The newest firefighters in St. Paul and Minneapolis graduated Friday, including two men who will be the first Somali-American firefighters in St. Paul and possibly the state and nation. Twenty-three firefighter recruits for St. Paul graduated, including seven women. Eighteen recruits graduated for Minneapolis.
- PUB DATE: 7/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: St. Paul Pioneer Press

Nighttime aerial firefighting equipment that helped knock down Australian wildfires last year will be tested in Orange County over the next five months. Starting July 1, the Orange County Fire Authority will run a pilot program with two special helicopters: one that does reconnaissance of ground conditions, any obstacles such as power lines, and where the nearest water sources are, and a second chopper that will be “the first-ever nighttime, hover-filling tanker in the U.
- PUB DATE: 7/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Orange County Register - Metered Site

A long-term shortage of emergency medical service, and eventually firefighter, volunteers will severely impact Dodge County municipalities both large and small in coming years, according to county officials. And while mutual aid can help minimize the impacts of that shortage, fire and EMS organizations have been preparing for the future.
- PUB DATE: 7/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

VIDEO: They are fire investigators on four legs who help the FDNY solve some of the most difficult arson cases around the city. Weighing in at just under 70 pounds each, Bucca and Pete pack a type of crimefighting muscle different than any other firefighter. They’re part of the K9 arson squad. They sniff, they sit, they solve.
- PUB DATE: 7/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCBS-TV CBS 2 New York

As wildfire season approaches, local winemakers are concerned about the potential for more dense smoke. For two summers in a row, thick smoke consumed the Pacific Northwest. It didn't just worsen air quality, it affected wine vineyards, too. Freddy Arredondo, the winemaker for Cave B Winery, told me there can be both positive and negative impacts on grapes.
- PUB DATE: 7/1/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVL-TV CBS 10 Medford