Virginia Beach Fire and EMS employees were “pushed and kicked” Monday night while trying to save the life of a motorcyclist, officials say. When firefighters arrived in the 900 block of Atlantis Drive in the Seatack community shortly before 9 p.m. “an unruly crowd gathered and rapidly grew in size and out of control, surrounding the scene,” according to a Virginia Beach Fire Department daily briefing report obtained by WAVY-TV 10.
- PUB DATE: 7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAVY-TV NBC 10 Portsmouth

VIDEO: The state's final report about the Farmington explosion, obtained by the CBS 13 I-Team, reveals what firefighters experienced in moments just before and after the blast. They’ve never spoken about it publicly, but their interviews with investigators detail the terrifying ordeal and their brave actions that day.
- PUB DATE: 7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGME-TV CBS 13 Portland

The Kern County Board of Supervisors took a series of steps Tuesday to address a looming budget crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. One of those steps included passing a $3 billion preliminary budget for fiscal year 2020-21, but the most prominent may have been the reduction of firefighter overtime benefits that the County Administrative Office said exceeds federal labor standards.
- PUB DATE: 7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Bakersfield Californian

EaseAlert is a pre-alert system designed to alert firefighters of an emergency before the alarm sounds in their station. It was created by young entrepreneurs Blake Richardson and Elezar Tonev with the goal to reduce stress and improve efficiency for firefighters. “My dad has been a firefighter most of my life.
- PUB DATE: 7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCJB-TV ABC/CW+ 20 Gainesville

For the first time in 73 years, the town’s fire and EMS departments will operate as one unified department beginning Wednesday. The unified department, the result of merging the Coventry Volunteer Fire Association and the North Coventry Volunteer Fire Department, will be known as the Town of Coventry Fire/EMS Department.
- PUB DATE: 7/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Journal Inquirer

More Beloit residents have tested positive for the coronavirus than in any other Rock County municipality, but Janesville claims the higher mortality rate. After months of back and forth between county and municipal leaders, the Rock County Public Health Department has started publishing community-specific data on its website for Janesville and Beloit.
- PUB DATE: 6/30/2020 8:01:13 PM - SOURCE: Janesville Gazette

A resident and a firefighter were injured after a home went up in flames in Janesville Tuesday afternoon. The Janesville Fire Department says firefighters responded to a home in the 400 block of North Terrace Street and found smoke coming from the home. The residents had already evacuated, and the firefighters were able to extinguish the flames “after an aggressive attack,” according to a report from JFD.
- PUB DATE: 6/30/2020 7:44:34 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

Fire crews from three departments on Monday battled a house fire in hot and humid conditions in West Allis. Firefighters from West Allis arrived at the scene of the blaze at 1024 S. 74th St. three minutes after receiving notification of the fire at 10:52 a.m., said West Allis Assistant Fire Chief Jason Schaak.
- PUB DATE: 6/30/2020 1:03:17 AM - SOURCE: Greenfield West Allis NOW

It’s not just cops’ disciplinary records that should be shared with the public -- firefighters’ and correction officers’ histories should be posted online too, Mayor de Blasio said Monday. Now that the state has repealed a part of the 1976 state civil rights law known as 50-a, there is no reason for any city agency to shield relevant records from the public, de Blasio added.
- PUB DATE: 6/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

VIDEO: A fire at an asphalt processing plant resulted in a hazmat situation and evacuations in Camden County, New Jersey early Tuesday. Officials said a large tank containing asphalt began to smolder around 12:45 a.m. at Blueknight Energy Partners on the 200 block of Water Street in Gloucester City.
- PUB DATE: 6/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia

A total of $3.5 million was awarded to 154 fire departments, districts and EMS providers through the Small Equipment Grant Program. The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal and Gov. Pritzker announced the OSFM received 540 applications, requesting around $12 million in funding during this grant period.
- PUB DATE: 6/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WIFR-LD CBS 23 Rockford

The United States has long prided itself as the world's shining beacon. But its current status is a much darker one: the globe's leader in coronavirus cases. More than 125,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the US, and more than 2.5 million Americans have been infected. American life has been irrevocably altered by the worst pandemic in a century.
- PUB DATE: 6/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

PHOTOS: City officials invite area residents to join them next week in a celebration of the Fort Walton Beach Fire Department’s new fire engine. City officials used $530,000 in half-cent sales tax money to pay for the 2020 engine, which can pump 1,500 gallons of water per minute and carries a full complement of firefighting, rescue and emergency medical tools and equipment.
- PUB DATE: 6/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Northwest Florida Daily News

A brat, dip in the pool, and fireworks are all part of the perfect 4th of July. But they do come with risks. That’s why both the Merrill and Wausau Fire departments are urging residents to take precautions in their 4th of July celebrations this week. “Do things cautiously. Think about what you’re doing.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2020 3:43:28 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

A Janesville man was arrested after starting his house on fire following a standoff with police, according to a release by the city’s police department. Officers were called to a home located along the 100 block of Cherry Street around 3 a.m. Monday. Responding officers arrived to find Raymond Gross outside the house armed with a knife, the release said.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2020 7:38:04 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

One firefighter was taken to the hospital while fire crews battled a house fire Sunday afternoon on Mill Street. Fire crews responded around 2 p.m. to the 300 block of North Mill Street in Merrill, according to the Merrill Fire Department. Fire crews found smoke coming from the home and started extinguishing the fire from outside.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2020 3:51:18 AM - SOURCE: Wausau Daily Herald

Every JFRD firefighter will be tested for COVID-19. Testing started Saturday after 14 tested positive for the virus. The city said more than 200 firefighter are in self-quarantine. COVID-19 tests are underway on everyone in the Jacksonville Fire Department after 14 firefighters tested positive for the virus.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJAX-TV CBS 47 Jacksonville

A car slammed into the living area of a Rialto fire station Friday night, June 26, almost striking a firefighter and leaving a stew of smashed furniture, broken glass and vehicle fluid behind as it reversed out of the building. The firefighter, an engineer who is a veteran of 15 years, was sitting about 3 feet from where the front quarter of the car went into the building, Battalion Chief Cory Cisneros said Saturday.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Sun

A conflict is brewing between the Oneida County Department of Emergency Services and a handful of local fire chiefs who do not want to give up their 3-digit identification numbers. The county 9-1-1 Center is planning to switch from number identifications to plain language in order to better serve an impending upgrade to a digital radio system.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rome Sentinel

Startup Allerio announced that its easy-to-use Mobile Hub broadband platform designed for EMS use and the healthcare community has been certified for use by the FCC and multiple U.S. carriers—FirstNet/AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and U.S. Cellular. “One of the unique things about this is that there’s one button on it—it turns the device on, and it turns the device off,” Allerio CEO TJ Kennedy said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications.
- PUB DATE: 6/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IWCE's Urgent Communications