VIDEO: Finally, firefighters saw his face. Cardiologist Jebran Karam was buried under six to eight feet of rubble when his Ballantyne house exploded July 2, firefighters from Charlotte Fire Station No. 3 told reporters Friday. Somehow, Karam stayed conscious. He called 911 on his smartwatch and stayed on the phone with dispatchers, so his rescue team knew he was alive.
- PUB DATE: 7/15/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Charlotte Observer

VIDEO: An impasse between City Hall and the Rochester firefighter's union continues. As of July 1, 2019, one city firehouse goes dark every night. Firefighters at nearby stations answer the calls. "Okay, I'll just leave this here with you," said Mayor Lovely Warren to the president of Rochester Firefighters Association IAFF Local 1071.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHEC-TV NBC 10 Rochester

The Bill Ricci World Trade Center Rescue, Recovery and Cleanup Operations Act that gives disability coverage to first responders who were part of the rescue, recovery or cleanup at the World Trade Center site after 9/11, won't immediately help the firefighter who inspired the measure. Fire Lt. Bill Ricci, who will retire July 18 from the Clifton Fire Department due to lung disease connected to his time at ground zero, will have to pay for health benefits under COBRA during the "gap" between retirement and when his disability pension is approved.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NorthJersey.com - Metered Site

VIDEO: The list is growing of Dallas firefighters who have died from cancer. "It's the number one killer of firefighters," Jim McDade said. He's been with Dallas Fire-Rescue for 14 years and is President of the Dallas Firefighters Association. McDade said it's a risk firefighters take with so many carcinogens during fires.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFAA-TV ABC 8 Dallas

When little Jahid Mitchell walked into the Central Ohio Fire Museum and Learning Center, he was wide-eyed and ready to explore. It was his 2nd birthday, and he was reuniting with the man who saved him from a burning home last fall. "It’s awesome," said Columbus Fire Investigator Mike DeFrancisco. "It’s a celebration of his life, and he’s still here to celebrate that.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBNS-TV CBS 10 Columbus

VIDEO: As warm and dry conditions ramp up, California firefighters are gearing up for what could be another deadly summer. And, as evident in the skies above the capital region, they aren’t the only ones preparing. The Global SuperTanker, the world’s largest firefighting airplane, arrived at Sacramento’s McClellan Airport in late June, complete with its four pilots, to train in the region they’ll likely spend the next few months.
- PUB DATE: 7/12/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Sacramento Bee - Metered Site

A Boston first responder underwent emergency surgery Wednesday after being stabbed multiple times by a patient she was treating in the back of an ambulance while en route to the hospital, officials said. A 31-year-old “emotionally disturbed” woman began stabbing the female EMT who was treating her in the back of an ambulance headed for Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston EMS Chief Jim Hooley told the Boston Herald.
- PUB DATE: 7/11/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFXT-TV FOX 25 Boston

The 7 Eyewitness News I-Team first reported a racist incident involving a Buffalo fire rookie finding a stuffed monkey hanging in the kitchen at Engine 4 in South Buffalo last week. Since then, the city has taken a series of steps to address what is being called a “culture issue” within the department.
- PUB DATE: 7/11/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKBW-TV ABC 7 Buffalo

VIDEO: Underground, there is a sophisticated network of sensors that monitor earthquake activity around the globe. Menlo Park Fire Department is the first public agency in Northern California to take advantage of that system through the Mexico-based SkyAlert software technology. SkyAlert uses USGS sensor data and connects it to the Menlo Fire Department's smart home system.
- PUB DATE: 7/11/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles

Mechanicsburg’s two volunteer fire companies are joining forces to serve the borough as one new entity, according to a press release issued Wednesday. The newly formed Mechanicsburg Volunteer Fire Department was formed to improve public safety services and create a stronger volunteer fire-rescue service to serve the borough and surrounding communities, company officials said in the release.
- PUB DATE: 7/11/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPMT-TV Fox 43 York

The Fort Worth Fire Department is standing behind its response protocol after a deadly Independence Day holiday. The department responded to hundreds of calls during a 24-hour period. During one call, a 19-year-old died of fireworks burns. The fire department released a snapshot of its work on July Fourth.
- PUB DATE: 7/11/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KDFW-TV FOX 4 Dallas

VIDEO: Firefighters who battled the October 2017 Tubbs Fire in Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties have tested at “troubling” levels for toxic exposure, according to a new study. 148 firefighters volunteered to be part of the study conducted by the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation.
- PUB DATE: 7/10/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPIX-TV CBS 5 San Francisco

New Jersey passed a firefighter cancer bill Monday, joining 47 states who already passed the bill, and leaving South Carolina as one of only two states without this protection for firefighters. Roger Odachowski, president of the South Carolina Professional Firefighter Association, says that firefighters are not just saving lives, they are putting their own health at risk.
- PUB DATE: 7/10/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCIV-TV ABC 4 Charleston

VIDEO: In just over a year, Team USA will join Olympians from all over the world in Tokyo, Japan. A firefighter in Clayton County hopes to be among them. Mikel Thomas said a career that depends on fast reactions will help them achieve that goal. Thomas is is one of Clayton County's finest and can get suited up to fight fires - fast.
- PUB DATE: 7/10/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WXIA-TV NBC 11 Atlanta

The city’s fire chief and his two assistants have stepped down after a state-led investigation found they lacked needed certifications to be in leadership positions, according to the state Department of Community Affairs. The DCA’s Division of Fire Safety investigation, prompted by several large fires and an anonymous complaint, found the officials — Chief Frank Edwardi Sr.
- PUB DATE: 7/10/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Press of Atlantic City

VIDEO: The Turlock Fire Department has decided to essentially take a fire engine out of service any day a firefighter calls out sick or takes a vacation day. This comes after major budget cuts have reduced staffing to just 12 firefighters a day, down from 13. On Monday, fire engine 33 stood vacant all day at the Turlock's Fire Station 3.
- PUB DATE: 7/10/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXTV-TV ABC 10 Sacramento

VIDEO: Nearly 80 percent of Wisconsin’s fire departments are made of up volunteer firefighters according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Now, the standards for training professional and volunteer firefighters in the state of Wisconsin will see some changes in the coming months. Starting on October 1, the new standards will remove a 2 year grace period to train new firefighters and it will also eliminate a one-year grace period for fire officers to obtain more comprehensive training.
- PUB DATE: 7/9/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WEAU-TV NBC 13 Eau Claire

James Zadroga, the NYPD detective who gave his name to the original 9/11 bill after dying from exposure to Ground Zero, is getting some partners. The names of late Det. Lou Alvarez and Firefighter Ray Pfeifer are being added to the new bill to restore the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, lawmakers are announcing Monday.
- PUB DATE: 7/9/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News

Despite orders from the Spokane City Council to maintain an independent dispatch crew for firefighters, the city is now relying on a new regional system to handle emergency calls. As it prepares for the rest of the county to move forward with a new regional 911 dispatch system, the city has lost so many fire dispatchers that it can no longer fully provide fire dispatch services to itself or its neighbors.
- PUB DATE: 7/9/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Spokesman-Review

Volunteer firefighters in the Commonwealth will be able to save much needed money from some of their fundraisers, thanks to a bill that passed in this year's budget. In many towns, you'll see a fire hall, fully staffed with volunteers, selling BBQ chicken dinners. "We usually have five, six a season, so this is one of the half a dozen we have a year," said Fire Chief Nate Tracey, with Goodwill Fire Company.
- PUB DATE: 7/9/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHP-TV CBS 21 Harrisburg