Anchorage firefighters have responded to the scene of a house fire in the Turnagain neighborhood. No injuries have been reported, according to Anchorage Fire Department Assistant Chief Alex Boyd. One person who was in the home on Loussac Drive when the fire broke out Monday morning was able to escape with their pet. Thirteen units responded to the fire and firefighters will be on the scene for awhile. Crews are cautiously managing the fire because of the home's condition, Boyd said. Boyd said the home is significantly damaged. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.  

Former Anchorage firefighter and paramedic Ben Schultz, who was left on the brink of death after a fall from a 100-foot ladder during a training session in 2017, is set to leave the Anchorage Fire Department in November. "When you dedicate your adult life and education to serving the public, and public safety," Schultz said, "it's difficult to hear that your position will be cut due to budgetary reasons." Schultz, who said he recently celebrated his 10-year anniversary with the department, will be terminated from his administrative role, largely because of elective budget cuts for the Municipality of Anchorage, he said. "I do not have any regrets," Schultz said. "It's been a very life-changing and humbling experience to give back in a small way to the community that's supported me."  

Boulder Fire-Rescue (BFR) tweeted Tuesday morning that they are working a large apartment fire in the 2300 block of Pearl Street. BFR said that multiple agencies are helping put out the fire that has affected 83 units in three buildings of the apartment complex. Two minor injuries were reported, BFR said, but those injuries did not require either person to be hospitalized. Fire crews said they were able to knock down most of the fire since they first called to the scene shortly after 3:30 a.m. Video from SKY9 showed heavy smoke in the surrounding area. BFR said the fire was considered under control at about 5:40 a.m. The Red Cross is working to help residents affected by the fire. Fire crews are asking people to avoid the area as they work to knock out hot spots from the fire.  

It looks something like a cross between a robot, a bus and an RV. Until it lights up and moves. Then it's a fire truck. An electric-powered fire truck. Empire Emergency Apparatus of Lockport Road in Niagara Falls hosted a demonstration of the pumper on Old Falls Street in Niagara Falls for firefighters from Niagara Falls, Buffalo and North Tonawanda on Friday. Todd McBride of Rosenbauer America showed off the advanced technology on the truck, a 7-year old demo model. LED lights ringing the back light up work areas with glare-free, shadow free illumination. Ladders and hoses are stored internally. North Tonawanda Fire Chief Joe Sikora was there for the demonstration. "It is quite a change from what we are used to," Sikora said. "Times are changing. Fire trucks have been the same for a long, long time."  

The historic rise of calls for service from first responders across the country has opened the door for deeper training for law enforcement in Greensboro to help EMS and firefighters identify medical-related situations. Guilford County EMS and Greensboro firefighters reported that they have seen a sharp increase in calls related to people having a stroke, seizure, dealing with dementia or another unknown medical problem. Those calls have begun to bleed over into the Greensboro Police Department with citizens calling for police assistance when someone begins to act out. Greensboro firefighters explained to a group of rookie police officers on Monday that "a lot of people are either delaying or postponing or canceling medical diagnosis or treatments that they need…the chances have never been higher that you will have to respond to a scene that is actually caused by a medical-emergencies."  

The types of places that carry the biggest risk for COVID-19 transmission have changed over time - partly because experts have learned more about how the virus works and partly because the virus itself has changed. The delta variant is more than two times as contagious as previous strains, which has obvious implications for transmission. Also, nearly 60% of the population in the United States is now fully vaccinated, which impacts the virus's spread. Fully vaccinated people are not only less likely to become hospitalized or die, they're also far less likely to spread the virus (despite some confusing public health messaging around this second point). So here's what we know about the places where transmission is the highest right now, and places where the spread isn't as bad as people might think.