Firefighter Close Calls

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly voted last week to enact a disaster declaration for the recent station fire that devastated the South Tongass Fire Department. Mayors from the borough and cities of Saxman and Ketchikan issued the disaster declaration on April 12. South Tongass Fire Chief Steve Rydeen choked up as he took the podium at the […]

Long shrouded in mystery, firefighter suicide recently emerged as one of the foremost problems in the fire service. Although researchers still build consensus through various studies, firefighters die by suicide at a rate that’s significantly more than the general population. Additionally, some estimates of rates of suicidal ideation for firefighters range as high as eight […]

On 4/22/1869 a Baltimore, Maryland firefighter “died in agony as a result of painful injuries sustained in the wall collapse on April 17th. One leg was severely burned from his hip to his heel, and he suffered internal injuries. As firefighters reached him in the debris, he told them he was okay and to move […]

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — Troopers are investigating a crash involving a Walton County fire truck that occurred on Saturday night. The crash happened at the intersection of Highway 90 and County Road 1087 at 11:38 p.m. Florida Highway Patrol says an SUV was traveling south on County Road 1087 in the left turn lane, approaching […]

All, Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Freddy Flores has Died in the Line of Duty from injuries sustained six months earlier as the result of a fire inside a mobile shooting range at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic. He and another deputy were inside the mobile shooting range, built inside a 53-foot semi-trailer when “an […]

LA County Deputy Sheriff Freddy Flores has Died in the Line of Duty from injuries sustained six months earlier as the result of a fire inside a mobile shooting range at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic. He and another deputy were inside the mobile shooting range, built inside a 53-foot semi-trailer when “an equipment malfunction […]

PEORIA, AZ — One person is seriously hurt after a crash involving an ambulance in Peoria early Saturday morning. Peoria police say they were called to the area near 83rd and Northern Avenues for a report of the crash. When officers arrived, they found a vehicle and the ambulance involved in the crash. The driver […]

On 4/21/1930 the Ohio Penitentiary fire in Columbus, Ohio claimed the lives of 322 inmates after a candle ignited some oily rags left on the roof of the West Block. The fire was discovered just after prisoners were locked into their cells for the evening. Three prisoners, hoping to create a diversion to escape started […]

‘Small pebbles can appear as boulders’ for struggling people, Josh Klassen says after firefighter’s death Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide and could be triggering for some people. The death of a Winnipeg firefighter, whose funeral will be held Friday, has sparked calls for more mental health supports for first responders. Help is available […]

MOUNT ORAB, Ohio (WXIX) – The death of a Scott Township firefighter is bringing awareness to the mental health demands of first responders and emergency crews. Shawn Rust, 43, died by suicide. His family described him as quiet and kind, who loved his job. His father, James Rust, served in the US Army. He said […]

POTTSTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — There’s no word yet on how a fire truck caught fire inside of a fire station in Montgomery County. It happened at 9:00 p.m. Thursday night at the Goodwill Fire Company on the 700 block of High Street in Pottstown. Officials say crews were able to quickly extinguish the flames and contain […]

An ambulance transporting a patient to the ER was sideswiped by a vehicle on Highway 154 at Windy Gap early Friday morning, according to Santa Barbara County Fire spokesperson Scott Safechuck. The ambulance was traveling from Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital in Solvang to the ER at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital around 4 a.m. when […]

On 4/20/2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (also referred to as the BP oil spill or the Gulf of Mexico oil spill) and drilling rig explosion, killed eleven platform workers and injured seventeen others. The spill was finally stopped on 7/15/10 when the wellhead was capped, after releasing about 4.9 million barrels of crude oil. […]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — A man was charged with first-degree murder after police said he shot his wife, chased down the ambulance she was being taken to the hospital in and later crashed. The St. Petersburg Police Department said it was called to a home on 29th Avenue North for a shooting around 10:25 […]

David Rhodes and Mike Ciampo recount their encounters with cancer and Kenny Fent gives an update on the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/registry.html  

On 4/19/1995 The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma bombing killed 168 and left over 800 injured after a Ryder truck containing 5,000 pounds of fertilizer and nitromethane mixture detonated. A massive rescue operation that continued over 17 days and involved eleven task forces, USAR Teams, and an Incident Management Team was […]

CONCORD, N.C. (WBTV) – A firetruck was damaged Thursday morning after it caught fire, officials said. City officials said one of the trucks at Concord Fire Department’s Station 8 caught fire inside the building. Crews were awakened by the sound of fire alarms going off within the station around 4:18 a.m. After finding the bay filled with […]

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — As Captain Mark Egloff approaches 30 years as a Buffalo firefighter, he’s made history, receiving the first-ever line-of-duty cancer diagnosis within the department. “You know, you’re scared when you hear it,” he told 7 News. “Everyone hears cancer, you get scared of it. That’s just the natural reaction.” But thanks to […]

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A hospital patient in Henry County stole an ambulance and led police on a chase before crashing in Clayton County Wednesday afternoon, according to the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect, identified as Ladarius Williams, was taken into custody, the sheriff’s office said. They said Williams stole a private […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Three firefighters were hurt in a house fire in north Charlotte early Thursday morning, the Charlotte Fire Department said. The blaze was first reported around 2:45 a.m. on Grimes Street, which is just off North Graham Street. Firefighters said flames were showing from the house when they arrived, and shortly after their […]