A new plan to reduce the overtime hours of firefighters with the Anchorage Fire Department is set to go in effect next month. Mayor Dave Bronson's administration says it could save between $70,000 to $125,000 in costs this year. The administration's plan is to reduce overtime during overnight hours — from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. — by having certain positions not be filled with staff on overtime. Normal staffing will continue during daytime hours, when they say most emergencies occur, according to a release from the mayor's office. The positions that will not be filled during overnight hours will be chosen based on location, position type and looking at how often incidents occurred in the past, according to the release, which added that "no station will be unstaffed."  

PHOTOS: The looping and twisting cobalt blue rails of the Mr. Freeze: Reverse Blast loomed above the trees. The iconic siren of the ride occasionally blared through the warm September air as maintenance worked on the ride in the closed park. Below the steel supports, firefighters donned in orange and neon yellow wet suits, whitewater helmets and red personal flotation devices hung onto rescue boards through the class-four rapids of the Thunder River ride at Six Flags. "It's like riding a bull," said MU Fire and Rescue Training Institute instructor Roger Meyer. For the past 28 years — beginning in the wake of the Great Flood of 1993 —Six Flags' Thunder River has been a training site for Missouri firefighters to test their confidence with floating through swift currents, trust the havens of swirling eddies and practice diving like a Labrador, the proper technique of leaping toward a victim.  

PHOTOS: Inside the garage of the firehouse, a 1956 pumper and ladder combination fire truck from Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department is the newest addition to the Fire Station 4 Airbnb on Rivermont Avenue. The restored truck still runs but didn't fit inside the Glasgow department so the Woodland family opened up his home to it recently. Tim Woodland and his wife, Shannon, purchased the circa-1905 fire station at 1210 Rivermont Ave. adjacent from the Exxon station at the corner of Bedford Avenue in 2018. The couple has been renting out the bottom as a short-term rental since May 2020. "We took off like grease lightning," Woodland said. "People were sick of being isolated and kept inside and they wanted to get out. Lynchburg is a great place for hiking and outdoor activities and it really took off."  

For 150 years, the people of Lexington have called on the members of the Lexington Fire Dept. to come to their rescue in an emergency. The brave men and women always run toward the danger to save lives. Their sacrifice doesn't go unnoticed, and was formally recognized Thursday by the Lexington-Fayette County Urban County Government. One man who was honored is Major Orville Cook. He served for 28 years with the department, the largest in Kentucky, from the 1950s to the 1980s. At 91, Cook is the oldest living member of the fire department. He says since his days, the industry is very different, and safer. "Equipment was rather bad, until NASA came into being," Cook recalled. "Some of the things that they developed certainly helped the fire service. Breathing apparatus for one. The coats that we now wear can turn a lot of heat."  

VIDEO: The McAllen Fire Department has added a new upgrade that's extending their capabilities and allowing them to rescue people more efficiently. Fire Station 5 is home to the city of McAllen's newest fire truck. The $1.6 million truck is equipped with new gear, including cameras, lights, and a 100-foot aerial platform, a feature their previous truck didn't have. "The aerial apparatus has what we call a basket," said McAllen Fire Chief Jim Schultz. "Where you can have three or four people operating at the tip of that ladder, 100 feet in the air, which gives us a great aerial view of any incident that's going on." Not only is the 'basket' more efficient, but it's also safer for the victims that firefighters rescue. According to McAllen Assistant Fire Chief Juan Gloria, the new truck also has an impressive water pump.  

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recognized the New York National Guard on Saturday afternoon, 20 years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Hochul spoke at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, and announced that she signed three pieces of legislation to support 9/11 and communications for first responders. To mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 , Governor Hochul signed these pieces of legislation to ensure all first responders who participated in the World Trade Center rescue, recovery, and cleanup operations can access benefits available to them. The bills make it easier for WTC first responders to apply for WTC benefits, by both expanding the criteria for defining WTC first responders and allowing online submissions of notice that members of a retirement system participated in WTC rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations.