VIDEO: The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) has released a new documentary, “COVID: Coast to Coast,” featuring interviews with frontline workers and first responders about the first days of the pandemic and its aftermath.

The film, available to view on YouTube, includes accounts from fire departments in New York City, Boise, Idaho and West Barnstable, Massachusetts. The interviews were conducted in 2024.

The documentary reflects on the uncertainty and fear that marked the early stage of the pandemic. It also looks at how rapidly changing public health guidance affected day-to-day work. The film covers shortages of protective equipment, the spread of misinformation and the emotional strain carried into home life.

The documentary was produced by Cool Water and supported by funding from the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

NFFF CEO Victor Stagnaro said: “The pandemic tested our firefighters in ways we could never have anticipated. “Our bravest were on the ground, every day, witnessing the devastating impact COVID-19 had on their communities.

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VIDEO: The Fort Myers Fire Department participated in a program to learn sign language, aiming to improve communication with deaf people during emergencies.

Audrey Rodriguez, a mentor at the Sally J. Pimentel Deaf & Hard of Hearing Center, grew up hard of hearing and eventually lost all her hearing. She highlighted the importance of clear communication, noting, “Not many deaf people read lips. It doesn’t matter how old they are; people can become deaf at different age.”

Amy Turner, executive director of the Sally J. Pimentel Deaf & Hard of Hearing Center, shared the center’s experiences, saying, “We have had every situation that you can possibly imagine, and each one is more heartbreaking than the next.”

The center’s lunch and learn program teaches first responders how to communicate with the deaf community, providing sign language instruction and materials tailored to their needs. “We bring a sign language instructor, an interpreter, and all the materials that the staff or that agency would need. And we teach basic sign language that pertain to that business,” Turner said.

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VIDEOS: A fire broke out at a LyondellBasell chemical plant near Pasadena Thursday night, sending thick smoke and flames into the air and prompting a large emergency response from multiple agencies.

No injuries were reported.

The fire was reported around 9 p.m. at LyondellBasell’s Bayport Choate site, a sprawling chemical complex located at 10801 Choate Road in Pasadena.

The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office identified the facility as a Chemical Process Unit at Lyondell BayPort and confirmed that everyone present at the time of the fire was accounted for.

Officials said the fire burned for several hours overnight, with flames and thick smoke visible from miles away.

The La Porte Office of Emergency Management said the main fire was fully extinguished early Friday morning.

Officials said the scene was transitioned back to LyondellBasell between about 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., and city emergency crews returned to service around 2 a.m.

Activity in and around the facility may continue as the company manages the incident and monitors conditions at the site.

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: As the weather warms on Delmarva, runners and walkers are becoming a common sight on local streets. In Milton, however, one runner stands out.

He moves through town in full firefighter gear while carrying an American flag.

Allen Jackson, a former Marine and National Guard member who now serves as a firefighter in Milton, is running miles around town this year to honor the firefighters who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Jackson’s goal is to run 343 miles in 2026, one mile for each of the 343 firefighters killed when the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

“The 343 miles that I’m trying to run comes from the 343 firefighters who lost their lives that day in the Twin Towers,” Jackson said.

For Jackson, the tribute is deeply personal. “It hits deep and heavy,” he said.

Jackson’s runs often take him along streets such as Mulberry Street in Milton. On any given day, he runs between one and three miles while wearing a 20-pound weighted vest designed to simulate the air pack firefighters carry into burning buildings.

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: Highway 80 in Emanuel County has reopened after a brush fire got out of control Wednesday, spreading to vehicles in a huge salvage yard.

The fire at Hadden’s Wrecking sent smoke billowing into the sky Wednesday afternoon.

Fire was jumping from one vehicle to another at the salvage yard that’s separated by U.S. 80. The fire was on the north side.

Fire crews say when they arrived on scene, at least 15 cars were on fire. The fire is estimated to have burned anywhere from 500 to 750 vehicles, according to fire crews.

