PHOTOS/VIDEOS: Amidst the bustling activity of Alaska's Intermediate Wildfire Academy in Chugiak, a diverse cohort of twenty-eight cadets stands ready to tackle the dual challenge of initiating critical fuels reduction projects while bracing for the imminent wildfire season. As the 2024 Intermediate Wildfire Academy drew to a close with graduation on Mother's Day, twenty eight cadets emerged equipped with invaluable skills to address Alaska's dual challenge of fuels reduction and wildfire management. With DOF's hazard fuel mitigation program ramping up, these cadets are now prepared to take on essential roles in upcoming fuel break projects across the state. These projects are crucial for creating defensible space around communities and minimizing the severity of wildfires.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Eight people were killed and 40 others hospitalized in a crash involving a bus carrying farm workers in Marion County Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. According to FHP, a 2010 International Bus carrying around 53 farm workers collided with a Ford truck. Troopers said ‘for reasons to be determined,' the two vehicles collided in 'a sideswiped manner.' After colliding, the bus careened off the road, through a fence, and overturned. The crash occurred on SR-40 about 500 feet west of SW 148 Court. The Marion County Sheriff's Office reported that West Highway 40 between S.W. 180th Avenue and S.W. 140th Avenue was closed due to the crash. The stretch of road will be closed for an extended period of time, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.  

VIDEO: San Francisco is poised to become the first city in the country to issue a ban on firefighter clothing manufactured with so-called forever chemicals. Local lawmakers are expected to pass an ordinance on Tuesday prohibiting the use of protective equipment made with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The long-lasting compounds do not break down, allowing them to linger almost permanently in the environment. PFAS can be ingested or absorbed into the skin and have been linked to harmful health effects, including decreased fertility, low-birth weight and developmental delays in children, a higher risk of certain cancers and increased cholesterol levels, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.  

Lawmakers are considering spending $6 million to test the use of "sprint" paramedics in three northern Minnesota counties and confront the state's worsening rural emergency response. The hope is that paramedics, roving the Iron Range and northwest lakes region in cars and trucks, could shave minutes off response times, and sort out calls that don't need fully loaded ambulances in the first place. "Could mean the difference in surviving and not surviving," said Jim Rieber, who has led efforts to use sprint paramedics in Otter Tail and Grant counties. When rural EMS agencies are notified about medical emergencies, they often page paid or volunteer first-responders to hustle to the station and drive ambulances to the scenes.  

VIDEO: The Roswell Fire Department (RFD) is shifting to a new schedule designed to promote firefighter health and efficiency. Through a pilot program, firefighters will now work a 48/96-hour work cycle and will have a later start time. The department made the move based on health risks associated with prolonged sleep deprivation, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and mental health disorders like PTSD and anxiety. The new schedule aims to improve rest time by offering firefighters more time to recover. The revised schedule also includes a later shift start time of 11 a.m. Fire officials say the new schedule eliminates the need for early wake-ups on consecutive days, since firefighters will already be at their station, and enhances overall sleep quality.