Firefighter Close Calls

Just after 1 am, there was a crash on I-45 northbound just south of Rayford Road where a pickup hit the wall. With oil and fluids on the ground, TXDOT was notified. Several lanes of the freeway were closed with emergency vehicles blocking. Traffic was light and being routed to the right lanes As they […]

The number we rely upon as the bridge between the public and public safety is broken. A recent survey showed that 82% of 9-1-1 centers are understaffed. What does this mean to the fire service? Calls will not be answered promptly, allowing for increased spread before dispatch. Telecommunicators are rushing, creating a dangerous environment that […]

On 3/3/1898 the Every One’s Home Hotel, the adjoining saloon, and the dance hall in Dyea, Alaska, were destroyed by a fire that killed five guests where more than twenty persons were sleeping. On 3/3/1883 an Albany, New York firefighter was killed while operating at a general alarm grain elevator fire. On 3/3/1884 a Philadelphia, […]

All, The Luzerne County (PA) 911 Center received a report of a structure fire just before 1430 hours and alerted companies due on the run. A short time later, while responding, a Spartan rescue truck from Valley Regional Fire & Rescue and a Seagrave tractor drawn ladder truck from the Hazle Township Fire & Rescue […]

Matthew Rau was five years old when his family moved into government housing at a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service ranger station. Some of his earliest memories are waking up in the mornings and seeing wildland firefighters exercising around the compound. He studied their work ethic and camaraderie and knew from that young age […]

BUTLER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— According to Luzerne County Communications Center, two fire trucks collided on Route 309 in Butler Township Saturday afternoon. One truck from Valley Regional Fire and a truck from Hazle Township Fire were involved in the crash. The crash happened around 3:15 P.M. There was also a fully involved structure fire Saturday […]

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, Long Island (WABC) — Surveillance video captured the moment of impact when a fire truck slammed into a furniture store in Rockville Centre while responding to a call Friday. The incident occurred at Master of Furniture on South Long Beach Road and Rutland Avenue around 11:30 a.m. As the fire engine was racing northbound […]

FRANKLIN (Somerset) – A firefighter was injured in a blaze in an unoccupied building under construction on Easton Avenue Friday. Around 8:13 p.m., Friday, Franklin Township police responded to a property on Easton Avenue on reports of a fire inside where arriving officers found fire and smoke coming from the building, Franklin Township Police Department Lt. […]

HOUSTON – Three Houston Fire Department firefighters were hospitalized after getting injured while working to put out a fire in an abandoned restaurant in east downtown Houston on Saturday, HFD said. Firefighters were dispatched to the restaurant on Canal Street and Navigation Boulevard at about 6 a.m. due to the blaze. When firefighters made it to the location, they […]

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, The Bronx (WABC) — One person was killed, and a firefighter was injured in a fire in the Bronx Friday. The FDNY says the fire broke out just after 2 p.m. at a three-story building located at 2533 Grand Ave. on West 190th Street. They say the fire was on the second floor and […]

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating a deadly accident involving an Emergency Medical Service unit that caused prolonged road closures and detours on Friday in Aiken, according to authorities. Authorities say officers got the call around 10:22 a.m. for an accident near the intersection of Hitchcock Parkway at Northwood Drive. […]

This afternoon, Luzerne County PA fire companies were responding to a fire, when two rigs, a rescue and a tractor-drawn tiller ladder, collided. There are reports of entrapment and numerous ALS units requested/operating. More to follow. KTIYP’s. YESTERDAY in Rockville Centre (Long Island, NY a responding engine company struck a building—reminders to us all about responding […]

On 3/2/1953 a nursing home fire in Largo, Florida claimed thirty-three lives; only twenty-five of the fifty-seven patients escaped the fire that destroyed the 185-foot long white one-story wood frame Littlefield Nursing Home at about 3:15 a.m. “Thirty-two elderly people and a heroic nurse were killed when a wind-driven fire swept rapidly through a rambling, […]

HARDWICK — Two medics from the West Brookfield Rescue Squad suffered minor injuries when a falling limb smashed the windshield of a moving ambulance on Route 32. The mishap occurred early Thursday afternoon in the Gilbertville section of town. There were no patients in the vehicle, which was returning from a call, according to Daniel […]

BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. — A piece flew off the top of an ambulance on an interstate in Allegheny County and several drivers thought it was a boat. “We felt the wind just blowing us side to side like any vehicle that has a higher roof,” said Priority One EMS Nicholas Richardson Richardson was transporting a VA […]

Firefighters have long been expected to scale ladders, endure intense heat, and rummage through debris. They’ve had little sense, though, of what effect those activities might have on the dangerous chemicals that lurk within their protective equipment. » READ MORE: The Burning Question: Are chemicals in firefighters’ protective gear making them sick? A new government […]

Cancer is a serious health threat facing today’s firefighters. Studies have shown that firefighters have an increased risk of developing several types of cancers, due to the occupational hazards they face. However, there are steps firefighters can take to protect themselves and their crew. The National Volunteer Fire Council and International Association of Fire Chiefs’ […]

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — A Rockville Centre fire truck responding to a call, slammed into a business on South Long Beach Road, a spokesperson for the Rockville Centre Police said. It happened at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Friday. Spokesperson Julie Grilli said four people suffered minor injuries. Police and firefighters were on the scene into […]

The LAPD’s communications operators, which are responsible for answering millions of 911 calls each year and dispatching police, have been working mandatory overtime in order to keep the city’s emergency response system running because of a critical staffing shortage. There are 162 unfilled jobs for the operators, called Police Service Representatives, or PSRs, and the […]

Our investigative bureau compiled and analyzed the average delay between an urgent 9-1-1 call and ambulance arrival in 112 municipalities of more than 10,000 inhabitants in Quebec over a one-year period. Result: About 85% of them are unable to provide ambulance at the required time to a person whose life is in danger. Living in […]