The Longview Fire Department served as a test location for a new expansion to a University of Washington program that allows pre-med students to work with health care professionals during their spring break. Quality journalism doesn’t happen without your help

The Health Care Alternative Spring Break program typically embeds students in hospitals and clinics to gain real-world experience in rural communities. This year, it also sent three students to observe the fire department’s emergency medical services.

The students shadowed emergency medical technicians and visited the 911 dispatch center. On their last day, they spoke to health science students at R.A. Long High School about their college experience and what pushed them toward medicine as a career.

The Longview Fire Department and UW, in Seattle, have been discussing the necessity of giving students experience with pre-hospital care since 2000, but this marks the first year that idea became a reality, Battalion Chief Eric Koreis said.

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VIDEO: Franklin County Fire District 3 has added a drone to help crews respond faster during fires and search missions when time matters most. The new equipment gives first responders a way to gather information quickly while keeping people farther from danger. It also helps crews spot changing conditions in minutes. Captain Jason Langston, an FAA-certified drone pilot, helped lead the station’s drone program. He said the idea grew over time as he saw how drones were being used in emergency services.

“So I’ve always looked at the drones, saw what they could do. I always wanted one of my own. And then as I went to different trade shows, different fire conferences, I started to see how they were being used in the emergency service realm. So I’d bring that information back to the district and say, hey, I think we need to get on board with this,” Langston said. Langston said the drone is useful to quickly assess fires.

KNDO-TV NBC 23 Yakima

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Waterbury officials are investigating why city fire hydrants had insufficient water flow during a house fire.

The post Waterbury (CT) Police Investigate Hydrant Pressure Testing After Firefighters Struggle to Find Water appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Union leaders in Pittsburgh warn that an aging fire apparatus fleet, due to decades of underfunding, compromises response times and firefighter safety, with many vehicles exceeding their service life.

The post Pittsburgh (PA) Firefighters Sound Alarm over Aging Fire Fleet appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Voters will decide on May 12 whether to approve a $7.5 million bond for a third fire station in North Andover.

The post North Andover (MA) Proposes Third Fire Station to Improve Response Times appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.