VIDEO: A nationwide firefighter shortage is leading fire departments to recruit straight from college programs. Blackhawk Technical College offers a fire and EMS training program that works directly with fire departments. However, this program has seen a decline in enrollment over the years, matching up with the shortage across the country.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKOW-TV ABC 27 Madison

VIDEO: The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) has responded to a significant fire every 12 hours since April 1, according to a new video posted by Ashley Franco, the Public Information Officer for CSFD. The video was posted to social media on Thursday, April 11 along with a warning from CSFD to homeowners to check around their homes for any fire hazards and to always have working smoke alarms.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXRM-TV FOX 21 Colorado Springs

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Raleigh firefighters are adding a new truck to their fleet to help protect them from cancer-causing soot that can cling to skin and gear. Rehab 12 has several features to help protect firefighters, including a handwashing station. Battalion Chief Keith Wilder said it is ready to use as soon as an emergency arises.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRAL-TV NBC 5 Raleigh

VIDEO: New York City Council approved a bill Thursday requiring the FDNY to give bulletproof vests to EMTs. Supporters say it's necessary as threats against first responders intensify. Natasha Nembhard joined the FDNY first as an EMT and now as a paramedic in Brooklyn because she loves to help people.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCBS-TV CBS 2 New York City

PHOTOS/VIDEO: Two medics were rushed to a hospital Thursday night after their ambulance flipped and crashed into a restaurant in southwest Houston. It happened a little after 10:30 p.m. when the Houston Fire Department was called to a motor vehicle accident on S Gessner near Westpark Tollway. It’s unclear what exactly caused the crash, but officers with the Houston Police Department said it appears the private ambulance was headed southbound on Gessner when it changed lanes and hit a restaurant’s exterior before flipping.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston

Watertown officials recently announced the upcoming swearing-in ceremony for its newest fire chief Tanya Reynen, marking the official commencement of her tenure with the city. The ceremony is set for 5 p.m. April 18 at the Watertown Fire Department, 106 Jones St. As she assumes the role of fire chief, Reynen brings a wealth of experience and expertise gained throughout her esteemed career in the fire service, according to a release from the city.
- PUB DATE: 4/11/2024 5:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Watertown Daily Times

The City of Madison announced on Monday that a third CARES team has been activated to respond to calls for service on weekdays. ‘CARES 3' will be on duty from noon to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday, and will respond from the old Town of Madison fire station on Fish Hatchery Road. The team will allow the program to expand its service capacity in response to ongoing demand.
- PUB DATE: 4/11/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMTV NBC/CW 15 Madison

A multi-acre pallet yard fire with 20 to 50 foot flames near Tracy lit up the early morning sky on Thursday. Since about 2 a.m., fire crews with the South San Joaquin County Fire Authority and several other surrounding agencies have been responding to a fire located in a 6-acre pallet yard along Grant Line Road.
- PUB DATE: 4/11/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTXL-TV FOX 40 Sacramento

PHOTOS: New York City is trying to address the deadly threat of e-bike battery fires in various ways. City leaders have passed new laws, increased fines, initiated more aggressive regulation, and supported pilot projects with businesses and nonprofits. That's because some cheap, retrofitted lithium-ion batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters don’t meet safety standards and are dangerously explosive.
- PUB DATE: 4/11/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Gothamist

PHOTOS: In the years after the Civil War, the finest lodging downtown was the six-story Southern Hotel, at Fourth and Walnut streets. It took up most of the block where the Stadium East Garage stands today. Next door was Tony Faust's Oyster Bar, the city's best restaurant. In those days, hotel fires were rightly to be dreaded.
- PUB DATE: 4/11/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Metered Site

Ford is recalling nearly 43,000 small SUVs because gasoline can leak from the fuel injectors onto hot engine surfaces, increasing the risk of fires. But the recall remedy does not include repairing the fuel leaks. The recall covers certain Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, as well as Escape SUVs from 2022.
- PUB DATE: 4/11/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

An apartment on UW-Madison's campus was evacuated on Tuesday due to a carbon monoxide leak, according to the Madison Fire Department. Spokesperson Cynthia Schuster said firefighters responded to an apartment near the 500 block of Eagle Heights Drive to investigate a carbon monoxide alarm sounding around 9:37 a.
- PUB DATE: 4/10/2024 8:08:00 PM - SOURCE: WKOW-TV ABC 27 Madison

VIDEO: It’s your last chance to request free smoke detectors during a special ‘Sound the Alarm’ event in Green Bay. “Smoke alarms are our lifeline for early notification if a fire were to happen so that way we can hopefully get outside and be safe,” Green Bay Metro Fire Lt. Shauna Walesh explained. The U.
- PUB DATE: 4/10/2024 4:32:00 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, both Wisconsin and Minnesota are taking part in statewide tornado drills Thursday afternoon and evening. The scheduled times are 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. During those times, counties and municipalities may be sounding outdoor warning sirens. Brandon Larson, the Emergency Management Director for Vernon County, said the county would be sounding its outdoor sirens at both times.
- PUB DATE: 4/10/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXOW-TV ABC 19 La Crosse

Safe Haven baby boxes will be starting to pop up in southeast Wisconsin as a result of a bill signed late last year by Gov. Evers. The bill allows mothers—no questions asked-- to anonymously relinquish their newborns by placing them in boxes that are installed outside of hospitals, police departments and fire stations.
- PUB DATE: 4/10/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGTD-FM 91.1 Kenosha

VIDEO: On Monday, a soybean dryer caught fire at Gibson City’s IFF plant. From fearless fire crews to generous community members, all hands were on deck. Firefighters are using some heavy-duty equipment to get inside of the soybean dryer. They said it took hours to put out the flames, and on Tuesday, they were keeping a close eye on it since the facility was still smoldering.
- PUB DATE: 4/10/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCIA-TV CBS 3 Champaign

Six years ago, the Santa Clara County Fire Department was battling one of the largest wildfires ever to break out in California, the Mendocino Complex fire. With thousands of firefighters on the front line, county officials needed to coordinate fire suppression efforts at multiple points. But they ran into a major roadblock.
- PUB DATE: 4/10/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Palo Alto Online

An Iowa man who missed a share of Saturday's $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot by just one number has claimed his consolation prize. Trent Baker, a 37-year-old firefighter from Newton, matched the first five numbers of Saturday's drawing (22-27-44-52-69), but missed the Powerball (9). He's one of seven players across the county to do so, winning $1 million.
- PUB DATE: 4/10/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCCI-TV CBS 8 Des Moines

VIDEO: Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay $600 million in a class-action lawsuit settlement related to last year's fiery train derailment that affected East Palestine, Ohio. The company said Tuesday that the agreement, if approved by the court, will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment and, for those residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius from the derailment.
- PUB DATE: 4/10/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS News

Authorities in Wisconsin say two employees at the Kohler Company Carriage House were hurt after a fire broke out Monday night. According to a release, Crews responded at 6:45 p.m. to the Kohler Company Carriage House at 501 Highland Drive after the Sheboygan County Dispatch Center was made aware of a report of smoke on the building’s fourth floor.
- PUB DATE: 4/9/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV CBS 5 Green Bay