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

After about 40 hours of pumping an estimated 2.5 million gallons of water, firefighters waging a battle against a large warehouse fire on Champion Ferry Road were finally able to declare the fire under control at 7:15 p.m. Friday. But even after the fire was deemed out, it was expected there would be some puffs of smoke worth monitoring and plenty of work remained.
- PUB DATE: 7/9/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Gaffney Ledger

More than 100 people gathered in western Colorado to honor 14 firefighters killed 25 years ago on Storm King Mountain. Family members, friends of the victims and survivors of the fire hiked up the Storm King Memorial Trail Saturday and reflected on the lessons and losses of the July 6, 1994, disaster, The Glenwood Springs Post Independent reported.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Portland Oregonian, Hillsboro Argus, Oregon Live.com

VIDEO: A video production team led by Aaron Monson grilled out for the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department on the Fourth of July to show their support for firefighters. “What we're doing today is just giving back,” Monson said Thursday at the department’s headquarters. “They are modern-day superheroes, and we wanted to show they needed to be taken care of as well and treated with respect.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSHB-TV NBC 41 Kansas City

Some people call 911 a dozen times or more per month describing emotional upheaval, sometimes reporting visions, voices and even suicidal thoughts. Police and paramedics who must respond say they are left to triage an escalating mental health crisis that can really only be eased with long-term counseling, medication, case management and meaningful intervention.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Star Tribune

Some firefighters in Evansdale are breaking from tradition when it comes to an essential piece of protection. Two members of Evansdale Fire Rescue are trying out jet-style fire helmets that eschew the iconic wide brim for a streamlined design more akin to a motorcycle helmet. “You get a lot of slack about it.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier

A summer camp for children with neurodevelopmental disorders features everyday superheroes who make a difference. Those heroes include firefighters, who gave children a firsthand look at their equipment and also provided safety tips at the camp, run at the University of California, Davis, MIND Institute, a research center.
- PUB DATE: 7/8/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento

Firefighters had to dodge exploding fireworks Thursday morning when a storage facility caught fire in South Carolina It happened around 6 a.m. in Fort Mill, South Carolina, just off Interstate 77. Investigators said the fire actually started in containers outside Davey Jones Fireworks Store. The fire never got to the store, but it did ignite all of the fireworks in the container.
- PUB DATE: 7/5/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVD-TV ABC 11 Durham

A new Iowa law will set aside part of the state's lottery revenues to help the families of firefighters and law enforcement officers keep insurance after their deaths. The Des Moines Register reports the law that took effect earlier this week will allow the Iowa Lottery to provide $100,000 to a new Public Safety Survivor Benefits Fund.
- PUB DATE: 7/5/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KIMT-TV CBS 3 Mason City