The Cedar Rapids firefighters who were seriously injured over the weekend when a hose line ruptured have been released from the hospital while fire officials investigate what happened. Both firefighters were treated for fractures and were released from the hospital Sunday, Cedar Rapids public safety spokesperson Greg Buelow told The Gazette on Wednesday.
- PUB DATE: 2/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Gazette

VIDEO: Lauderhill Fire Rescue crews used a drone equipped with infrared technology to help them fight a house fire Wednesday afternoon. “We were able to find the source of the fire in the drone. It was in the attic. It had not penetrated the roof yet,” said Captain Jerry Gonzalez. Gonzalez said it was the first time the department used the technology to locate what he called a “hidden fire.
- PUB DATE: 2/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPLG-TV ABC 10 Miami

Michigan’s Lewis Cass building made headlines last summer when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer renamed it the Elliott-Larsen building. But this week 70 years ago, Michigan’s oldest standing state office building was in the news for something else entirely: a massive fire lit by a state employee who hoped it would help him avoid the Korean War.
- PUB DATE: 2/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Mlive.com

The state of Indiana is dedicating tens of thousands of federal dollars to making naloxone, the opioid-involved overdose reversal medication, publicly available every day and around the clock. On February 5, Governor Eric Holcomb announced that the state will be partnering with the harm reduction nonprofit Overdose Lifeline to bring NaloxBoxes—hard acrylic boxes that can be mounted to an exterior wall—to all 92 Indiana counties.
- PUB DATE: 2/11/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Filter Magazine

VIDEO: A familiar red glow encouraged Dwayne Ivey to make a beeline for the landmark Krispy Kreme on Ponce de Leon Avenue early Wednesday morning. When he neared the store, however, he realized the doughnuts weren’t the only things hot. Flames were shooting from the back of the building, an Atlanta institution for more than 60 years.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Spirit of Liberty Foundation, a local 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, recently unveiled the soft-launch of a national campaign “Operation Thumbs Up!” with the first “Thumbs Up” billboard installed in San Diego. The Spirit of Liberty Foundation’s Operation Thumbs Up campaign provides an opportunity for Americans to positively recognize and thank first responders, healthcare professionals, members of law enforcement, firefighters, Armed Forces and veterans whenever they see them by just giving them a big smile and an “enthusiastic Thumbs Up!” “These are very difficult times and now more than ever we need to bring America together for positive causes and one that almost every American can embrace when recognizing and thanking America’s real heroes — our first responders, healthcare professionals and military, the people who have kept us safe 24/7,” said Richard Rovsek, chairman of the Spirit of Liberty Foundation.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rancho Sante Fe Review

“Brotherhood.” That’s one word that’s used a lot around a firehouse, or when talking about the fire service. But within these tightly-knit groups of brothers are sisters, too, scattered throughout the ranks of career and volunteer fire departments across the country. According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), women made up eight percent of the more than 1.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Times Herald

Lawmakers have reintroduced legislation which aims at protecting firefighters and the communities they serve from PFAS and other dangerous chemicals. The Protect Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act was introduced in the Senate Feb. 4 by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, and other lawmakers.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Holland Sentinel

Even though the pace of vaccination has picked up dramatically and the number of daily new COVID-19 cases continues to decline in all regions of the United States, the emergence of new strains of the disease remains cause for serious concern. The COVID Tracking Project has reported that seven-day average cases in the U.
- PUB DATE: 2/10/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Forbes

VIDEO: Firefighters responded to a four-alarm fire in Pleasantville, New Jersey that destroyed a warehouse and injured two firefighters. Crews were called to the 100 block of Main Street shortly before midnight Tuesday. Twenty companies responded from the surrounding areas. The warehouse, filled with auto parts and tires, collapsed in on itself after an intense fire raged for hours overnight.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Jacksonville firefighters saved a 27-year-old man in a dramatic rescue Saturday evening in the St. Johns River, hoisting him out of the water after his car fell over the Dames Point Bridge. Photos from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department show a captain harnessing the man as crews on the bridge pulled him to safety.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJXT-TV News 4 Jacksonville

PHOTOS: The emptiness across the block still unsettles Elsa Reyes after midnight, when she returns from work to her North 13th Street home in Allentown. During the first five years Reyes lived on the east side of the 500 block, eight row homes stood across the street. Her son Joel would walk to school with a girl, Katherine Cruz, who lived at 542 N.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Morning Call - Metered Site

As first responders are busy reporting to multiple accidents across the metro, officials say the cold temperatures and slick spots are wreaking havoc on rescue efforts. Batt. Chief Benny Fulkerson, with the Oklahoma City Fire Department, told KFOR that crews had already responded to 32 wrecks before 8:30 a.
- PUB DATE: 2/9/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KFOR-TV NBC 4 Oklahoma

One person is dead and four firefighters suffered injuries after a car crashed into the back of a fire truck early Saturday morning in Vermilion. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, crews were responding to a separate rollover crash on State Route 2 near Baumhart Road around 3:12 a.m. when a Honda Insight slammed into the rear of the engine.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKYC-TV NBC 3 Cleveland

VIDEO: The Abilene Fire Department said an early morning fire at an apartment complex was intentionally set. Kevin Earl Spurlock, 31, is charged with arson and terror threat of family or household. His bond has not yet been set. The fire at the Briarwood Apartments started around 6:15 a.m. Sunday.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTXS-TV ABC 12 Abiline

About 10 p.m. on the night of Feb. 8, 1933, guests staying on the fourth floor of the Millard Hotel in downtown Omaha began to notice flames licking out of windows on floors below. Minutes later, the hotel’s lights went dark. By 10:04 p.m., the first alarms were called into Omaha fire stations, according to World-Herald archives.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Omaha World-Herald

The newest Franklin firefighter is the second female firefighter in the city’s history, and the first in a while. Diversity is a priority of the Franklin Fire Department, and one that is starting to come to fruition. Casey Whitaker is not new to Franklin or public safety. She worked for Seals Ambulance Service since 2016, and was an EMT for nine years.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Journal

The mutant coronavirus strain first identified in the United Kingdom remains at low levels in the United States but is doubling its reach approximately every 10 days, according to a study published by researchers on Sunday. The study bolstered modeling done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which predicted last month that the more contagious variant could be the dominant strain in the U.
- PUB DATE: 2/8/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNBC

VIDEO: Videos and photos are circulating of the historic Mason County Courthouse engulfed in flames. County Judge Jerry Bearden said the building is destroyed. In the overnight hours of Feb. 5, multiple volunteer fire departments including the Brady Fire Department were called to Mason County to respond to "multiple structure fires" including the Mason County Courthouse, the Brady Fire Department said on Facebook.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

I have no doubt we've all done it. We're watching a movie or TV show and they're doing something that we personally know really well. Maybe you're a dancer and this person is supposed to be a prima ballerina and you're thinking, "Nope. No way." Maybe you pitched in college and watch an actor try to throw a fastball and you can't help but laugh.
- PUB DATE: 2/5/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSL-TV NBC 5 Salt Lake City