VIDEO: A former firefighter who was badly burned on the job is turning his pain into purpose.
Jake LaFerriere helped set up a first-of-its kind facility for families facing the same struggles.
It was in 2010 when LaFerriere's life changed forever when he was on duty as a Minneapolis firefighter.
"I was on fire and I jumped from the third floor, and by the grace of God I survived this experience because there was a porch overhand down here that caught me," LaFerriere said. - PUB DATE: 1/19/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCCO-TV CBS 4 Minneapolis
PHOTO: REV Fire Group has partnered with Daytona International Speedway to provide four firefighting trucks to the track ahead of the 2023 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and Daytona 500. While these include standard pumpers, one will be an electric model called the Vector.
“We are excited to provide the all-electric Vector for our Florida neighbor, Daytona International Speedway, to protect its employees, NASCAR drivers, and the many fans and spectators who attend The Great American Race and other events,” commented REV Fire Group Vice President Mike Virnig. - PUB DATE: 1/19/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Checkered Flag
Firefighters across the world risk their lives every day to protect citizen lives, properties and the environment from disasters. Rescue missions and other duties — such as saving a family from a burning building or pulling an injured person out of a vehicle after a collision — can prove to be extremely challenging, especially paired with the grueling schedules they are required to work. - PUB DATE: 1/19/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: University of Kentucky
Crews are battling a house fire in Surfside Beach Tuesday morning.
Horry County Fire Rescue crews were dispatched to Heathermuir Drive just after 8:30 a.m. HCFR said the fire is under control and no injuries were reported; however, two people have been displaced. They will receive assistance from the Red Cross. - PUB DATE: 1/18/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMBF-TV NBC 32 Myrtle Beach
A New York City Fire Department firefighter who was fatally injured while prepping for a training exercise at work saved the lives of five others through organ donation, including two fellow FDNY firefighters.
Veteran Firefighter William "Billy" Moon died after a 20-foot fall at his Brooklyn fire station on Dec. - PUB DATE: 1/18/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FOX News
VIDEO/PHOTOS: Two local first responders are setting the downtown Asheville scene on ‘fire’. Technically retired, Tanker 364 is now blazing a new trail in western North Carolina. It’s not your typical fire engine anymore. Tanker 364 has been transformed into the ‘Hot Zone Party Fire Engine' – the brainchild of Terry Whitaker and Dakota Andrews. - PUB DATE: 1/18/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLOS-TV ABC 13 Asheville
The new and highly contagious COVID variant dubbed XBB.1.5 roughly doubled its prevalence in the Midwest over the last week and experts say that growth will likely continue in the weeks ahead.
The variant now makes up 43% of cases in the U.S. and more than 14% of cases in the Midwest, climbing in both metrics from 30. - PUB DATE: 1/18/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMAQ-TV NBC 5 Chicago
The Chicago Fire Department battled an extra-alarm fire in a West Side warehouse Tuesday morning.
The fire was in a one-story commercial building in the 4500-block of West Fulton Street.
Chopper 7HD flew above the scene, where flames could be seen pouring through the roof of the warehouse. The fire raged for more than an hour and around 7:45 a. - PUB DATE: 1/17/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago
VIDEO: January is firefighter cancer awareness month. It’s a time for departments and advocates to raise awareness about the ongoing occupational hazards that firefighters face every day.
According to research by the CDC and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Firefighters have a nine percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a fourteen percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the average person but, advocates in Alabama are working toward ways to help lower those statistics. - PUB DATE: 1/17/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHNT-TV CBS 19 Huntsville
VIDEO: Police are searching for a suspect who stole an ambulance in San Francisco Monday night.
This all happened when paramedics were in the process of brining a patient to the ambulance in the area of 47th Avenue and Irving Street at 6:42 p.m.
