Though first responders risk their lives by fighting fires and crime every day, an investigation by the News4 I-Team found thousands of public safety personnel in the D.C. region may be risking their safety in another way: by declining to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The I-Team found not only are many police, fire and emergency response agencies grappling with how and whether to urge their members to get vaccinated; many are also operating with an incomplete picture of who has received the shot.
- PUB DATE: 5/7/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WRC-TV NBC 4 Washington DC

VIDEO: A possible murder weapon has been found at the bottom of a lake nearly a year after the killing. When Williamson firefighter Shane Runyon went through water rescue training, he never imagined he’d use those skills to help with a murder investigation. Williamson Police Department Chief Grady Dotson enlisted the Williamson Fire Department dive team’s help after getting a tip that a hammer allegedly used to kill John Jackson in May of last year had been thrown into Laurel Lake.
- PUB DATE: 5/7/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSAZ-TV NBC 3 Huntington

A 10-cent wrist band could help researchers give North Carolina firefighters greater insight into their risks of cancer. Occupational Health and Safety data reveals firefighters are nine percent more likely to get cancer than the general population. Why is part of a study between the Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University, and North Carolina firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 5/7/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLOS-TV ABC 13 Asheville

Friday is the 36th annual Fallen Heroes Day. It's a day which honors police officers, firefighters, and other emergency personnel who died in the line of duty. The annual event is the only statewide ceremony in the nation that brings together all segments of the public safety community. The Fallen Heroes Day ceremony is usually open to the public.
- PUB DATE: 5/7/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WMAR-TV ABC 2 Baltimore

Talk about going above and beyond the call of duty: a recent 911 call in Gig Harbor ended up conscripting a few local firefighters into doing a little extra yard work. According to Gig Harbor Fire, earlier this week an elderly citizen called 911 to report a house fire. The caller had gone outside to mow the lawn, but had left food cooking on the stove top and forgotten it.
- PUB DATE: 5/7/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Gig Harbor Patch