On February 16, 5 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

On February 14, 10 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Two city firefighters were injured Monday when a wall collapsed while multiple fire crews were battling a massive blaze in a large storage building on Newell Street. The two unidentified firefighters were taken by ambulance to Samaritan Medical Center, one on a stretcher. Fire Chief Dale C. Herman confirmed one of the injured firefighters was later transferred to a Syracuse hospital.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Watertown Daily Times

Fairfax County’s fire chief announced his retirement Friday, a little more than a week after county officials said they would investigate allegations that the department had failed to curb sexual harassment. Richard R. Bowers Jr. has received high marks during his five-year tenure for the department’s firefighting work, but was dogged by complaints and a handful of lawsuits claiming that women were mistreated in the ranks.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Washington Post

In 2003, John Bernardo worked occasional nights as a DJ in bars throughout the state, hired to bring in people who wanted to dance and buy drinks. After Feb. 20, 2003, the night 100 people — including two of his friends — were killed and more than 200 injured, many severely, in the Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, that all changed.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Providence Journal

Emily Avin was supposed to come home that day in September. Her parents had arranged it: Avin would move back into their country home in the small Florence County town of Pamplico, where she grew up playing softball and cheering for her high school football team as the mascot. It would be a break, for a month or so, from her job as a paramedic, a career the young woman loved but now found emotionally draining.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Charleston Post and Courier

Four members of the American Legion Ambulance Association in Woodstown escaped unhurt Monday after an early morning blaze devastated their squad building and caused at least $2 million in damage. The blaze broke out around 4 a.m. and destroyed five ambulances and caused significant damage to a sixth, officials said.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NJ.com

A program that allows Los Angeles cops and firefighters to collect their pensions and salaries simultaneously at the end of their careers was originally hailed as a no-cost way to keep the most experienced officers on the job. But six years into the program it was clear there were serious problems, including reports that aging officers with bad backs and aching knees were joining and then immediately going out on long injury leaves — sometimes for years — at essentially twice the pay.
- PUB DATE: 2/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

VIDEO: Residents of Park Ridge will vote Tuesday on an advisory referendum concerning the volunteer fire department. The future of the station remains in question but in the meantime, residents are voicing their opinions. The ballot will have three options for residents to choose from: The first would offer a new building and updated equipment.
- PUB DATE: 2/19/2018 5:26:26 PM - SOURCE: WAOW Newsline 9

VIDEO: People living on Madison's southeast side routinely have to wait 10 to 15 minutes for emergency crews to respond. The city hopes opening Fire Station 14 near the intersection of Dairy Drive and Femrite Drive will change that. Construction begins Monday. When complete, the $6.4 million Fire Station 14 will include a community room as well as a training room for firefighters and recruits.
- PUB DATE: 2/19/2018 3:48:57 PM - SOURCE: WMSN-TV Fox 47 Madison

The former chief of the Mosinee Fire District is suing to block the release of records requested after his resignation, alleging they contain false information that would hurt his reputation if made public. Doug Jennings left the department in late January, a day after he was put on paid suspension by the Mosinee Fire District Board.
- PUB DATE: 2/19/2018 2:48:40 PM - SOURCE: Wausau Daily Herald

VIDEO: Three people were displaced Sunday by a fire at an apartment building. The fire was reported at 6:12 p.m. at 3208 E. Canary St., according to the Appleton Fire Department. The first firefighters at the scene found an apartment using a wood burning stove had led to a chimney fire in the attic. The fire was quickly extinguished and most of the damage was limited to the attic.
- PUB DATE: 2/19/2018 1:04:30 PM - SOURCE: Appleton Post-Gazette & Post Crescent.com

Fond du Lac Sheriff's Office received a call just before midnight Monday about a house fire. Officials say the blaze broke out on W3858 Silica Road. A passerby reported visible smoke coming from the garage and could hear a woman inside the home calling for help. Fire personnel removed the 47-year-old woman from the home.
- PUB DATE: 2/19/2018 8:15:38 AM - SOURCE: WNFL SPORT REDIO

On February 14, 8 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Drug overdose deaths in Winnebago County increased nearly 30 percent from 2016 to 2017, according to data released Wednesday by Winnebago County Coroner Bill Hintz. The report stated there were 124 overdose deaths in the county last year, up from 96 in 2016. The three most common drugs involved with the deaths included fentanyl, heroin and cocaine, with the most common affected age group included 40 to 49-year-olds.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2018 6:33:47 AM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

During his two years as a La Crosse County dispatcher, Jay Loeffler quickly learned that the definition of an emergency is most certainly not universal. Among the thousands of calls reporting accidents, injuries and intruders, the occasional head-shaking query comes in, with one memorable conversation regarding a restaurant reservation.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2018 3:33:48 AM - SOURCE: Lacrosse Tribune

VIDEO: A lot of interesting stories come across my desk daily. In a blink of an eye I have to decide whether to look into them or move on. After opening my email this morning and taking that first sip of coffee I received one particular story that I couldn't let slip by. Two Hobart girls, Addie and Annabella Mathey, have been celebrating their birthdays a little differently than the rest of us.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2018 12:41:43 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

Spokane firefighters may soon breath easy again after a recent round of testing determined there are no contaminants in the department’s air tanks. The test results, announced by the city Thursday morning at a news conference, come from health consultant companies Veritox, Inc. and TRI Air Testing, which both found no traces of toxic metals in firefighter’s self-contacted breathing apparatus (SCBA) bottles.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Spokesman-Review

Several Long Island elected officials and volunteer fire service leaders expressed support Thursday for legislation that would allow fire departments to bill insurance companies and government benefits programs for emergency medical services. Tom McDonough, former chief of the Port Washington Fire Department, said the measure would generate needed revenue — and ultimately save lives.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Newsday

Charlotte's fire chief sat down one-on-one with Eyewitness News to talk about his mission to push for diversity. This comes days after firefighters packed City Hall, standing united against more claims of unfair treatment of minorities. Chief Pete Key said the department is taking a grassroots approach to recruiting and that wherever he goes, he does his best to bring people into the department.
- PUB DATE: 2/16/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: wsoctv.com