VIDEO: The sheriff’s office has released dramatic bodycamera video footage, capturing the moment a Pierce County deputy and a Good Samaritan pulled an injured mailman from his burning truck in Parkland. On January 8, deputies say the mail truck crashed into a white car on Park Avenue South. Stephanie Burkhart Mabee told KIRO 7 she pulled over to check on the drivers. “It was just really, really smoking. It wasn’t like in flames yet, but you could tell that it was getting ready to,” Mabee said.

With no time to waste, Mabee grabbed her hammer, seatbelt cutter, and fire extinguisher from her car. “His door wouldn’t move, so I used my hammer and smacked the handle and broke it and then slid the door open,” she said. She says the postal worker was trapped and unable to move. “I had to use my seatbelt cutter and cut his seatbelt to pull him out,” Mabee said.

Just as Mabee dragged the injured man away from the truck, bodycam video shows a Pierce County deputy arriving with a fire extinguisher. Together, they tried to put out the growing flames. “He started with his fire extinguisher. And then we noticed the fire wasn’t going out. So we both ran back over to the guy and pulled the guy further away,” Mabee said.

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Firefighters had to use saws to cut into the doors of multiple storage units after a fire broke out at the storage facility in Everett last night. Just after 6 p.m. Thursday, South County Fire crews responded to reports of smoke billowing from a storage facility located on 4th Avenue West in Everett. According to arriving firefighters, heavy smoke from multiple units made it difficult to pinpoint the fire within the single-story complex. Crews reportedly had to use rotary saws to cut open multiple unit doors to find the fire.

Luckily, crews say they were able to successfully isolate the flames to just three units, preventing spread to the rest of the building. While crews achieved a “knockdown” of the flames in about 30 minutes, firefighters say extensive work was required to remove contents from the heavily packed units to reach deep-seated hotspots. More than three dozen firefighters responded to the scene, including crews from the Everett Fire Department and Paine Field Fire.

KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

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PHOTOS: Milwaukee firefighters responded to a large commercial fire Wednesday night, Jan. 21, at a U-Haul Moving & Storage facility in Walker’s Point. Milwaukee Fire Department Assistant Chief of Operations Schuyler Belott said the call came in shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday to the U-Haul Moving & Storage facility near Barclay and Orchard.

A FOX6 News crew on scene observed firefighters working to contain and extinguish the fire. Heavy flames could be seen coming from the building. According to the Milwaukee Fire Department, cold temperatures and wind made the fire attack more challenging. In addition, many void-spaces within the buildings made it difficult to find hidden fires.

MFD companies remained on the scene Thursday extinguishing spot fires. Fire officials said the size of the building and the intensity of the fire prompted a significant response early on. A total of 37 first responder units were dispatched to the scene. Belott reported no injuries and said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

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VIDEO: As America approaches its 250th birthday celebration, the Prattville Fire Department has found a creative way to turn trash into patriotic treasure.

An American flag made from old fire hoses hangs in the fire department as a symbol of gratitude and love of country. Instead of scrapping the decommissioned hoses, they decided to turn them into an art piece for what they call their home away from home.

“Just to walk in- it just give you a sense of pride in something that you say hey I did that 8 to 10 years ago,” said one firefighter. Captain Michael Weigel of the Prattville Fire Department said the idea began in 2015. “We decided we could make these unique wall art for our home and then at the same time be able to express our patriotism,” Weigel said.

Each flag is unique, carefully cut to a particular size and painted by hand. The most detailed work involves the stars. “Probably the most tedious part of this was each one of the stars- we use a stencil to do the stars…” Weigel said, “but each star in the end process is completely hand done.”

WSFA-TV NBC 12 Montgomery

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VIDEO: Firefighters are getting ready for something that could save lives in a different way. Across Pennsylvania, first responders are taking part in Autism Awareness for First Responders, a training created by Orwigsburg Fire Department Captain Zach Kirsch.

“We’re doing Autism Awareness for First Responders,” Kirsch said. “It’s a program I wrote with the help of some others last year. It debuted last September, and it really took off.” The idea behind the training is deeply personal. “My son’s autistic,” Kirsch said. “I saw a need for it in the community. A need for responders to learn about the autism spectrum disorder, to make sure people are safe during emergencies and to spread awareness.”

Research shows emergency calls, with loud sirens, flashing lights, and sudden physical contact, can be overwhelming for people on the autism spectrum and their families. “You’ve got to slow down when you respond,” he said. “Find the caretaker. Know how to talk, rather than a run-and-gun method.”

WFMZ-TV 69 Allentown

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