Residents Safe After Three Homes In Pennsylvania Catch Fire

VIDEO: A massive fire has spread to three homes in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood. The fire broke out early on Thursday morning in the 300 block of Kennedy Avenue. Several fire companies are on the scene battling the flames. According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, the residents of the homes were able to make it out safely. Crews on the scene said the residents of the first house that caught fire were forced to their roof, called 911, and had to jump off. They were not hurt and did not have to go to the hospital. All three homes were heavily damaged and lost their roofs. However, the cause of the fire is unknown and the investigation will determine if these homes are a total loss. Firefighters are asking people to avoid the area.
KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

With vaccine mandate looming, New York City could see 20% fewer ambulances; 20% of fire companies closed

With a vaccine mandate for FDNY members days away from kicking in, officials warned fire companies across New York City could close and ambulances could be taken off streets because of worker shortages. Many firefighters and emergency medical workers are still unvaccinated and have no plans of getting the COVID jab. An estimated 20 percent of fire units could close, officials said. New Yorkers could see around 20 percent fewer ambulances on the road. FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the agency has plans in place to mitigate staffing issues. “The Department must manage the unfortunate fact that a portion of our workforce has refused to comply with a vaccine mandate for all city employees,” he said. “We will use all means at our disposal, including mandatory overtime, mutual aid from other EMS providers, and significant changes to the schedules of our members. We will ensure the continuity of operations and safety of all those we have sworn oaths to serve.”
WPIX-TV CW 11 New York

South Carolina fire personnel recall ghostly experiences with entity known as ’the Hag’

Is there a haunted fire station in North Charleston? A couple of firefighters seem convinced an entity named "The Hag" is residing in old Station 6. The city of North Charleston released a video ominously titled "Is this place haunted?" on YouTube today where two fire personnel tell about their encounters with the mysterious spirit. The Hag is supposedly known to move chairs, turn faucets on and off, wake up firefighters and hold them down when they are trying to move. We think she needs to make up her mind. "One individual actually said he saw the outline of a shadow," one official said in the video. "He was in the top bunk, so the shadow was quite tall, and the shadow actually told him to get out of bed. He tried to get out of bed, but it felt like something was holding him down."
WCIV-TV ABC 36 Charleston

Florida firefighter set to run in New York City Marathon to promote prostate cancer awareness

A Delray Beach firefighter is running in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 7. He's hoping his run will help bring to light an important issue. Tyler Adams has been with Delray Beach Fire Rescue for 12 years. He's been preparing for a big race that is scheduled to occur in less than two weeks. "I was fortunate enough to be chosen by the "Movember" charity to run the New York Marathon in the 50th anniversary of the marathon," Adams said. November is a month where men will grow out their facial hair to help promote awareness for prostate cancer. "I don't grow a mustache that well," Adams joked. With his mustache and all, Adams said he has been a big advocate for awareness after seeing men in the department get diagnosed -- even losing a fellow firefighter several years ago.
WPTV NBC 5 West Palm Beach

Missouri fire department joins Department of Labor apprenticeship program

The Springfield Fire Department may begin registering new firefighters into the U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program. In September, Springfield City Council voted to approve an agreement between the Springfield Fire Department and the U.S. Department of Labor. The fire department sought out the program to provide opportunities for firefighters to earn credit while accomplishing their formal fire academy and fire service-related on-the-job training. Assistant Chief Olan Morelan says the goal of this partnership is to help with the recruitment and retention of firefighters. ”It gives the firefighters credit for what they’re already doing and the training they’ve received,” Assistant Chief Morelan says.” SFD has registered 46 firefighters as apprentices in their new program. The program consists of 6,000 hours of on-the-job training for firefighters new to the fire service. Assistant Chief Morelan says that takes about three years to complete.
KYTV NBC 3 Springfield

VIDEO: Massive 4-alarm fire destroys auto auction building in New Jersey

Firefighters were dousing hot spots early Wednesday morning after a four-alarm fire destroyed an auto sales and repair building in Pennsauken, New Jersey. The cleanup effort could delay the morning commute for drivers heading from South Jersey into Philadelphia due to road closures on Route 130/South Crescent Boulevard. Southbound lanes of Route 130 remain closed near the scene. Northbound lanes of Route 130 have reopened to traffic. The initial call came in around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday for a raging fire at the US Auto Auction building located on the 6600 block of South Crescent Boulevard. according to Pennsauken Fire Chief Joseph Palumbo. Chopper 6 was overhead as firefighters worked to contain the inferno. A huge ball of fire shot into the air, producing small explosions inside the building. Officials say at least three businesses worked out of the now-ravaged warehouse.
WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia

New Research Suggests 911 Call Centers Lack Resources to Handle Behavioral Health Crises

Every year, millions of 911 calls involve a person experiencing an emergency related to a mental health or substance use disorder—situations often referred to as behavioral health crises. How these calls are handled can determine whether the incident ends safely, the person in crisis is arrested, or the person is connected to appropriate care. The call-takers and dispatchers answering these emergency calls make critical assessments of the health and safety of those involved in each call, decide whether help is needed, and, if it is, determine whether it should be led by law enforcement officers, emergency medical services, or more specialized field responses (if available). The important role 911 plays in behavioral health emergencies has drawn increased national attention in recent years, with new ideas emerging on how call centers and emergency responses can be more effective.
The PEW Charitable Trusts

17-year-old in Texas invents robot ‘twice as powerful as a firefighter’

VIDEO: It’s the most dangerous part of being a firefighter: entering a burning structure blind to look for victims. What if a robot could go in first? As these first responders search for people who might be inside the flames, dangers like toxic gases pose life-threatening hazards. Additionally, burning buildings may be unstable and could collapse on those inside at any moment. After hearing about a local firefighter’s death, 17-year-old Siddharth Thakur, a University of Texas engineering student, invented what he hopes to be a solution. It’s called the Firebot: a fire-resistant, radio-enhanced intelligence-gathering robot. He brought his initial idea of a firefighting robot to his advisor Roland Fields, a supervisor at the the Fabrication and Innovation lab at Houston Community College. Fields says he thought it was a novel idea.
KXAN-TV NBC 36 Austin

Buyback program in Colorado offers alternative to cancer-causing firefighting foam

For years, fire departments have been using a foam laced with toxic chemicals to fight large, fuel-based fires – a new program in Colorado allows fire departments to swap out their original foam with a safer alternative. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has linked cancer and other medical conditions to the chemicals, known as PFAS, in the firefighting foam and are considered "forever chemicals" that are extremely hard to remove from the environment and the human body once they are introduced. PFAS are also known to enter drinking water supply after seeping through the ground, jeopardizing drinking water for entire towns. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) recently began the firefighting foam buyback program called the "Takeback" program – where Colorado fire departments can take unused firefighting foam containing PFAS out of service and safely store it until there is a safe disposal method.
KUSA-TV NBC 9 Denver

Firefighter says Florida law helps him in fight with rare cancer

31-year-old Clay Geiger of Lakeland understands the risks of a firefighter but he never imagined a rare cancer would put his life on the brink and a state law would help him pay for the medical treatments to fight it. “I didn’t have to worry about bills and mortgage and everything like that,” he said,”I was able to just focus on treatment and getting through it.” The combination of chemotherapy and radiation during the first 6- weeks of Geiger’s cancer treatment left him 25 pounds lighter than when he started the journey 6-months ago. “It’s like you’re going through survival mode where you’re just trying to continue to the next day, " he told News 6, “It was very tough.” Geiger was diagnosed with NK-T cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
WKMG-TV CBS 6 Orlando