Bangor’s Hose 5 Fire Museum to host open house, raffle off ’summer pack-out’

VIDEO: Off-duty Bangor firefighters spent their Sunday morning cleaning up a Bangor staple - the Hose 5 Fire Museum on State Street. Crews were doing some sprucing up in anticipation of their open house on Saturday, June 15th. The Hose 5 Fire Museum was built in 1897 and was used for nearly 100 years before the replacement station was built on Hogan Road. Today, the former station now houses the city-operated museum. It’s a special place not just for the Bangor Fire Department but the entire city of Bangor. “The Hose 5 Fire Museum is a hidden treasure,” said Bangor’s Assistant Fire Chief, Chandler Corriveau. “We have artifacts and antique equipment that is irreplaceable. A lot of it is from the City of Bangor. We have three trucks in here, all from the city of Bangor. A couple of them are privately owned. Two of them the city still owns. There’s a whole bunch of equipment, photographs, old antique fire equipment, fire extinguishers, that sort of thing.”
WABI-TV CBS/CW+ 5 Bangor

Governor Mills signs legislation to strengthen public safety and Maine’s mental health system

Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law on Friday that expands background checks, makes changes to the “yellow flag” law, and strengthens Maine’s mental health system in the wake of the Lewiston mass shooting. Mills introduced the bill that aims to enhance public safety and strengthen the mental health system. Mills says the legislation reflects conversations she had with people and organizations across Maine in the wake of the Lewiston tragedy in which she heard a common belief that: gun violence prevention is important; we must strengthen our mental health system; and dangerous people should not have access to firearms. According to Mills, the new law improves Maine’s extreme risk protection order law, expands checks against the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for advertised sales, and incentivizes checks for unadvertised sales.
WGME-TV CBS 13 Portland

Bangor firefighters help two people get out of burning house safely

Bangor firefighters pulled two people out of a burning home Saturday afternoon. Fire officials tell us they got the call for the fire at 2:30 and were at the home at the corner of Ohio and Wiley Streets within four minutes. When they got there, they could see heavy smoke and flames. They found the people inside and got them out safely. They say no one was hurt. The fire was knocked down in about 30 minutes. Neighbors we spoke to say they were sitting on their porch when they could see and smell the fire. Fire officials tell us the cause of the fire is still under investigation. They’re not sure if they had working smoke detectors in the home and urge everyone to make sure they do frequent checks of their own smoke detectors.
WABI-TV CBW/CW+ 5 Bangor

Brunswick: With more electric vehicles on the road, Maine firefighters train to better understand tech

With the rise of green energy, firefighters in Maine are looking to get a step ahead of new technology on the roads with an offered class on how to extinguish fires caused by electric vehicles. Hosted by the Maine Fire Service Institute, dozens of firefighters from across the state took the time to attend the class in Brunswick on Saturday. "I reflect back and vehicle fires were pretty basic back in the day," MFSI Director Jim Graves said. With the changes, instructor Ron Butler with the National Fire Protection Association walked firefighters through the different types of electric vehicles, how to safely cut power, the kinds of hazards folks should avoid, and more. "We take away a few core principals... there's a lot of information that's given through these trainings," Butler said.
WCSH-TV NBC 6 Portland

Several wildfires and brush fires break out across Maine

A reported wildfire in Limington that saw several towns responding Saturday night has been put out. Multiple area fire crews, including Cornish and Limerick, responded to North Road for the fire. Limington fire officials say the fire began when some neighbors living nearby were burning piles of logs on their property. York County's wildfire risk Saturday was high, which means intentional burns were not allowed. Authorities have been fighting several small wildfires and brush fires around the state Saturday. Maine Forest Rangers posted on social media about fires that broke out in Penobscot and Aroostock counties. Several dry days, wind and dead grass and vegetation are some of the reasons why we're seeing a higher risk for wildfires right now.
WGME-TV CBS 13 Portland