With Senate Bill 131 signed into law by Governor Dunleavy, Juneau Fire Chief Rich Etheridge highlighted the addition of breast cancer to the list of presumptive cancers covered by workers' compensation disability for firefighters. Senate Bill 131 recognizes the impact and exposure firefighters experience from harmful, carcinogenic chemicals. Etheridge explained that presumptive health is where if a firefighter gets specific types of cancer, within a period of time after their career ends, it's presumed that they got that cancer on the job. It adds breast cancer to the list of presumptive cancers covered by workers' compensation disability.  

The Division of Forestry and Fire Protection (DOF) continues to make progress on the Clear Fire. DOF Type 2 Initial Attack Crews, White Mountain and Gannet Glacier, are on the most southern portions of the fire securing the fire's edge and mopping up a wide perimeter to prevent any further fire growth. They are also clearing access to cabins in the area by removing hazardous trees and clearing fire-weakened trees that have fallen across access routes. Heavy equipment is still working in the areas of Kobe Ag and Anderson subdivisions grading roads and breaking apart dozer berms seeking areas still holding heat. No new hotspots have been found over the past several days along the eastern portions of the fire. Excess equipment and supplies are being backhauled from the fire lines.  

Intense flames tore through the loading zone of a commercial building in Ontario late Wednesday, forcing employees still in the building to run and leaving firefighters searching for the cause of the fire. The Ontario Fire Department responded to a fire burning near the external area of a building on Proforma Avenue, near the Ontario Airport, at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night. The building belongs to a business called U.S. Merchants, and the designed manufacturing and distribution facility was filled with plastic materials and wooden pallets that fueled the fire. Flames reportedly first erupted in a truck yard on the west side of the building, before they spread to the interior of the building. The fire quickly escalated to a two-alarm, then three-alarm fire, with 64 personnel in total on scene to fight the flames.  

VIDEO: First responders have used virtual reality to train for certain emergencies for years, but those simulations are usually limited to a screen and don't give responders hands-on experience. A new one-of-a-kind training center opened in Boulder, Colorado, to take virtual reality training for first responders to the next level. "How can we do better to protect not only the public but ourselves from the dangers that we're dealing with? This is really where it's at," said John Weaver, the assistant fire chief at the Longmont Fire Department. This center is a joint venture by the U.S. Department of Commerce First Responder Network Authority, or FirstNet Authority, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It combines virtual reality with real sets, props and obstacles.  

PHOTOS: The Oak Creek Fire Department has a new member named HOSE-A. Made out of old rubber fire hose, HOSE-A, named in part by the community, is a training dummy firefighters can use during drills for various scenarios. Firefighter Aaron Krukowski said many departments donate old fire hose to area zoos where it's used to weave chairs and beds for animals or just hung in monkey exhibits. While this is the first hose mannequin in Oak Creek, the idea isn't original and came from a fire department in Arizona. "I actually got the idea from a Tucson fire department's YouTube channel," said Jeremy Fontanev, a firefighter in Oak Creek. "From there we tweaked a couple things to make it our own for our own training needs." About 300 feet of rubber fire hose was utilized to make HOSE-A. "It just starts out as a huge mess," Fontanez said.  

VIDEO: May 31, 2013, was a day of heartbreak for the Bayou City. "It's something that's near and dear to all of us firefighters. It's the worst day we ever had in the Houston Fire Department," said Chris Hill, HFD District Chief in charge of cadet training. A total of five firefighters died while battling a blaze at the Southwest Inn at 6855 Southwest Freeway. Firefighter Anne McCormick Sullivan had only been with the fire department a few weeks. "She wanted to be a Spice Girl when she was little," said Mary Sullivan, Anne's mother. In high school, Anne decided she wanted to serve her community. "Prior to her coming to Houston Fire Academy, she logged over 5,000 volunteer hours at two different community fire departments," Sullivan said. An award named for Anne is given to outstanding cadets, and it doesn't go to the strongest smartest or fastest.  

VIDEO: What's the first thing you should do in the event of a fire? The New York City Fire Museum wants to teach you. By collecting and preserving the history of the city's fire service, the museum aims to educate the public — especially children — on fire prevention and safety. The building alone is part of history, as it's a renovated firehouse from 1904. Walking through the museum, visitors are able to go over 10 exhibits, such as the 9/11 Memorial, tools and uniforms used on the job, and the fire-fighting apparatus. The museum also has a temporary exhibit, which runs through August, that honors first responders for working throughout the pandemic. (Just to get an idea of the amount of calls 911 received, there were 6,527 calls placed in one day during the height of the pandemic — the highest ever.)