VIDEO: The fire station for the 176th Civil Engineer Squadron Alaska Air National Guard is a modest outfit when compared to city-run operations, but a piece of the past takes up a bay in the garage on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Retired Chief Master Sgt. Bernie Kale knows the truck well — a 1987 P18 firefighting apparatus, painted safety yellow with red lettering that serves as a reminder of its former life at Kulis Fire Department. "This water tanker — 2,000 gallons — was to resupply our crash trucks in the event of either for training or actual emergency," Kale said. "It's a beautiful truck." Kale was stationed at Kulis when the truck was freshly outfitted by Kovatch Mobile Equipment, also known as KME. While the truck is still branded as a Kulis fire engine, the former air guard base was closed in 2011 after the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended closure in 2005.  

The Charlotte Fire Department is working to determine the cause of a structure fire in north Charlotte Thursday morning. The incident occurred just before 4 a.m. on Keswick Avenue right off North Tryon Street. Fire crews said the structure was a two-story house that was under construction. "A fire can spread quickly in an open building before it gets dried in with drywall, so a small amount of fire can spread very quickly with exposed wood," Battalion Chief Blake Redden said.  

VIDEO: Every single member of the Tulsa Fire Department is having their photo taken. It's the first time in almost a decade the department has done this, and it will go in a yearbook. What do you want to be when you grow up can be a difficult question for children to answer, but for Richard Smith, it was obvious. "Actually, a fire truck ran over my dog. Didn't kill her but definitely hurt her, and they knocked on every door 'til they found the owner," Richard said. "I opened up the door at eight years old and looked at those four bigger-than-life firemen, and that's when I decided that's what I wanted to do." And Richard did it. He served as a firefighter for decades, and later in his career, was promoted to captain. He loved having this role, but nothing compared to his other title as a dad to his son, Andy, and his three other kids.  

VIDEO: Being a first responder can be a dangerous job, and for firefighters, there is an additional health risk; they can be exposed to cancer causing chemicals while fighting fires. "It's scary, but I know what I am getting myself into. It's a risk I am able to take to help my community," STC fire cadet Andrew Cervantes said. Cervantes' passion for helping others is the reason he wants to become a firefighter. Attending the South Texas College Fire Academy includes learning about the possibility of being exposed to cancer causing chemicals. "We are not going into it blind. We know the risks we are taking and the precautions we are taking to become a firefighter," Cervantes said. STC, in collaboration with the Cancer Firefighter Support network, is helping educate the next generation of firefighters on how to minimize their exposure.  

The federal agency responsible for promoting the safety of consumer products has employed plenty of tactics over the years, from recalls to regulations to PSAs. Now, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is trying a new — and catchier — approach: It's released an album. We're Safety Now Haven't We packs in six genre-spanning, safety-focused songs (seven if you count the one that also got a Spanglish version). There's an EDM banger about wearing helmets, a K-pop number about firework safety, and even a reggaeton track about smoke alarms. The artists are officially anonymous, but more on that later. The album is specifically targeted at teenagers and young adults, Social Media Specialist Joseph Galbo told NPR's Morning Edition over Zoom.