Fires and drought exacerbated by unusually high temperatures dominated the news cycle this year. The biggest fire on the peninsula this year was the Swan Lake Fire, which began in a remote part of the Kenai Wildlife Refuge after a lightning strike on June 5. By the end of the summer, the fire had burned 167,182 acres and involved 3,000 fire management personnel from around the country. The fire threatened the communities of Sterling and Cooper Landing with potential evacuation, although no evacuation order was ever issued. At one point in August the fire had crossed the Sterling Highway, prompting multiple, extended closures of the only road leading in or out of the peninsula. This summer saw record-high temperatures, which led to water shortages in the city of Seldovia and the Native Village of Nanwalek. The Swan Lake Fire burned well into October and reached alpine areas near Cooper Landing that hadn't seen fire in decades due in part to the lack of rain on the peninsula.  

VIDEO: An OSHA report on the fire that left a fire captain dead and three other firefighters injured in Bethalto, Illinois, said communication problems contributed to the dangerous conditions at the fire. Godfrey Fire Captain Jake Ringering was killed in a fire at 4064 Culp Lane on March 5. An OSHA report of working conditions at the fire was completed in September and was released to 5 On Your Side Monday. The report highlighted multiple problems with the effort to extinguish the fire. The report said 911 operators failed to notify first responders that all the residents of the home safely escaped the home, failed to tell first responders that the home was a "hoarder house" and that leadership of the fire departments failed to properly check the scene.  

Since joining the Fire Department in 2006, Lieutenant Kyra Neeley King has not only seen a great melding of various rescue services — including medical professionals and firefighters — into a cohesive response force, but she's also witnessed these brave first responders serving a common purpose of helping New Yorkers. King, a liaison to Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro and a photographer, has brought that idea of common purpose to life in a new exhibit now on display at the Fire Museum in SoHo in Manhattan through January. Called "Brave Colors," the exhibit features photographs she has taken of the men and women of the FDNY, working at various scenes. The collection, however, speaks to the human element of being a member of this prestigious department, one of the largest in the nation.  

VIDEO: The New Bedford firefighters union is once again calling on the city to end its policy of "blacking out" certain engines when the department is short-staffed. The city's black out policy sometimes leaves one random truck unstaffed to save money. The department has been operating under the policy for at least ten years. The closest engine to the fire on Myrtle Street Saturday night that killed 88-year-old Robert Seamans was out of service. "I believe that there was a blackout at the fire department today and they were saying that's actually why there were not here on time," said neighbor Holly Thomas Saturday night. In October, 85-year-old Louise Barboza was killed in a space heater fire on Coffin Avenue. In both cases, the closest engine couldn't respond.  

PHOTOS: Julian Reams literally is leaving his mark on the St. Lucie County Fire District. Reams, 32, a firefighter with the agency, also is an accomplished artist from Miami, and he brought some of his artistic passion to his job as a first responder. Reams has painted three murals on as many fire stations, two of which are stations where he's been based since joining the agency in December 2012. "There's no rules to art; there's no age limit to it. It's for everyone," Reams said at Station 12 in Port St. Lucie. "I think that's the cool part about art, what I enjoy about it the most." At Station 12 on Southeast Village Green Drive, Reams painted an enormous mural of a firefighter's head with a helmet and self-contained breathing apparatus. The painting adorns the wall above some lockers, and is about as tall as Reams.  

VIDEO: As a singer-songwriter, Larry Long has made a career out of making music with a message, but he hopes his latest creation will strike a chord on the issue of firefighter health and wellness. "You can never predict where a song is going to go or the effect it's going to have, but time will tell," said Long, who is from south Minneapolis. Long came up with the idea for "Firefighter (Duty, Honor, Courage)" after tagging along with a group of firefighters as they put out a restaurant blaze over a decade ago. The song chronicles the challenges the public servants face both on and off the job, like cancer, heart attacks and emotional trauma, which they are twice as likely to experience than the regular population. "There hasn't been a lot of music written for the fire service and the journey that all of us firefighters are on," said George Esbensen, a retired Eden Prairie fire chief.