As the COVID-19 vaccine begins to be available in the United States, the federal government largely has left distribution up to the states. One of the biggest challenges facing states is to decide who should receive the vaccine first. The IAFC has developed a chart which lists the priority tier to which firefighters and EMS personnel have been assigned in each state. - PUB DATE: 12/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org
An 18-year effort to get Flagler County to recognize former county firefighter John R. Keppler’s line-of-duty death in 2002 finally ended Monday evening with the county commission’s decision to rename the fire rescue training facility on Justice Lane after Keppler.
Until then, Keppler had been honored on two state memorials, including the the Florida Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Ocala, the Florida’s Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the grounds of the state Capitol, and the national firefighters’ memorial in Emmitsburg, Md. - PUB DATE: 12/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Flagler Live
The Muskegon County "Yellow Dot" program started small in 2019 with money from Mercy Health and took a big step forward in 2020 with additional funding from the Muskegon County Senior Millage.
But due to COVID-19, police and fire departments around Muskegon County weren't able to hold open houses and community safety events to introduce community members to Yellow Dot. - PUB DATE: 12/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WZZM-TV ABC 13 Grand Rapids
VIDEO: A mother and her two young daughters rescued two weeks ago from a two-alarm fire at their home in Boston's South End were reunited with their heroes Tuesday.
"Thank you so much Boston fire for your help and bringing my family to safety," Alicia Soto told her rescuers.
On the morning of Dec. 2, thirty-one-year Soto and her two children, Annabelle and Amelia, were trapped in their third-floor apartment on West Newton Street when a fire broke out. - PUB DATE: 12/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NECN-TV NBC 10 Boston
An elaborate ornamental frame encloses a dramatic scene of everyday life in mid eighteenth-century New York: in the image we witness a volunteer company laboring to extinguish a fire at an unidentified location. Without access to the sorts of hydrants that are a common feature of today’s cityscape, a line of men passes buckets of water from hand to hand, a team effort that is memorialized both in the name of the company (Hand-in-Hand Fire Company) and in the emblem of a disembodied handshake that graces the top of the frame. - PUB DATE: 12/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Gothamist
As a boy, Robert Weber chased the blazing lights and roaring sirens of fire engines down the streets of Brooklyn, New York.
He hung out at the Engine 247 firehouse, eating ham heroes with extra mayonnaise, and “learning everything about everything to be the best firefighter in the world,” said his wife, Daniellle Weber, who grew up next door. - PUB DATE: 12/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Kaiser Health News
VIDEO: It was a hot weekend for local firefighters. City and county crews were dispatched to dozens of fires all over Kern. Those fires cost families their homes and local business owners, their livelihoods. The Rea family was sound asleep as this fire engulfed their home on Franklin Avenue in East Bakersfield. - PUB DATE: 12/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGET-TV NBC/CW+ Bakersfield
PHOTOS: The Lorenzo Volunteer Fire Department accepted a $16,300 grant through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program to help convert an excess military Stewart Stevenson truck into a firefighting vehicle.
The Texas A&M Forest Service administers the assistance program and the Department of Defense Firefighter Property Program, which awarded Lorenzo VFD with the truck. - PUB DATE: 12/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
PHOTOS: A retired, 29-year Middletown firefighter and WWII veteran marked his 102nd birthday this weekend in style, with a large vehicle parade and a visit from several state and local officials.
John Cyrulik Sr.’s family decorated his front yard, and bundled him up in a blanket under a tent on the cold, rainy Saturday afternoon. - PUB DATE: 12/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Middletown Press
VIDEO: As others were desperately trying to get to safety, a local man is being honored for taking action to make sure they could on Friday. And his actions may be why a bad situation didn't become much worse.
Officials said William Cox was among the first on the scene when a fire broke out at Fairington Village Apartments in Stonecrest on Friday afternoon. - PUB DATE: 12/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIA-TV NBC 11 Atlanta
Five emergency responders will be the first members of the D.C. Fire and EMS Department to get the COVID-19 vaccine this coming week, a sign that “the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a news release.
The group, designated "The First Five," are FEMS Chief John Donnelly, the department’s Medical Director Dr. - PUB DATE: 12/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRC-TV NBC 4 Washington DC
The team behind a new wellness program created specifically for firefighters said they hope early cancer screening will help save lives.
The Medical Center of Aurora and Potomac Primary Care are launching the new effort called the Firefighter Wellness and Cancer Screening Program.
“They support and protect our Colorado communities and now it’s time for us to protect them,” said Amie Shae, the oncology program manager at The Medical Center of Aurora and part of the team that created the new program. - PUB DATE: 12/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KUSA-TV NBC 9 Denver
PHOTOS: A group of Fort Lauderdale firefighters had quite the surprise when a coyote wandered into their fire station Sunday morning.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue tweeted a photo of a coyote creeping in front of a fire truck parked inside their bay.
“Not sure who was startled more as they ran in opposite directions,” the department quipped in a tweet. - PUB DATE: 12/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVJ-TV NBC 6 Miami
PHOTOS: Water is essential when it comes to fighting fires, but there must be something special in the water in Grand Blanc Township.
Their firefighting family just got a whole lot bigger. Seven of the 39 firefighters in the department became dads this year.
The adorable babies joined their firefighting fathers for a photo on Sunday. - PUB DATE: 12/14/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJRT-TV ABC 12 Flint
VIDEO: A massive warehouse fire in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood Thursday morning drew hundreds of firefighters to fight the massive flames, with smoke visible for miles.
"We couldn't believe it," said Blanca Valderas, witness. "We were like in shock."
The 4-11 alarm fire broke out an auto body supply factory at 4425 W. - PUB DATE: 12/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago
VIDEO: The San Francisco Fire Department is reviving a tradition that began and ended seven decades ago: a competition to determine the best-decorated fire station.
The year was 1948 when San Francisco firehouses began a fierce competition to be named the best-decorated fire station. The grand prize was $1,000. - PUB DATE: 12/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPIX-TV CBS 5 San Francisco
VIDEO: A 118-year-old firetruck was restored by Willard Fire Chief Ken Scott and his firefighters.
The truck, known as Queen City 2, was given to the Willard Fire Protection District from retired assistant chief Bub Herbert who attempted to restore Queen City 2 himself.
Scott said it operated in Springfield during 1902 before rolling over during a fire emergency. - PUB DATE: 12/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Ozarks First
PHOTOS: An evening news broadcast in March sparked an idea for Kolby Kolbet: Could a space-age looking helmet used in Europe play a role in reducing coronavirus risk while transporting patients in the U.S.?
Months and many hours of testing later, the Sea-Long helmet worn by COVID-19-positive patients is now part of medical transport company Life Link III’s standard operating procedure when transporting those requiring oxygen. - PUB DATE: 12/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: West Central Tribune - Metered Site
VIDEO: Delray Beach Fire Chief Keith Tomey said he was grateful for the team of heroes who recently rescued him when was suffering from chest pain at his home in Coral Springs.
Tomey was having a heart attack, he said. He said he was very pale, sweaty, and had shortness of breath. He decided to get inside the house and his wife called 911. - PUB DATE: 12/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPLG-TV ABC 10 Miami
VIDEO: Crews spent hours on the scene of a fire in Gates, after an explosion sent flames and debris into the sky Wednesday night. Firefighters say it happened at 6:11 p.m. on Noel Drive off Lyell Road. More than 100 firefighters ultimately from more than 10 are fire districts responded to the scene. "We are happy to report that despite the extensive damage suffered to the three homes and other properties in the area there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. - PUB DATE: 12/10/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rochester First
