FireRescue1

By Bill Wyatt Martinsville Bulletin RIDGEWAY, Va. — Ridgeway has received a $15,000 state grant to help the town purchase protective firefighting equipment for the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department. The grant was awarded through the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Fire Programs Grant Fund and will be used to buy personal protective equipment for firefighters.

Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s Tip is for my friends in the fire service. Today, I’m talking about seniority and determining when it’s time to retire. Allow me to take you back to your high school or college English class for a second. You may have read Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” This book tells the story of Santiago, an aging fisherman, and his long struggle to catch a giant marlin.

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. — As the Aspen Acres Fire forced thousands from their homes, a Colorado family with deep ties to the fire service lost its home to the wildfire. Retired firefighter Nicole Griggs evacuated from the family’s Beulah home while her husband, Donald Griggs, and their son stayed behind to help battle the fire, 9 News reported. Donald, a volunteer firefighter, has continued working alongside crews from across Colorado and other states even after learning his home had been destroyed.

By Julia Park The Peninsula Gateway GIG HARBOR, Wash. — After years of sending their firefighters to North Bend and central Pierce County to train, Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One finally has its own state-of-the-art training facility.

By Philip Marcelo and Anthony Izaguirre Associated Press NEW YORK — An under-construction Manhattan high-rise at risk of collapse was stabilized late Tuesday and some evacuations of nearby buildings were lifted. “We’ve been monitoring the building for many hours and have not seen any movement,” Ahmed Tigani, commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, said during a news conference Tuesday.

Federal grants help municipalities and public safety agencies fund staffing, equipment, infrastructure, technology, training and community programs. From firefighter hiring and emergency communications systems to law enforcement equipment and disaster preparedness, many local governments rely on federal funding to address needs that local budgets alone cannot fully support.

PRESS RELEASE SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection today announced the official launch of First Due as CAL FIRE’s statewide incident reporting platform, marking a major milestone in the Department’s ongoing effort to modernize emergency response documentation, improve data quality, and support the future of fire service reporting in California.

ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. — Rockland Paramedic Services has expanded its advanced life support capabilities by adding Cyanokit, an antidote used to treat suspected cyanide poisoning in smoke inhalation patients from enclosed-space fires. The addition allows paramedics to begin treatment at the scene before patients reach the hospital, improving prehospital care for Rockland County residents and firefighters.

By Thomas Tracy New York Daily News NEW YORK — Construction workers at a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper were evacuated Tuesday after two interior columns began to buckle — leading first responders to fear a collapse could be imminent, FDNY officials said. The FDNY was called to 235 E. 42nd St. near Second Ave. just before 8 a.m. when bricks began falling from the 38-story building.

By Thomas Tracy New York Daily News NEW YORK — Hours after Mayor Mamdani vowed to release New York City documents about the toxins swirling above Ground Zero in the days after 9/11 in time for the 25th anniversary of the attacks, city lawyers asked a judge to quash a lawsuit requesting the same papers, the Daily News has learned.