Fire crews determine cause of small blaze at west Omaha hotel

Fire investigators say a fire at west Omaha hotel Friday evening was accidental. Omaha Fire Department tells 6 News crews were called to the Super 8 hotel at 108th and M streets around 8:40 p.m. Crews found light smoke from the building’s first floor when they arrived, and a working fire was declared. The fire was out shortly after crews arrived. Everyone inside made it out safely before firefighters arrived, and no injuries were reported. The cause was determined to be improperly-disposed smoking materials. Damage is estimated at $18,000.
WOWT-TV NBC 6 Omaha

Medical students team up with first responders for emergency medicine simulation in Gretna

VIDEO: In a field just south of Gretna was a chaotic scene. A simulation that included bodies strewn across the field, cars flipped over, and victims with gruesome injuries waiting for treatment. “Today we are on a disaster drill, looking at multiple agencies, multiple patients and simulate what the response would look like in a real-world disaster,” said Jason Langenfeld, MD, the UNMC emergency medicine simulation director. Students and UNMC residents teamed up with Gretna firefighters for the exercise and were thrown head-first into the simulated disaster. They had to overcome simulated obstacles, prepare patients for transport and triage those who needed urgent care.
KMTV CBS 3 Omaha

Grand Island officials stress the importance of an escape plan during fires

VIDEO: This month is National Preparedness Month in Nebraska and serves as a reminder to Nebraskans to prepare for emergencies and disasters. One common disaster to prepare for is house fires and being informed on what to do can be life-saving for you and your loved ones. In order to prevent fires in and around your home, Grand Island Fire Chief Cory Schmidt recommends making sure your furnaces and heaters are kept away from items that can burn and making sure your appliances are in working order, but the most important preventative action you can take is having working smoke detectors in your home. ”The real key is just knowing how old your smoke alarm is, make sure it functions, test it once a month, make sure you maintain those smoke alarms and always have in mind an escape plan,” Schmidt said.
KSNB-TV NBC 4 York