VIDEO: Local first responders have a new way of training during the COVID-19 pandemic. Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) is now using virtual reality training programs. “We can basically do anything that you can do in real life, you can do in virtual reality,” said Commander Keith Noble, ATCEMS. With the help from the City of Austin, Augmented Training Systems, and a grant from US Ignite, ATCEMS is now implementing virtual reality training.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KEYE-TV CBS 42 Austin

VIDEO: Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue's Station 2 and Station 12 each house some of the departments' most unique and largest trucks, which also provide special rescue and firefighting capabilities. Station 2, located on Paul W. Bryant Drive, has been home to the fire department's first and only Tractor Drawn Aerial apparatus, also known as a tiller truck, since 2017.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Tuscaloosa News

VIDEO: Even though a devastating house fire took their home and belongings on Tuesday night, the Moniz family is praising God. On Wednesday, professional surfer Kelia Moniz posted to Instagram that her parents' home in Hawaii had burned down overnight, incinerating everything inside. “My parents house, my childhood home went up into flames.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Today

VIDEO: Even with the race to vaccinate as many Americans as possible accelerating, some experts are warning that if Americans do not also follow proper safety and mitigation measures, the U.S. could see a COVID-19 resurgence. Although the country's national daily case average continues to fall -- about 32.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

VIDEO: An Ontario neighborhood rocked by a deadly, massive explosion involving fireworks remained evacuated Wednesday, with residents reeling from the series of blasts that shattered nearby windows and sent up a huge plume of smoke. Authorities - including the FBI and ATF - are investigating Tuesday afternoon's explosion of what were believed to be a cache of commercial-grade fireworks in Ontario.
- PUB DATE: 3/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles

VIDEO: For a lot of people, getting over COVID-19 is more than getting over just the initial illness. Recovery from long-lasting symptoms can take months and can require medical help, as a Mesquite Fire Department firefighter recently found out. Rob Williams said he had hoped the worst was over after being released from his COVID-19 stay at the hospital.
- PUB DATE: 3/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXAS-TV NBC 5 Fort Worth

George Stephens has been the chief of the North Garden Volunteer Fire Company for 20 years, and a firefighter even longer. He joined the company as a young man after he watched firefighters struggling with inadequate tools and unreliable water resources try to salvage a house. “Despite their heroic efforts, the house burned to the ground.
- PUB DATE: 3/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: University of Virginia

There will be no St. Patrick’s Day parade in Cleveland for the second straight year because of the coronavirus pandemic, causing many to wonder where they’ll find their holiday cheer. But don’t worry, we have you covered. Our St. Patrick’s Day gift to you is a live video performance by the popular Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes and Drums band on Wednesday at 12:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 3/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com

March is Women's History Month and all month long Fox 40 is recognizing notable figures from the Southern Tier, like the woman who is remembered as the hero of Binghamton's deadliest fire. July 22nd, 1913 was a sweltering hot day in the City of Binghamton. On Wall Street, employees at the Binghamton Clothing Company were opening up windows to try and catch a breeze.
- PUB DATE: 3/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WICZ-TV FOX 40 Binghamton

A young boy in an SUV struck by a small plane that crashed just outside North Perry Airport on Monday afternoon has died in the hospital. According to a Pembroke Pines Fire Department spokesperson, the crash took place in the area of SW 72 Avenue and 12 Street. The FAA said the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza crashed shortly after takeoff around 3:00 p.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFOR-TV CBS 4 Miami

When Kent Vosburg visited a counselor after finding himself in “a bad way” a decade ago, it was the counselor who left the room crying. “The person that’s supposed to come help me can’t do it,” Vosburg said. In his career as a paramedic, Vosburg has witnessed several horrifying scenes. There was the woman who passed out on top of her infant daughter, smothering her for hours.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Wichita Eagle

Firefighters have lined up their papers and ordered their coffee for a day’s event of chatting with community members. For the Lewis & Clark County Rural Fire Council, this “Frappe With A Firefighter” event helps recruit members during this crucial time. "Memberships are at an all-time low for rural fire, as far as volunteer departments,” says Dave Sammons, the Council President.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRTV-TV CBS 3 Great Falls

The Columbus Division of Fire is nearly 200 years old, with 35 stations covering the city. Over the department's long history, some of those stations have garnered interesting nicknames. This led one WOSU reader to ask Curious Cbus "How did the Columbus fire stations such as the ‘River Rats' each get their unique names?" As it happens, a fire station getting a nickname or adopting a mascot is a fairly common practice across the country, and Columbus is no exception.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WOSU Public Media

For all of our grousing about COVID fatigue, a few novel trends are clear one year into the pandemic. In the early weeks of 2021, Californians are staying home way more than we did in our pre-pandemic life. Even so, we're heading out to shop, dine and work far more now than in March 2020, when state officials issued the first sweeping stay-at-home order, or the dark period that followed the winter holidays, when we hunkered down as COVID-19 caseloads exploded.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: US News

VIDEO: Lynn firefighters dealt with low water pressure and frigid weather conditions as they worked to control a house fire early Monday morning. Firefighters were met with flames – and bitter cold temperatures – when they arrived on Linden Street. No one was in the home when firefighters arrived around 2 a.
- PUB DATE: 3/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBZ-TV CBS 4 Boston

VIDEO: You may see a new building — a tiny one — on the property of the Ridge Road Fire District’s Stoneridge Station. It’s a mini firehouse library stacked with resources for the community. Firefighter Brian Shannon says due to the pandemic, many fire departments can’t do something they love: head out to classrooms to teach kids about fire safety.
- PUB DATE: 3/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rochester First

The union that represents Cal Fire firefighters in the Riverside County Unit has filed a workplace-safety complaint with the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, alleging that unusual levels of physical fatigue and mental stress have set in because of excessive overtime worked due to inadequate staffing.
- PUB DATE: 3/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Press-Enterprise - Metered Site

VIDEO: A firefighter's job often entails more than just fighting fires, but what goes on behind the scenes isn't always apparent. The Fort Walton Beach Fire Department hopes to change that with a new platform for communicating with the public. People can tune in to the Fire Department’s new podcast every two weeks to discover more about its inner workings.
- PUB DATE: 3/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Northwest Florida Daily News

VIDEO: Two firefighters were killed in the line of duty while battling flames that destroyed Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Hill District on March 13, 2004. Firefighter Richard Stefanakis and Battalion Chief Charles Brace, both 30-year veterans of the department, were killed during the five-alarm blaze that also injured 29 other firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 3/15/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPXI-TV NBC 11 Pittsburgh

VIDEO: Colleen Walz shattered the glass ceiling to become the first female lieutenant in the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire in 1995. Last week, Kari Burnham was honored in a ceremony as the second woman to hold the position. Burnham said, "This is something I love to do. It's like a dream come true." But why did it take decades for another woman to rise in the ranks? Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire chief Darryl Jones said, "It was an embarrassment not only that it took so long to promote a female to the rank of lieutenant to a company officer, but the number of females that we have on the job is way below the national average.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTAE-TV ABC 4 Pittsburgh