Firefighter Close Calls

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against the city of Riviera Beach, alleging that critical mistakes made by firefighters during a canal rescue led to the death of Heath Thomas. The lawsuit, filed this afternoon by Thomas’ widow, Gia Thomas, claims that her husband was still alive in a vehicle […]

CHELMSFORD, Mass. — The union for Chelmsford firefighters provided a positive update on the recovery of firefighter Nick Spinale after he suffered serious injuries from a fall at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow last week. Chelmsford Firefighters IAFF Local 1839 President Rob Albon said in a letter Monday that Spinale remains in the intensive […]

F2026-01 KS: Four Career Firefighters Injured from a Floor Collapse in an Abandoned Residential Structure Fire – Kansas Report: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/programs/pdfs/f202601.pdf Slides: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firefighters/programs/pdfs/f202601RS.pdf The report was published exactly 100 days since the fire department submitted a request for a NIOSH investigation. FFFIPP continues to accept requests for serious injury and line-of-duty death investigations through the NIOSH website. Firefighters and other interested parties can […]

GOLDSBORO, NC — Eleven people were displaced and two firefighters were injured following a structure fire Saturday night in Goldsboro. According to the Goldsboro Fire Department, crews responded to a call at 7:56 p.m. on April 11 at 1411 Herring Street. The incident was initially dispatched as an outside fire, but when the first unit arrived, […]

Durham firefighters were injured Monday afternoon while trying to put out a house fire. The fire is at a home along Timberview Drive near Arborwood Drive. According to firefighters at the scene, dry and windy conditions made the fire harder to put out. Several Durham Fire Department fire trucks and firefighters responded to the scene. […]

PUTNAM, Conn. (WTNH) — A firefighter suffered a medical emergency, and another was injured while responding to a structure fire Sunday evening in Putnam, according to fire officials. The firefighter who suffered the medical emergency was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, fire officials said. The other firefighter was injured in a flashover event. […]

A three-alarm fire tore through a Chelsea building on Sunday morning, leaving the top of the building a charred husk and four firefighters injured. According to the FDNY, the blaze erupted at approximately 6:08 a.m. at 208 7th Avenue, located between 21st and 22nd streets. Department officials said the fire rapidly spread throughout the six-story vacant building. The […]

A firefighter was taken to the hospital following a fire at a multi-unit home in Cleveland.  Crews from the Cleveland Division of Fire responded to the blaze in the 4400 block of Clinton Avenue at around 11:25 a.m. on Thursday. According to Cleveland Fire Assistant Chief Bill Gorey, one person was inside at the time but […]

The Chelmsford firefighters union has identified the firefighter who was severely injured in a fall at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy Tuesday morning as 28-year-old Nick Spinale. Spinale fell 40 feet onto solid concrete at the Stow campus, causing significant internal and external injuries, IAFF Local 1839 said in a Wednesday press release. He was flown by medical […]

A commercial fishing ship moored at the Port of Tacoma burned for over a week in April 2023, prompting fears of fuel and oil spills and temporarily requiring northeast Tacoma neighborhoods to shelter in place. Ultimately, there was no spillage, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, but the Kodiak Enterprise was a total loss. Its […]

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) — Thousands of dollars are going to a trio of North Central Florida fire departments. Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia handed out checks to the department during an event in Ocala on Tuesday. Ocala was awarded $6,300, and High Springs was awarded just under $5,000 through the Firefighter Cancer Decontamination Program. […]

STOW, Mass. — A staff member at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy was seriously injured Tuesday morning after a fall at the academy’s Burn Building on its campus in Stow. According to officials, the incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. as the staff member was preparing for the upcoming recruit training. Academy personnel—many of whom are trained […]

The union representing Philadelphia‘s firefighters and paramedic units has asked for prayers for two of its members who were injured during a fire on Saturday, April 4. “Please pray for two of our members from Engine 50 who were injured Saturday night fighting a dwelling fire on the 500 W. block of Westmoreland Street in North […]

WESTWOOD, Ohio (WKRC) — Two people were taken to the hospital after a fire in Westwood Tuesday night. The fire was reported around 9:30 p.m. at a home on W. Tower Lane, off W. Tower Avenue. Fire officials said firefighters were hampered by aggressive dogs and hoarding conditions. Officials said one person was in serious […]