The car was on fire, and the driver was at risk. Tom DeWitt, with seven others, acted fast: They pulled the driver out of the car, saving his life. DeWitt, who is an assistant fire chief for the village of Plover, on Tuesday received the department's highest honor, the medal of valor, for his role in saving a man from a burning car in February near Rocky Run and Little Chicago Road in the town of Carson.
- PUB DATE: 8/23/2018 10:36:50 AM - SOURCE: Stevens Point Journal

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is looking for a new Chicago Fire Department commissioner, as Jose Santiago hits mandatory retirement age and steps down. Emanuel tried to find a way to let Santiago stay past his 63rd birthday that’s coming up in a few days, but the city statute bars firefighters of any rank from serving beyond that, according to spokesman Adam Collins.
- PUB DATE: 8/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Tribune

A fire department whose data was throttled by Verizon Wireless while it was fighting California's largest-ever wildfire has rejected Verizon's claim that the throttling was just a customer service error and "has nothing to do with net neutrality." The throttling "has everything to do with net neutrality," a Santa Clara County official said.
- PUB DATE: 8/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ars Technica

A jury awarded $3.35 million Wednesday to a former Circleville firefighter who sued the city, alleging years of harassment and discrimination, including unwanted sexual advances, denied promotions and bodily fluids on her belongings. Amie Morningstar, 38, of Circleville, the first full-time female firefighter on that community’s force, filed suit in late 2015 and was fired in early 2016, said her attorney, Brian K.
- PUB DATE: 8/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Columbus Dispatch

Two Key West firefighters were fired Monday in connection with a police narcotics investigation centered on the city’s fire department. The firings, announced Tuesday, followed an Aug. 10 sweep of all three Key West fire stations by Key West police and Homeland Security, who were tipped off by the KWPD special investigations units that fire personnel were engaging in “narcotic activity,” according to an arrest report.
- PUB DATE: 8/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FL Keys News

California cities and counties have too few cops and too many wildfires to get a handle on their soaring overtime budgets. That’s how they explain the $3.7 billion they spent collectively on overtime last year, a 60 percent increase from the $2.3 billion they shelled out for overtime in 2012. The dynamic means police and firefighters have no shortage of opportunities to pad their paychecks with overtime hours, but for some, the extra work is taking a toll on their bodies and families.
- PUB DATE: 8/23/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Modesto Bee

VIDEO: It was all hands on deck in Belleville Wednesday, as the community pitched in to help its volunteer firefighters clean up their damaged fire station. Community members joined active and retired firefighters to tackle the flooding that came into the Belleville Volunteer Fire Department after heavy rains Monday caused the Sugar River to spill over.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 6:46:14 PM - SOURCE: WKOW-TV 27 ABC

The wildfires in California are at historic highs as active fires continue to burn from Northern to Southern California. But the firefighters there aren't alone. As of this Tuesday morning, Wisconsin has 37 state affiliated firefighters on state assignments and four type 6x engines on assignment. Below is a list of where the firefighters are stationed and how many are there: Wyoming - 3, one engine.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 5:08:20 PM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

A natural gas leak in a townhome Tuesday afternoon caused the evacuation of adjoining units, according to the fire department. The leak at 1807 Robin Way was reported at 2:30 p.m., Appleton Fire Department Battalion Chief Ethan Kroll told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. The first firefighters to arrive confirmed a smell of gas and meter readings on the outside of the building.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 4:57:24 PM - SOURCE: Appleton Post-Gazette & Post Crescent.com

VIDEO: Investigators are working to determine the cause of a four-alarm fire at a Burlington concrete factory. The fire did a lot of damage -- but didn't stop employees from going to work. Investigators don't know when the fire at Gleason Redi-Mix started -- because no one had been in the building for hours.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 12:11:42 PM - SOURCE: WITI Fox Channel 6

The plan to revamp the Winnebago County 911 emergency communications center has made little progress since talks started last December, with stakeholders wondering how long any potential consolidation process will take. The Winnebago County Board may vote Thursday on a $31,283 budget amendment from Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana to fund the 911 center through September, the end of the county's budget year.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 9:29:16 AM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

Beloit Fire Department staff assisted with flood rescue efforts in Dane County after torrential rains caused widespread flooding Monday night around Madison. Six swift water rescue team members and Fire Chief Brad Liggett were dispatched to rural parts of the county at 11:50 p.m. Monday, with rescue efforts continuing into Tuesday morning.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 9:18:54 AM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

PHOTO: A portion of Verlin Road was closed this morning in response to a small fire in a Bellevue warehouse. Firefighters got to the scene at about 6:20am, where no one was hurt and damage to the warehouse at Lok-Safe Storage was minimal. Verlin was closed between Bellevue Street and Lime Kiln Road for a couple of hours as the small flames were taken care of.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 8:27:05 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

On August 21, 1 residential fire fatality was reported by the Nation's news media.

On August 20, 1 residential fire fatality was reported by the Nation's news media.

VIDEO: It has been five days since the Black River Falls Fire Department announce the passing of their firefighter Alec Muth. Fighting fires and racing motorcycles were two of Muth's favorite activities. "We're going to miss his lightheartedness," said Bruce Bresee, an employee at Al Muth Harley-Davidson and family friend.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 3:50:07 AM - SOURCE: WXOW-TV ABC 19 LaCrosse

Verizon Wireless' throttling of a fire department that uses its data services has been submitted as evidence in a lawsuit that seeks to reinstate federal net neutrality rules. "County Fire has experienced throttling by its ISP, Verizon," Santa Clara County Fire Chief Anthony Bowden wrote in a declaration.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ars Technica

Mike Beadle, Palm Coast’s longtime fire chief, will be retiring in September and his second-in-command, Gerard “Jerry” Forte, will take the reins of the department, city officials announced Tuesday. City Manager Jim Landon formally appointed Forte, currently the deputy fire chief, to take over in Beadle’s stead during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daytona Beach News-Journal

The panel that oversees the Los Angeles Fire Department voted Tuesday to give the agency’s internal watchdog “unfettered access” to the disciplinary files of its firefighters, nine years after voters created the post to assess the agency’s handling of misconduct complaints. The Board of Fire Commissioners unanimously changed its policy to give the watchdog, known as the Office of the Independent Assessor, the power to obtain unredacted interview transcripts, evidence and other records generated over the course of a discipline case.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

PHOTO - A kindergartner rode to his first day of school in style fulfilling the wishes of his late father. Last week, Cooper Brooks, 5, arrived in a fire truck alongside dad Christopher Brooks' colleagues from the Sullivan County Volunteer Fire Department. Christopher Brooks, a father of three and volunteer firefighter, died May 7 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News