The fire led to a multi-county response.

According to the Swainsboro Fire Department, the following agencies responded to the fire:

• Bulloch County Fire Department
• Statesboro Fire Department
• Metter Fire Department
• Treutlen County Fire Department
• GDC Inmate Crews from Johnson County
• Bulloch County C.A.F.E Team
• American Red Cross
• Georgia State Patrol
• Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office
• Swainsboro Police Department
• Georgia Department of Transportation
• Twin City Fire Department
• Dellwood Fire Department
• Adrian Fire Department
• Oak Park Fire Department
• Canoochee Fire Department
• Norristown Fire Department
• Countless volunteers who arrived in their personal vehicles

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VIDEOS/PHOTOS: Phoenix fire crews battled a large fire at an apartment complex early Wednesday morning that left dozens of people displaced.

Crews were first called to an apartment complex near 27th Avenue and Indian School Road around 3:30 a.m. for reports of a fire.

Video from the scene showed large flames and smoke coming from the top floor of one of the three-story residential buildings.

The call was upgraded to a first-alarm response by the fire department due to the size of the building, which experienced a partial roof collapse during the blaze.

ABC15 spoke with residents who had been evacuated, including two who said they opened the door to their apartment and saw flames were “coming right at them.” They described the experience as “terrifying.”

There is no word yet on the extent of damage, but Phoenix Fire officials say about 20 units were affected. Crews say about 30 people are displaced, and they are being assisted by the Red Cross.

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VIDEO: Louisville is getting a high-tech boost to its emergency response efforts.

City leaders unveiled a new Mobile Emergency Operations Center designed to help first responders coordinate during major incidents and large events.

Mayor Craig Greenberg introduced the new unit Tuesday at Waterfront Park.

The fully equipped command truck allows emergency teams to manage operations directly from the scene of a disaster or large public gathering.

This is the second Mobile Emergency Operations Center that can be sent anywhere across the state to help first responders manage emergencies in real time.

Greenberg said the new unit strengthens the city’s ability to respond before, during and after emergencies. “It increases our capabilities before, during and after incidents and events,” Greenberg said.

City leaders say the mobile center can be deployed during disasters such as severe flooding or large-scale emergencies, including the response to the UPS plane crash, which Greenberg referenced as an example of the type of incident where mobile coordination can be critical.

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VIDEO: In an emergency, every second matters, but for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, they can’t hear critical warnings like alarms or announcements.

A Mainer created a new app to help, and it’s already being used worldwide.

The app is called ALRM. It can hear emergency sounds, including gunshots, fire and carbon monoxide alarms and sirens.

Once the microphone detects one of those sounds, it sends a real-time alert to your phone, with visuals and vibrations.

The mastermind behind the app, Gavin Phelan, is still in high school.

“The user may not be able to hear it, but they’ll feel it,” Phelan said. “If a fire alarm went off, there’s no way of hearing that. But if they got the notification, they could then see it and then make the right decision.”

Phelan turned 16 in December. He’s been working on the app for more than two years. He first had the idea after the Lewiston mass shooting, when four people who were deaf lost their lives.

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A massive fire burned through a large warehouse in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood early Wednesday, vaulting fire into the night sky as the emergency response intensified.

The fire broke out just after midnight, at a factory-type building on 53rd Street between First Avenue and Dead End, officials say.

When firefighters arrived, the fire had already spread to two other factory-type buildings, according to Kevin Woods, the FDNY’s chief of fire operations.

Woods said the response quickly escalated to five alarms, which is when all available units are requested on scene.

In an update shortly before dawn Wednesday, Woods said fire boats came in handy, given the fire’s proximity to the water. Firefighters were using 15,000 gallons of water a minute on the blaze, he said.

Two minor injuries were reported to firefighters, mainly related to smoke inhalation.

The smoke didn’t lift even after the flames were doused. People who live in the area were advised to keep their windows closed.

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VIDEO: The Greensboro Fire Department has released a plan to build 11 new fire stations across the city in response to the city’s growth.

