COVID-19 hospitalizations are once again ticking upward after a lull in October and early November, with tens of thousands more Americans filling hospital beds across the country in the past four weeks.
The increase is particularly noticeable in the Rust Belt and the Southwest. As of Wednesday, Michigan's population-adjusted rate is highest in the nation, followed by Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. - PUB DATE: 12/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News
VIDEO/ PHOTOS: Firefighters are still monitoring the scene where a large fire broke out in Malvern on Monday evening.
The question now is what the status is of a few of the other buildings in the area.
Crews from roughly a dozen agencies have helped at the scene and continue to water down hot spots from the fire. - PUB DATE: 12/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMTV CBS 3 Omaha
VIDEO: Nothing shines like a new fire truck -- except maybe two new fire trucks.
With record growth and tourism, the city of Gulf Shores is investing in the safety of its residents and visitors. The new Pierce engine and ladder truck are now in service. They came with a significant price tag of $2 million dollars, an investment the city felt it was time to make. - PUB DATE: 12/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WALA-TV FOX 10 Mobile
New Jersey's pension system for public employees costs more than most other states while offering "generous" benefits that are increasingly going toward more retirees than active employees, according to a new report.
One retirement fund, for police and firefighters, had more people collecting pension benefits in 2019 than current workers, and two others were on a similar trajectory — meaning those funds are less able to handle investments risks, the analysis by the fiscally conservative think tank Garden State Initiative found. - PUB DATE: 12/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NorthJersey.com - Metered Site
Fire Chief Larry Walters spoke to City Council about a new initiative the department is currently working on to help promote safety through social media.
“We’re always looking for ways to get safety messages out regarding fires, hazards, that sort of thing,” Walters said.
“Social media has been a good way to do that. - PUB DATE: 12/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com
A new Oneida County program will better prepare first responders for emergency situations involving people with special needs.
The Assistance for Special, Cognitive, Emotional Needs and Disabilities (ASCEND) program will allow people to voluntarily register their disability or condition with the county so emergency workers will be notified of the circumstances during an emergency call. - PUB DATE: 12/14/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKTV NBC/CBS/CW+2 Utica
A massive emergency response was called to a marina in Rhode Island on Friday after two large boats went up in flames.
Crews responding to a report of a blaze at Hinckley Yachts in Portsmouth found two boats engulfed in heavy flames.
The vessels, a power boat and a sailboat, had a combined value of $10 million, officials said. - PUB DATE: 12/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHDH-TV ABC 7 Boston
People who had their lives ripped apart in mere moments by violent and unforgiving tornadoes over the weekend are now dealing with a new reality -- seeking the basic needs of food and shelter while surrounded by devastation and uncertainty over the fate of their neighbors.
In the small town of Dawson Springs in western Kentucky, about 75% of the community was wiped out and replaced by "chaos," Mayor Chris Smiley said Sunday. - PUB DATE: 12/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN
Six people were killed Friday when a portion of an Amazon building collapsed in downstate Edwardsville during a severe weather outbreak, state and local officials said Saturday, as the operation shifted to a recovery mission.
Multiple workers were killed when a portion of an Amazon warehouse, located in the 3000 block of Gateway Commerce Center Drive South, collapsed during what the National Weather Service confirmed as an EF-3 tornado, according to local fire authorities. - PUB DATE: 12/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMAQ-TV NBC 5 Chicago
A Northern California state senator plans to introduce legislation that would add 356 permanent firefighters and 768 seasonal firefighters to the state’s force. Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, said Friday that the legislation would set new per-engine minimums at Cal Fire and would launch a staffing study to help prepare the department for fire conditions that are projected to keep getting worse in the years ahead. - PUB DATE: 12/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Sacramento Bee - Metered Site
In the feud between two famous New York institutions, Marvel has officially chosen a side, and the result is not surprising for anyone who's read up on current Marvel continuity regarding Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the greater Marvel Universe at large. It's no secret that plenty of Marvel's major heroes are based out of New York City (and plenty of villains appear in NYC as well), which means both the police and firefighters of the city regularly come into contact with the Avengers, the X-Men, etc. - PUB DATE: 12/13/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Screen Rant
A firefighter was rescued after falling through the floor as crews battled a massive house fire in Hudson, New Hampshire Thursday afternoon. SkyEye footage showed heavy smoke and flames engulfing the home on Greeley Street.
The firefighter was brought to a hospital along with another firefighter who suffered smoke inhalation. - PUB DATE: 12/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBZ-TV CBS 4 Boston
PHOTOS: Birmingham Fire Chief Paul Wells has been boasting that most of the department’s firefighters have some of the latest and greatest thermal imaging cameras built into their masks.
He signed up for the city’s firefighting duties about 25 years ago and was introduced to thermal-imaging cameras soon after. - PUB DATE: 12/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hometown Life
It was 100 years ago that the McLean Volunteer Fire Department was first incorporated. Many things have changed since then, from development and population growth to fire and rescue technology and the involvement of career firefighters. But what hasn't wavered is the volunteer fire department's commitment to serve McLean and surrounding areas. - PUB DATE: 12/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: McLean Patch
VIDEO: On Thursday evening, large plumes of smoke could be seen around Tampa International Airport.
Tampa Fire Rescue Airport Rescue Fire Fighting division (ARFF) hosted a training exercise so firefighters can respond to emergencies at the airport like a plane catching on fire.
Emergencies do not happen often, but the training is necessary. - PUB DATE: 12/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFTS-TV ABC 28 Tampa
It’s the holiday season, which means many people are in a giving mood. People give money, and people give gifts.
What about someone who gave a part of their own body to someone they’ve never even met?
Cicero firefighter Paul Coir and Perry Galloro are best friends and have been since they first met working as truck drivers back in 1999. - PUB DATE: 12/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSTM-TV NBC/CW 3 Syracuse
A massive fire destroyed a vacant building in South Jackson. The fire was reported about 9 p.m. Wednesday at what was once the ANCOR Adult Daycare on Robinson Road.
The flames were so intense that part of the building collapsed.
Deputy Chief Cleotha Sanders said the business was not operating and there was no power to the building. - PUB DATE: 12/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAPT-TV ABC 16 Jackson
The pandemic has shown how critical emergency medical services are across the country.
But in South Carolina and most other states, EMS is not classified as an “essential service,” as law enforcement and fire services are.
While those services have been part of the US in some fashion since colonial times, EMS is much younger, established in many areas of the country in the 1970s, according to South Carolina EMS Association Advocacy and Legislative Chair Steven McDade. - PUB DATE: 12/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WIS-TV NBC/CW 10 Columbia
VIDEO/PHOTOS: Jefferson County Public Schools is utilizing virtual reality to train future firefighters.
The district is incorporating virtual reality into its academic programs and pathways, including in the Fire Science program at Fern Creek High School. Students use VR headsets to experience what it's like to enter a burning building. - PUB DATE: 12/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WDRB-TV FOX 41 Louisville
Christopher Williams is still in disbelief that he’s going to be an astronaut.
“It’s still almost a little bit surreal, something that you’ve dreamed about your whole life and now getting the opportunity to do, I feel so lucky and honored to have the chance to do this and to be part of the team,” he told MyMCM. - PUB DATE: 12/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: My Montgomery County Media
