An arsonist from Stevens Point was sentenced to three years in prison as part of a plea deal. Gary McDonald appeared in Portage County court on Wednesday. He was initially charged with attempted homicide, because people were living in the home he attempted to burn down. He set three fires inside the home, including pouring gasoline on a bed while people were sleeping.
- PUB DATE: 8/14/2019 9:52:47 AM - SOURCE: WRIG-AM Fox Sports 1390

Almost a year after heavy rain caused flash flooding in several areas of Monroe County, the crew at Fort McCoy Fire Department reflects on their service to the community during routine equipment checks at FMFD Station One on Aug. 12, 2019. The department operates two fire stations that serve the 60,000 acre Army installation and its surrounding cities through various firefighting and emergency capabilities.
- PUB DATE: 8/14/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: DVIDS

Today, the City of Fort Atkinson announced an improvement in the Fort Atkinson Fire Department's Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating. ISO ratings assess the readiness of local fire departments by classifying a community's ability to suppress a fire. Previously, Fort Atkinson Fire Department had a Class 4 rating in the city and 4Y in the township.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2019 7:30:19 PM - SOURCE: Fort Atkinson, WI

PHOTO: One person had to be rescued and four were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire in a clothes dryer at an apartment building in Fond du Lac Tuesday afternoon. Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue was called to a two-story apartment building on Grand Court just after 3:30 pm for the fire. The dryer was in a common first floor hallway, and firefighters noticed heavy smoke before removing the dryer from the building to minimize the spread of the fire.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2019 6:36:29 PM - SOURCE: KFIZ

A fire and rescue truck approached a blaze Tuesday at the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, spraying a flaming tray from a safe distance. The fire was part of an airport emergency exercise that involved multiple fire departments in the Chippewa Valley. Nearby, maintenance supervisor Todd Norrell observed his staff go through the mock disaster drill.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2019 3:41:42 PM - SOURCE: Chippewa Herald

PHOTO: A fire early Tuesday morning in the 2700 block of Red Maple Court destroyed a garage and damaged a home, according to Caledonia Fire Battalion Chief Tim St. Amand. Firefighters responded to the house at 3:50 a.m. Tuesday. The fire was under control within about a half-hour, St. Amand said. “It was a well-involved fire when we arrived,” St.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2019 12:46:06 PM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times

Firefighters on Tuesday morning, Aug. 13 responded to the scene of a garage fire in the area of Cliffside Drive and Red Maple Court in Racine. The call came in around 4 a.m. When crews arrived on scene, they found a fully-involved garage fire that spread to the house. The homeowner was able to safely evacuate.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2019 6:48:44 AM - SOURCE: WITI Fox Channel 6

The City of Fond du Lac opens it's new Public Safety Training Center on Tuesday afternoon. Action 2 News This Morning took a tour of the center ahead of the opening-- watch the videos above. The facility on North Rolling Meadows Drive will be used by the Fond du Lac Police Department and Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue for exercises that will prepare personnel for emergency situations.
- PUB DATE: 8/13/2019 5:00:31 AM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

A rise in emergency calls involving empty watercraft leads Door County first responders and the U.S. Coast Guard to issue a reminder to boat owners. "We've seen a dramatic uptick in that as the lake levels go up, the beaches get smaller, people aren't being as careful about tying boats and things like that," said Fire Chief Chris Hecht with the Sister Bay/Liberty Grove Fire Department.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2019 7:36:20 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department said a 34-year-old man was rescued Sunday morning after his canoe capsized on the Wisconsin River. The man called 911 just before 8:30 a.m. to report he was trapped under the canoe north of Menard Island. It’s near County Rd A in the town of King east of Tomahawk.
- PUB DATE: 8/12/2019 6:45:44 AM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

