VIDEO: Firefighters in St. Johns are working to protect themselves from toxic chemicals in smoke and soot that can cling to their gear and skin long after a fire is extinguished. Officials say that exposure can lead to cancer over time.

Jim Brown served more than four decades as a firefighter with the Ovid-Middlebury Fire Department. In 2022, his son, Cpt. Eric Brown, said a hospital visit for COVID-19 led to an unexpected discovery.

“They did an MRI. And that’s when they found the cancer in his lungs, his liver, his pancreas, his spine, his ribs. It was everywhere. He was already stage four,” Eric Brown said. Five weeks later, the cancer took Jim’s life.

Stories like Brown’s led Chief Douglas to equip his fleet of fire trucks with Post-Fire Decon Kits. The kits include wipes for the face, neck, helmet and mask, along with trash bags for safe disposal and transport back to the station.

WILX-TV NBC 10 Onondaga

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VIDEO: Firefighters from across the region gathered in Hazard this weekend for the 48th Annual Hazard Fire School. While the three-day event is known for its intense, hands-on training, this year’s kickoff focused on a sobering piece of Kentucky history.

Chief John Beatsch of the Southgate Fire Department in northern Kentucky traveled to Hazard to share his firsthand account of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire. On May 28, 1977, the fire swept through the club in Southgate, Kentucky, claiming the lives of 165 people and injuring hundreds more. It remains the third deadliest nightclub fire in United States history.

At just 21 years old, Beatsch was a firefighter on the first-arriving engine company. He witnessed the chaos and took part in the rescue operations that night. For decades, he says he didn’t feel comfortable talking about it. “Eventually, I came to the point where I felt like I needed to talk about it for myself, for my own healing,” Chief Beatsch said. “And, again, so that people could understand, you know, that it could happen.”

WYMT-TV CBS 57 Hazard

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PHOTOS: A fast-moving fire that began outside a Vancouver warehouse Friday evening escalated to a two-alarm response and spread into the building, burning furniture inventory and igniting a nearby railroad car, officials said.

Just after 6 p.m. Friday, Vancouver Fire Department and Clark County Fire District 6 crews were dispatched to 7017 Northeast St. John’s Road for a reported large box or dumpster fire against a building. First-arriving crews found heavy fire impinging on the building near a roll-up door, a large dumpster fully involved, a grass fire burning south of the building, and a railroad car behind the building also on fire.

Because of the rapidly developing conditions and multiple areas requiring firefighting operations, incident command requested a second alarm to bring additional firefighters and equipment to the scene.

KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

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PHOTOS: Two people were hurt and eight people lost their homes after a fire at an apartment building in Kennewick Saturday morning. It happened at an apartment complex located on the 4100 block of West Rio Grande Avenue just after 7:30. Fire crews from Benton County Fire District 1, Kennewick and Richland all responded as well as the Kennewick Police Department and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.

When firefighters got to the scene, they reported heavy smoke and flames coming from the two-story apartment. According to BCFD 1, four apartment units were evacuated. Two people suffered effects of smoke inhalation and one of those people also suffered burns. They were both treated at the scene.

Within two hours, firefighters gained control of the fire and continued on the scene until about 2 p.m. to look for any hotspots. The apartment building was heavily damaged, including holes in the roof. Eight people are unable to return to their homes. The American Red Cross is working with them to secure housing and essentials. The fire was first reported in the kitchen area of one of the apartments, however, a cause of the fire has not yet been released.

Apple Valley News Now

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The Kennewick Fire Department (KFD) recently conducted specialized on-ice response training, in collaboration with the Tri-City Americans. According to officials with the City of Kennewick, the Americans’ Head Athletic Therapist Taylor Curry helped KFD crews with practice exercises that simulated emergency responses involving hockey players on the ice. “We appreciate the Tri-City Americans for the partnership and the opportunity to train together before the puck drops this season,” officials stated.

KNDO-TV NBC 23 Yakima

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