VIDEO: Troopers assist fire crews by battling flames in New York

The New York State Police said its troopers stepped in to assist fire crews with a huge house fire. NYSP said Troop A- Lockport Troopers helped with the devastating house fire on Royal Pkwy North in Lockport. The troopers broke down the door rescued a dog and assisted with the fire hoses.
WGRZ-TV NBC 2 Buffalo

Firefighters in one Nebraska city benefit from health screenings worth $1.1 million

VIDEO: More than 90% of Omaha firefighters are taking part in a comprehensive physical exam aimed at cancer prevention and wellness, thanks to a $1.1 million federal grant just for firefighters. The hope is that in the future, Omaha will support ongoing wellness efforts for this group with an exponentially higher rate of cancer and cardiac health issues. "It's hard to tell the next generation of firefighters, come to our job. It's a great job. It's a rewarding job. But you can get sick from it. You can die from it," said Trevor Towey, President of Fire Union Local 385. Those taking part in the assessment are pleased they're surrounded by so many others. “It’s difficult to get nine out of ten firefighters to do anything, so getting 90% is remarkable,” said Omaha firefighter and paramedic Lowell Ferguson.
KETV ABC 7 Omaha

Pennies help boost fire, police services in two California cities

Most people don’t view pennies per se as being valuable. But in Manteca and Lathrop pennies have shored up public safety. Measure C — a one cent sales tax on top of the basic one cent local sales tax Lathrop voters imposed in 2012 — last year generated $10.4 million for the city of 32,500. It includes $4 million sent to the Lathrop Manteca Fire District enabling the hiring of nine firefighters, 1.98 battalion chiefs, and a deputy fire marshal. The Lathrop tax also funds 7.5 police officers in addition to various park and community crime prevention upgrades. Measure M — a half cent sales tax on top of the basic one cent sales tax Manteca voters imposed in 2006 — last year generated $10.292 million for the city of 90,000. Unlike the Lathrop tax measure that that was twice the size of Manteca’s, Measure M is restricted to public safety expenditures.
Manteca Bulletin

Florida governor signs law creating new penalties for exposing first responders to fentanyl

Drug users and dealers who recklessly expose first responders to fentanyl and cause them to overdose will now face additional penalties thanks to a new law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis Monday. Body camera footage from August of last year, captured a Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputy suffering a suspected fentanyl overdose after handling narcotics that later tested positive for the substance. The incident is one of a growing number of incidents where first responders have exhibited signs of overdose after coming in contact with fentanyl, oftentimes resulting in the use of Narcan to reverse the symptoms. “When law enforcement personnel are responding to these situations that fentanyl may be involved in, you know they really are putting themselves at risk,” said Governor Ron DeSantis during a Monday press conference.
WJAX-TV CBS 47 Jacksonville

VIDEOS: Fire burns through under construction neighborhood in Phoenix

A fire burned through several units of an under construction housing development overnight on Sunday. The Phoenix Fire Department responded to multiple homes burning at 59th Avenue and Baseline Road around 11:30 p.m. Flames could be seen from the Loop 202. At least 75 firefighters responded to control the blaze, which was upgraded to a second-alarm at one point during the night. Due to the development still being under construction, the fire department had issues with water supply. “Because this is a new housing development, some of this water grid isn’t fully set up, some of our fire hydrants did not have connecting water to it,” said Phoenix Fire Captain Todd Keller. Firefighters from seven different cities in the Valley assisted in controlling the fire.
KTVK-TV CBS 3 & KPHO-TV CBS 5 Phoenix (AZ Family)

Rare fire truck once used by Minnesota fire department found in New Mexico

VIDEO/PHOTO: A piece of Minnesota firefighting history is sending some retired volunteers down memory lane. A collector from New Mexico posted on Facebook last week that he bought an old fire truck and, after tracing some of its history, discovered it belonged to Bloomington beginning in the 1950s. Fred Fuecker, a 23-year volunteer firefighter, says he served on the truck in 1968. "Only place you see those is in the old books that we keep," he said. Pete Heger volunteered for 25 years. He considers himself an unofficial historian of sorts for the department. Heger served with the truck too in the 1970s and shared a couple of old photos of it with WCCO. Neither Heger nor Fuecker thought they'd ever see it again. "Brought back memories when I was at the old station before a lot of these guys were even around," Fuecker said.
WCCO-TV CBS 4 Minneapolis

Solar eclipse: Researchers warn about increased risk of deadly crashes during spectacle

The increased traffic and spectacle of the total solar eclipse on Monday could imperil motorists, with researchers warning that fatal collisions increased during previous eclipses and law enforcement bracing for the event. There was a 31% increase in fatal traffic accidents during the 2017 total eclipse – and even in the days before and after the astrological event – according to a letter published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal this week. The surge in accidents wasn't linked to the moments of darkness when the moon obscured the sun – surprisingly, "we see a significant decrease during the single hour that involves the eclipse," co-author Dr. Donald Redelmeier wrote. The problem is the surrounding hours, when people are traveling to their place of observation and especially afterwards," Redelmeier, the University of Toronto professor of medicine, told Live Science.
FOX News