New radio system improves Collier County communications for emergencies

Collier County now has a new radio system to better protect community members and the public at large, connecting all county agencies. “Whether it’s a day like today when the sun is shining or a Hurricane Irma coming through again, we want to have the best communication,” said Nolan Sapp, the assistant fire chief of Greater Naples Fire Rescue District. “So we can get resources on the ground moving to you as quickly as possible.” With the new radio system, the sheriff’s office, emergency medical services, the school district and everything in between that makes up Collier County government now have the ability to connect through the same channel. And this will directly help with communication during an emergency.
WINK-TV WinkNews.com

Update: Jacksonville firefighter stabbed on duty released from hospital

A veteran fire captain who was slashed and stabbed by a patient last week will be released from the hospital. Capt. Latorrence Norris and his partner were stabbed by a patient last Tuesday night on their way to UF Health Hospital, police said. The other firefighter, Engineer Vinnie Harper, was treated for a cut to his leg and released from the hospital the same day. But Norris' injuries were critical, including a collapsed lung. He spent the last week in the hospital and will be released Tuesday to continue recovering at home. A security officer at UF Health has been lauded for helping save Norris' life. Davay Kinsey heard the firefighters were in distress and responded immediately, getting Norris on the back of her golf cart and rushing him across the hospital campus to the ER.
WJXT-TV CBS 4 Jacksonville

Jacksonville firefighter’s story earned her the cover of ’Good Housekeeping’ alongside John Cena

Lori Byrd, a Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department firefighter, was the winner of "Good Housekeeping" magazine's Hometown Heroes contest. As a result, she was awarded a cover shoot, in which she appears next to WWE superstar John Cena. Lori Byrd always wanted to be a firefighter, she wanted to help people. "I just never went into it because it's a male-dominated career and I just didn't think it was something women did," explains Byrd. Instead, she pursued a career in banking until she had one of those life-changing experiences that put it all into perspective. A woman had crashed into a retention pond with her kid in the backseat right by the bank she was working at. "I just assumed that they would swim to the edge, you know, it wasn't that far but they just went under and didn't come back."
WFTV-TV ABC 9 Orlando

Fatal multi-vehicle crash shut down southbound US-19 in Pasco County

Pasco County Fire Rescue said one person is dead and three others have been taken to the hospital after a multi-vehicle crash in Hudson. The crash happened on southbound US-19 at Jessup Lane. Authorities say all southbound lanes south of the Hernando County line were shut down. Firefighters say three people were transported as trauma alerts to Bayonet Point Hospital's Trauma Center. No information has been released on the person killed or any of the people transported. Florida Highway Patrol is on scene investigating. Motorists in the area needed to find alternate routes. Fire rescue said the accident caused extended delays.
WFTS-TV ABC 28 Tampa Bay

Bay County home destroyed in fire

VIDEO: Bay County firefighters responded to a home fully engulfed in flames on Sherrett Drive shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday. Sherrett Drive is located off of Fredrickson Street in a neighborhood off of Resota Beach Road. According to Bay County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Darrel Wise, the home is abandoned and nobody was injured. As of 7 a.m. Thursday, firefighters were still putting out hot spots in the home. The State Fire Marshal is investigating what caused the fire.
My Panhandle

Fire Forces Evacuations In Northwest Miami-Dade

VIDEO: Firefighters battled a stubborn fire in northwest Miami-Dade early Tuesday morning. It happened in the area of NW 10th Avenue and 119th Street. This is what Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said happened: “When units arrived they found two live wires down and an active fire burning trees and a grassy area nearby. The crews were able to isolate and contain the fire to its original source, protecting a nearby home and business. There were propane tanks adjacent to the fire making the firefight more dangerous.” Adjacent structures were evacuated. There were no injuries reported.
CBS-TV 4 News Miami

Fort Walton Beach Fire Department Awarded Assistance to Firefighters Grant

The Fort Walton Beach Fire Department has been awarded the Assistance to Firefighters Grant for $202,857.14. The City will contribute $10,142.86 totaling the grant project at $213,000. The department applied for the FEMA grant in October 2018 to pay for 30 new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), a device worn by firefighters to provide breathable air in harmful environments. The department’s current SCBA are more than 13 years old, obsolete and out of compliance. The new equipment will be purchased prior to the end of this year. “The health and safety of our first responders is vital to the protection of our community. We have been in need of new breathing apparatus for quite some time, but have delayed upgrades because of budget constraints,” said Fire Chief Ken Perkins.
Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Firefighter hurt in Clearwater business fire

A firefighter was transported to the hospital after a Clearwater business caught fire Tuesday night. Clearwater Fire and Rescue responded to a call of a structure fire in the 500 block of South Missouri Avenue. No one was inside but the flames spread quickly. The firefighter was taken to Morton Plant Hospital and is expected to be released. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
WFTS Action News

6 cats rescued after fire breaks out at Orlando apartment complex

VIDEO: Residents of an Orlando apartment complex had to be evacuated Wednesday morning after a fire broke out in one of the units. Orange County Fire Rescue responded to the 3400 block of Goldenrod Road where a fire began in an apartment on the 1st floor. According to Fire Rescue, a woman in the apartment at Cranes Landing was sleeping when the blaze started and she managed to escape. Firefighters rescued one cat from the apartment. Several people in the surrounding units were also evacuated from the building. Firefighters say they also rescued five cats from a 2nd floor unit. The woman whose apartment it started in was treated for smoke inhalation and taken to the hospital. All of the cats are doing fine. It took fire crews about 10 minutes to extinguish the flames.
WOFL-TV MyFox Orlando 35

Nurse helped neighbor evacuate during Jacksonville apartment fire

VIDEO: Firefighters are investigating the cause of a fire that sparked Tuesday night at the Confederate Point Apartments. Michelle Ivory lives in the building where the fire occurred. She said she had just gotten home when she noticed the smoke coming from her building. "It was really thick. It was, like blazing," Ivory said. Ivory is a nurse who was concerned about her neighbors getting out safely, especially an elderly man whom she says lives under the apartment that caught on fire. She said she helped him evacuate his apartment then she called 911. “This could have been something way worse had I not pulled up," Ivory said. "We could have had a dead person in there." A firefighter said when they arrived, flames were shooting from this second-floor balcony.
WJXT-TV CBS 4 Jacksonville

Celebration of life for JFRD firefighter lost at sea

A celebration of life will be held for Jacksonville firefighter Brian McCluney who was never found after he and a firefighter from Virginia went missing during a fishing trip back in August. The celebration is scheduled for Oct. 25 at the North Jacksonville Baptist Church and the public is invited, according to Brian McCluney's wife, Stephanie McCluney. Brian McCluney and Fairfax, Va. firefighter Justin Walker, were last seen going fishing in the Port Canaveral area on Aug. 16. Stephanie McCluney said the trip was supposed to be short and was to pay respects to Brian McCluney's father, who died earlier in the summer. Their disappearance sparked a large search that included multiple agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard and hundreds of volunteers.
WTLV 12 NBC & WJXX 25 ABC - First Coast News