VIDEO: The Anchorage School District is enlisting the help of outside groups to address the growing problem of fentanyl use by students, including the State of Alaska and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The opioid epidemic has ripped through Anchorage high schools this spring. At least 10 students have overdosed since the beginning of March and fentanyl is suspected in many of those cases, according to the district. District spokesperson Lisa Miller said none of the 10 cases were fatal — including five that happened in a single day — and that they occurred in five of the district's eight high schools. The district worked with the state and DEA to develop an outreach plan for students and their families. Part of the plan includes holding school-wide assemblies at Anchorage middle and high schools to educate students about the dangers of fentanyl.  

On April 26, 2018, an explosion and fire rocked the Husky Energy refinery in Superior. And after five years of reconstruction, the facility is beginning to reopen. "We have commenced restart of the refinery and introduced crude in late March," said Doreen Cole, senior vice president of downstream manufacturing at Cenovus, which now owns the refinery. "So the restart process is underway." The rebuild of the facility has taken longer and cost more than first expected. In late December, the U.S. Chemical and Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released its final report on the 2018 fire and explosion, reiterating that the explosion took place in the fluid catalytic cracking unit when air and hydrocarbons mixed during a planned turnaround. Key industry safeguards were not implemented, the report said.  

Newly released video shows the moment an 18-wheeler crashed into the back of a firetruck already on the scene of another crash in Smith County. The incident happened April 5, 2023, along Interstate 20 in Smith County. Thankfully, no first responders were seriously injured. Smith County ESD 2 Fire Chief Eric Greaser credits a blocking device on the back of the firetruck for the outcome. "No doubt that blocking apparatus saved lives that day," he said. "It did exactly what it was intended for. It prevented the impact into the back of the trooper and minimized the impact in the back of that engine." While this story ended better than it could have, the same cannot be said for other incidents. Since 2019, at least 25 first responders have been hit and killed along Texas roads.  

VIDEO: Seattle City Council members will soon vote on whether to approve a measure that would give Seattle Fire Department (SFD) personnel protections under the city's obstruction ordinance. Currently, Seattle law makes it a crime to physically interfere with "public officers" responding to emergencies, but it does not explicitly include all firefighters, EMTs and other personnel. "Multiple times a day, SFD's EMTs struggle to gain access, again, to the disenfranchised, those struggling with mental health issues, those struggling with substance abuse issues, and more," SFD Assistant Chief Chris Lombard said in his remarks to council members Tuesday. "Incidents and incident scenes are often very chaotic and when EMTs are most focused on the surroundings, they struggle to focus on the patients and to provide the best of patient care, always having to look over their shoulders."  

PHOTOS: Recipient of multiple honors, a fire station in Marion, Iowa, has been designed using a sustainability consultant's 14 biophilic principles to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in firefighters. The design from OPN Architects stayed loyal to the principles of biophilic design as outlined in the white paper, 14 Patterns of Biophilia, published by the consultant, Terrapin Bright Green. The motivation was for the firefighters to calm down after coming back to the station from a stressful operation. The 1,970-m2 (21,200-sf) building's plan and massing are centered around a two-story apparatus bay, with full-height glass doors on both the north and south elevations, allowing for ample daylight and a connection to the surrounding community.  

VIDEO: A potentially deadly fungus is spreading in health care facilities across the country at "an alarming rate," according to renewed warnings from the CDC. New Jersey is a hot spot for this fungus and health officials are renewing warnings because it's resistant to treatment. The CDC says nation-wide cases tripled in a three year period. The fungus is called Candida Auris. The drug-resistant yeast mainly impacts hospitals and nursing homes and can be serious and deadly for people with weakened immune systems. "This is a very important problem - it's a concerning problem that impacts the lives of millions of Americans," Dr. Arjun Srinivasan from the CDC said. The CDC says the fungus is spreading at an alarming rate across the country.