The Denali National Park and Preserve is reporting the first fires of the year within the park. One wildfire is located near mile marker 93 and was identified by a Bureau of Land Management Alaska Fire Service aircraft on Monday. Park officials say that the wildfire is covering 5-10 acres of land while actively burning the majority of a spruce island. The National Park Service intends on flying firefighters to the site to assess if any cabins are threatened by the fire. Another potential fire was reported near Wonder Lake. A National Park Service wildlife technician spotted smoke in the area but further efforts to find the source have been unsuccessful, a release from the park said. Fires are not always a bad thing, the park says, noting that boreal forests need fires to keep the environment healthy and diverse. Since there is a heightened potential for fires in the coming weeks, fire managers will be monitoring the area.  

City officials are setting aside $11 million in their 2021 budget to cover unused leave time payments for police officers and firefighters who may retire during the coming year. About $6 million would cover retirement payments for 46 police officers eligible for retirement during the 2021 fiscal year, according to information provided during a city budget hearing last week. That amounts to about $130,000 per officer. Councilman Flavio Rivera, chairman of the finance committee, said Paterson needs to set some type of limit on the payouts. "The city will never be able to come out of this hole," Rivera said during last week's hearing. Police Chief Ibrahim "Mike" Baycora noted that Paterson already has cut back on the payouts. The chief seemed to be referring to a change in the compensation known as "terminal leave" provided to Paterson's cops and firefighters under their union contracts.  

Three people died after a helicopter crashed down into Solano County, officials said. A Bell 206 helicopter crashed near Lyon Road and Soda Springs Road around 1:30 p.m. near Fairfield, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Ian Gregor. PG&E spokesperson Brandi Merlo said the helicopter was contracted by PG&E. It hit a high voltage transmission line which started a fire in the area. The fire grew to about seven acres. The helicopter caught fire after it crashed, and three responding Cal Fire firefighters received minor injuries after an engine rollover while they were heading to the site. Those firefighters were taken to hospital. 38,000 PG&E customers lost power after the crash happened, according to the Solano County Sheriff's Office. PG&E turned off power to de-energize the line after a request from Cal Fire.  

Many measures implemented initially in reaction to demands associated with the COVID-19 pandemic likely will become long-term components of public-safety communications, particularly in the 911 arena, public-safety representatives said during a recent webinar. Mel Maier, captain of the emergency communications and operations division of the Oakland County (Mich.) Sheriff's Office, said the COVID-19 situation has illuminated the need for interoperability between public-safety answering points (PSAPs) that allows for efficient transfers of information and resources. In addition, requirements for social distancing and health safety have caused many entities to accelerate adoption of cloud-based and remote-working solutions, he said.  

PHOTOS: A day after he ran 80 miles to raise money for colleagues struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, former Woodstock firefighter and paramedic Ryan Mains was sore, tired and thankful. "I don't know how I can express my gratitude," he said from his home in Huntley. "The support we got in the months leading up to it and yesterday was so incredible." Mains' 21½-hour odyssey Saturday was meant as a tribute to the 130 firefighters and EMS personnel who took their own lives in 2019 — he ran 1 km for each of them — and as a way to bring visibility and funds to a cause with which he has painful personal experience. Mains, 40, an Iraq War veteran and a longtime first responder, left his job with the Woodstock Fire and Rescue District last year to be treated for PTSD, and is still trying to secure disability benefits.  

The health effects of COVID-19 pose an extra danger to people with underlying health conditions — like the thousands of workers who sprang into action on September 11, 2001. Michael Barasch is an attorney who represents members of the 9/11 community, including the rescue workers and cleanup crews who spent months in the pile of rubble after the World Trade Center towers collapsed in New York City. Barasch said 9/11 first responders have developed a wide range of illnesses because of the toxins they were exposed to at Ground Zero. "We have a host of respiratory illnesses such as asthma, reactive airways disease, pulmonary fibrosis," Barasch said. "We're seeing so much skin cancer, but after that we're seeing so much prostate cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney, brain, liver cancer." Now, Barasch has noticed a disturbing trend these past few months, as the coronavirus pandemic claims their lives.