Ammonia used to chill huge Washington cold storage warehouse - where did it go in the fire?

Black smoke billowing from the cold storage warehouse fire in Finley over the weekend carried burning plastic and other potentially toxic building materials into the air, including anhydrous ammonia. About 14,000 pounds of ammonia, which was used as a refrigerant at the frozen vegetable warehouse, was lost in the fire, the Washington Department of Ecology confirmed Tuesday to the Tri-Cities Herald. Benton County Fire District 1 fielded numerous questions from the public about a possible ammonia release, said Jenna Kochenauer, the district’s public information officer. Ammonia is caustic and hazardous when released in large volumes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which notes that it is difficult to ignite and that its smell tends to drive people away before concentration levels become dangerous.
Yahoo! News

School bus repurposed to help Michigan firefighters in the heat of the moment

VIDEO: Walk through most northern Michigan fire departments and you are bound to see a variety of trucks and vehicles they use to respond to emergencies. But one local fire department has a new addition unlike any other department around. "It's different every day. I get to meet different people every day. Unfortunately, sometimes I see them in their worst conditions, but it's different every day," said Fire Chief Paul Fabiano. Something different every day. For the firefighters at South Torch Lake Fire and Rescue, that means they have to be prepared for just about anything. A quick walk through the fire station shows you they are. "Every vehicle has a purpose," Chief Fabiano said. But their latest addition -- just a few weeks old -- might seem familiar in form, just not expected in this fleet.
WPBN-TV NBC 7 Traverse City

‘What’s old is new again’: Colorado firefighters expect to save more lives with new partnership

In a new partnership allowing firefighters to perform whole blood transfusions in the field, Colorado Springs firefighters predict they will be able to save more lives while out on calls. The partnership is with UCHealth. It gives firefighters the equipment they need to be able to give whole blood to patients suffering from blood loss while in the field. “This is the bridge between those patients dying in the field and living and making it through emergency surgery,” Fire Chief Randy Royal said. Whole blood is a vital fluid that can be given in emergency situations to help those experiencing blood loss make it to the hospital to get more extensive emergency treatment. “What we also recognize from new research is that you have to give it in the first 15 minutes to 30 minutes of injury,” said Dr. David Steinbruner, a doctor at UCHealth with experience in emergency medicine.
KKTV CBS 11 Colorado Springs

Massachusetts firefighter to take center stage in comedy event

According to Rochester firefighter and paramedic Mark Lawrence, having a good sense of humor is “almost a prerequisite” in his field of work. On Friday, May 17, Lawrence’s sense of humor, which he described as “absurd,” could help him take home a $5,000 prize. Lawrence will compete against five other New England firefighters in a stand-up comedy competition put on by the International Association of Fire Fighters. All proceeds from the event will go towards Firefighters vs. Cancer, a nonprofit organization that provides free cancer screenings for firefighters. “It’s for a great cause — It’s proven that the very equipment we wear to protect us in fires is slowly killing us over time,” said Lawrence. According to former Boston Fire Department Lieutenant Mike Foley, about 40% of all firefighters working today will be diagnosed with cancer during their careers.
Sippican Week

VIDEO: Investigation continues after massive fire lights up sky in Pennsylvania

"I heard explosions. The warehouse is on fire," neighbor Patrick Petrillo said. It was Petrillo's middle-of-the-night unnerving wake-up call. "What did it look like?" I asked him. "It was 200 feet in the air. Higher than those poles, and I knew it was done," he said. The fire erupted in the 4800 block of Kernsville Road, in North Whitehall Township. "Have you ever seen a fire like this?" I asked Fire Marshal Don Jacobs. "No. Not this intense," he said. He says two trucking companies, Doctor Diesel and OCS, and a cleaning company used the space. "All the diesel fuel for those, they have all the hydraulic fluids that are going to be associated with the hydraulic lift, all that stuff, and all that stuff is at some temperature combustible," he explained.
WFMZ-TV 69 Allentown

Alaskan borough declares disaster after fire station fire

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 Assembly’s April 15 meeting. “Normally, you see a grumpy old guy with no emotion. Tonight, it’s a little different. For the last 12 years I have poured my heart and soul into this department, only to have what happened happen,” Rydeen told the Assembly. Rydeen was traveling out of Ketchikan when the fire broke out in the early morning of April 9. He said he received a series of calls from the company that manages the department’s fire alarm system just before 2:30 a.m.
Alaska Public Media

History Channel star judges Halligan bars for ’Cast in Steel’ contestants in Wisconsin

VIDEO: The Milwaukee School of Engineering is playing host to a competition drawing students from all over the world, and this year's "Cast in Steel" contestants found insight from their local fire departments. "Lt. Schultz, Engine 37, and this is The Love Handle." The Boston Fire Department was called on by students who wanted to know if the Halligan bar they crafted would work on the job. "We've learned a lot and I think it's really gonna help us in our careers," said Kannon Behrens, sophomore, Wentworth Institute of Technology. These six sophomores from Wentworth Institute of Technology were among some 200 students from 42 universities from around the world who are in Milwaukee now, showcasing their Halligan bars used by firefighters for forceable entry.
WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee