Thirteen members of the Alaska National Guard deployed to Interior Alaska to support wildland fire suppression across the region. Eight 207th Aviation Troop Command, Alaska Army National Guard, Soldiers deployed to the Alaska Army National Guard Readiness Center in Fairbanks July 31 for UH-60 Black Hawk operations flying out of Fort Wainwright's Ladd Army Airfield. To date, AKARNG air crews have logged 24 flight hours and conducted 94 bucket drops totaling 59,220 gallons of water on interior wildland fires. The UH-60 Black Hawk carries a sling-loaded Bambi bucket underneath that can release up to 630 gallons of water. Five 176th Civil Engineer Squadron Alaska Air National Guard firefighters deployed Aug. 6 to Clear Space Force Station to augment active fire suppression efforts in the area.  

Three firefighters were taken to the hospital and 30 people were displaced after a fire spread through three triple-decker homes in Dorchester Monday afternoon, officials said. The fire started shortly before 2:30 p.m. Speaking with reporters later, Boston's fire commissioner said the fire appeared to have started in a basement area of a building at 20 Irma Street before rising through the back of the structure, punching through the roof and spreading to two neighboring buildings. All three buildings were a total loss, the commissioner said. SKY7-HD was over the scene shortly before 3 p.m., showing a large plume of smoke over the area. Numerous fire crews were also spotted pouring water on some of the flames. While heavy fire conditions had been knocked down as of 3:05 p.m., the Boston Fire Department said crews were continuing to chase hot spots.  

VIDEO: The debate over the future of self-driving cars is picking up steam. Safety was the top concern at Monday's California Public Utilities Commission meeting, bringing autonomous vehicle companies Waymo and Cruise face to face with first responders who've raised concerns about the vehicles. San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson said there have been more than 50 cases of the self-driving vehicles interfering with or impeding emergency responders so far this year. "I appreciate the safety that autonomous vehicles can bring to the table in terms of no drunk drivers, no speeding, all of that kind of stuff," said Chief Nicholson. "However, they're still not ready for prime time because of how they've impacted our operations." Waymo and Cruise both cite safety statistics saying their vehicles are safe.  

VIDEO: A morning swim during hazardous conditions in Lake Michigan on Sunday turned into a dramatic, large-scale rescue that also put first responders in danger. A Beach Hazard Warning was in effect at the time of the rescue. CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey had the story. The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project said those signs are often missed or ignored. Fortunately, the swimmer in this case survived, but experts said more needs to be done to prevent scenes like Sunday's. If it's not obvious enough from the crashing waves, a red flag at a Chicago beach means conditions do not meet safe swimming standards and no one should be in the water. "The waves are crashing so hard, so I would just suggest people be careful," said Erika Zermeno. But Chicago police said a 61-year-old man was swimming near Oak Street Beach on Sunday morning when he was overcome by the waves.  

A $4 million award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, will allow researchers in the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health to identify key factors for the successful implementation of workplace sleep coaching to improve sleep health in Arizona firefighters. Almost half of career firefighters report short sleep and poor sleep quality, and about 37% of firefighters screen positive for sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia or shift work disorder, according to research led by the Harvard Work Hours Health and Safety Group. Unfortunately, firefighters face unique barriers, including long working shifts and mandatory overtime, that can prevent them from using evidence-based interventions to improve sleep.