A child playing with a lighter in a bedroom reportedly caused a house fire with an estimated loss of $20,000. According to a press release from the City of Racine Fire Department, firefighters and the Racine police were dispatched to the 1000 block of Mayfair Drive at 12:12 a.m. on Saturday to find smoke coming from the upstairs window of a unit in a duplex.
- PUB DATE: 2/11/2018 2:12:50 AM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times

On February 10, 0 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

PHOTO: A Fitchburg firefighter was transported to a local hospital with minor fire-related injuries following an early morning residential fire Saturday, officials told News 3. Officials said they received a call around 5:30 a.m. regarding a house fire in the 4000 block of Aztec Trail in Fitchburg and have been at the scene for at least seven hours now.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2018 11:23:15 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison

On February 9, 0 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

On February 7, 6 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Mill Valley fire Chief Tom Welch acknowledges that tougher fire prevention regulations for vegetation might face some opposition, but he vows to persist after his experience as a North Bay fire victim. In the aftermath of the devastation in Sonoma and Napa, Mill Valley fire officials say it’s time to refocus their energy on vegetation management.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Marin Independent Journal

A state fire marshal’s review of the blaze that killed San Antonio firefighter Scott Deem found firefighters and commanders made several mistakes while fighting the major fire at Ingram Square Shopping Center. San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said firefighters approached the blaze like a residential fire, rather than a commercial one, and failed to use a hose or rope when they entered the building to look for people possibly trapped inside.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Conexion SA

Former Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Chief Jeffrey Collins and a pair of other high-ranking officers in the department were forced out of their jobs because of a “civil conspiracy” being carried out by the county government, a lawyer representing the officers said Thursday. The lawyer provided no details about the nature of that conspiracy, but she did say her firm has given the county notice that it intends to sue on behalf of the former officers.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Palm Beach Post

Nearly four months after his arrest, charges against a retired Griffin Fire Department Battalion Chief were dismissed Thursday, Pike County District Attorney Benjamin Coker said in a statement. Emory Leroy Rickerson was arrested Oct. 10 after he refused to remove his car so Georgia State Patrol troopers could access the crash scene on Ga.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Francisco Palma dangled upside down, his right leg caught and mangled in the teeth of ditch-digging equipment resembling a giant chain saw. Only his head and shoulders touched the ground. A trencher caught the pants leg of the 46-year-old construction worker last week. It flipped him over and nearly severed his leg.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dallas Morning News

VIDEO: Prescription drug abuse is spiraling into an overwhelming dilemma, and the opioid crisis is something our nation grapples with every day. In response, local firefighters are working to fight addiction in our neighborhoods. Thursday, Feb. 8, the Milwaukee Fire Department announced its involvement in a drug take back program.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2018 4:52:50 PM - SOURCE: WITI Fox Channel 6

VIDEO: A massive fire broke out at a tire store near 32nd and Locust Thursday, February 8th. Crews battled the blaze for several hours to get it under control. The size of the building is huge, and several units responded to the scene. "I just seen lots of firefighters, water in the air, people running," said Ishia Reed, lives in the area.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2018 3:54:52 PM - SOURCE: WITI Fox Channel 6

VIDEO: It's never too early to teach kids how to respond in case of emergency. That’s something an area family can attest to, after a 7-year-old girl helped save a life. Thursday, the La Crosse Fire Department and Mayo Clinic Health System taught students at First Evangelical Lutheran School some lifesaving techniques, including CPR and AED training, and also rewarded second-grader Kenzie Smith for her role in saving her grandmother's life.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2018 3:48:49 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

On February 7, 3 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

On February 5, 12 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

On February 2, 19 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

"I had a surgery at Aurora to get a syst out in my chest; it was the leftover junk from tumor," said Rudi Betancourt. While washing dishes during pizza night at the firehouse, Betancourt explained how he's back to work after beating cancer more than a year ago. CBS 58 spoke with Betancourt, his fellow firefighter, Lt.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2018 6:29:31 AM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

On February 7, 2 residential fire fatalities were reported by the Nation's news media.

Beloit Fire Department firefighters and medical staff are working harder than ever, with call volumes increasing annually from 2015 to 2017. The increases are in line with the national trend of more responses for fire and medical staff across the country, and Beloit's totals represent changes in how society views the role of first responders, Beloit Fire Chief Brad Liggett said.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2018 1:41:46 AM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News

In a memo sent to her staff, Austin Fire's first female chief, Rhoda Kerr, has announced she will soon leave the department to take on a role in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Kerr told the Austin Fire Department staff Wednesday that she plans to retire July 1 to start her "new adventure as the new Fire Chief in Fort Lauderdale.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KVUE-TV ABC Austin