If you've ever had or even seen a bottle of Jones Soda you know that they feature different pictures on the front of every bubble-filled beverage. Generally, photographers submit their work to the company, oftentimes for various campaigns, and now a photo taken by a retired line officer for the Anchorage airport police and crash rescue firefighting department, John Gomes has made the cut for the Jones Soda "Unsung Heroes" series. Speaking with Gomes this week, he had a gregarious smile on his face as he held his hand above his head and said, "I'm about that high up off the ground." Along with the excitement came a bit of surprise. "Yeah, I didn't realize the ramification," said Gomes. What ramifications, you ask? Well, the picture featured here in this article is now going to be plastered on the front of some 40,000 bottles of Jones Soda. It's all part of the Unsung Heroes campaign, honoring essential and frontline workers of the pandemic.  

VIDEO: Crews spent hours on the scene of a fire in Gates, after an explosion sent flames and debris into the sky Wednesday night. Firefighters say it happened at 6:11 p.m. on Noel Drive off Lyell Road. More than 100 firefighters ultimately from more than 10 are fire districts responded to the scene. "We are happy to report that despite the extensive damage suffered to the three homes and other properties in the area there were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. The homeowner was located safe, not home, nearly three hours into the incident," officials from Gates Fire District said in a late Wednesday press release. No injuries reported, as of this time, was remarkable, considering the damage. "It sounded like a bomb went off," said Richard Pecorella, who lives nearby. "The whole house shook."  

Virtual reality has many applications, from video gaming to treating post-traumatic stress disorder to tours of buildings at Missouri S&T and other institutions. Benjamin Kwasa, assistant professor of engineering management and system engineering, is working with the city fire department in Rolla to use virtual reality in another application – firefighter training. "The closer we can get to the real-life situations that they deal with, the better training tool we can provide," says Kwasa. "That translates to more effective firefighting and more effective emergency response in general and ultimately saves lives and property loss." Kwasa's team began working with Rolla (Mo.) Fire and Rescue in December 2019. The team, which includes undergraduate and graduate students majoring in engineering management, computer science and physics, took photos and video of the city's training facility to build an accurate computer model recreation of the building.  

VIDEO: The Indianapolis Fire Department is warning people not to follow the dangerous lead of a woman who hitched a ride on the back of a fire truck Tuesday. A motorist driving behind the truck took a video of the incident, which IFD posted Wednesday to social media. The woman can be seen in the video standing on the truck's rear bumper ledge and holding onto the side with one arm. IFD spokesperson Rita Reith said the department chose to post the video to emphasize that riding on the back of a fire truck is both illegal and dangerous. "I know people are undoubtedly finding the humor in it, but our intent is to say there's nothing funny," Reith said. "We're not looking for copycats." The IFD firefighters had just finished a call in the industrial park at 2900 N. Shadeland Ave. and were headed to refuel the truck. Crew members believe the woman climbed aboard while they were stopped at a red light at Pendleton Pike and Shadeland Avenue.  

VIDEO: The Cleveland Division of Fire recently helped a local man in trouble. Engine 23 was called to a scene after a man reportedly poured gasoline over himself. Upon arrival, firefighters said the man was holding a lighter and said he was going to light himself on fire. Calling for backup, firefighters, along with Cleveland police worked together to keep the man from harming himself. They entered the building with a hose, kicked in the door where the man was, and stunned him with a stream of water. Cleveland police then reportedly took the man into custody. No injuries or fires were reported during the incident.  

In the coming weeks, thousands of Coloradans will get access to COVID-19 vaccines. Wednesday, state health officials released a 3-phase plan, prioritizing high-exposure health care employees. "We felt like there was a miss there," says Don Lombardi. "They didn't do as much homework as they should have." Lombardi is the fire chief for West Metro Fire Rescue, and a member of the Colorado State Fire Chiefs association, which sent a letter to Gov. Jared Polis criticizing the plan. Under the plan released Wednesday, first responders, including EMS, police and firefighters, will be in the 1B category, below hospital workers and long-term care facility staff and residents. "It's not so much that we want to be put ahead of other health care professionals, but just to be in the same tier as them," says Lombardi. Lombardi argues most COVID patients have contact with first responders long before they ever get to the hospital.