When firefighters respond to the scene of a fire, they’re risking far more than burns. They get exposed to cancer-causing components from the fire that can remain on clothing long after the fire is put out.

However, research at Oklahoma State University’s Textile and Apparel Science Laboratory is making strides to help protect them from that.

Their goal is to create nano-fibers that are initially almost invisible to the human eye. “But if I shut down the machine, shut down the roller,” OSU Ph.D. Student Ishmam Chowdhury said about their machine.

After Chowdhury shuts down the machine they use to make them, it comes into view. You could see a nano-fiber thousands of times thinner than a human hair.

Theoretically, though, it’s still strong enough to keep firefighters safe from cancer-causing components that they might come in contact with while fighting wildfires.

“It is so fine that it can trap all of the other fine smoke particles; it can trap the carcinogenic components,” associate professor Dr. Sumit Mandal said.

KFOR-TV NBC 4 Oklahoma City

The post Oklahoma State University research aims to protect firefighters from cancer appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

Firefighters extinguished a fire that broke out early Tuesday morning inside a three-story commercial building in Seattle’s Central District. No one was inside the building at the time of the fire, and because it is a commercial property, there are no residents living inside, officials said.

According to the Seattle Fire Department, crews responded to the building located at East Madison Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way East – between the Central District and Madison Park neighborhoods – at around 3:30 a.m. Upon arrival, they were met with flames pouring out of the building’s windows. Crews successfully put out the flames by around 5 a.m.

Investigators believe the fire originated on the third floor, which is occupied by a group of office suites. While the third floor sustained direct fire damage, the lower levels of the building suffered water damage. Authorities have not yet determined if the first floor is safe to enter. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

KCPQ-TV FOX 13 Seattle

The post Seattle commercial building fire damages office suites appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: Former Western New York volunteer firefighter Brian Dadswell was deployed to New York City 25 years ago, just 36 hours after the September 11 terrorist attacks, joining crews in the days following the nation’s darkest moments, and recently, a chance encounter halfway around the word has inspired him to give back in a powerful way.

“I’ll always remember walking that area with the handwritten notes on it of, ‘Have you seen my mother, have you seen my father, have you seen this person?’ That’s something that stuck with me,” Dadswell said. “Every year when we come up to the anniversary of 9/11, it’s always something I take time to reflect on.”

Decades later, while vacationing with his wife in Kinsale, Ireland, the couple stopped by a local fire station while exploring the town.

A visit that quickly became deeply personal when they were told about a memorial garden on Ireland’s southern coast, honoring the hundreds of firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 11, 2001.

WIVB-TV CBS 4 Buffalo

The post Former New York firefighter stumbles upon 9/11 memorial in Ireland, carrying out new mission appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

More than 100 wildfires have burned across Washington so far this fire season, and one person died in Spokane County during the Upriver Fire. Many families now focused on recovery, even as fire season continues, with support focused on both immediate response and longer-term help for displaced families. Spokane County Emergency Management helped coordinate response and recovery during major emergencies.

“For any type of major emergency or disaster, we’ll help coordinate the response and recovery…” Simone Ramel-McKay said. The agency stepped in when first responders needed added support and resources during a large incident.

“If the incident becomes so big that our first responders are overwhelmed then they come to us and say hey, we need help, we need resources…” McKay said. “They are focused, they are intent on getting their jobs done. They need someone who’s a little bit separate, who’s not right in the thick of it, to say hey, what else do you need, how can we help you?” she said.

KHQ-TV NBC 6 Spokane

The post Spokane fire recovery: How alerts and help are changing appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

A 15-year-old boy was airlifted from Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park on Friday after experiencing severe abdominal pain and vomiting, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Port Angeles responded after the National Park Service requested a medical evacuation at 5:11 p.m.

The helicopter crew arrived at the remote beach at 6:45 p.m. and completed a 110-foot hoist to rescue the teen. The boy was flown to Air Station Port Angeles, where he was transferred to emergency medical services and taken to Olympic Medical Center for additional treatment.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

The post Coast Guard airlifts teen from remote Olympic National Park beach after medical emergency appeared first on Daily Dispatch.