The California Highway Patrol was able to locate the ambulance using GPS and pursued it through San Mateo and Alameda counties before it got onto city streets in Oakland, the San Francisco Fire Department said. - PUB DATE: 1/17/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNTV NBC 11 San Jose
‘Move over’ is a law created to protect first responders on the scene of incidents. Unfortunately, drivers continue to ignore the siren and the flashing lights and it’s costing people their lives.
After six big wrecks involving Memphis firefighters, leaders and families say enough is enough. Now there are calls to stiffen penalties for drivers who break the law, and for more enforcement. - PUB DATE: 1/17/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WATN-TV ABC 24 Memphis
VIDEO: When Denver’s Fire Station Number 1 was built in 1909, firetrucks were still pulled by horses. One-hundred-fourteen years later, the horses are gone but the building remains as a tribute to the men and women who have dedicated their lives to keeping the city safe.
“The fire house itself is just something that’s very cherished,” says long time firefighter Steve Montoya. - PUB DATE: 1/17/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KMGH-TV ABC 7 Denver
VIDEO: Fire crews continue to monitor for hotspots after a huge fire destroyed a Schaumburg commercial building Thursday night.
Fire officials said Friday they will continue to watch for hotspots and they plan to determine if the building is structurally sound.
It took about two-and-a-half hours to get the fire under control Thursday after it broke out at around 6:30 p. - PUB DATE: 1/13/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago
VIDEO: The Orono Fire Department is going to be riding around in style thanks to the work of one of their own.
“Art has always been a passion of mine. My twin brother and I, even through grade school, we were in art class and what not,” said Dennis Bean of the Orono Fire Department.
“My high school art teacher actually encouraged me to attend an art school in Boston. - PUB DATE: 1/13/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABI-TV CBS/CW+ 5 Bangor
PHOTOS: The Chatsworth sinkhole that made national news this week when it swallowed two vehicles and led to the harrowing rescue of a mother and her daughter, was created by pounding torrential rain in the San Fernando Valley on Jan. 9. Now city crews are investigating how it happened.
A mom and daughter in their Nissan, and a male driver and his passenger in a pickup truck, escaped from the dark, gaping, flooded hole on Monday night after their vehicles fell, without warning, into a cavernous gap in Iverson Road just yards from the 118 Freeway in northern Chatsworth. - PUB DATE: 1/13/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Mercury News - Metered Site
VIDEO: It was stepped up training for first responders as they learned to spot human trafficking at airports.
Miami-Dade firefighters are helping combat a sad reality.
“It does exist, it is a daily crime that is hidden right in our backyard,” said Jessica Barriel, of the Miami-Dade Police Department Human Trafficking Squad. - PUB DATE: 1/13/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSVN-TV FOX 7 Miami
The Norristown Fire Department will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by serving the community of Norristown on Jan. 16 with its 5th Annual Smoke Detector Blitz.
In partnership with the American Red Cross and students from Ursinus College, all on-duty fire department staff will conduct a neighborhood Smoke Detector Blitz from 10 a. - PUB DATE: 1/13/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Times Herald
There will be an update Thursday afternoon after a massive fire erupted at the Carus Chemical plant in La Salle Wednesday morning. Some neighbors have concerns.
The residential neighborhood around the plant appears to have been covered with chemicals. A shelter-in-place was ordered for several hours as a precaution, but has since been lifted. - PUB DATE: 1/12/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago
VIDEO: The Hot Springs Fire Department made a trip to City Hall Tuesday to show the city board of directors one of its newest purchases.
The board approved the $2.2 million purchase of a 107-foot tiller aerial ladder by Pierce Manufacturing Inc. and accompanying equipment in May 2021. The cost was included in the $2. - PUB DATE: 1/12/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Sentinel-Record
VIDEO: EMT firefighter Joseph Solecki is back on the front lines with the Irving Fire Department after the battle of his life.
For 500 days, Solecki had COVID-19 and it was a battle that nearly cost him everything.
“Just amazing, it’s actually nothing short of a miracle,” said Capt. Jeff Judd, with the IFD. - PUB DATE: 1/12/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXAS-TV NBC 5 Fort Worth
