A fresh cohort of future Anchorage firefighters are beginning their Fire Academy experience. The Anchorage Fire Academy, which began earlier this month, could add as many as 22 new firefighters to the Anchorage Fire Department. This year's class comes from all different backgrounds, from those brand new to the fire station to trainees that come from a family of firefighters. The class was handpicked from a list of over 300 applicants. Lead instructor Patrick Barnes says that the Academy experience is a "grind," with long hours and hands-on instruction every day. "It really is a calling," Barnes said, entering his tenth year of involvement with the Academy and third year in charge. Overseeing the next generation is rewarding, he said, because he gets to see the candidates' progression from day one to graduation.  

PHOTOS: Multiple cabins burned overnight in the Upper Middle Creek area of Sevier County, the Sevier County Government and the City of Pigeon Forge stated in a joint press release early Tuesday. Sevier County officials say at around 12:39 a.m., Sevier County Central Dispatch received a call reporting a structure fire in the 2100 block of Windy Lane in the Upper Middle Creek area of Sevier County. Crews with the Pigeon Forge Fire Department responded to the scene and found one cabin fully involved with a second cabin 50% involved. "The fire quickly spread to a nearby third cabin before crews were able to slow the advance of this intense fire," the Sevier County Government stated in its release. "Fire crews on scene encountered intense heat as multiple propane tanks vented which added fuel to the already strong fire."  

EMTs and firefighters are used to receiving the latest training when it comes to lifesaving care. But on Tuesday, they encountered a different kind of training and patients: High-tech K9 mannequins. Gillette Stadium's Putnam Club became a classroom of sorts for Bay State EMTs, where their patients for the lifesaving training weren't humans but man's best friend. Following the death of Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon and the subsequent injuries suffered by his K9 partner Nero, Nero's Law enables first responders to provide aid and transportation to injured police dogs. Easthampton police Sgt. Andrew Beaulie said it's comforting to know that his K9 partner, Gino, will be taken care of if something happens. "It's a peace of mind when we go out on those deployments that if something were to happen to him, he's going to be treated and transported like an officer would be," he said.  

Explorer Post 469, a junior firefighter program of Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services for high school students, has earned third place in a national competition, the fire department announced. The explorer post left Jan. 26 for the BSA Winterfest Competition Jan. 27 and 28 in Gatlinburg. Over 1,000 explorers and venturers from across the country attended the event this year, the first gathering since 2020. Explorer Post 469 placed third in the Bleeding Wounds and Shock event and competed well in other events against nearly 30 other fire and EMS teams that participated, according to the fire department. These events involved the explorers performing interior search, removal of victims, hose deployment, emergency medical treatment and more.  

PHOTOS: On Feb. 1, 1900, Dayton experienced what could be the largest fire in the city's history. The blaze started at the in the Leaf Tobacco Warehouses of J.P. Wolf & Son at the northwest corner of First and Foundry streets. Foundry ran north to south starting at First Street and cut through an area where the Dayton Dragons stadium and plaza now stand. Eventually, the entire block was entirely destroyed. Four six-story buildings belonging to J.P. Wolf & Son were gutted from top to bottom. A three-story building also belonging to the Wolfs and a three-story building of the Dayton Paper Novelty Co. were also destroyed. After that came the three-story Ezra Bimm & Sons wholesale and retail grocery, then a two-story building housing a saloon, restaurant and tobacco company.