VIDEO: Like all too many public service organizations, Williamsport Fire and EMS in Maryland is cash crunched by COVID. “COVID really messed with things this year,” Michael Nokes, the Deputy Chief, said. Not only were funds down, but expenses went way up. “We just purchased a ladder truck, we have a ladder truck that’s over thirty years old, it was well overdue for a replacement,” Nokes said.
- PUB DATE: 4/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHTM-TV ABC 27 Harrisburg

There is a huge gender gap in the world of firefighting. Only 8% of firefighters in the United States are female according to the National Fire Protection Association. The Greensboro Fire Department wants to bridge the gender gap through a new program. Camp Spark is the department's new initiative aimed at changing the narrative to get more women into fire stations.
- PUB DATE: 4/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFMY-TV CBS 2 Greensboro

It’s a boy! An explosion that rattled homes within a 20-mile radius Tuesday night is being blamed on a gender reveal celebration at a Kingston quarry that police say involved more than a pound of Tannerite and blue chalk. Many residents in communities across southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts reported hearing the explosion just after 7 p.
- PUB DATE: 4/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Hampshire Union Leader - Metered Site

A bill that sets aside $125 million to prevent and fight wildfires in Washington sailed through the state House and now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature. The House voted unanimously Thursday to concur with Senate amendments made to the bipartisan legislation, which was promoted by Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz.
- PUB DATE: 4/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee made a public push for people to get vaccinated Thursday, as a "fourth wave" of the coronavirus has hit the state potentially sending more counties on a phase rollback, including King County. The announcement comes as metrics show that case rates and hospitalizations continue to trend upward.
- PUB DATE: 4/23/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle