Some ambulances have been forced to wait as long as 12 hours outside Memphis hospitals to drop off patients, according to the Memphis Fire Fighters Association.
The problem appears to be tied to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, which has brought many hospitals to capacity.
Tuesday afternoon, the Memphis Fire Department confirmed ambulances were backed up at St. - PUB DATE: 12/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WREG-TV CBS 3 Memphis
A burglary and theft of $50,000 worth of firefighting and emergency equipment at a Woodland fire station could temporarily slow emergency services to the nearby rural community, fire officials said Tuesday.
Cowlitz County Fire District 1 Assistant Chief Bob Kofstad said volunteers with the station discovered the break-in Monday, Dec. - PUB DATE: 12/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Longview Daily News - Metered Site
Firefighters in Massachusetts are sounding the alarm about delays in COVID-19 vaccinations for first responders.
On Tuesday, Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, the statewide union, posted on Twitter claiming the state has “no viable plan” to vaccinate local firefighters.
The union president says the union learned the state planned to place the responsibility for distributing vaccines to first responders on local city and town boards of health. - PUB DATE: 12/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBZ-TV CBS 4 Boston
U.S. emergency medical personnel are getting quick access to COVID-19 vaccines in some parts of the United States while fire chiefs in other areas forecast a delay of weeks or months, highlighting the chaotic nature of a rollout that relies on states and counties to plan and administer distribution.
A lack of detailed federal guidelines has forced U. - PUB DATE: 12/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: U.S. News & World Report
VIDEO: Kansas City firefighters battled a multi-alarm apartment fire Monday night near 80th Terrace and Troost Avenue.
Fire crews were called to the Waldo Heights apartments just after 8 p.m. and found a working fire when they arrived.
Authorities said three people were rescued from the 36-unit building. - PUB DATE: 12/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMBC-TV ABC 9 Kansas City
The vulnerability of the telecommunications system in Nashville and beyond became clear Christmas Day when AT&T's central office in downtown became the site of a bombing.
Mayor John Cooper called the blast on Second Avenue an attack on infrastructure. The effects of that attack are sure to ripple through the region for weeks, as the telecom giant scrambles to restore services while also maintaining the integrity of an active investigation site teeming with federal agents. - PUB DATE: 12/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: USA Today
More than two dozen hospital intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency rooms were full on Monday, according to the Georgia Coordinating Center (GCC).
The online database shows bed capacity at medical facilities across the state and allows users to find the closest hospital to them with the most resources. - PUB DATE: 12/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIA-TV NBC 11 Atlanta
In a typical school year, students often look forward to visits from their local fire departments — or perhaps they're lucky to visit a nearby station in-person.
But this year, those visits and field trips have been put on hold due to the pandemic. So the Overland Park Fire Department is hoping to bring that experience to you and your student. - PUB DATE: 12/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSHB-TV NBC 41 Kansas City
The innovative new station of Rescue Company 2 in Brooklyn is a welcome upgrade from their former station house, which was built in 1893 when the FDNY still used horses. Designed through a partnership with the New York City Department of Design and Construction and the illustrious architecture firm Studio Gang, the multifaceted new building serves as a training space where the specially-trained unit can practice responding to fires, building collapses, water rescues, and other dangerous scenarios. - PUB DATE: 12/29/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Untapped New York
VIDEO: It's considered one of the toughest firefighter training programs in the country, with a waitlist stretching three years and filled with the names of firefighters from as far away as California and Washington State.
The North Carolina Breathing Equipment School, which is held twice a year at Gaston College's Dallas campus, even held the distinction of being named the "Top Gun" of firefighter schools. - PUB DATE: 12/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCNC-TV NBC 36 Charlotte
Nashville residents were jolted awake by a loud explosion in the city’s historic downtown district on Christmas morning. The bomb, hidden inside a recreational vehicle, devastated businesses in the area and disrupted AT&T communication networks throughout the state. Officials described the event as an “intentional act” and a “deliberate bomb. - PUB DATE: 12/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Washington Post - Metered Site
VIDEO: A homeowner said she is glad to be alive after her house exploded into a fireball that damaged multiple homes in southeast Houston.
The explosion happened around 11 a.m. Sunday at a home in the 6000 block of Doulton Drive near Bellfort Avenue.
Mildred Whitfield captured the fire on her phone across the street. - PUB DATE: 12/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston
A Muhlenberg boy is finishing up a year-long journey.
Seven-year-old Ayden Robbins does good deeds year-round, but he’s most proud of the thousands of cards he’s written to first responders. In all, he’s written cards to 68 departments across the country, from California to Alaska to Florida to Maine. - PUB DATE: 12/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WYMT-TV CBS 15 Hazard
VIDEO: On Sunday 37 years ago, five Buffalo firefighters and two civilians died in one of the worst disasters the city has ever seen.
A propane explosion leveled a portion of North Division Street downtown. Every year, the Buffalo Fire Department marks the exact time of the blast, 8:23 p.m., with a moment of silence. - PUB DATE: 12/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGRZ-TV ABC 2 Buffalo
VIDEO: A De Soto recycling plant was destroyed in a fire Tuesday night.
A view from Sky5 around 6:30 p.m. showed massive flames at the Proud Veteran Resources and Recycling. Several fire trucks could be seen spraying water on the flames.
By about 7:45 p.m., it appeared firefighters were able to extinguish most of the heavy flames. - PUB DATE: 12/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSDK-TV NBC 5 St. Louis
Everyone remembers the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but the blaze that left over 300 dead and thousands homeless was not the last disaster to scorch the city — not by a long shot.
On Dec. 22, 1910, a fire broke out at the Morris and Co. meatpacking plant at the Union Stockyards, burning out of control despite the efforts of many heroic firefighters. - PUB DATE: 12/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Sun Times - Metered Site
New Orleans residents and visitors having emergencies can now talk to first responders by video when they call or text 911, thanks to a program city officials say will be a big help for people in crisis.
The Orleans Parish Communications District, which handles the city's emergency dispatches and 911 calls, will also be able to better determine a person's location using upgraded software from its private partner, Carbyne, a call handling platform. - PUB DATE: 12/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Nola.com
Steve Buscemi hosted a virtual fireside chat on Tuesday in support of Friends of Firefighters, which offers essential programs and services to help active and retired firefighters and their families support, prioritize and clearly communicate their physical and mental health needs during stressful times. - PUB DATE: 12/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter
A certain fellow in a red coat has the City of Laurinburg Fire Department to thank after he was stuck in a chimney.
Or, at least, that’s what the department said.
The department posted a video on Sunday to its Facebook page paying tribute to first responders, detailing a firefighter’s version of the classic “The Night Before Christmas. - PUB DATE: 12/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBTW-TV CBS 13 Florence
Two buildings were destroyed Monday night in a major emergency fire in North Hollywood that burned for nearly two hours before being extinguished.
The fire was first reported around 9 p.m. in the 5400 block of North Tujunga Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire was "well developed" by 9:15 p. - PUB DATE: 12/22/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles
