Fighting fires is no easy task. The work is often intense and physical. But that's not stopping about 10,000 women from joining their male counterparts on the front lines. Except, there is one big difference: their gear. With every zip, pull of a boot, and tug of a coat, the volunteer firefighters of Chaires and Capitola prepare themselves for the toughest of fires.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCTV CBS 6 Thomasville

Ed Parkinson today was named by the FirstNet Authority Board as executive director—operationally, the chief executive officer (CEO)—for the FirstNet Authority, becoming the organization’s third full-time staff leader and its first in more than 17 months. FirstNet Authority Board Chair Ed Horowitz said that Parkinson was selected at the conclusion of a “comprehensive and thorough search” to lead the FirstNet Authority staff.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Urgent Communications

With Engine Company 11 set to be decommissioned on March 22, some residents and city councilors are still fighting to keep it running. At Thursday night’s City Council meeting, Councilor-at-large Brian Gomes submitted a petition to the council with 1,164 signatures in support of keeping Station 11 open.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Standard-TImes

The Department of Public Safety of Newark, N.J., is warning residents they could be prosecuted for falsely reporting coronavirus cases in the city. The city’s public safety director, Anthony Ambrose, cautioned Newark residents against posting false information about cases on social media, saying it can cause “unnecessary public alarm.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Hill

Stateline Area fire departments are prepared for outbreaks of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Rock County in Wisconsin and Winnebago County in Illinois. No confirmed cases have been reported in either county as of Thursday afternoon. The Beloit Fire Department is one of multiple Rock County agencies coordinating a response plan with the Rock County Health Department in the event of any outbreak.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 8:02:30 PM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

As people prepare for coronavirus, emergency responders are working to be two steps ahead. Madison Fire Department’s assistant chief Che Stedman says that in one day the department may have eight ambulances with 16 paramedics. "We are expecting to go through supplies pretty quickly once the pandemic hits,” Stedman says.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 6:43:50 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

While many employers are urging their staff to work from home, that just isn't a possibility for a handful of people -- including first responders. That's why police and fire departments across the area are taking extra steps to protect themselves from the coronavirus pandemic. First responders say now is not the time to panic, but it is time to prepare.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 2:39:00 PM - SOURCE: WITI Fox Channel 6

A Green Bay man has been found guilty of two counts of arson in federal court. According to the U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, 57-year-old William Julius was found guilty by a jury of setting fire to a porch in the 300 block of South Madison Street in Green Bay on August 20, 2017.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 5:41:48 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

VIDEO: Dr. Christopher Bosche was 44 when he died on Sept. 12th, 2017. His 3-year battle with cancer was linked to exposure while responding to Ground Zero following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. State Rep. Brenda Shields (R-St. Joseph) said Bosche is one of three first responders from Missouri who died from illnesses linked to their response to 9/11.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVI-TV FOX 2 St. Louis

PHOTOS: “Stress is the body’s reaction to harmful situations,” according to WebMd. “Stress can affect all aspects of your life, including your emotions, behaviors, thinking ability, and physical health. No part of the body is immune.” Working in stressful and intense situations can take their toll on police officers, firefighters and paramedics.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hometown Source - Metered Site

Texas A&M University researchers have developed a flood prediction tool that can improve emergency response during hurricanes. The almost real-time device uses an algorithm to determine the flow of water with the help of information about a city’s architecture, drainage systems and flood gauges, according to a Texas A&M Engineering website news release.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Eagle

The Eugene Springfield Fire Department received Tuesday the first in a new line of locally built electric trikes the vehicle manufacturer hopes will change the way first responders reach people in need of emergency help. Arcimoto, which last year launched its three-wheel Fun Utility Vehicle after a dozen years of redesign and development, now has delivered the first Rapid Responder model to the local fire department.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Kolby Adams is a tenacious 7-year-old with a lot of big ideas, and he’s not letting his tender age stand in his way of shaking things up. The Swartz Creek youngster’s latest venture is his vlog, the theme of which might come as a surprise to some people. “When he first said he wanted to be a vlogger, I thought that the last thing I wanted to do was a vlog about worms and G.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Swartz Creek View

For the first time since the 2017 merger between the Rothschild and Schofield fire departments, the combined Riverside Fire District is at full staff. "We've been trying to find the right candidates for our job," Riverside Fire District Lt. Dylan Green said. "Obviously, it's not a job that (just) anybody can do, so it's more or less finding someone that's willing to be part of the team, that's willing to help people, that's willing to do the right thing when nobody is watching.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 4:43:56 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

While officials insist first responders in Wisconsin are ready to safely handle the likely spread of coronavirus, some haven’t been able to order new protective masks and not all 911 dispatchers are following national recommendations to keep paramedics safe. Emergency personnel are looking to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance as the virus becomes a larger threat.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 9:12:41 AM - SOURCE: Marshfield News-Herald

Jefferson County in southern Wisconsin is pursuing options for sharing government resources among its municipalities, both to shore up expenses as budgets remain tight and take advantage of an evaporating labor pool for highly skilled workers. Officials in Jefferson County are reviewing a case study published in February by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, an independent policy research organization, that recommends taking deeper dives into the efficacy of sharing services in fire and dispatch services.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 4:46:27 AM - SOURCE: Wisconsin Public Radio

One person is without a home after a kitchen fire in an apartment in Green Bay’s Monroe Plaza. Green Bay Metro Fire says they were dispatched to the 400 block of North Monroe around 3:20 a.m. Wednesday morning for a smoke alarm activation. Upon arrival, Green Bay Metro Fire crews found a fire in a single apartment.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 4:40:03 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

PHOTOS:Four Arkansas firefighters were hospitalized after an accident on Interstate 55 near Marion on Monday. The Marion Fire Department was clearing the scene of an unrelated accident at the 24-mile marker of Interstate 55 when the department was “involved in an accident with a semi truck.” According to a Facebook post, four fire department personnel were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNWA-TV NBC 51 Rogers

The Chicago Fire Department is swapping out coloring books for virtual reality headsets as its preferred educational tool to instill fire safety basics in the minds of elementary and middle schoolers. Fire Commissioner Richard Ford unveiled the technology Tuesday during a demonstration at St. Sabina Academy with a group of 5th and 6th graders who strapped on the headsets to find themselves getting out of bed to the sound of a beeping smoke detector.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Sun Times

PHOTOS: San Bernardino County Fire Department search teams staged a daring and complex rescue of a man trapped in a remote mine over the weekend, authorities say. Early Sunday morning, County Fire officials received a call from an unidentified explorer in a rural, unincorporated area of Twentynine Palms who had recently left a mine and reported that a partner was still inside and unable to get out.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Press