Daily Dispatch

New proposed legislation would make it easier to demolish or remediate dangerous vacant buildings in the City of Seattle. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the legislation Thursday morning which he developed in partnership with councilmembers Tammy Morales and Bob Kettle, which would give the Seattle Fire Department the power to order complete demolition or remediation of unsafe vacant buildings.
- PUB DATE: 4/19/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

VIDEO: Three firefighters with the Charlotte Fire Department have been hospitalized following a two-alarm house fire that was intentionally set Thursday morning in north Charlotte. The department responded to a structure fire around 2:45 a.m. on Grimes Street and had to call for more support due to the size of the fire.
- PUB DATE: 4/19/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSOC-TV ABC 9 Charlotte

VIDEO: Law enforcement agencies across four states were left scrambling following reports of major 911 outages that saw millions unable to contact authorities late Wednesday. Many of the outages — reported in Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota and Texas — were restored by the late evening. So far, there’s no indication that the outages were caused by a cyberattack or other malicious act, law enforcement officials told NBC News on Thursday.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: NBC News

VIDEO: San Francisco is marking the 118th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire that nearly destroyed the city. Every year on April 18, a moment of silence is observed at 5:11 a.m. at Lotta's Fountain on Market Street to remember those who lost their lives in the 7.8-magnitude tremor. More than 3,000 people died in the quake and fire, and hundreds of thousands lost their homes.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KGO-TV ABC 7 San Francisco

VIDEO: Firetrucks in Pigeon Forge now have dash cameras, recording how crews respond to calls and helping them improve how they approach emergencies. Fire Chief Tony Watson said crews and fire department leaders can watch videos to learn how to better fight fires. He said the cameras cost around $130,000 and they help expand the station's training opportunities.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBIR-TV NBC 10 Knoxville

PHOTOS: A fireball shot into the sky Thursday evening as an apartment house went up in flames in Pilsen. Firefighters were called to the scene at 8:15 p.m., and found flames raging at the two-and-a-half-story, multi-family frame house at 1355 W. 16th St., Chicago Fire Department Assistant 1st District Chief Jim McDonough said.
- PUB DATE: 4/18/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBBM-TV CBS 2 Chicago

VIDEOS: Mark Coleman was woken up by his dog around 4 a.m. on March 12 at his parent's house in Fremont, Ohio. The former UFC fighter recalled his room being unusually warm and thought he was having a nightmare. Coleman headed to the kitchen to see what was happening and saw clouds of smoke. Still, he didn't realize what was happening.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTOL-TV CBS 11 Toledo

It was one of the darkest days in Charlotte’s history when a 5-alarm fire engulfed a SouthPark apartment complex under construction, trapping two workers inside. Ruben Holmes and Demonte Sherill lost their lives; the fire almost took more. “We almost lost eight to 10 firefighters that day when they called for ‘Mayday’ when they got trapped,” said North Carolina State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Queen City News

VIDEO: 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.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKBW-TV ABC 7 Buffalo

VIDEO: The Maui Fire Department on Tuesday presented the results and recommendations from a highly-anticipated “after-action” report on last year’s wildfire devastation, saying changes had already been made based on lessons learned. The after-action report was put together by the Western Fire Chiefs Association and includes a detailed timeline of Aug.
- PUB DATE: 4/17/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hawaii News Now

VIDEO: A piece of firefighting history has returned to the place where it first began its service to the community nearly a century ago. The Exeter Township Fire Department has acquired a 1930 Mack fire truck, thanks to a donation from the Reiffton Fire Company Social Quarters. "I saw pictures of what we were going to get, but when I walked in, it got me a little emotional just to see it in person," said Dep.
- PUB DATE: 4/16/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFMZ-TV 69 Allentown

VIDEO: When we think of dangers to firefighters, it's the flames and burning buildings that come to mind. But there are dangers you don't see like the chemicals that can lead to esophageal and other cancers. New screening methods are helping catch the cancers earlier. Firefighters are exposed to hundreds of chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, and asbestos.
- PUB DATE: 4/16/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WBMA-LD ABC 33/40 Birmingham

VIDEO: The Los Angeles Fire Department is mourning the loss of a recruit firefighter who was killed in a hit-and-run crash on the northbound 101 Freeway in Studio City Monday morning. According to LAFD, Jacob Fuerte, 22, “may have been involved in a traffic collision” shortly after 5 a.m. near Vineland Avenue as Fuerte was on his way to training.
- PUB DATE: 4/16/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV CW 5 Los Angeles

A Brooklyn merchant wound up in fire marshals’ handcuffs for improper storage of highly-flammable lithium-ion batteries inside his business — the first arrest of its kind ever reported in New York City, FDNY officials announced Monday. Tian Liang Liu, of the Electric Bicycle Shop at 1239 Flatbush Ave.
- PUB DATE: 4/16/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: amNY

VIDEO: When not stationed at the firehouse or battling blazes, one Aurora firefighter dedicates his time to training firefighters and departments nationwide in responding to lithium-ion battery fires and electric vehicle fires. Paul Shoemaker, a veteran firefighter and paramedic with the Aurora Fire Department for a decade, collaborates closely with the National Fire Protection Association, the Fire Safety Research Institute, and Underwriters Laboratories.
- PUB DATE: 4/15/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS News Colorado

VIDEOS/PHOTOS: The closed Outlet store building was just steps away from WJAR's Broadcast House in downtown Providence. So, on Oct. 16, 1986, Frank Coletta and Art Lake were among the first to smell smoke. The Outlet was on fire, and WJAR had a front-row seat. "Firefighters shown here on the Broadcast House roof.
- PUB DATE: 4/15/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJAR-TV NBC 10 Providence

More than 35,000 firefighters from across the world will meet in Indianapolis this week for an almost century-old international conference. The 97th annual Fire Department Instructors Conference International has returned to Indianapolis for the 29th year in a row, and will feature more than 250 speakers and classes.
- PUB DATE: 4/15/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WISH-TV CW 8 Indianapolis

Nearly two dozen residents in D.C.’s Eckington neighborhood are without a home after a massive fire engulfed an apartment building in Northeast overnight Monday, authorities said. The flames also damaged nearby homes. Firefighters were called to an apartment fire in the 300 block of Seaton Place NE just after midnight, D.
- PUB DATE: 4/15/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRC-TV NBC 4 Washington, D.C.

PHOTOS/VIDEO: Two medics were rushed to a hospital Thursday night after their ambulance flipped and crashed into a restaurant in southwest Houston. It happened a little after 10:30 p.m. when the Houston Fire Department was called to a motor vehicle accident on S Gessner near Westpark Tollway. It’s unclear what exactly caused the crash, but officers with the Houston Police Department said it appears the private ambulance was headed southbound on Gessner when it changed lanes and hit a restaurant’s exterior before flipping.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KPRC-TV NBC 2 Houston

VIDEO: New York City Council approved a bill Thursday requiring the FDNY to give bulletproof vests to EMTs. Supporters say it's necessary as threats against first responders intensify. Natasha Nembhard joined the FDNY first as an EMT and now as a paramedic in Brooklyn because she loves to help people.
- PUB DATE: 4/12/2024 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCBS-TV CBS 2 New York City