PHOTOS: The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department was responding to a commercial building fire on the Westside that was causing a large plume of black smoke, officials say.
JFRD says the fire started around 4 p.m. Thursday in the 900 block of Bulls Bay Highway.
Crews say there was a "plume of black smoke that can be seen for miles." JFRD says this is an export and recycling company for quality used parts and the building on fire was part of the business
Some people have reported seeing the smoke from as far away as Downtown Jacksonville. Others even posted photos.
WTLV-TV NBC 12 Jacksonville
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Titusville Fire Department officials announced the passing of retired Battalion Chief Daryle Blankenship on Wednesday. “Chief Blankenship retired in 2014, he first began with the Titusville Fire Department in 1984,” TFD officials said on social media.
“Over his three decades of dedicated service, Chief Blankenship served in the ranks of Firefighter/EMT, Driver/Operator, Lieutenant, and Battalion Chief.
Chief, you will be missed. Thank you for your dedication to this Department and the City of Titusville.”
SpaceCoastDaily.com
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PHOTO: Have you ever wondered how many calls Escambia County EMS answers?
Escambia County EMS has launched a new information dashboard that includes:
EMS calls dispatched by Emergency Communications (updated daily);
Transports to local hospitals by EMS (updated daily);
On-scene cardiac/respiratory arrests (updated weekly);
On-scene overdoses (updated weekly),
ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI/Heart Attack) events (updated weekly); and
Motor-vehicle crashes (updated weekly).
“This dashboard is an opportunity to further educate the citizens about the services provided by EMS and Emergency Communications,” said Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore. “Every day, the men and women within our Public Safety department dedicate their lives to the safety and wellbeing of Escambia County citizens, and we believe this dashboard reflects that effort while also educating the general public to the extent of our services.”
NorthEscambia.com
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A man and his young son were rushed to a hospital after jumping from the second floor of a Woodland Acres apartment to escape a fire Thursday afternoon that displaced more than a dozen people.
A woman, who asked not to be identified, said she got a call at work letting her know that her home caught on fire and that her 3-year-old son and her husband were taken to the hospital. The man was released from the hospital a short time and returned to the scene, where he told News4JAX that his son was taken to the UF Health Shands Burn Center in Gainesville.
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department also said the family cat died in the fire. According to a family friend, the parents got the kitten for their son this past Christmas.
WJXT-TV 4 Jacksonville
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What began as a rather ordinary traffic crash on Highway 29 Thursday night ended with a somewhat bizarre raging water rescue in what, moments before, had been a dry ditch.
Three vehicles — an older Ford Econoline conversion van and two pickups — were involved in the crash on northbound Highway 29 just south of 9 1/2 Mile Road at Dave Howell Tires just before 6 p.m.
The van ran off the roadway and into a fairly shallow ditch. And there’s when the situation quickly changed.
It appeared the van struck and sheared off a fire hydrant, causing the ditch to rapidly fill with water and become a raging river that washed away the shoulder of the roadway.
Escambia County Fire Rescue Special Operations was called to the scene to rescue the van occupant.
According to witness accounts, the firefighters appeared to almost be swept away as the ground collapsed and a good Samaritan rushed into help.
NorthEscambia.com
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Drivers in Largo can now receive real-time digital alerts when fire apparatus is active nearby through a new service added to all Largo Fire Rescue vehicles.
Safety Cloud by HAAS Alert protects first responders and roadway fleets from accidents involving inattentive drivers and improves a driver's compliance with "Move Over" law by sending real-time notifications to drivers approaching active responders en route or at a scene.
The service reduces the risk of drivers colliding with responders by adding a digital component to lights and sirens. Drivers can receive the alerts through the Waze navigation app, available on mobile devices and in the dashboard of many newer-model vehicles.
HAAS Alert is working to expand the alerts to other services and vehicles so that all drivers can receive these road safety alerts.
Largo Patch
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