VIDEO: Two people had to jump from the top floor to escape a massive condo fire early Thursday morning in Norfolk. Dispatchers say they were notified around 3 a.m. of the fire in the 4600 block of Mayflower Road, at the Lafayette Cove Condominiums in the Colonial Place neighborhood. Assistant Fire Chief Garry Windley said that two people were rushed to the hospital after they jumped from the top floor of the building.
- PUB DATE: 4/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WAVY-TV NBC 10 Portsmouth

Lawmakers have introduced a bill to add vascular rupture to the list of injuries covered under the Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit Law in honor of a Whitehall firefighter who died in September after suffering a line-of-duty injury last May. James Brooks was second assistant chief of the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company and was responding to a fire call in Dresden on May 2.
- PUB DATE: 4/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Post-Star

A group of off-duty EMTs and an off-duty police officer who all happened to be eating at the same Rahway restaurant sprung into action to save a man choking on his food Monday night. The six medics and the officer were dining at The Waiting Room in Rahway, when the man began choking on a piece of steak around 9:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 4/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Union Daily Voice

VIDEO: The southbound lanes of Interstate 35W were treated with a brine solution before a deadly 135-car pileup during February’s winter storm, according to a preliminary investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on the crash Wednesday. The massive pileup happened on the morning of Feb.
- PUB DATE: 4/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KDFW-TV Fox 4 Dallas

President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on Americans to do their patriotic duty and get a COVID shot. He urged businesses (with the enticement of a tax credit) to give their employees the paid time-off to do so. The President’s renewed appeals come as the country is fast-approaching an arguably more difficult stage of its vaccine roll-out—one where demand for the vaccine no longer outstrips supply.
- PUB DATE: 4/22/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fortune

VIDEOS: A massive fire broke out at a historic Domino Sugar refinery in Baltimore on Tuesday, resulting in a large storage dome collapsing under the flames. Helicopter video posted on Twitter by reporters for WJZ showed the storage dome collapsed, with fires still burning at either end. Other photos and videos of the fire showed smoke plumes wafting across much of the city as firefighters continued to battle the blaze.
- PUB DATE: 4/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Hill

Firefighters answer the call for help daily. Now there’s an app to help them when they’re in distress. Redline Rescue is a peer-to-peer support portal that connects firefighters who need mental health help with others. They can log on, answer a few screening questions via drop-down lists, and within minutes, locate peers to talk.
- PUB DATE: 4/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spectrum News 13

Mobile hotspots should connect people to the internet — not the local fire department. That’s why Verizon recalled 2.5 million Ellipsis Jetpack mobile hotspots. The exact problem, as stated in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall alert: “The lithium ion battery in the hotspots can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards.
- PUB DATE: 4/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Government Technology

Henrico Firefighters are giving back to kids in the Highland Springs community with baseball. They hosted a clinic over the weekend as part of a new partnership to support the community they live in. The firefighters stepped up to bat to teach new techniques to kids in the Highland Springs Little League.
- PUB DATE: 4/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRIC-TV ABC 8 Richmond

In 2018 there were about 181,500 highway vehicle fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The vast majority of those were gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles. For whatever reason, we expect and accept that. But with EV fires it's different. The National Traffic Safety Board addressed these EV fires in January with a report noting that there are two main safety issues.
- PUB DATE: 4/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Car Buzz

First responders from all over Green Country were some of the first people on scene at the Oklahoma City bombing 26 years ago. "We watched it unfold and everybody is wanting to go help," said Tulsa Fire District Chief Pete Matlock. Matlock shared pictures from his time sorting through the wreckage in downtown Oklahoma City.
- PUB DATE: 4/20/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOTV-DT CBS 6 Tulsa

Andrew Morgan, a firefighter at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity over the weekend. He took off in the backseat of an F-16 with Thunderbird Major Jason Markzon as his pilot. Prior to the flight, he was showed the ropes by Thunderbirds and given a brief training session.
- PUB DATE: 4/20/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVT-TV Fox 13 Tampa

Acting President & Chairman of the Board Ken Stuebing and the Board of Directors of the International Association of Fire Chiefs are pleased to announce the appointment of Fire Chief (Ret.) J. Robert “Rob” Brown, Jr., as IAFC Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director. As CEO/Executive Director, Mr.
- PUB DATE: 4/20/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org

It’s hard enough to be a volunteer firefighter. They rush into burning buildings. They get up in the middle of the night to battle blazes. They save lives. “I personally don’t think you should be selling hoagies in the rain, in the freezing cold, on the weekend,” Pennsylvania state Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Fayette County, told a group of firefighters assembled at the state Capitol Monday morning.
- PUB DATE: 4/20/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: PennLive.com

PHOTO: On Friday evening, members of five local fire departments were engaged in a fierce fight — not with a fire, but with each other. Instead of their usual tools — hoses, axes and ladders — they were chucking foam balls at each other, playing dodgeball. It was a strange sight to see. Firefighters from the Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, Bloomingdale, Paul Smiths-Gabriels and Duane volunteer fire departments packed into the gymnasium of the Citizen Advocates building (the former Pius X high school) in Saranac Lake, paying dodgeball in full firefighting gear.
- PUB DATE: 4/20/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Adirondack Daily Enterprise - Metered Site

VIDEO: Firefighters in Niagara Falls responded to the scene of a large fire early Sunday morning on Niagara Street, near 20th Street. Massive flames and a large plume of smoke could be seen around 6 a.m. from 2 On Your Side's camera on top of the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. City of Niagara Falls Fire Chief Joe Pedulla says upon arrival, the fire was venting through the roof of the former Frosted Mug bar and restaurant.
- PUB DATE: 4/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGRZ-TV NBC 2 Buffalo

More than 10.3 million acres of land were scorched by wildfires nationwide in 2020. Firefighters battling the harrowing flames often work shifts that exceed 24 hours, and they stay in close quarters in remote locations for weeks at a time, offering a prime opportunity for COVID-19 to spread. In addition, firefighters in urban areas as well as in wildlands routinely are exposed to smoke, carbon monoxide, toxins from structure fires and other hazards to lung health.
- PUB DATE: 4/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fairfield Sun Times

VIDEO: Two people were killed Saturday night in a fiery crash involving a Tesla, according to Harris County Pct. 4 Constable Mark Herman. This happened at about 11:25 p.m. in the Carlton Woods Subdivision on Hammock Dunes Place. Constable Herman said the 2019 Tesla Model S was traveling on a roadway and at some point, the vehicle, which deputies said was traveling at a high rate of speed, came to a slight curve.
- PUB DATE: 4/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

The 1906 earthquake in San Francisco struck on April 18 at 5:12 a.m., registering a massive 7.9M on the Richter scale — killing more than 3,000 and leaving a trail of fires that destroyed 80% of the city. Sunday morning, San Francisco erupted in celebration to commemorate the day but to also usher in hope.
- PUB DATE: 4/19/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: SFIST

VIDEO: Most San Diego firefighters spend the majority of their career fighting house and brush fires, but this week, dozens are practicing for something very different - a plane on fire at the airport. “In a house is what we call a Class A fire, typically materials, linens, and wood,” Capt. Derrin Austin with San Diego Fire-Rescue said.
- PUB DATE: 4/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFMB-TV CBS/CW 8 San Diego