It’s no secret that firefighters have a special relationship. They spend every other day together and rely on each other to have their backs. Two firefighters from West Licking Fire Department are proving that bond goes further than just the firehouse. One man needed a kidney, so another firefighter gave him one.
- PUB DATE: 5/25/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCMH-TV Columbus

VIDEO: One teenager is dead and another is injured after a plane crash near Chetek. Chetek Fire Chief Ryan Olson tells WEAU 13 News the plane crashed in the Red Cedar River near Chetek Wednesday night. According to Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, one of the teens died. The other was taken to an area hospital.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2017 10:40:08 PM - SOURCE: WEAU-TV 13 News

VIDEO: Kelly Hanink is the new chief of the Riverside Fire District. The district was established January 1, 2017, combing the Schofield and Rothschild departments. Hanink is the first full-time employee and chief of the department. “I'm really excited,” she said. “This is an opportunity for me to lead a new organization.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2017 4:48:18 PM - SOURCE: WAOW-TV ABC 9-Wausau

For more than two decades, Jeffrey Mattek has served Village of Salem Lakes Fire and Rescue in several capacities, but his tenure ended at the May 18 swearing-in and pinning ceremony. Mattek, who retired after 23 years, received a standing ovation from those in attendance. According to Salem Lakes Fire Chief Mike Slover, Mattek was instrumental in helping the former Town of Salem Rescue department merge with the Fire Department, including training of future rescue staff.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2017 6:45:27 AM - SOURCE: My Kenosha County

The Black River Falls Fire Department hosted the 13th Annual Show and Shine Car Show Sunday, attracting more than 160 classic cars. The turnout was lower this year because of poor weather, but many cars still came out to show off. The new Squad One for the Black River Falls Fire Department was on display, which was partly funded by past car shows.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2017 2:50:15 AM - SOURCE: Jackson County Chronicle

Lawyers for fired Fire Chief Jesse Alba notified the city attorney's office Tuesday, May 23, of their intent to appeal his dismissal by the Police and Fire Commission before the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals here. Alba contends his firing was illegal, capricious and violated his due process rights. Alba was in the center of a salacious ordeal in which he was accused of breaking up with his girlfriend, a training coordinator, while he was pursuing the position of fire chief.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2017 2:05:54 AM - SOURCE: WaukeshaNOW

A Macon County firefighter died Tuesday after suffering a traumatic brain injury in an accident on the job Saturday afternoon. Darrell Plank, 29, was hit in the head by a metal coupling as a fire hose snagged on the truck at the scene of a fire off Ga. 128 near Taylor County. The 10-year veteran’s skull was seriously fractured and, according to a Facebook page devoted to prayers for his recovery, he suffered a stroke on the left side of his brain.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Telegraph

San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said Tuesday that any firefighter who wants to attend the upcoming funeral of firefighter Scott Deem will be able to, dispelling rumors to the contrary. Hood said he alone made the decision to not use outside agencies to staff SAFD stations on Friday because other firefighters aren’t familiar with San Antonio’s operating system, air refilling systems, radios or terminology.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: mysanantonio.com

The death of a Butler County firefighter serves as a sobering reminder of the dangers firefighters face long after the flames are extinguished and the smoke clears. "It was a badge of honor back in the day to be a smoke-eater and to have the dirtiest fire gear," Cincinnati firefighter Gerald Rosemeyer said.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse.com

The Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill Tuesday that seeks to fix the broken Dallas Police and Fire Pension System. The bill barely made it out of committee last week but was saved by last-minute negotiations between the city, police and fire associations and pension officials. "This is not just a Dallas issue.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Dallas News

A Renton firefighter, along with firefighters from Nampa, Idaho, and Grants Pass, Ore., aided an unconscious man aboard a flight from Baltimore to Sea-Tac on Friday night. This is the second in-flight rescue by a Renton firefighter this month. On Friday, Firefighter Chris Kyrstofiak was traveling back to Seattle from training in Baltimore when Alaska Airlines flight attendants made an emergency announcement asking for help from any doctors or firefighters aboard the flight.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Renton Patch

In 2006, more than 40,000 pets died in fires due to smoke inhalation. That number has gone down, in large part thanks to oxygen masks designed for animals. The Minocqua Fire Department got its own set of pet oxygen masks Tuesday, courtesy of Invisible Fence of Northern Wisconsin. "It fits a small, medium, large--whichever size animal you have," said Invisible Fence of Northern Wisconsin owner Michelle Hoban.
- PUB DATE: 5/23/2017 2:54:50 PM - SOURCE: WJFW-TV NBC 12 Rhinelander-Wausau

VIDEO: A Wausau family is safe after a late night fire caused significant damage to their home. Wausau Fire Marshal Dave DeSantis said the reason everyone made it out OK is because the family had a fire evacuation plan. "By the grace of God we do not have a fatality today, or any injuries, after the fire last night.
- PUB DATE: 5/23/2017 7:32:00 AM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

A woman died late Monday night in what authorities are calling a "hoarder house" fire. Advertisement The fire was reported around 10:30 p.m. near North 80th Street and West Mill Road in Milwaukee. An official with the fire department told WISN 12 News this was a case of "extreme hoarding." Emergency crews waded through several feet of items inside the home, according to authorities.
- PUB DATE: 5/23/2017 5:42:59 AM - SOURCE: WISN-TV ABC 12 Milwaukee

Packer's all-time leading receiver Donald Driver was honored by the "Zero in Wisconsin Campaign" on Monday. The Department of Transportation campaign aims to reach a goal of zero traffic-related deaths in Wisconsin. The organization says since it started airing ads starring Driver, seat-belt use in the state is at an all-time high.
- PUB DATE: 5/23/2017 3:44:48 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart spent part of his 46th birthday on Saturday in Madison stuck in a hotel elevator. Stewart, in town for dirt-track races at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie on Sunday, was staying at Staybridge Suites, 3301 City View Drive. Shortly after midnight, the elevator he and several others were in stopped at the second floor and wouldn’t move.
- PUB DATE: 5/23/2017 3:13:05 AM - SOURCE: Madison.com-Wisconsin State Journal-Capital Times

The city is pumping $30 million into FDNY and EMS operations in the Bronx, officials said Monday. The investment will include funding for new ambulances and equipment, as well as $17 million toward construction repairs to EMS Station 17 at 109 Ogden Ave., which has been experiencing structural deterioration and lacks sufficient space for crew and equipment, according to a joint statement by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro.
- PUB DATE: 5/23/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

A Macon County volunteer firefighter is in critical condition after he was struck in the head by a fire hose. According to Macon County Fire Chief Micah Kauffman, it happened around 4 p.m. Saturday. Macon County firefighters are keeping vigil at the hospital after one of their men suffered a traumatic brain injury Saturday afternoon.
- PUB DATE: 5/23/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Telegraph

A King County Superior Court jury on Thursday awarded $9.5 million to the family of a Kingston man who died in a collision with a fire truck. On the morning of July 4, 2014, Jason Foster was was riding a motor scooter on Miller Bay Road, approaching its intersection with West Kingston Road. The traffic signal turned yellow, and he continued.
- PUB DATE: 5/23/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Kitsap Sun

Atlantic City firefighters rescued more than a dozen people trapped in an elevator. The Atlantic City Fire Department posted on Facebook that 14 people were stuck in an elevator for several hours at the Tropicana Casino & Resort on Saturday. The elevator suddenly stopped between the sixth and seventh floors.
- PUB DATE: 5/23/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS Philly