Emma Carr has recently been hired as CCFR's newest Firefighter/EMT. She originally comes from Fort Collins, Colorado. She was a middle school teacher from Dutch Harbor when she decided to move to Juneau for a change of adventure. She is enjoying the outdoor activities of Juneau and plays fiddle for a local band. She started with CCFR last year as a seasonal Basic Life Support (BLS) Fighter. Carr tested for their line staff and was offered an FF/EMT position last month.  

Pennsylvania State Police released a statement on Tuesday after a huge fire destroyed a popular tourist spot in Strasburg, Lancaster County. The Hershey Farm Restaurant and Inn is a total loss with damage estimated in the millions of dollars. "On 1/10/23 at approximately 1149 hours, troopers from PSP Lancaster and Strasburg Fire Department responded to the Hershey Farms Restaurant and Inn located at 240 Hartman Bridge Rd., Strasburg Township, Lancaster County for a structure fire. "Upon arrival of first responders, they encountered heavy fire and smoke conditions. Hershey Farms Restaurant and Inn was closed at the time and the building was only occupied by employees. All employees evacuated safely. "Initial reports related to a fire in the roof area of the structure. PSP fire marshals conducted a preliminary fire investigation.  

VIDEO: After several meetings between the city and firefighters, council appearances and even a protest, city officials finally have a pay plan for the fire department. After a final discussion Tuesday, city officials are addressing their concerns by implementing a pay matrix. Starting this month, all fire suppression employees will see a pay increase. "Our entry-level firefighters will be about $900 a year, and so that is a good increase for them," Emily McDaniel, the city's director of finance, said in a previous interview. "Another class that is impacted is our captains, and they will be making on average $5,000 or more a year. Each range will vary depending on how long they've been in service." According to the pay plan, after the $6,000 supplemental pay, first-year firefighters make about $40,000 before overtime.  

VIDEO: A new strategy unveiled Tuesday aims to use previous fire investigations to prevent similar fire tragedies from happening again. U.S. Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell traveled to New York City to honor the 17 lives lost in last year's tragedy at the Twin Parks building. It was the first stop in a tour of some of the deadliest infernos. She said the tragedy in the Bronx highlights an unfortunate truth about fires. "It disproportionately affects our most vulnerable population," Moore-Merrell said. The new national strategy to quell America's fire problem includes investing in a national program to address the firefighter shortage and improve diversity. The plan also involves cracking down on code enforcement. "When a fire occurs, we're going to look at those fire safety features and often where the building itself may have failed long before firefighters arrived," Moore-Merrell said.  

Lake Ozark Fire Protection District is working to equip cyanokits on their ambulance and trucks. The district has one. It's kept in the ambulance should it be needed. "I found out that we didn't have it, and with us being a fire ALS (advance life support) Transport Agency, it's not only crucial for the citizens we serve, but it's crucial for our own folks," said Deputy Chief Marc Carr. "Essentially, if we have a rescue victim that we've pulled out of a fire, or it's one of ourselves, then we established this through an IV line like we would any other medication, but it's standing alone. We can't give any other drugs through that line or anything else. It's a 15-minute infusion," said Deputy Chief Carr. The kits cost $1,200 each. "It's a budgetary expense out of the EMS side of the capital budget," said Deputy Chief Carr.  

VIDEO: The Union Township Fire Department is closing its Safe Haven Baby Box due to "burdensome" and "outdated red tape" from the Ohio Department of Health, Union Township officials said in a press release. Under Ohio's Safe Haven Law, a baby box, also known as a newborn safety incubator, allows parents to anonymously surrender a newborn without facing criminal charges. According to the Ohio Department of Health, any location that has an infant safety incubator is required to have an authorized person on-duty and in the building 24/7. The Union Township Fire Department said since the baby box was installed at fire station 50 in May of 2022 it has been able to meet this requirement by using employees who were already restricted to "light duty" or through "floating personnel assignments." But according to the Township, this is no longer feasible, and there needs to be a more long-term solution.