A first-of-its-kind effort between the Mount Horeb School District and Madison College is looking to inspire the next generation of emergency medical technicians. "I think it's pretty cool because we're 17, but we're doing things adults do professionally," said emergency medical services trainee Max Brinkmann.
- PUB DATE: 8/11/2019 1:48:23 PM - SOURCE: WMSN-TV Fox 47 Madison

Eyemart Express in Valley View Mall was evacuated Thursday afternoon after people inside smelled smoke and called firefighters, who found a fire inside the wall. The La Crosse Fire Department was dispatched to the mall at about 1:50 p.m. Thursday for a fire in the mulch outside the store. While the mulch fire was put out, the callers were concerned the fire may have spread from the mulch into the building.
- PUB DATE: 8/9/2019 7:47:33 AM - SOURCE: Lacrosse Tribune

A former secretary of the Lake Delton Fire Department and the Dells-Delton Emergency Medical Services commissions who nearly ”bankrupted” the agencies by embezzling $358,000 was sentenced Thursday in federal court to 15 months in prison. Stephanie Czuprynko, 54, of Wisconsin Dells, wrote herself more than 100 checks between February 2016 and November 2018, used signature stamps she made to authenticate them and doctored entries in accounting software to cover her theft, said District Judge William Conley.
- PUB DATE: 8/8/2019 4:48:40 PM - SOURCE: Portage Daily Register

Wisconsin regulators leveled a $25,000 fine Thursday against a contractor involved in last summer’s fatal Sun Prairie gas explosion. The Public Service Commission determined that drilling company VC Tech violated state law when it failed to contact the state’s underground utility location service before starting work on July 10, 2018.
- PUB DATE: 8/8/2019 12:43:29 PM - SOURCE: Racine Journal Times

Port Washington aldermen said Tuesday they are willing to work with Ozaukee County to create a joint building that would serve as a city firehouse and county storage facility even as Fire Chief Mark Mitchell expressed concern about the plan. The one thing they all agreed on is that the city’s plans for a $5 million fire station on the city’s west side should not be delayed.
- PUB DATE: 8/8/2019 3:16:43 AM - SOURCE: Ozaukee Press

A Madisonian was reunited with his cellphone, thanks to the help of firefighters. The Madison Fire Department tweeted photos Wednesday afternoon showing firefighters using a Halligan tool, a type of pry bar, to fish the cellphone out of a sewer on Madison's north side. The firefighters were able to open the sewer grate and rescue the phone, which was returned to the owner unharmed, according to the tweet.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2019 4:48:31 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison

A group of homeowners filed a civil lawsuit seeking damages to recover losses from property and related damages as a result of a deadly natural gas explosion in downtown Sun Prairie. Nine homeowners filed the lawsuit on August 2. They complaint is against VC Tech, Bear Communications, Verizon, WE Energies, and USIC Locating Services.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2019 4:39:42 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

For 75 years, Smokey Bear has taught millions of Americans about their role in preventing wildfires. On Aug. 9, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is celebrating Smokey and his timeless message, "Only you can prevent wildfires." "Smokey Bear ranks right up there behind Santa Claus and Mickey Mouse," says Catherine Koele, DNR wildfire prevention specialist.
- PUB DATE: 8/7/2019 1:35:59 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

Local emergency crews rescued three Cargill Malt workers from a Sheboygan malt silo Tuesday. The Sheboygan Fire Department was dispatched to Cargill's New Jersey Avenue facility at about 10:24 a.m. Tuesday after a worker fell into a silo and was trapped up to his neck. When first responders arrived, they found that two more workers had become trapped in the silo while trying to rescue the first man, according to a press release from the fire department.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2019 8:42:42 PM - SOURCE: Sheboygan Press

Across the country, law enforcement agencies participated in the annual National Night Out event on Tuesday held in the parking lot of Dales Weston Lanes. The goal of the event is to encourage different communities to bond with those that serve and protect them while having fun in a setting people normally don’t see first responders.
- PUB DATE: 8/6/2019 8:42:42 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau