Most of Alaska's wildland fire crews are helping fight fires in the Lower 48, including blazes in California and Colorado that have triggered evacuations of thousands of people from their homes. Roughly 450 to 500 Alaskans are currently working throughout the Lower 48, said Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Beth Ipsen. The travel is nothing new — Alaskan fire crews have been helping Outside for decades — but this year firefighters are not only trying to contain fires, but they're also hoping to keep COVID-19 contained to prevent an outbreak that could bench the much-needed fire crews. Four firefighters were diagnosed with COVID-19 while working to extinguish the flames on the Cameron Peak Fire in Colorado, said Michael Trimmer, who is coordinating three of the Alaskan crews as they attack wildfires in Colorado. Although none of the cases involved the Alaskans, Trimmer said it's nerve-wracking to think about his crews contracting the virus.  

VIDEO: Members of the FDNY jumped into action after witnessing a recent assault in Brooklyn right outside a fire station. CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis got a look at surveillance video on Sunday. The clip shows a woman in a blue shirt walking down the sidewalk on Hancock Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant when a man on a bicycle swerves over and punches her in the face, knocking her down. He speeds off as four people race behind him. The pursuers were firefighters and they continued the chase around a corner, and took the man to the ground. Meanwhile, others were seen checking on the 60-year-old victim. "It's bad. You can't hit a woman. She's very nice, the whole family. I grew up with them and they very nice," said Twin Alzokari of nearby J&A Deli and Grocery. Alzokari said he watched the FDNY jump into action after the assault on Aug. 26, which happened at around 5 p.m. right in front of the firehouse.  

VIDEO: The Ridgefield Volunteer Fire Department is rocking new footwear after movie star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson arranged for 100 pairs of his new signature sneakers to be delivered as a thank-you to the "badasses" who keep their community safe. The delivery of Under Armour Project Rock PR3 sneakers was presented on Aug. 27 at the Engine No. 2 station by Jillian Crane of the First Responders Children's Foundation, but was kept under wraps until The Rock posted a video announcement on Sunday. "Glad you (badasses) got my note," Johnson posted. "A very small way of us saying, THANK YOU to you guys and all our first responders across our country. I see you and we're grateful to you for always taking care of our families and communities. Stay safe, stay healthy. Love and respect - DJ."  

When the City Council next meets, it will hold a third and final reading for a face-mask ordinance and Assistant Mayor Jim Splaine will propose a partial exemption for first responders. Splaine's proposed amendment includes the wording, "Exempted from the requirements of the ordinance requiring the wearing of face coverings include law enforcement personnel, first responders, or other workers actively engaged in their tasks if wearing a face covering may hinder their performance." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mask advisory doesn't include exemptions for first responders, and in neighboring Durham, where the student population could be compared to Portsmouth's tourist population, there is no exemption. Portsmouth police and fire officials explained their current mask protocols, which indicate little to nothing would change if Splaine's exemption is passed.  

PHOTOS: More than 130 firefighters across three states were called early Saturday morning to contain a fire in Pocomoke City that heavily damaged a commercial warehouse, according to Maryland State Fire Marshal. Deputy state fire marshals were on the scene at 2 a.m. and are now investigating the origin and cause of the fire at Eastern Shore Forest Products. Firefighters from Maryland, Virginia and Delaware fought the blaze for nine hours before bringing it under control. No injuries were reported, according to a company spokesperson in a statement. Most of the damage centered on a warehouse that produces animal bedding products like wood shavings for poultry and livestock industries as well as energy pellets, a company spokesperson said.  

An East Forsyth teenager who was recently surprised for his birthday with a parade and a visit from members of the school's football team got an even bigger surprise. Timothy Tolley who has autism wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. The Alamance Community Fire Department Station 54 in Greensboro wanted to do something special for Tolley after hearing about his story and his ambitions to one day be a firefighter. His family arranged another surprise for Tolley with the fire department. He learned on Saturday that he would be making a special trip to the fire station for something pretty special. The firefighters and Chief Bowers surprised Tolley with a ride in the fire truck. They also, gave him a t-shirt, let him hit the siren, and gave his family an entire ride in the truck. The family also got a tour of the truck. Tolley even checked out a Guilford County Sheriff deputy's patrol vehicle while at the fire station. Tolley said on a scale of 1-10 with ten being the best, the surprise visit was a "10."