State health officials said Thursday that the bad weather sweeping the Lower 48 has delayed 3,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine destined for Alaska. The doses were in shipments headed for 21 different providers, and some are having to postpone clinics until the vaccine can arrive, Matt Bobo, the state's immunization program manager, said at a briefing with reporters Thursday. State officials have been communicating with the White House and CDC about the delays, and Alaskans should be aware that appointments could be postponed until next week, Bobo said. "We're working through the mechanisms and making sure we can reschedule appointments," he said. "We're definitely monitoring the situation and making sure that providers are up-to-date."  

VIDEOS: Firefighters are trying to take down a massive fire with little water in the Stone Oak area. The Bexar-Bulverde Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) responded to the fire first, which was reported at the Cortland View apartment complex off TPC Parkway around 1 p.m. Bexar-Bulverde VFD Chief Jerry Bialick said his crews immediately began to investigate and could smell smoke. Once they found the fire had already been in between the floors of the apartments, they jumped into fighting mode. However, they soon realized they would have to call for more help. "It already spread so major concern out here was frozen hydrants," Bialick explained. "So, we have no water." Bialick said his crews shuttled in water through tenders and tankers. "We've got tenders from all over the area here," Bialick said. "We actually got some, we got more coming in to shovel water into us." We're told though the crews are getting water, it's clearly not enough as the fire continues to burn down the complex.  

VIDEO: Unbelievable video from WGN News' Skycam 9 captured a firefighter jumping to safety while battling a massive fire in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. The extra-alarm fire started around 7 a.m. Friday at a building in the 2700 block of South Lowe. Power lines in the area were catching fire, causing a bigger problem for firefighters to control the flames. When Skycam 9 arrived to the scene, fire crews were seen sliding down a ladder from the roof as smoke overtook the area. One firefighter, who was stranded on the roof, was captured jumping to the building next door to safety. According to Chicago fire officials, all crew members are accounted for. At least four firefighters were transported to area hospitals with non life threatening injuries. The fire was struck just after 8 a.m. Friday. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.  

On Louisville's South 13th Street stands an old brick building - like so many other brick buildings from a century ago. This one has a large "Eight" carved in stone at the top. Many may drive right past it without knowing its history, but the building was the very first firehouse in Louisville to house African American firefighters. Early in the city's history, all able-bodied people, including slaves and free Blacks, were the de facto fire control unit. The group was nicknamed The Bucket Brigade. For decades, Louisville's Black community fought fires with the white members of the Louisville Volunteer Fire Companies, but they were continually denied formal membership. Attempts were made in the 19th century to include Black firefighters, including an 1881 petition to allow Louisville's colored citizens opportunities to join the fire department and police force. But the motion was never approved.  

Crime scenes, fire scenes and accident scenes eventually are cleared, but the spirit of service for those who respond to them remains. "It's just in our nature. Just because we clock out at the end of the day doesn't mean our desire to help goes away," said Charlie Phipps, with Chatham Emergency Services. And now local first responders are answering another call and serving their community in another way. Chatham Unity in the Community is a new non-profit organization put together by local firefighters, EMTs and police officers that will hold quarterly fundraising events and distribute the proceeds to other area charities. "We try to do all we can for the community, but this is so we can get together outside. Instead of being in such a tight work environment, we can actually have fun and try to build a good relationship. Well, we always have a good relationship with the community, but this is to give back," said Carl Sapp, with Chatham Emergency Services.  

As part of President Biden's push to get at least 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses into the arms of people in the U.S. by the end of April, the White House announced February 9 it will begin shipping doses to 1,300 federally qualified community health centers. These organizations primarily serve patients from Black and brown communities who fall below the poverty line. On Tuesday the administration announced plans to double the number of vaccines it is sending to retail pharmacies to two million doses. The efforts add to existing distribution to hospitals, state and municipal agencies. But the lack of informed messaging from the Trump administration, combined with the range of different COVID vaccines, the emergence of new coronavirus variants, and inconsistent state and municipal rollout plans, have caused confusion and driven vaccine hesitancy.