“Labor Day weekend was Jerry Lewis’ time to shine. For more than 50 years, he was the leader in the fight against muscular dystrophy, raising billions of dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to provide comfort for those with neuromuscular diseases and funding research to find a cure. His dedication to this cause is legendary, the fruits of which will be seen for generations to come. 

“Jerry Lewis was truly one of a kind, a force who made us laugh and cry while in the service of others.  IAFF members -- professional fire fighters and paramedics from across the United States and Canada -- are proud to have stood with Jerry every Labor Day during the MDA Telethon, with boots in our hands and on street corners everywhere, collecting to find a cure for Jerry’s Kids.  And we look to honor his legacy by continuing the work of providing hope for the families battling muscular dystrophy.  He will be missed.”

The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the leading advocate in North America for the safety and training of fire fighters and paramedics and represents more than 305,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect communities in every state and throughout Canada. More information is available at www.iaff.org.

Since 1954, IAFF members have shown an unwavering commitment to defeating muscular dystrophy and related life-threatening diseases. Funds are raised primarily through MDA’s signature Fill the Boot ® campaign, in which member fire fighters gather on streets across the country collecting money in their boots from neighbors and passersby. For 63 years, IAFF members have raised more than $607 million to save and improve lives of families fighting muscle disease. Dollars collected in boots throughout the decades are translating into game-changing research progress today.

A wildfire requiring the continued closure of a state highway through Chinook Pass may burn into the fall. Officials estimate full containment of the Norse Peak Fire — now at 1,540 acres — may not come until Oct. 1. State Route 410 — a main route from Central Washington into Mount Rainier National Park — will likely remain closed from Hells Crossing Campground to Chinook Pass through the end of the week to allow for tree removal and firefighting efforts, according to the state Department of Transportation.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2017 2:52:27 AM - SOURCE: Yakima Herald-Republic

Nobody was injured in a fire Sunday evening at Capital Medical Center in Olympia, but people trapped in an elevator had to be rescued. The fire was reported just after 7:30 p.m. at the hospital at 3900 Capital Mall Drive SW, according to a Thurston County dispatcher. Crews extinguished the fire in the elevator control room and rescued people who were trapped in an elevator, according to a post on the Olympia Firefighters IAFF Local 468 page.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2017 2:08:36 AM - SOURCE: Olympian

Firefighters from Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety, Fire District 44, and Puget Sound Fire were dispatched at 5:48 a.m. to a residential front porch fire in the 26900 block of 216 Ave SE. When the first units arrived they found a minor fire burning on the exterior wall and in the planter on the front porch landing.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2017 1:43:14 AM - SOURCE: Covington & Maple Valley Reporter

PHOTO - Three Downey firefighters suffered injuries when their fire truck caught fire at the scene of a wildfire south of this Bannock County town. The fire was reported along South Marsh Valley Road around 11 a.m. Monday and initially threatened multiple houses that were about 100 yards from the flames.
- PUB DATE: 8/22/2017 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Idaho State Journal