A 39-year-old man accused of setting a woman on fire in Waukesha has been formally charged. Joel Murn — who lives in Las Vegas — was scheduled to appear in court Friday, Sept. 4, but he refused to leave the jail. He also has not been seen by the public defender’s office. Prosecutors say Murn traveled from Las Vegas with an intent to kill his family members.
- PUB DATE: 9/7/2020 12:57:33 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison

A man was rescued by first responders after he was stranded crossing the Rock River and having a medical issue early Monday, officials said. The Janesville Police Department said officers and firefighters responded at 5:30 a.m. to the area of the Center Avenue Bridge near 900 Center Avenue to check on a person’s welfare.
- PUB DATE: 9/7/2020 12:21:17 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

Madison police say they’ve arrested a man for allegedly setting multiple fires in trash cans on State Street overnight. Madison police and the Madison Fire Department were called just before 4 a.m. Friday after multiple trash cans were seen on fire on the 400 and 500 blocks of State Street. Police used city cameras to find a suspect nearby and arrest him.
- PUB DATE: 9/4/2020 5:53:57 AM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison

Embers thrown from a grinder sparked a fire at a Village of Deerfield manufacturing facility. According to the Dane Co. Sheriff’s Office, deputies and firefighters from six departments responded around 3 p.m. Thursday to the MPI facility, at 54 Golf Drive. Heavy smoke could be seen pouring from the building as they arrived.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 9:20:20 AM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

Two people were displaced from their home Wednesday after a fire on Karen Lane. Fire crews responded around 6 p.m. to the 600 block of Karen Lane for a kitchen fire, according to the Green Bay Metro Fire Department. Firefighters arrived to smoke coming from the building’s front door and eaves. They extinguished the fire, ventilated the home, completed overhaul and checked for more fire.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 3:35:51 AM - SOURCE: Green Bay Press-Gazette

The Village of Prairie du Sac’s fire department recently improved their Insurance Service Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification (PPC) survey rating from a four to three. The program measures and evaluates the effectiveness of fire-mitigation services provided in communities. “It’s very exciting that the Village of Prairie du Sac was able to reduce our ISO rating from a four to a three.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 7:13:15 PM - SOURCE: Prairie Du Sac

An 83-year-old man was struck by a vehicle and three fires were set Wednesday morning, Sept. 2 in Waukesha. It happened shortly after Waukesha police said a female was set on fire -- and there was a second "suspicious fire" a short time later. The incidents prompted a "lockout" at Waukesha schools, and Waukesha police said they were working to determine whether the two incidents were linked.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 4:33:24 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, alongside other law enforcement agencies, is searching for seven ‘persons of interest’ in connection with multiple fires set during the civil unrest in Kenosha. Videos and photos shared by the ATF on Wednesday show several individuals who officials believe played a roll in setting fire to buildings and vehicles throughout Kenosha.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 3:26:43 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

Germantown fire officials on Tuesday morning, Sept. 1 rescued a horse that was apparently spooked by something and ended up becoming trapped in a trailer. According to a post on the Germantown Fire Department's Facebook page, the incident occurred shortly before 8 a.m. The horse, while attempting to break free, fell on its side between two of the permanent retaining dividers within the trailer -- becoming stuck.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 6:38:16 PM - SOURCE: WITI-TV Fox 6 Milwaukee

A calendar honoring firefighters who participate in fundraising stair climbs across the country has plenty of Wisconsin representation, including four firefighters from the Milwaukee area. Three are on the cover. West Allis Fire Chief Mason Pooler, Retired Lt. Chuck Roberts of the Eagle Fire Department and Assistant Chief Aaron Lipski of the Milwaukee Fire Department grace the front of the American Lung Association’s inaugural Fight For Air Climb Calendar.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 3:11:06 PM - SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

An overnight crash sent a speeding driver’s vehicle right into a Madison Fire Dept. firehouse early Tuesday morning. The firefighters were asleep in the back of the station, in the 1200 block of Williamson St., around 1 a.m. when the car skidded into one of the apparatus bay door, blocking in one of the fire trucks, the Madison Police Dept.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 4:01:45 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

2019 Wisconsin Act 101, published on Feb. 6, 2020 and codified in Wisconsin Statutes section 299.48, implements measures that mitigate the discharge of PFAS-containing firefighting foam into the environment, and in doing so supports efforts by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and fire departments to protect the health and safety of Wisconsin residents and the firefighting community.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 11:06:47 AM - SOURCE: Antigo Times

For the La Crosse Fire Department, today was a day for joy as well as remembrance. At Station 1, the fire department held a private dedication to a new vehicle, Engine 10. They also held a long-overdue memorial for fallen firefighter Assistant Chief Edward Sciborksi, who died in the line of duty in 1964.
- PUB DATE: 8/29/2020 5:43:48 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are working with local law enforcement to investigate over 30 arson cases in Kenosha. ATF said in a news release Friday that members of the National Response Team and special agents from the Chicago Field Division of ATF arrived in Kenosha on Tuesday.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 3:38:13 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

A badly burned body was found following an early morning house fire in Crawford County Friday, August 28. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Department received a call reporting a house fire on Spring Street in the Village of Lynxville at 2:07 a.m. Friday morning. A neighbor told law enforcement that the residence was fully engulfed in flames.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 12:38:07 PM - SOURCE: WKBT-TV CBS 8 La Crosse

Jim Mallardo and Billy Morrisey are part of a group of residents who have mobilized to help put out fires lit by rioters following protests that have increasingly transformed into violence in downtown Kenosha at night. What they want people to know is that they’re not against the protests. These fire stoppers don’t want their city to burn at the hands of those who are set on destroying it.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 1:06:56 AM - SOURCE: Kenosha News

A coalition of environmental organizations is calling on Wisconsin’s natural resources policy board to approve temporary regulations on the use and storage of firefighting foam containing hazardous chemicals known as PFAS. The Natural Resources Board earlier this month voted to table a rule that would establish guidelines on containment and disposal of the chemicals, which have been linked to cancer and other illnesses and don’t break down in the environment, after industry groups and some Republican lawmakers objected to some of the proposed standards.
- PUB DATE: 8/27/2020 1:09:55 PM - SOURCE: Kenosha News

Far fewer people voted in Wheatland on a binding resolution to authorize funding for firehouse construction than voted in a non-binding referendum in February seeking support to build a new station. But, the result was the same. Their answer was “no.” This time, by a larger margin. In February, 426 residents, or 58%, voted against a plan to spend up to $3.
- PUB DATE: 8/26/2020 1:04:13 PM - SOURCE: Lake Geneva News

Following a third straight night of violent protests in Kenosha, the most recent of which turned deadly, law enforcement officers in the city will be getting even more assistance from the National Guard as well as from federal agencies. On Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers doubled the number of members of the National Guard who will be deployed to Kenosha, announcing 500 soldiers will be activated.
- PUB DATE: 8/26/2020 12:27:09 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

Several Northwoods first responder groups have picked up grant money to help their agencies. The Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) is providing a total of $50,000 through its Rewarding Responders Grant to 27 emergency response agencies in this region. Among this year’s recipients is the Tomahawk Fire Department, which is purchasing two new automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
- PUB DATE: 8/26/2020 5:16:16 AM - SOURCE: WXPR-FM 91.7 Public Radio