 9:03:49 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

VIDEO: Nearly one hundred firefighters from 10 companies and two counties rolled into Specialty Tire in Indiana Monday morning. Indiana Fire Association First Assistant Chief Ron Moreau described the scene: “Lots of heavy black smoke.” The picture from Indiana Fire Association shows the issue from the outside.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

With half of US states reporting a rise in new cases, one expert warns of ‘danger signs’ in some parts of the US. After weeks of many Americans failing to heed face mask and social distancing guidelines, health officials in some states are reporting an increase in younger populations testing positive — saying those individuals are often asymptomatic but could be infecting others.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV 5 CW Los Angeles

Firefighters face occupational hazards on a daily basis. Now, new research shows they face additional risk just by gearing up. Fabric used for firefighter turnout gear tested positive for the presence of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), according to the study published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, led by Graham Peaslee, professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: University of Notre Dame News

Chicago Fire showcases the intense and dangerous situations which firefighters deal with every day, and the crew wants it to be as realistic as possible. They use some fantastic special effects and pyrotechnics, which as amazing as they look, still isn’t real enough. In addition, this drama goes above and beyond by using real life firefighters in the show.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Showbiz CheatSheet

There has been quite a bit of discussion about how telehealth could be utilized during a public health emergency or more commonly during medical care. But only 1% of rural communities in the U.S. routinely use telemedicine and it is rarely utilized outside of emergency situations, such as natural disasters.
- PUB DATE: 6/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: EMS1

Madison police say officers had to drag a man out of a burning apartment after he allegedly started the fire as part of a domestic dispute. Police were called to 7004 Tree Lane just after 1 a.m. Monday, where officers found a woman and her child who had to evacuate in an attempt to get away from the man.
- PUB DATE: 6/22/2020 1:42:47 PM - SOURCE: WMSN-TV Fox 47 Madison

Crews responded to a fire at Fox Valley rehabilitation center just days another fire had damaged the west wing of the building. According to officials, crews from the Fox Crossing Fire Department and Neenah Menasha Fire were dispatched for a re-kindle of the fire at Oakridge Gardens Nursing Home around 3:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 6/22/2020 11:42:12 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay

Madison police are investigating after a man set an apartment on fire with a woman and child inside. According to police, officers and the Madison Fire Department were dispatched to the Tree Lane apartments on the west side for a domestic disturbance with a fire alarm going off just after 1 a.m. on Monday.
- PUB DATE: 6/22/2020 4:56:06 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

Wisconsin’s natural resources policy board is expected to vote this week on whether to allow the agency to draft rules limiting the use of firefighting foam containing hazardous fluorinated compounds known as PFAS. The board has been asked to approve parameters for an emergency rule that will determine guidelines for where and how fluorinated foam can be tested and disposed of, as well as the requirements for record keeping and notification when it’s used.
- PUB DATE: 6/22/2020 4:52:02 AM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times

VIDEO: Drone footage shows the aftermath of the massive fire that ravaged the former Strathmore Paper complex and destroyed Mill Number Two. The footage was taken Saturday by Samuel Mazzaferro, the owner and operator of West Branch Aerial Photography located in Chester. Mazzaferro made sure to follow all rules and regulations and avoided any interference as firefighters continued to work the scene.
- PUB DATE: 6/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Mass Live

A national nonprofit that's been monitoring the spread of COVID-19 says Michigan is one of three states "on track to contain" the novel coronavirus, but officials still warn the fight here is far from over. COVID Act Now, a group of technologists, epidemiologists, health experts and public policy leaders, tweeted Tuesday that Michigan had moved to its lowest risk category on its warning dashboard for states.
- PUB DATE: 6/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Detroit News

Four Rapid City Fire Department firefighters retired Friday as a result of budget concerns and to help prevent possible layoffs in the department. Capt. Joe Tjaden, Training Section Chief Matt Culberson, Battalion Chief Tim Daly and Fire Chief Rod Seals have a combined 111 years of experience under their belts, according to a RCFD press release.
- PUB DATE: 6/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rapid City Journal

About 60 firefighters with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department cannot work right now. They either have COVID-19 or may have been exposed. That’s according to Randy Wyse the President of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters. It comes after Action News Jax confirmed a firefighter at station 21 tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 6/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJAX-TV CBS 47 Jacksonville

Crews have rescued a group kayaking stranded on the Eau Claire River while kayaking near the town of Easton in Marathon County. A member of the South Are Fire District (SAFER) confirmed to a NewsChannel 7 crew on the scene that a rescue team with the Easton Fire Department was able to get the stranded boaters out of the water successfully.
- PUB DATE: 6/21/2020 5:47:23 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau