Over twenty firefighters went out in -20° temperatures to tackle a blaze in the Icy View subdivision, Monday morning. Chief of the Nome Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD), Jim West, Jr. says that marked their first fire response for 2020. No injuries were reported, and the residence is still standing. West thinks the fire was likely caused by an improperly installed wood stove at the home on Teakettle Drive. He says the metalbestos pipe didn't have enough clearance to the ceiling because there was no ceiling support jack installed to offer proper insulation. "What happens is [all of the hot gases] go up through the chimney, and the surrounding things up in the ceiling: insulation. And after time, it got so hot it caught on fire and started to smolder." The crew responded to 702 Teakettle Drive at approximately 5:13 A.M Monday morning. and worked for about three hours, using four trucks to extinguish the flames.  

On Sunday, February 2 at 9:19 a.m., Fairbanks Emergency Communication Center received a call reporting a fire on Slater St.. The caller was alerted to the fire by two children who ran to their house to inform them. The fire's location was at a house neighboring the caller's. According to the City of Fairbanks, the residence had five occupants at the time of the fire, and all of them were able to escape safely. Fairbanks Fire Department crews arrived at 9:23 a.m., and were joined by University Fire Department and Ft. Wainwright Fire Department, who provided mutual aid. The fire took about an hour to get under control. At the scene, a Fairbanks Police Officer requested an ambulance for one adult with minor burns. The ambulance was provided by Steese Volunteer Fire Department and the injury was inspected on-scene. Red Cross assisted the displaced residents.  

New city firefighters make less than $15 an hour, a lower starting pay rate than city parks laborers earn. The issue came up at last week's Marion City Council meeting when a city resident questioned the existing pay rates for city parks employees, rates that went before city council for approval. "I'm not trying to say that's not an important job, but in the grand scheme of things, if I need my park to look pretty or my house not to burn down, I'm going to choose house not burning down," said Christian Dunston, an East Fairground Street resident. "It just seems that we as a city for some reason are backwards on what we pay who." The hourly rate for entry-level firefighters without EMT certification is currently $13.84, a rate that, according to city firefighters' union president Ryan Redmon, is much lower than other comparable fire departments in the state. Most new firefighters are hired at the next rate up, at $14.48 an hour, as most new hires are certified EMTs.  

Lt. Reece Chambers of East Jefferson Fire Rescue has a lot of heart. He's now on his second one. Chambers, 42, is believed to be the first firefighter in Washington state to return to front-line duty after receiving a heart transplant. He went back on Jan. 2. "New heart, new start," Chambers said Friday while working at the Chimacum fire station. "I get a new start at life." Chambers received the heart of Kevin Irby, 42, in 2018, after he was diagnosed first with cardiomyopathy — an enlarged heart — and six months later with heart failure. Since then, Chambers has established a relationship with the Irby family, who live in Washington and California — Kevin's parents, three older sisters and two sons — and is immensely grateful for Kevin's heart. Before receiving the heart, Chambers worked as much as his body would let him, until even light duty managing paperwork was too much.  

The Phoenix Fire Department responded to more than 250 mountain rescue calls in 2019, more than one every other day. Working with numbers provided by the Phoenix Fire Department, 12 News broke that number down by mountain and focused on the four busiest mountains in the area: Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, South Mountain, and Papago Park. Papago Park had the fewest number of rescue calls, with 14. Piestewa Peak had 43 rescue calls that year. South Mountain had the second-highest number of rescue calls, 63. The highest number of rescue calls came from Camelback Mountain, with 90 in 2019 alone. Why are there so many rescues? And how much is that costing taxpayers? The Phoenix Fire Department does not keep track of what each individual rescue costs.  

VIDEO: From blazes, to crashes and medical emergencies, firefighters risk life and limb everyday to serve their communities, and Great Falls Fire Rescue is no different, tackling all sorts of emergencies since the late 1800s. In its 136 years of service, the Electric City's fire department is no stranger to the history books, scoring statewide firsts in firefighting over the decades, as they tackle both minor and major situations. It all started with humble beginnings in 1886 as a volunteer fire department. Despite the lack of a readily available water supply in the 19th century, the Pioneer Hook & Ladder Company, named after its climbing devices, made the best with what they had working with water wagon businesses and townsfolk to tackle blazes in the city. "You're basically relying on somebody to run or somebody seeing smoke, and calling the fire department from there," said Megan Sanford, an archives administrator at the History Museum in Great Falls.  

VIDEO: Austin Fire Department Chief Joel Baker says the Department is at fault for the foamy water as many as 300 South Austin neighbors had come through their sinks more than a week ago, citing issues with one engine's foam eductor pump as the culprit. On January 22, crews put out a fire at a church, but needed to use Class A foam because of how intense the fire got. Shortly after, neighbors at a nearby apartment complex complained of foamy water that had an odor. "I just want to take a minute to apologize," Baker said to begin Monday's press conference. While fighting the fire, the fire truck closest to the building did not have an operational machine to dispense the foam needed. At that point, crews pumped foam from one truck to that truck, while both were still hooked up to the fire hydrant.