For the first time in a least four years, the city of Watertown has set dates to sit down with its fire union to negotiate a contract. In two weeks, Watertown city officials will be doing something they haven't done in a long time - negotiating a contract with the city fire union. "I think it's long over due.
- PUB DATE: 1/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WWNY-TV CBS 7 Carthage

Next time you call 911, you may not see red lights or hear sirens when fire and rescue personnel get to you and once they’re there, you might not be taken to a hospital. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services says it’s no cause for concern, MCFRS says what’s called a “cold response” can be safer for EMS personnel, community members and patients.
- PUB DATE: 1/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDVM-TV 25 Hagerstown

In her more than 30 years as an artist, Anne-Elizabeth Sobieski has created countless masterpieces. But nothing has sparked more excitement than the collection she recently created on a series of glass windows, commissioned as a civic work by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. “I had never painted on glass before but I can use my own drawing underneath as a guide.
- PUB DATE: 1/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spectrum News 1

Construction is well underway on the new Roanoke Fire Station No. 7. But before crews took hammers and excavators to tear down the old building, the fire department teamed up with Black Dog Salvage to save historic pieces of the old structure. The old station was built in 1922 and due to land issues, it had to be torn down in order to build a new station that would meet all the department’s needs.
- PUB DATE: 1/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSLS-TV NBC 10 Roanoke

Republicans in the state Senate advanced a bill Wednesday to restrict the use of firefighting foam containing certain PFAS compounds but rejected a Democratic proposal to expand regulation of the synthetic chemicals that have been found in drinking water throughout the state. The Senate’s GOP-led natural resources committee voted 3-2 along party lines to approve the bill, authored by Sen.
- PUB DATE: 1/9/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Kenosha News

The Town of Freedom will move forward with building a new Fire and EMS Department. The town clerk says 337 people voted in favor of building the new fire station, while 265 voted against it. Votes were cast at a special town board meeting Wednesday night. Before casting their vote, people had one last chance to view the plans for the $3.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 8:38:37 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

A torch that started an apartment fire caused $35,000 in damage Wednesday morning, officials said. According to an incident report from the Madison Fire Department, firefighters were sent to the 500 block of Northport Drive at around 9:30 a.m. after reports of a structure fire. Officials said maintenance workers were using a torch to work on bathroom plumbing and called 911 after seeing smoke within a wall.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 6:37:47 PM - SOURCE: WMSN-TV Fox 47 Madison

Republicans in the state Senate advanced a bill Wednesday to restrict the use of firefighting foam containing certain PFAS compounds but rejected a Democratic proposal to expand regulation of the synthetic chemicals that have been found in drinking water throughout the state. The Senate’s GOP-led natural resources committee voted 3-2 along party lines to approve the bill, authored by Sen.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 1:03:01 PM - SOURCE: Kenosha News

Multiple crews with the Madison Fire Department are responding to a structure fire at 509 Northport Drive, according to Dane County Dispatch. Officials said the call came in at 9:32 a.m. One medic was dispatched to the scene, but injuries are unknown. Two ladder units and three engines were also dispatched to the fire.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 8:44:48 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison

Ten people in Janesville are now receiving assistance from the Red Cross after their duplex caught fire early Wednesday morning. A passerby reported smoke was coming from a structure in the area of Harvard Drive and N. Crosby Avenue at 3:40 a.m., according to the Janesville Fire Department. When firefighters arrived to the scene, a two-unit side-by-side duplex had smoke coming from the attic and residents were evacuating 2604 Harvard Dr.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 7:40:37 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

One person is dead after a fire broke out Tuesday in a residence attached to the Victoria Motel in Oak Creek. According to Oak Creek Fire Chief Mike Kressuk, a call came in at 11:50 a.m. and responders encountered "light smoke conditions" at the motel. Crews entered a unit and found a small fire near a closet.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 3:09:51 AM - SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Superior Fire Department rung in 2020 with a new building, a new chief, a new fire truck and new technology that will take their work into the digital cloud. It’s a young crew heading into the new year. Half the department has been there five years or less. Firefighters in their 20s outnumber firefighters in their 50s by 10-to-1.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Superior Telegram

As California Governor Gavin Newsom continues cracking down on the state's oil industry, local officials say that a move away from oil may carry some unintended consequences. If Kern's oil industry took a hit, so would it's economy. And that would manifest itself in many ways, one of which being property taxes.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KERO-TV ABC 23 Bakersfield

New Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green wants the city council to review the city’s controversial Public Safety Officer program. The city has been slowly replacing firefighter positions with Public Safety Officers, or PSO’s, which are police officers cross-trained as firefighters. The move has angered firefighters and was a big issue in the election where council member Green defeated incumbent Mayor Jim Brown.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Radio Iowa

The Superior Fire Department rung in 2020 with a new building, a new chief, a new fire truck and new technology that will take their work into the digital cloud. It’s a young crew heading into the new year. Half the department has been there five years or less. Firefighters in their 20s outnumber firefighters in their 50s by 10-to-1.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Superior Telegram

If your house catches fire, your husband has a heart attack or your cat gets stuck in a tree in Reno this year, you might find yourself the unsuspecting star of a new "COPS"-style reality TV show that airs in real time. At its meeting Wednesday, the Reno City Council will decide whether to sign a contract with A&E's "Live Rescue" that would allow television production crews to embed with firefighters responding to calls.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Reno Gazette Journal

The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department (TFRD) is rolling out a new way to recruit with a focus on the community. Fire Chief Brian Byrd has assigned a specific team to recruit even more diverse candidates. They will work with community leaders like Toledo City Council members and Toledo Public Schools to fill the 50 open spots for the next class.
- PUB DATE: 1/8/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNWO-TV NBC 24 Toledo

A leaking heating and cooling unit prompted authorities to evacuate Edgerton High School on Tuesday afternoon. Kindergarten students, who have been using the high school building were also evacuated. At 1:20 p.m., the fire department was called to the school after a staff member smelled natural gas in the library, said Fire Division Chief Brandon Whitmore.
- PUB DATE: 1/7/2020 2:29:48 PM - SOURCE: Janesville Gazette

VIDEO: As winter continues, the risk of an accident while out on the ice remains. FOX 11's Maggie LaMere spends the morning with members of the De Pere City Fire Department and learns the practices they use to ensure safety while out on the ice! The department shares ice safety basics, steps used when making a rescue and a demonstration of a rescue using a portable rescue boat.
- PUB DATE: 1/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fox 11 Online

VIDEO: Firefighters in New Bedford protested the mayor's inauguration Monday night over the city's longstanding blackout policy. Fire station blackouts have been in effect since 2009 when the former mayor, Scott Lang, initiated the policy as a way to try and save money during the Great Recession. Through the policy, a different station is closed, or "blacked out", for a 24-hour period to cut back on staffing, therefore reducing costs.
- PUB DATE: 1/7/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLNE-TV ABC 6