Georgia firefighters tackle another Cheshire Bridge Road overpass fire

VIDEO: Atlanta firefighters were back on Cheshire Bridge Road on Saturday after a fire broke out under an overpass less than a month after officials started demolishing another bridge on the same roadway. Atlanta Fire Company 29 shared videos of the fire where black smoke could be seen filling the sky. The fire was underneath the bridge near the Buford Connector and where the roadway turns into Lenox Road. Officials said the area under the bridge was extremely hot but crews had to make their way underneath the bridge to put out the fire. Getting close to the blistering flames, Target shopping carts could be seen, along with countless other items. Grills, mattresses, propane tanks, office chairs, couches, dressers and generators were just some of the many items found within the rubble, fire officials said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

New rigs mean new capabilities for Wisconsin fire department

PHOTOS/VIDEO: Christmas came early for Superior's firefighters. "If you would have asked me two years ago if I would have been working in a brand new fire station with two new ladders, I would have said you're kidding," said Battalion Chief Howard Huber. The Superior Fire Department has not one, but two new aerial ladder trucks. A week after the department unveiled its new $1.3 million truck to city officials, fire Capt. Tom LeSage drove a second 100-foot ladder truck into Superior from South Carolina. The sleek vehicle is the same age as the city’s current backup aerial truck, but with fewer miles, no rust and an additional 25 feet of ladder. “It doesn’t make much sense operationally to have a 101-foot truck but have a 75-foot truck backing it up,” said fire Chief Scott Gordon. “Instead of refurbishing Engine 2 and keeping it for another 15 years, I asked the council if we could take that same money and buy this instead.”
Superior Telegram - Metered Site

New York firefighters ship 600 Christmas trees to armed forces

The Pleasant Valley Fire District, with mutual aid from other area departments and community members, loaded 600 live Christmas trees onto two FedEx trailers for the annual “Trees for Troops” drive on Saturday, November 27. The trailers were loaded at Hahn Farm on Salt Point Turnpike. The nationwide movement began in 2005 when the National Christmas Tree Association formed the non-profit Christmas SPIRIT Foundation to unite local tree growers who were running small tree programs for troops. Through a partnership with FedEx, the Trees for Troops program has delivered more than 265,000 trees to military families in the U.S. and to troops stationed overseas in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Spain, and Guam.
Mid Hudson News

Police, firefighters in Texas vie for best with a ‘Stache-off’

The Seguin Police Department threw down a challenge to the Seguin Fire Department, along with its razors, to help raise money for a local teen and awareness about the cancer he is battling. The pair of city departments are in the midst of the No Shave November “Stache-Off.” The firefighters and police officers are tasked with growing out their best mustache, or beard, to raise money for Navarro High School senior Triston Brashears, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer last month. With the annual No Shave November geared toward raising money and awareness for testicular cancer, the chiefs felt this was a great opportunity to get the word out while supporting a community member. “This year we’ve decided to do it for this young man,” Seguin Police Chief Terry Nichols said.
Seguin Gazette

Coronavirus variants, including new Omicron: Here’s what we know

Omicron, the newest coronavirus variant, is also the quickest to be labeled a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization because of its seemingly fast spread in South Africa and its many troubling mutations. Its emergence has already led to travel restrictions, high-level government meetings and promises by vaccine makers to start working on strain-specific vaccines just in case. But it has a long way to go to take over from Delta, the variant that dominates all over the world. And the long list of variants that at first frightened the world before falling off the map can be a reminder that viruses are unpredictable. Here's a look at the named coronavirus variants. WHO designates coronavirus variants as either variants of concern -- meaning they look dangerous enough to bear close scrutiny and continual updates -- or as variants of interest, or variants under monitoring. Only five currently meet the definition for variants of concern: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron.
CNN Health

VIDEO: Raging Fire Tears Through New Jersey House; 1 Dead, 1 Injured

A raging house fire in Cranford, New Jersey claimed the life of one person and injured another, local authorities said. Chopper 4 captured images of the intense scene that unfolded on Beach Street near West End Place -- prompting several area fire departments to spring into action. One woman died and two other people who were inside had to be rescued by a neighbor after the flames were reported around 7 a.m. Tuesday in a 2 1/2 story structure. No other injuries were reported as a result of this. Officials say when they arrived, they were met with heavy flames right away. "When we arrived on scene neighbors were out, they were actively trying to rescue the occupants and we immediately went into an offensive rescue operation at that time to save two victims," Cranford Fire Department Lt. Matthew Lubin said.
WNBC-TV NBC 4 New York

Wisconsin Christmas parade attack witnesses praise first responders

PHOTOS: With the dust still settling after a red SUV mowed down Christmas parade marchers in a Milwaukee suburb Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring dozens – including children – law enforcement and witnesses at the scene are praising first responders’ handling of the chaos that unfolded. Brayden Kowalski, 19, one of the witnesses at the scene, described the first responders’ professionalism as "wonderful" in an interview with Fox News. "It was wonderful," Kowalski said when describing the first responders’ professionalism and swift actions. He said it didn’t take long for first responders to arrive on scene and he recounted how paramedics and fire personnel worked their way up through the crowd, starting from where shots were first fired.
FOX News

New research improves equipment for women firefighters

New research by Cassandra Kwon, a research assistant professor at NC State’s Textile Protection and Comfort Center, and former Ph.D. student Meredith McQuerry, who is currently an associate professor at Florida State University, suggests that many women firefighters may struggle with poorly fitting gear that is designed with the male form in mind. The two researchers have spent the past several months collecting data about how conventional firefighter suits fit women, and how to better tailor firefighting gear for women. Recently, they have traveled to the Women in Fire conference, showcasing their project to fire departments, manufacturers and women firefighters themselves. “It’s sort of an unspoken kind of fact that firefighting gear, it’s not really made for the female form,” Kwon said. “It’s always been designed for the male form.”
Technician Online

Researchers, firefighters in New York team up to optimize ambulance response

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have teamed up with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) to upgrade the FDNY's ambulance Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response operations and optimize hospital capacity balancing so that hospitals aren’t overwhelmed in the future by an unprecedented patient surge like the one that occurred in the early months of the pandemic. FDNY oversees New York City's 911 EMS system, providing coverage for all five boroughs of the city with ambulances and specialized response vehicles. It currently operates two-thirds of the nearly 450 ambulances in NYC’s 911 system directly, with the rest provided by about 22 of New York City's private hospitals. In addition, 198 fire engine companies provide medical response to a subset of life-threatening emergencies.
Newswise

To avoid COVID, here are four questions to ask family and friends ahead of Thanksgiving gatherings

Thursday marks the second Thanksgiving during the coronavirus pandemic. Many grandparents are excitedly planning to see their grandchildren. Friends are dressing their dining tables for turkey and loved ones. Some people have flights booked or road trips scheduled. But in the background, COVID-19 case numbers are inching upward across the United States and millions of Americans remain unvaccinated -- leaving some people worried about the possible COVID-19 risks that could come with their Thanksgiving plans. If you have concerns, experts say there are some important questions to ask to help weigh your risk: Will those around you be vaccinated? Have they been tested? Should you open windows when indoors?
CNN Health