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National Fire News

AT&T Safety System for K-12 Connects Schools to FirstNet

AT&T is giving schools access to a new security alert system through FirstNet, the company's dedicated telecommunications network for first responders. The school safety system will be available this fall and entail a FirstNet-certified mobile app, wearable panic button and online portal designed by the telecommunications company Intrado, according to a news release Tuesday.
- PUB DATE: 8/4/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Government Technology

Hyundai, Kia recall over 90,000 vehicles over oil-pump fire risk

Hyundai Motor and Kia have recalled more than 91,000 recently released U.S. vehicles because of a potential fire hazard in their newer models. The electrical components of the vehicles' oil pump assemblies may overheat, increasing the risk of a fire, according to a recall notice posted Thursday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
- PUB DATE: 8/4/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS News

VIDEOS: 3 firefighters hospitalized, 6 displaced after massive fire in Arizona

Three firefighters were hospitalized after a fast-moving, wind-driven fire ignited at a junkyard in west Phoenix Wednesday afternoon, according to Phoenix Fire. Phoenix firefighters were dispatched to the blaze near 27th Avenue and Buckeye Road just before 3 p.m. for reports of a grass fire that may have spread to a fence nearby.
- PUB DATE: 8/3/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPNX-TV NBC 12 Phoenix

Alabama top five in nation for death rate from house fires

More than 100 people in Alabama died in fires in 2022, and 2023 is on pace to be even worse. “Unfortunately we’re usually in the top 5 or the top 10 annually,” said Scott Pilgreen, Alabama’s state fire marshal. “In my view, all of them are preventable.” The Alabama Fire Marshal’s Office reports there were 108 fire fatalities in the state in 2022, and 67 more through July 27 of this year, though that number may be out of date.
- PUB DATE: 8/3/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: AL.com

VIDEO: Van crashes into ambulance in Washington, D.C.

A man is critically hurt after the van he was driving crashed into an ambulance that was going the opposite direction on Georgia Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., early Wednesday morning, fire officials say. Surveillance video of the crash shows the ambulance driving on Georgia Ave. near Farragut Street NW about 7:20 a.
- PUB DATE: 8/3/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRC-TV NBC 4 Washington, D.C.

2023’s most hurricane-vulnerable counties

Which U.S. counties face the biggest danger from Earth’s most powerful storms? With climate experts forecasting a “borderline hyperactive” hurricane season, Gutter Gnome ranked 2023’s Most Hurricane-Vulnerable Counties. The study combined hurricane risk assessments by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) with 10 years of historical storm data and financial impact projections from government agencies.
- PUB DATE: 8/3/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFLA-TV NBC 8 Tampa

VIDEO: Fiery crash on U.S. 75 in Texas produces heavy smoke as crews let fuel burn off

A fiery crash on U.S. Highway 75 in Plano brought traffic to a halt Wednesday morning and also produced heavy smoke in the area, as crews were letting fuel burn off. The crash and fire happened around 5:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Highway 75 near Parker Road. The crash involved a tractor-trailer, and two people were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
- PUB DATE: 8/2/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFAA-TV ABC 8 Dallas

Firefighters in one Tennessee city unveil new life-saving technology

VIDEO: New technology is keeping Hendersonville firefighters safe. It’s a device called Lunar that has multiple applications, not the least of which is firefighter safety in a “MAYDAY” scenario. “If they are in a position where they are trapped and have to be evacuated, they can sound an alarm on this and it will send a signal to the other Lunar devices on scene,” said Assistant Chief George Edwards of the Hendersonville Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 8/2/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKRN-TV ABC 2 Nashville

911 becomes the go-to help line for ‘high utilizers.’ Who’s reaching out to help them? Pittsburgh firefighters

A 45-year-old woman with anxiety called 911 28 times with the exact same narrative. A 60-year-old man with rib pain but without a known medical diagnosis made a “big block of calls” for the same issue repeatedly, as did a woman with repeated falls stemming from shortness of breath. These are just two of the summaries of cases presented at the June 23 meeting of Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire High Utilizers Program team.
- PUB DATE: 8/2/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Public Source

Rhode Island man meets firefighters who saved his life 16 years ago

VIDEO: Gary Benitez was 14 years old when he was nearly killed by a falling tree. The Johnston native tells 12 News the rotted tree fell right on top of him while he was playing Wiffle ball with friends. The teenager was knocked unconscious, and woke up two days later in the hospital. “I thought it was the same day, so I woke up in a panic,” Benitez said.
- PUB DATE: 8/2/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPRI-TV CBS 12 Providence

$60k reward offered for information on suspects in arson incidents at Atlanta Police Department facilities

VIDEO: Atlanta police are increasing the reward for information following a string of attacks they allege were targeted toward the department and those involved in the development of the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Facility. On Tuesday, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said they have increased the total reward to $60,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of those involved in this series of arson attacks in Atlanta.
- PUB DATE: 8/2/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Atlanta News First

VIDEOS: Four-alarm fire sparks in San Francisco building under construction

PHOTOS: A four-alarm fire was reported the Hayes Valley area of San Francisco on Tuesday morning, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. The building was under construction, and the flames reached all floors. A total of four buildings nearby were evacuated for safety during the blaze. Those four buildings are being examined for damages as well.
- PUB DATE: 8/1/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRON-TV NBC 4 San Francisco

'People are dying': Houston police release final reports from Astroworld Festival investigation

Houston police released a series of reports Friday into the investigation of what happened during the deadly Astroworld Festival tragedy. The incident left 10 people dead, including a 9-year-old boy, and roughly 300 other people injured. The more than 1,200 pages of reports released Friday morning detail attempts to stop the show just moments after it began.
- PUB DATE: 8/1/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

Firestorm: Illinois city seeks culprits in string of suspicious blazes

PHOTOS: It's been frustrating for Jacksonville fire and police officials as they work to find those responsible for a string of suspicious fires that have plagued the city. There have been 14 suspicious fires since March 2022 and all of them appear to have been intentionally set. Despite their best efforts, officials have yet to identify the culprits.
- PUB DATE: 8/1/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Jacksonville Journal-Courier - Metered Site

53 EMTs graduate in Baltimore amid widespread vacancies

VIDEO: Dozens of emergency medical technicians graduated Monday in Baltimore, which is in desperate need amid open positions. The fire department graduated 53 EMTs, along with three paramedics. Jade George, a graduate, said she and her classmates faced a uniquely tough situation while training during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- PUB DATE: 8/1/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBAL-TV NBC 11 Baltimore

Bearing the burden: Florida fire rescue holds weightlifting competition for first responder mental health awareness

Among the sound of the weights clanging and the anxious chatter of the competitors, the smell of sweat and disinfectant clung to the air. Some of Marion County’s bravest men and women lined up this weekend inside the “Everyone Goes Home” gym to test their might in its annual “Bear the Burden” weightlifting competition.
- PUB DATE: 8/1/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WUFT-TV PBS 5 Gainesville

Video shows Texas police officers rescue man from burning car

Two White Settlement police officers are being called heroes after they rescued a man from a burning car in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 29. Police said officers responded around 2:40 a.m. in the 1700 block of South Cherry Lane to a crash where a car struck a pole. The crash caused the car to catch fire, police said.
- PUB DATE: 7/31/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFAA-TV ABC 8 Dallas

Dangerous weekend in the sky - Multiple small plane crashes recorded across the US

VIDEO: Two people were killed and another two injured in a mid-air collision Saturday involving a helicopter and a gyrocopter near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, officials said, while another two other people were killed in a separate incident in which a small plane crashed into a nearby lake. A spokesperson for the Experimental Aircraft Association told CBS News in a statement that the mid-air collision occurred a little before 12:30 p.
- PUB DATE: 7/31/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS News

Vermont fire station in danger, town seeks alternative building

VIDEO: Right now, the town of Cabot's fire station is at risk of falling into the Winooski River, impacting both the volunteer fire department and ambulance service. "It's been a little chaotic, but we've been staying in front of it," said Chief Dean Deasy, about what the department and town have experienced since flooding on July 10.
- PUB DATE: 7/31/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WPTZ-TV NBC 5 Plattsburgh

New study to address training, resources for shipboard fires at South Carolina ports

VIDEO: The North Charleston City Council voted unanimously to approve a study identifying and addressing risks for onboard ship fires at Charleston Ports. The study is being funded by a grant received from the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs totaling $247,381. The main goal of this study is to ensure marine firefighters and port workers have the proper training and resources to act in an emergency.
- PUB DATE: 7/31/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCSC-TV CBS 5 Charleston

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