Interstate 485 drivers caused a traffic jam while gawking at and videotaping an overturned car, emergency responders said in a lengthy rebuke on Twitter Saturday night. “Please put your phones down and keep your eyes on the road,” Matthews Fire & EMS tweeted earlier in the day with two photos from the wreck scene, including one of an overturned car.
- PUB DATE: 12/23/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Charlotte Observer

Another red lightbulb has been added to the Keep the Wreath Green campaign after La Crosse firefighters found a fire inside a house's wall. The campaign serves as a reminder of how many fires happen during a year, especially during the holiday season. La Crosse firefighters were dispatched to the home at 1724 Liberty St.
- PUB DATE: 12/21/2019 3:38:17 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

VIDEO: Ripon firefighters battled a massive house fire Friday on Cork Street Road in the Town of Ripon. Firefighters received the call just before 3:30 in the afternoon. The fire department says it was initially told people were trapped inside the two-story home, but everyone got out safely. The house was engulfed before fire crews were on the scene, which just north of the city limits.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2019 3:46:26 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Six people were rescued from a burning home early Friday, according to the Milwaukee Fire Department. Crews were called to the area near 33rd and Mt. Vernon around 3 a.m. Authorities say once on scene, they saw flames coming from two homes. "Me and my roommate Q went downstairs and as soon as we opened the back door there were flames coming toward us," Ryan Crumble tells CBS 58.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2019 3:52:21 AM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

Marawood Construction has been selected to fill the general contractor position in the rebuild of the Madeline Island Fire Hall with a bid of $1,593,256. This comes after the emergency facility was destroyed in a fire earlier in the year. Officials say contractors needed to bid on six different components before construction would begin.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KBJR-TV NBC/CBS 6

A Local Law introduced by Chairman Dan J. Reynolds and the Majority Legislators that shields and protects First Responders has been approved by the Broome County Legislature. At the Regular Legislative Session held on Thursday, December 19th, the Legislature approved the Emergency First Responders Protection Act of 2019.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WICZ-TV FOX 40 Binghamton

The Cambria County Board of Commissioners on Thursday voted unanimously to approve a $16.9 million contract for upgrades to the county’s public safety radio system, a move designed to improve emergency responders’ ability to reliably communicate with each other and with 911 dispatchers. Robbin Melnyk, Cambria County’s 911 coordinator, said during Thursday’s meeting of the Board of Commissioners that the “questionable” reliability of the county’s existing public radio system “is a safety risk to our responders.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Johnstown Tribune-Democrat

VIDEO: When Paul Pietrafesa, a driver for Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, his wife Karen said she was glad he and their family had done everything they always wanted to do, and that they had lived every day like it was their last. “Cancer doesn’t discriminate.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Coral Springs Talks

The labor unions representing Paterson’s police officers and firefighters are accusing the city of violating their contracts by not issuing accrued leave time payments to employees who retired since July 1. Administration officials said the city intends to make the payments eventually, but that checks have not yet been issued because of “a cash flow issue.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NorthJersey.com - Metered Site

A North Bay man has written a song he hopes fire departments will adopt as an anthem. It's called "Smoke Soldiers," a three-minute rock ballad paying tribute to firefighters. And on Wednesday night, four Santa Rosa restaurants threw their support behind David Benjamin Gruenbaum of Santa Rosa 's effort.
- PUB DATE: 12/20/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVU-TV FOX 2 Oakland

Green Bay firefighters say a home's electrical wiring was overtaxed by multiple space heaters and appliances, causing a fire in the attic of a home Thursday morning. The fire department was dispatched at 8 a.m. to a report of smoke in the attic of a home on the 500-block of La Plant St., on the city's east side.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2019 1:45:39 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

An early-morning house fire brought firefighters from across the area to help battle the blaze in single-digit temperatures. No one was hurt in the fire, the cause of which is still under investigation. According to officials, the fire damage estimates are about $40,000. Officials said low temperatures were factored into the extinguishment of the fire.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2019 6:36:04 AM - SOURCE: Watertown Daily Times

A number of Watertown public service members were honored for their actions of heroism during the common council meeting Tuesday. Dispatcher Julia Schmelzer, Police officer James Simon, Watertown Fire Assistant Chief Tim Gordon, Fire Lt. Brad Fox, firefighter/paramedic Mason Tayler, firefighter/paramedic Patrick Schultz, firefighter/paramedic Jeff Penna and firefighter/paramedic Alexa Steinbach each received a life-saving award for their actions in saving the life of a patient earlier this year.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2019 6:36:03 AM - SOURCE: Watertown Daily Times

After vetting applicants as near as the Central Valley and as far off as Florida, the city of Visalia has selected a new fire chief: Daniel Griswold of Casper, Wyoming. "Without exception, everyone that had an opportunity to meet and talk with Dan really seemed to find him engaging, personable and approachable," City Manager Randy Groom said.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Visalia Times Delta - Metered Site

Christmas came early for the Willingboro Fire and EMS Department. Township officials gathered Wednesday to cut the ribbon at the department’s brand new, over 30,000-square-feet fire station. The milestone marks over a decade of the department working to get its members a new home. “This is something that is a longtime coming and is well deserved.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Burlington County Times

First responders, dispatchers, correction officers and their families in the Tri-State are getting new tools to take care of themselves and their coworkers. The Hamilton County Fire Chief's Association is launching a program to encourage the creation of peer support teams. Colerain Township Battalion Chief Steve Conn says in 2018 members of the association recognized the need for some type of mental health program for firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WVXU Cincinnati Public Radio

A Vernon Township firefighter found himself in the middle of his own medical emergency during a call last weekend. Captain Anthony Karhoff was paged out for a carbon monoxide call Friday night. "We started to investigate the situation by looking at the CO and smoke detectors in the house and I started feeling kind of uncomfortable, sick to my stomach and nauseous," Karhoff said.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC 12 News

Police are trying to sort out the circumstances surrounding a crash involving an Exeter Township Fire Department utility vehicle and a well-drilling truck. The crash was reported shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday on an icy stretch of Shelbourne Road, between Wingspread Drive and Rugby Road, in Exeter Township.
- PUB DATE: 12/19/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFMZ-TV 69 News

Firefighters were able to put out Tuesday night's fire in the Village of Maine because the owner's kept their fire hydrant clear of snow. "If you can keep a three foot radius around the fire hydrant, clear of the snow and ice," said Battalion Chief Jeremy Kopp, with the Wausau Fire Department. "It makes it a lot easier if we do get an emergency.
- PUB DATE: 12/18/2019 8:57:11 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

Contracts with the firefighters and battalion chiefs were approved by the Menomonie City Council. The council voted to approve collective bargaining agreements through 2022 with the Menomonie Battalion Chiefs and Menomonie Professional Firefighters Local 1697 at its meeting on Monday. The agreement with the battalion chiefs includes wage increases of a compounded 10.
- PUB DATE: 12/18/2019 1:03:48 PM - SOURCE: Dunn County News