On Oct. 3, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that disaster assistance teams had scheduled a visit to Marshall to help people register for disaster assistance from the ice jam and snowmelt flooding that occurred this past spring. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6, representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will be in Marshall. They will set up at the Marshall Traditional Council building to register survivors for disaster assistance, and to answer questions about the application process and what happens next. According to a press release, immediately following registration, housing inspectors will travel to the applicants' damaged properties to perform a home and personal property inspection. FEMA staff will always have appropriate federal identification and will never charge for assistance.  

A massive fire sparked by the eruption and explosion of a gas pipeline in Garland County has caused a mile-wide evacuation of the area Wednesday evening. According to the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, the explosion happened at 1405 Highway 298 in Jessieville, about 75 miles west of Little Rock. Authorities said no injuries in connection to the pipeline rupture have been reported. Evacuations in a one-mile radius from the explosion site were ordered by authorities. A shelter was established at the Jessieville High School safe room for evacuees needing a place to stay. "I just got the call that everybody was evacuating so I rushed home," Jamie Caldwell, who lives near the site of the explosion said. "I tried to get home and they had 298 blocked off. Now they're allowing us to go home, so that's good."  

VIDEO: Firefighters are often exposed to carcinogens on the job, making decontamination measures crucial in preventing occupational cancer. Washing extractors in fire departments decontaminate their turnout gear after a fire, but the equipment is expensive to purchase and install; there are spatial constraints; and some of the machines vary in capacity and speed. "Any fire we encounter in town has a high level of carcinogens, anything from soot to the products of combustion that collect in our gear, on ourselves," Narragansett Fire Marshal Kevin Tuthill explained. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, firefighters have a 9% higher risk of developing cancer and 14% higher risk of dying from it. "I think if you asked any firefighter, they would tell you they know someone who has been affected by cancer," Narragansett Chief Scott Partington said.  

VIDEO: This summer we've seen large, long-lasting fires at landfills, propane storage facilities and even electric vehicle battery facilities. These long, extended firefights can take their toll on fire departments requiring lots of manpower. Now there is a new piece of technology aiming to put these fires out faster without risking firefighters' lives. It is a firefighting robot, recently released by manufacturer Rosenbauer. "We designed it not to replace firefighters, but to enhance their capabilities and make it safer for them," Rosenbauer's Michael Todd told ABC15. The machine can pull a heavy hose as far as 600 feet into the heart of a fire and shoot out about a thousand gallons of water — the same amount as a fire truck. "It gives them the opportunity to get into a warehouse, go upstairs, downstairs, or into a subterranean area," Todd said.  

VIDEO: The crew on Portland Fire & Rescue's Engine 9 pulled up at Providence Portland Medical Center on Wednesday to meet a man whose life they saved nine days ago. Brett Kovar had a massive stroke at his home several blocks from the hospital. "There was no buildup or anything — I looked down and dropped my coffee cup, it split in half and then I just turned and fell backwards," recalled Kovar. Fortunately, Brett's twin brother was there and knew that the family history includes a risk of stroke. "He tried to get up and crawl to the back porch and I thought, 'I better call an ambulance,'" said Scott Kovar. But as KGW has been reporting, getting an ambulance right away these days in Portland is not always possible. There are not enough AMR crews, and they're working in an overloaded system. In fact, thanks to a resource mapping app now used by first responders, this Portland Fire crew knew going in that they didn't have an ambulance available.  

VIDEO: At the end of Gun Club Road near Elysburg sits a haunted house. It doesn't look too scary during the day, but it's a different story at night. "It's just like it's on steroids anymore. You have one idea that blossoms into three to five ideas," said firefighter Wayne Horne. This is the 48th year for the Elysburg Haunted House. It's a joint venture between the Elysburg and Overlook Fire Companies and the biggest fundraiser of the year for both. Throughout the years, it's grown a lot. "Different ideas, different people. 'Could we have a building for this?' 'We could put this in.' And it's just grown to a more permanent facility," Horne said. Horne has been involved with the haunted house for many years and credits the volunteers for their creativity. The attraction takes about 45 minutes to walk through, and thousands of people go through the haunted house each year.