Alaska's wildland fire managers have a new tool in their toolbox this fire season – a Q-400 turboprop air tanker. The Alaska Division of Forestry typically has two Convair 580 turboprop air tankers from Conair Group Inc. of Abbotsford, B.C. on contract during the Alaska fire season, one of which is based at the Mat-Su Area forestry station at the Palmer Airport and one which is based at the Fairbanks International Airport tanker base. This year, Conair substituted one of the Convair 580 air tankers for a Q-400 twin turboprop at the same price. The company is planning to retire the Convair 580 fleet and is trying to get the Q-400 out in the market as soon as possible so potential clients can see how it works. Equipped with two Pratt & Whitney PW 150A turboprop engines, the Q-400 is faster, more fuel efficient and has a bigger capacity than the old, trusty Convair 580s, which have served the State of Alaska well over the years.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A fireball explosion at a home in Martinez was captured in multiple videos Wednesday afternoon, destroying the residence and sending up thick, black smoke hundreds of feet into the air. Investigators say three minors playing with fire were the cause. Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said Wednesday evening that the fire started in a backyard on Arthur Road. The current conditions led to the fire the youths were playing with to get out of hand. The juveniles were released to their parents. Several videos of the explosion show flashes of electrical wires arching inside the rising ball of fire and smoke. Crews responded to the large fire, which was burning on the 4000 block of Arthur Road. When they arrived, they found one home fully engulfed. Officials said that fast work spared other homes from destruction. However, vehicles and other equipment were destroyed.  

Allegheny Health Network has teamed up with Marvel Comics to tell the true-life stories of medical responders from community EMS services, who have been serving the community through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Set in the winter of 2020, the first responders' stories are brought to life in a comic book, titled "The Vitals: True EMS Stories," that was unveiled Monday. In 2020, the Pittsburgh winter felt darker and colder than most. The COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, and hospitals were jammed with patients, as every day an increasing number of people were diagnosed with the virus. The roads stayed quiet as people sheltered in their homes, missing the fun of gathering for sporting events or celebrating Christmas with family and friends.  

PHOTOS: The Asheville Fire Department might be the most accepting of change in the fire service, given what firefighters have been through over the last several years. The department has made significant changes in a short period of time, specifically when it comes to effort to better protect a firefighter from a risk many weren't even talking about a decade ago. Now they're talking about a firefighter's cancer risk and changing their protocols, including ensuring their health care provider makes firefighters aware of important cancer screenings during annual physicals and keeping a firefighter's SCBA or self-contained breathing apparatus on longer at a fire scene. This better protects their airway and hopefully lowers their exposure to dangerous gases and chemicals, ultimately lowering their risk for cancer. The impact of cancer on the Asheville Fire Department and their losses have been fueling change, not only in the mountains, but across the state.  

Mayor Sylvester Turner joined Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena to announce the proposed pay raise for Houston firefighters. Turner said because of the $670 million American Rescue Plan from President Joe Biden's administration, the city will be able to use those funds to help raise firefighters' pay. He said under the new pay, Houston firefighters will receive an 18% increase in pay over the next three fiscal years, which will be based on qualifications. Turner said the first pay increase of 6% will begin in July, another 6% in 2023 and 6% in 2024. In all, the city of Houston will use $115.3 million of the American Rescue plan to help with the pay increase. Turner said firefighters making $17 an hour will see an increase to $21.35 an hour. The mayor thanked the Biden administration for putting firefighters in better standing with the city of Houston. Pena also thanked Mayor Turner and Houston City Council for bringing firefighters' pay wages up in the market rate.  

A University of Florida research team is working on a robot dog that has the ability to enter an enclosed space, scan it, and provide humans with a visual of what's inside, an application that could lessen dangerous situations for first responders. The team of graduate and undergraduate students is led by Eric Jing Du, Ph.D., a professor of civil and coastal engineering at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Du said the inspiration behind the robotic dog was learning that firefighters often get trapped in dangerous places because of the unfamiliarity of the environments during rescues. The dogs have the ability to scan a room in three seconds and quickly build a 3D model, which is sent to augmented reality goggles and allows the user to see inside a room before walking into it. Du said he spent a lot of time thinking about what the renderings would look like once they got the dog working.