This comes after announcements like Boom Supersonic and JetZero operating in Greensboro.

Deputy Chief of the Greensboro Fire Department Dwayne Church says the fire department prides itself on quick response times, and the city has the highest and most elite insurance services office rating, which means lower fire insurance premiums for homeowners.

“Our standard is we want the first unit to arrive at any house in the city of Greensboro in four minutes,” Church said.

Church says that with areas in the city quickly developing, some spots could face longer response times.

“We overlay our entire city with what we call diamonds, and we have those diamonds that have a response area of about a mile and a half in each direction so that we know that we can meet our standard recovery and have our first unit there within four minutes travel time,” Church said.

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A massive fire broke out Tuesday morning on a barge carrying huge piles of scrap metal on the Delaware Bay near New Castle.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded after 8 a.m. to reports of the fire and dispatched a helicopter and two boats, Petty Officer First Class Matthew West said.

Local fire departments, including those from Philadelphia and Wilmington also responded.

A tugboat was moving the unmanned barge at the time of the fire, West said, adding there were no injuries.

The Delaware Bay is an estuary of the Delaware River between Delaware and New Jersey.

Ship traffic also was not impacted by the fire that was still burning several hours later, he said.

The barge appeared to be standing still as boats on both sides of it fired water cannons into the piles of burning metal.

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VIDEO: The Madison Fire Department Hazardous Incident Team, the Dane County Bomb Squad and the Milwaukee branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation were all called to a Madison building Monday afternoon, the Madison Fire Department announced in a press release.

The Madison Fire Department responded to a call at 308 East Washington Avenue after the property owner discovered some uncommon chemicals found in an empty office building.

The Madison Fire Department then requested the assistance of the Madison Fire Department HazMat Team.

When they entered the building, some chemicals were found to have the potential to be explosive, according to Madison Fire Department.

The fire department states that fire personnel left the building, and outside partners were contacted for further expertise.

The Dane County Bomb Squad and the Milwaukee FBI sent people to the area to look for explosives, the fire department stated.

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The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) was on the scene of a fire at 1525 King Highway.

Crews were working to extinguish the fire.

KDPS said the fire was contained to an exterior pile of material.

There was heavy black smoke and flames were visible for miles.

King Highway remained open to traffic.

KDPS told a News Channel 3 crew on the scene that no one has been hurt.

Firefighters were trying to separate the debris piles so the fire did not continue to grow.

Crews remained on scene as of 6 a.m. Tuesday. Kalamazoo Public Safety has yet to provide any updates.

There was still smoke, but crews were mostly dealing with hot spots.

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VIDEO: History comes home.

“Reading had probably the largest volunteer fire company in the country. Ten thousand members during its height,” said retired Reading Fire Chief Richard Boyer.

From manpower to horsepower.

“The early apparatus were pulled by the firemen,” Boyer said. “As they got heavier, naturally, you had to add horses.”

There are many significant signs of the passage of time and history for the Reading Fire Department and the Reading Area Firefighters Museum.

“1771, that is five years before the Declaration of Independence,” Boyer said.

But now, across decades, many miles and a Sotheby’s auction…

“We’re still shocked that we were able to do that, but it’s coming,” he said.

The first motorized fire truck in the city’s history, circa 1911.

“You can feel the emotion,” Boyer said.

By way of a flatbed truck from Florida, the engine is once again back home. It may be tired from the long journey but it’s looking like a beauty nonetheless.

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PHOTOS/VIDEOS: A massive house fire destroyed a large home in a Ringgold neighborhood Tuesday morning.

Viewers have shared photos of the major flames that drivers could see from Interstate 75.

Neighbors tell WTVC the home was under construction, and no one was inside when the fire broke out.

The fire happened at a home on a cul de sac on The Pointe Drive in Ringgold in the early morning hours.

Several area fire agencies were on the scene working to put out hot spots as of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

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The Corydon Fire Department spent much of Saturday night and Sunday morning battling a massive fire at a petroleum plant.

