Only four percent of the firefighters in our country are women, according to the Women in Fire organization. The town of Fairfield has hired its first female firefighter in a quarter-century. The woman at the center of this story is no stranger to breaking glass ceilings. It was a simple swearing-in full of smiles and a daughter pinning her mother, newly sworn-in firefighter Caitlin Clarkson Pereira.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTNH-TV ABC 8 New Haven

The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office is, yet again, reporting an increase in drug related crime throughout the county. Although drug arrests fell slightly last year, the Sheriff’s Office says things are once again on the rise. They say a huge part of the problem is the addiction and repeat offenders of those who abuse methamphetamine, making up 70-percent of arrests in 2019.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOTA-TV ABC 3 Rapid City

A National Transportation Safety Board report released Thursday says a failure to properly disconnect and secure vehicle batteries led to the 2020 fire aboard vehicle carrier Höegh Xiamen in Blount Island. The June 4th fire resulted in $40 million worth of damages and sent nine Jacksonville firefighters to the hospital.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: First Coast News

The City of Seattle announced Thursday that it will expand a unique program that pairs firefighters with social workers. Mayor Jenny Durkan says it will play an important role in the fight against homelessness. Seattle Firefighter Roger Webber has decades of experience on a ladder truck but the Health One mobile unit he is assigned to is far from a typical fire engine.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCPQ-TV FOX 13 Seattle

Just after 7 PM last night Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue (C2FR) responded to a reported vehicle into a house in the 1300 block of South Pacific AVE. Initial 911 callers reported the vehicle was occupied, smoking but too far into the house to describe vehicle or patient condition. Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue crews arrived within 4 minutes of dispatch to find an SUV completely buried into a garage with significant damage to the residence.
- PUB DATE: 12/17/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KBFF LIVE 95.5 FM Portland