An unusually high number of City ambulances were closed during Sunday’s midnight shift, nine out of 21 ambulances were offline due to low staffing. The Honolulu Emergency Services Director Dr. Jim Ireland said sick leave due to COVID-19 was among the reasons. Saturday evening’s EMS briefing included plans to cover nine ambulance units that would be closed for the shift beginning at midnight Sunday.
- PUB DATE: 9/26/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHON-TV FOX/CW 2 Honolulu

PHOTOS: Kingsport's first fire truck has been restored back to its original condition. The 1917 American LaFrance fire engine is dubbed "Old Hul-dy.” It went into service one hundred and six years ago and was Kingsport's only fire truck at the time. Firefighters had to hand crank it to start the truck.
- PUB DATE: 9/26/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCYB-TV NBC/CW 5 Bristol

VIDEO: A four-alarm fire that sparked in Downtown Tulsa on Saturday damaged restaurants, apartments and some businesses, officials say. Two downtown Tulsa restaurants and bars burned, gutting an entire building with apartments on the second floor. Small puffs of smoke still rose from the ruins of the building, 24 hours after the fire started.
- PUB DATE: 9/25/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOTV-DT CBS 6 Tulsa

Ronny J. Coleman, a revered nationally-recognized fire service leader for half a century, who served as California State Fire Marshal and as the chair of the CSFA Volunteer Committee, passed away Sept. 19 in Sacramento. Chief Coleman had been the Fire Chief of the City of Fullerton Fire Department when he was appointed in 1992 by Governor Pete Wilson to the position of State Fire Marshal, a position he held for 8 years.
- PUB DATE: 9/25/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: California State Firefighters' Association

Two more firefighters have died from illnesses related to their work at the World Trade Center during and after the 9/11 terror attacks, officials announced on Sunday. Their deaths bring the overall toll linked to 9/11-related diseases among members of the Fire Department of the City of New York to 343, which is equal to the number of FDNY members who died on the day of the attacks, the department said.
- PUB DATE: 9/25/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

PHOTOS: Polk County Fire Rescue teamed up with A Safe Haven for Newborns foundation to encourage the safe harboring of babies throughout the county. To help get the information out that every fire station is a designated Safe Haven location where newborn babies can be dropped off, stickers were plastered on the fire department's vehicles that hit the roads every day.
- PUB DATE: 9/25/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTSP-TV CBS 10 St. Petersburg

VIDEO: There was outrage in court in Rockland County where a father and son avoided prison time for starting a fire that killed a firefighter and a man at a nursing home. Dozens of firefighters protested outside the Rockland County Court House in New City and emotional victim impact statements were read in court.
- PUB DATE: 9/22/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

In the chaos after a Norfolk Southern train careened off the tracks and caught fire in eastern Ohio in February, it took roughly 45 minutes for firefighters to learn exactly which chemicals were involved. Now the railroad industry is trying to ensure that never happens again. Ever since that Feb. 3 derailment prompted concerns about rail safety nationwide, the major railroads have redoubled their efforts to make sure that more and more first responders can immediately look up the contents of any freight train.
- PUB DATE: 9/22/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTAE-TV ABC 4 Pittsburgh

VIDEO: The Los Angeles Fire Department is asking for the public’s input as they revisit their “firefighter tattoo policy,” officials announced on social media Thursday. “We would love to hear your input, to help us factor in the views of the public we serve,” the post read. “Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts on tattoos on your firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 9/22/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles

Amazon is making it easier to get emergency help without your phone. The retail giant announced a new Alexa Emergency Assist service as part of its September product event on Wednesday. The service will allow customers to reach emergency responders through Echo devices while also sending alerts to emergency contacts.
- PUB DATE: 9/22/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNET

VIDEO: Some of the firefighters responding to calls on Chicago's South Side are a long way away from home. In fact, they traveled thousands of miles just to be here. CBS 2's Noel Brennan introduces us to the German firefighters who've joined the Chicago Fire Department for a couple of weeks. In Chicago, a firehouse and good food go hand in hand.
- PUB DATE: 9/22/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBBM-TV CBS 2 Chicago

The Charlotte Fire Department is working to determine the cause of a structure fire in north Charlotte Thursday morning. The incident occurred just before 4 a.m. on Keswick Avenue right off North Tryon Street. Fire crews said the structure was a two-story house that was under construction. “A fire can spread quickly in an open building before it gets dried in with drywall, so a small amount of fire can spread very quickly with exposed wood,” Battalion Chief Blake Redden said.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSOC-TV ABC 9 Charlotte

VIDEO: Every single member of the Tulsa Fire Department is having their photo taken. It's the first time in almost a decade the department has done this, and it will go in a yearbook. What do you want to be when you grow up can be a difficult question for children to answer, but for Richard Smith, it was obvious.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KWTV-DT CBS 9 Oklahoma City

VIDEO: Being a first responder can be a dangerous job, and for firefighters, there is an additional health risk; they can be exposed to cancer causing chemicals while fighting fires. "It's scary, but I know what I am getting myself into. It's a risk I am able to take to help my community," STC fire cadet Andrew Cervantes said.
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRGV-TV ABC 5 Weslaco

The federal agency responsible for promoting the safety of consumer products has employed plenty of tactics over the years, from recalls to regulations to PSAs. Now, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is trying a new — and catchier — approach: It's released an album. We're Safety Now Haven't We packs in six genre-spanning, safety-focused songs (seven if you count the one that also got a Spanglish version).
- PUB DATE: 9/21/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Spokane Public Radio

VIDEOS/PHOTOS: The fire at a recycling plant in Montana Vista in far East El Paso was brought under control on Tuesday, Sept. 19, and county crews continued suppression efforts into the night. At about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, multiple agencies, eventually reaching five, responded to reports of a huge fire at the facility at Buffalo Bill and Krag St.
- PUB DATE: 9/20/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTSM-TV NBC 9 El Paso

Britain’s Prince William visited FDNY firefighters at the firehouse near ground zero during his trip to New York City on Tuesday. William spoke with firefighters at Ten House in Lower Manhattan, the closest firehouse to the World Trade Center, which lost several firefighters in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to the FDNY.
- PUB DATE: 9/20/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPIX-TV CW 11 New York

PHOTOS: There was a persistent beeping. Renee Reed assumed it was a cellphone. She and her husband, Chris, were settled in for the night in Room 218 of the Harborside Inn, just above the hotel's kitchen. They had a friend’s wedding at the Spring House the next day. Then, an alarm sounded. She flicked on the lights.
- PUB DATE: 9/20/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Providence Journal - Metered Site

VIDEO: The Bay Area has seen more than its share of natural disasters in the past few years, from deadly wildfires to widespread flooding. To help identify the areas at highest risk, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was directed to create a map showing the risk level by community. California has the most high risk areas in the nation.
- PUB DATE: 9/20/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNTV NBC 11 San Jose

VIDEO: Every second counts in a trauma situation. Critical patients need critical care, and sometimes time isn’t on your side. “I wanted to give our paramedics one more tool in the toolbox to take advantage of, and to hopefully save a life out there,” said Coconut Creek Asst. Chief Tony Chin. A procedure typically reserved for emergency room hospitals is moving right out onto the field.
- PUB DATE: 9/19/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPLG-TV ABC 10 Miami