Fire Chief Josh Cobb told KCCI they were first called to a fire at Stubbs Petroleum around 9:15 p.m. When they got there, Cobb said, two propane trucks and one fuel delivery truck were also on fire. He says many 55-gallon barrels filled with assorted fuels exploded over the course of several hours.

Cobb noted that one explosion was so massive that it sent a large fireball several hundred feet into the air that could be seen as far as 20 miles away. The fire department evacuated six city blocks while they worked to put out the flames.

Cobb said the response to the fire and explosions was nearly perfectly executed, and they were able to avoid a “catastrophic” event. Firefighters cleared the scene around 4 a.m. Investigators aren’t sure what caused the fire, but Cobb said it was likely electrical.

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VIDEO: It’s that time of year when visitors begin flocking to the panhandle for spring break. With the popularity of our beaches also comes risk, from diving accidents to medical emergencies miles offshore. “Spring break is definitely the start of what we call our trauma season. It goes from the spring break time, March, through about Labor Day,” HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Trauma Surgeon Dr. Cathy Ho said.

That’s why leaders at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital and the Destin Fire Control District introduced a state-of-the-art rescue and trauma vessel Friday. The 52-foot fire rescue vessel is the largest of its kind in the state.

This vessel is essentially a floating emergency room. First responders say instead of waiting to reach land, they can now begin advanced life-saving treatment right here on the water. “The patients, once they get pulled from the water, will have access to advanced resuscitation and monitoring. And then it’ll be a seamless transition to us in the E.R.,” Ho said.

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VIDEOS/PHOTOS: A huge blaze engulfed a building at Glasgow Central Station on Sunday causing it to partially collapse.

The fire started in a vape shop on Union Street on Sunday afternoon, with the B-listed Victorian building collapsing several hours later as flames spread.

All train services at Glasgow Central, Scotland’s busiest station, are expected to be cancelled until at least the end of Monday. National Rail said there was “no estimate on when the station will reopen”.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service urged people to avoid the area as crews continued to battle the blaze at 05:00 GMT, more than 13 hours after firefighters were first alerted. No injuries have been reported.

Following a meeting at midnight, Network Rail said: “As things stand we’ve not identified any significant damage to the station. We’ll get this fully assessed at first light.”

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PHOTOS: A massive five-alarm fire broke out at a warehouse in northwest Miami-Dade on Thursday, prompting a huge response involving more than 100 firefighters. The fire was reported around 10:45 a.m. at a warehouse in the 20600 block of Northwest 47th Avenue.

Aerial footage from Chopper 6 showed the warehouse engulfed in flames as a large plumes of black smoke rose into the air from the scene. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said firefighters arrived to find flames and heavy black smoke coming from the warehouse.

Footage showed firefighters spraying water on the building and attacking the flames from multiple angles. The call began as a two-alarm fire but by the afternoon, it had been upgraded to a five-alarm fire, with over 48 fire rescue units and over 100 firefighters at the scene, officials said. Crews were conducting a defensive attack to extinguish the fire due to structural integrity concerns.

“From the arrival of the initial companies, the fire had already taken possession of the entire building, making it too dangerous for us to go inside,” Miami-Dade Deputy Fire Chief Danny Cardeso said.

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VIDEO: We have reported on the dwindling number of volunteer firefighters here in New York and efforts to recruit new members for volunteer fire departments and companies.

And now some fire officials are asking Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to provide authorization to go beyond current incentives to draw in volunteer firefighters and add new part-time compensation options.

Volunteer fire departments and companies face the dilemma of fighting more difficult to deal with fires like those from electric vehicles or handling hazardous materials incidents and that requires more state mandated training from the volunteers who are already donating their time for the fire service.

Getzville Fire Company public information officer David Morales explains: “The fires that we’re fighting have changed from the past which means that the way that we train to fight fires has to change as well to adapt to those new types of fires.”

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