After four years in legislative purgatory, a bill that would grant firefighters cancer coverage — in a stunning reversal brought about by sustained public pressure and allegations of political vendettas — is being fast-tracked to clear the Legislature this year. The bill cleared a key hurdle Thursday morning when the House State Affairs committee agreed unanimously to advance the proposal, after more than an hour of discussion marked by teary testimony and lawmakers’ vocal support.
- PUB DATE: 4/19/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Miami Herald - Metered Site

On April 18, 0 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

According to a news release from the Waupaca County Sheriff's Office, a fire just before 4:30 p.m. Thursday damaged the Log Cabin Bar on Highway 54 in the Town of Mukwa. Firefighters say they found heavy smoke coming from the basement, below some living quarters, at the back of the bar. The basement was destroyed by the fire.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 8:34:51 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

It's a powerful demonstration of the effectiveness of fire sprinkler systems. The Wisconsin Fire Sprinkler Coalition on Thursday, April 19 featured a live fire demonstration of fire sprinklers. "Fire sprinklers buy time and save lives," said Michael Wos, Executive Director of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin Charitable Foundation.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 3:54:19 PM - SOURCE: WITI Fox Channel 6

VIDEO: What a way to begin a vacation. Lake Mills Firefighter Andy Brinkmann proposed to his girlfriend mid-flight, with the help of the Frontier Airlines flight staff. Originally Brinkman planned to propose on a trip in January. But on New Year's Eve tragedy struck when he lost his close friend and colleague Lake Mills Fire Captain, Chris Truman.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 2:27:27 PM - SOURCE: Today's TMJ4

The Kaukauna Fire Department responded to a fire at 600 Thilmany Road at approximately 4:45 Thursday morning. When crews arrived on scene at Ahlstrom-Munksjö Thilmany plant, they found a coal hopper with approximately 40 tons of coal on the fire. Firefighters were then able to direct hose-lines onto the fire engulfing the storage hopper.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 8:07:57 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

On April 17, 5 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

On April 12, 6 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Fire officials are investigating the cause of a fire that broke out at Green Bay Packaging Wednesday night. According to a press release from the Green Bay Metro Fire Department, crews were called around 9:30 p.m. to the manufacturing facility located at 831 Radisson St. When firefighters arrived, smoke from inside the plant could be seen from outside.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 5:38:24 AM - SOURCE: Green Bay Press-Gazette

Port Washington Fire Chief Mark Mitchell had hoped to hire a full-time firefighter/paramedic by June, but that probably won’t happen. Mitchell told the Police and Fire Commission last week that only two people applied for the job, and neither met the city’s requirements for the post. “I was very, very, very surprised,” Mitchell said.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 1:47:47 AM - SOURCE: Ozaukee Press

A Senate panel Tuesday approved a proposal that would set death benefits that would be paid if law-enforcement officers, firefighters, other first responders and military members are killed while on duty. The proposal (SB 7098), sponsored by Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, would carry out a constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 7, passed by voters in November.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WINK News

VIDEO: Smokey Bear — a pop culture icon better known by some baby boomers as Smokey the Bear — is going digital in a big way for his 75th birthday in an effort to reach younger Americans with messages that go beyond "only you can prevent forest fires." Now, in addition to being a burly, shirtless upright bear in a ranger hat, Smokey is an animated emoji that celebrities — including Stephen Colbert, Jeff Foxworthy and Al Roker — are speaking through.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Detroit Free Press

Eddy County Fire Services could take over management and operations of the Loving Volunteer Fire Department. The process could take up to two years, according to Eddy County Fire Services coordinator Joshua Mack. "They have to clear up all their financials. We have to go through the State Fire Marshal's office.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Carlsbad Current Argus Newspaper

A judge on Wednesday turned down a request from the city's fire union to halt a policy that directs firefighters to clean up blood and bodily fluids at accident and medical scenes. The Detroit Fire Fighter Association filed suit last month asking for an injunction until an unfair labor practices complaint over the newly inked rules could be resolved.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Detroit News

Whether it’s first responders fighting a wildfire or hikers getting lost in the wilderness, the loss of communication can be the difference between life and death. “This will boost the signal on your cellphone. If you are backpacking or hiking out in the wilderness, normally there would be no signal.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Pueblo Chieftain

Three weeks after a massive fire put dozens of people out of their bayside homes, the fire department is asking themselves: "How did we do?" CBS 58 sat down with the North Shore Fire Chief for an honest assessment. Chief Robert Whitaker says he wishes more of the building could have been saved but it wasn't North Shore's top priority that night.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2019 8:36:56 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

Nearly two months after a massive, historic pileup on Interstate 41, emergency workers who responded to the chaotic situation were recognized for their sterling efforts. Police and firefighters rushed to the scene of the 131-car pileup on Feb. 24. Paramedics pulled patients away from their vehicles and tow trucks cleared disabled cars from the road.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2019 1:00:36 PM - SOURCE: Appleton Post-Gazette & Post Crescent.com

Wisconsin's Congressional delegation is introducing a bill to rename the Sun Prairie Post Office building for the late Fire Captian Cory Barr. Barr is credited with evacuating more than 100 people from a downtown Sun Prairie building in July 2018 after it exploded from a natural gas leak. The blast leveled most of a city block, including the Barr House restaurant which Cory and his wife Abby owned.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2019 9:31:09 AM - SOURCE: WRIG-AM Fox Sports 1390

The Florida House will reverse course and now hear a bill that would give firefighters cancer coverage, its leader said Tuesday, caving to days of public pressure and recent allegations that the bill had been deliberately held as payback after an ally’s contentious midterm election last year. House Speaker José Oliva, who had previously said he objected to hearing the bill, said in a statement that the “environment has become too toxic to debate the true original disagreement.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Miami Herald

City officials pitched a plan Monday (April 15) to change how promotions are doled out for New Orleans police and firefighters, placing less emphasis on formal test scores while creating a new selection group whose members are chosen by the city’s chief administrative office. Critics, particularly among local union representatives, were quick to frame the proposed rule changes as a gateway for possible abuse, potentially allowing department heads to cherry-pick candidates rather than basing promotions on merit alone.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NOLA.com