‘Bit of a mystery’: 7 Arizona firefighters test for elevated levels of arsenic

Firefighters in Casa Grande received concerning test results when nearly half of a hazmat team tested for elevated levels of arsenic during their annual heavy metal testing. None of the seven firefighters knew they had high levels of the naturally occurring chemical that can cause cancer. Six of the seven are stationed at the same firehouse in Casa Grande. “That was our immediate concern that something in the station was doing this,” said Casa Grande Fire Department Chief Dave Kean. Kean said he gave bottled water to the team and paid an independent lab to test the water at the firehouse. The results obtained by Arizona’s Family came back clean. Now, he’s trying to find the link between firefighters with arsenic in their system. “We are doing some, lack of a better term, contact tracing,” he said.
KTVK-TV 3 & KPHO-TV CBS 5 Phoenix (AZ Family)

Rising from the ashes: Why an antique fire truck in Colorado was worth restoring

VIDEO: There are currently about 45 fire trucks and engines in service with the Denver Fire Department. But one engine in particular, that no longer fights fires, holds a job that might be comparable in importance. And there was a time that it might have been lost forever. “If it could talk, it would be a bedtime story that would last a decade,” retired Denver firefighter Dan Farley said, smiling when referencing his 'passion' for nearly 15 years. Farley is the director of the Denver Firefighters Museum. Part of his job includes the upkeep of several antique fire trucks that call the museum home. The centerpiece of that collection is Engine Number Four. “It was used for public relations for the museum,” he explained. The so-called ‘rig’ is from the 1950s, and was used by the museum until one day in May of 2012.
KMGH-TV ABC 7 Denver

North Carolina firefighter survives 8th heart attack, saved by fellow firefighters while responding to call

VIDEO: Firefighters save lives. But Friday night, the team at Chesterfield Fire Rescue in Burke County had no idea they’d be saving one of their own. A call came in sending firefighter David Hart to a camper trailer fire on Bristol Creek Avenue this past Friday. Hart was first to arrive and was preparing the water pumps when he noticed he didn’t feel right. When he collapsed, his fellow firefighters rushed to help him, immediately starting CPR and using a defibrillator to bring him back to life. “It was under five minutes, but it felt like eternity,” Amanda Buff, who first performed CPR on Hart, said. “This is like an everyday thing for us. We respond to cardiac arrests all the time, but it feels more personal when it’s one of your own people.” Hart said Friday’s scare was his eighth heart attack, and said he was dead for almost five minutes before his team resuscitated him.
WBTV CBS 3 Charlotte

Texas firefighter proclaimed ’World’s Strongest Firefighter’

Firefighter Andrew Burton won the title of 2023 World's Strongest Firefighter at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, competing against firefighters from as far away as Great Britain and the Czech Republic. "Firefighting and being a strongman are both important to me," Burton said. "I don't only want to identify with my work. I feel like I am both a firefighter and a strongman. Both are about moving efficiently. Being a firefighter and strongman complement one another." During the two-day event, Burton competed against more than 120 men and women to earn the title of "World's Strongest Firefighter." As a seasoned strongman competitor, he came into the competition with a winning strategy: Have a good time. "You don't need to blow all your energy in the preliminary competition," he said.
Red Lake Nation News

VIDEO: 4 townhomes destroyed, 2 damaged after fire in Pennsylvania

Six townhomes caught on fire in Cecil Township on Wednesday. Crews were called to the scene at Georgetown Estates on Farm Road near Valley Brook Country Club. The call came in around 3:45 p.m. Four townhomes were destroyed while two others were damaged. Officials said the fire started in the garage of an end unit. Cecil Township's fire chief said some people were home at the time but everyone got out and there were no injuries. "We had heavy fire showing in two of the townhouses," Chief Noel McMullen said. "The fire got up above early on and traveled through the attic, spread to two other townhouses." Before firefighters arrived, neighbors like Ed Kramer jumped in to help get people out. "The first unit was under renovation and I yelled for people to get out," he said.
KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

Brick by brick, this teen is building Lego firetrucks from every department in Massachusetts

PHOTOS: In the hands of 17-year-old Cristian Sciaudone, tiny pieces of plastic become collectible objects of memorabilia. During the pandemic, the North Andover teenager decided that he was going to create a Lego model of a firetruck from each of the 363 fire departments in Massachusetts. As of this spring, he’s made it to more than 240 departments and pieced together more than 250 trucks. In the family home, there is a designated Lego room filled with the tiny treasures. Now a junior at North Andover High School, Cristian says that his interest in Legos began when he was about 5 years old. He could not imagine then that this recreational playtime toy he enjoyed as a child would become the source of a teenage entrepreneurial effort.
The Eagle-Tribune - Metered Site

This Day in History: Universal Studios fire in California destroys musicians’ master recordings

VIDEO: On June 1, 2008, an enormous fire at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California destroyed a massive collection of irreplaceable recordings by some of the greatest musicians in American history. Nobody was seriously injured in the fire, but The New York Times referred to the disaster as "The Day the Music Burned." The Times estimated that between 120,000 and 175,000 master recordings were lost in the fire, which included songs by Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday and Judy Garland. Universal claimed the story exaggerated the number of recordings that were destroyed. The fire also destroyed a number of archived film copies, a set from "Back to the Future" and a popular King Kong-theme attraction.
KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento

How Subaru Utilizes New Pre-Production Models It Can’t Sell By Helping Emergency and First Responders

What does Subaru do with its new pre-production models that can’t be sold? They are put to good use and are used to help emergency and first responders. Can customers purchase Subaru of America’s new pre-production models at a discount? Unfortunately, they can’t be sold to customers, but they are put to good use by the Camden, N.J. automaker. Subaru of America donated dozens of its new pre-production models, like the 2023 Subaru Outback midsize SUV, Impreza compact car, Ascent 3-Row SUV, Legacy midsize sedan, and other new models to North American Vehicle Rescue Association (NAVRA), to help train emergency responders in rescue operations of crash victims. Subaru can’t sell the vehicles, so they donate the new cars that would otherwise be destroyed.
Torque News