Mental health advocates and the Anchorage police and fire chiefs spoke with Anchorage Assembly members Monday afternoon about the merits and functions of the city's mobile crisis team, as the assembly is set to vote on Mayor Dave Bronson's proposed budget as soon as Tuesday night. The Mobile Crisis Team, funded by Anchorage's alcohol sales tax, began in July of this year as part of the Anchorage Fire Department. The team pairs a paramedic with a mental health clinician to respond to mental crisis calls, and check up on frequent users of the city's emergency services. It's one part of a statewide effort to implement the Crisis Now model, which includes three components: a crisis call line, a mobile crisis team, and a 23-hour stabilization center.  

A raging house fire in Cranford, New Jersey claimed the life of one person and injured another, local authorities said. Chopper 4 captured images of the intense scene that unfolded on Beach Street near West End Place -- prompting several area fire departments to spring into action. One woman died and two other people who were inside had to be rescued by a neighbor after the flames were reported around 7 a.m. Tuesday in a 2 1/2 story structure. No other injuries were reported as a result of this. Officials say when they arrived, they were met with heavy flames right away. "When we arrived on scene neighbors were out, they were actively trying to rescue the occupants and we immediately went into an offensive rescue operation at that time to save two victims," Cranford Fire Department Lt. Matthew Lubin said.  

PHOTOS: With the dust still settling after a red SUV mowed down Christmas parade marchers in a Milwaukee suburb Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring dozens – including children – law enforcement and witnesses at the scene are praising first responders' handling of the chaos that unfolded. Brayden Kowalski, 19, one of the witnesses at the scene, described the first responders' professionalism as "wonderful" in an interview with Fox News. "It was wonderful," Kowalski said when describing the first responders' professionalism and swift actions. He said it didn't take long for first responders to arrive on scene and he recounted how paramedics and fire personnel worked their way up through the crowd, starting from where shots were first fired.  

New research by Cassandra Kwon, a research assistant professor at NC State's Textile Protection and Comfort Center, and former Ph.D. student Meredith McQuerry, who is currently an associate professor at Florida State University, suggests that many women firefighters may struggle with poorly fitting gear that is designed with the male form in mind. The two researchers have spent the past several months collecting data about how conventional firefighter suits fit women, and how to better tailor firefighting gear for women. Recently, they have traveled to the Women in Fire conference, showcasing their project to fire departments, manufacturers and women firefighters themselves. "It's sort of an unspoken kind of fact that firefighting gear, it's not really made for the female form," Kwon said. "It's always been designed for the male form."  

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have teamed up with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) to upgrade the FDNY's ambulance Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response operations and optimize hospital capacity balancing so that hospitals aren't overwhelmed in the future by an unprecedented patient surge like the one that occurred in the early months of the pandemic. FDNY oversees New York City's 911 EMS system, providing coverage for all five boroughs of the city with ambulances and specialized response vehicles. It currently operates two-thirds of the nearly 450 ambulances in NYC's 911 system directly, with the rest provided by about 22 of New York City's private hospitals. In addition, 198 fire engine companies provide medical response to a subset of life-threatening emergencies.  

Thursday marks the second Thanksgiving during the coronavirus pandemic. Many grandparents are excitedly planning to see their grandchildren. Friends are dressing their dining tables for turkey and loved ones. Some people have flights booked or road trips scheduled. But in the background, COVID-19 case numbers are inching upward across the United States and millions of Americans remain unvaccinated -- leaving some people worried about the possible COVID-19 risks that could come with their Thanksgiving plans. If you have concerns, experts say there are some important questions to ask to help weigh your risk: Will those around you be vaccinated? Have they been tested? Should you open windows when indoors?