VIDEO: Captain Jake Stuart leads dozens of people each year down a long winding driveway to the Fallen Heroes Memorial at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, a role rooted in personal loss.

Stuart’s connection to the honor guard began in childhood. His father, also a firefighter, died when Stuart was 8 years old.

“When I was a kid my father was also in the fire department. He passed away when I was 8 years old,” said Stuart.

“One of the distinct memories I have at all of my father’s services when I was a kid was the honor guard being there and present,” said Stuart.

Stuart joined the Baltimore County Fire Department at 19. Shortly after, he lost a mentor, Mark Falkenhan, in the line of duty.

“Gentleman by the name of Mark Falkenhan passed away in the line of duty in this area. Mark was very close with my father. I knew Mark my entire life, and again, one of the distinct memories I have about that service was the presence of the honor guard,” said Stuart.

WMAR-TV ABC 2 Baltimore

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PHOTOS: A worker was rescued at the Washougal Wastewater Treatment Facility on Wednesday after firefighters say he fell 20 feet into a tank. The Vancouver Fire Department says firefighters responded to a report of a worker who had fallen at the facility at around 1:25 p.m. on Wednesday.

A 36-year-old man, who is the employee of a private contractor working on-site, was raised about 25 feet out of a tank under construction. Firefighters say the tank involved in the incident is part of a new construction project being completed by a private contractor, measuring approximately 150 feet in diameter with a 22-foot interior holding capacity. The man was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive.

KPTV FOX 12 Portland

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A mattress fire forced the evacuation of residents from a downtown Spokane apartment building early Thursday morning. It happened around 3 a.m. at The Delaney apartments on W Riverside Avenue. According to fire crews on scene, the fire was on the second floor and was put out by the building’s sprinkler system. There is some significant water and smoke damage to some units in the building. Fire crews remained on scene for a while Thursday morning to assess that damage and air out impacted units. A few people were treated for smoke inhalation injuries.

KXLY-TV ABC 4 Spokane

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VIDEO: A Washington-based team that supports first responders on the frontlines is preparing for what could be another demanding wildfire season— and whatever other disasters may come. “In a time of emergency, every second matters,” said Chandler Martello, manager of Verizon’s Frontline Crisis Response Team. Martello leads one of dozens of teams across the country that remain on call 24/7, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. A former volunteer firefighter in Pierce County, he says he understands firsthand how critical communication is during emergencies.

“I understand the demands and the needs for communication in a time of emergency,” Martello said. “So it’s super important for me that I’m there when I’m called upon.” Based in Buckley, Martello’s team can respond anywhere in Washington, pulling from multiple equipment locations strategically placed across the state to speed up response times. “This is just one of many different locations we have response equipment in around the state of Washington,” he said. “So we’re able to rapidly respond and grab that equipment that is near that emergency.”

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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The Fort Wayne Fire Department plans to purchase a new 100-foot ladder truck, following city council funding approval,.

The post Fort Wayne (IN) OKs Buying $2.5M Ladder Truck appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.