There's been a real lack of sustained cold weather in the Y-K Delta this winter. Through Jan. 19, the lowest temperature in Bethel has only been negative 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures next week in Bethel will stay below zero, and will be colder upriver. It has already been down to minus 30 in Aniak last month, but that is a normal part of the lower Y-K Delta climate. University of Alaska Fairbanks Climate specialist Rick Thoman said that it's usually colder this time of year on the upper river and not as cold, but windier, closer to the coast. "We've got a short hit of colder weather, probably will be about as cold as it's been. Might get to 15 below again at Bethel, might get a little colder, probably won't get as cold as it was last month upriver." Thoman said. "But it looks like we're going to stay in the kind of the same weather pattern that we've been in."  

A few weekend fires are bringing an advisory from Rural Metro Fire (RMF) in Josephine County. It says a fire destroyed a shop and pickup early Monday morning in the 200 block of Teel Lane in the New Hope area southwest of Grants Pass. It says though no injuries were reported, the fire is one of three fires in three days involving extension cords running to vehicles. The Office of State Fire Marshal is leading the investigation into its cause. RMF says the Office of State Fire Marshal concluded the cause of the Monday morning fire was related to an electrical issue involving an extension cord that ran from the shop out to a pickup truck to power a "block heater" used to keep diesel engines warm during cold temperatures. RMF says it remains unclear as to whether the extension cord or the block heater failed first. RMF says Monday's fire was the third fire in four days involving a power supply cord used to run electrical components in a mobile vehicle, after two RVs were damaged January 20.  

After sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle accident five years ago, it seemed as if Jimi King's dream of becoming a full-time firefighter vanished in an instant. Doctors at St. Anthony's Hospital, who had at first given him just a 1% chance of surviving the crash, were slightly more hopeful after King came out of a four-day coma. Even so, he'd need to endure three months of rehabilitation at Craig Hospital, teaching himself how to walk, talk and eat again before he could even think about setting long-term life goals. But when King was discharged in December of 2017, he went after firefighting with the same determination that made him a star pitcher at Green Mountain High School, described during his senior year by The Denver Post as a "hard-throwing lefty."  

Each year, an estimated 7 to 12 million people worldwide sustain burn injuries that require medical care. That trauma can lead to long recovery, absence from work, school, or even death. Amid those dark statistics is a bright spot in Sacramento: The Firefighters Burn Institute, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023. To mark the occasion, the organization unveiled a permanent memorial display at the Sacramento Regional Fire Museum on Jan. 22. "It's our history. It's how we, as a community in Sacramento, knew we could do better and what we have tried to continue to do," said Joe Pick, institute director. The institute was created after a September 1972 crash that left 22 people dead and 25 in need of specialized treatment for their traumatic burn injuries. From the ashes of the wreckage came a dedicated center for burn treatment at UC Davis Health, transforming the regional response to burn care.  

Austin-Travis County EMS and firefighters explained how to help save a life during mass casualty situations through the "Stop The Bleed" course on Monday. According to the Gun Violence Archive, last year, the U.S. saw more mass shootings than days, with 647 occurrences. Its data also shows this year we've seen nearly 40 mass shooting before January is over. "So there's been quite an uptick in gun violence, in particular downtown, just in the last couple of years," said Austin-Travis County EMS clinical specialist Courtney Meyer. Meyer and Cpt. Shannon Koesterer said they can not stop gun violence but they can stop survivable deaths. "I run a shooting every single weekend," said Meyer. "I ran one just Sunday morning. It's pretty prevalent, and because we have so much foot traffic downtown and we have all these major festivals and all these people, we really want to force multiply."