By MES Dispatch staff

The Briefing
• The Carmel Fire Department in Indiana is launching a pilot program to test augmented reality helmets designed to help firefighters work in smoke-filled environments.
• The AR helmets overlay heat signatures and navigation cues to help firefighters locate victims and hazards where visibility is limited.
• The system can livestream video to incident command, allowing commanders to monitor crews and send visual cues.
• Carmel officials said a three-year, $375,000 pilot is being funded in partnership with a local nonprofit.

CARMEL, IN — The Carmel Fire Department will participate in a pilot program this summer to test augmented reality (AR) helmets that help firefighters navigate smoke-filled buildings and relay visual information to commanders, officials said.

The department is deploying the C-THRU AR system developed by Qwake Technologies, which overlays thermal imaging and navigational cues onto a firefighter’s field of view to identify heat signatures, potential victims and hazards in low-visibility conditions.

During demonstrations inside a smoke-filled training structure, the AR helmets helped users move through rooms by combining thermal imaging with real-time visual guidance, department personnel said. The helmets can also livestream video to command staff and receive tactical cues from incident commanders.

Carmel plans to receive 16 AR helmets and four tablet command units by midsummer as part of the three-year pilot, which city officials said will cost about $375,000 and is supported through a partnership with the local Heroes Club.

Officials said the pilot will allow the department to evaluate the technology’s effectiveness in enhancing situational awareness and firefighter safety under hazardous conditions.

By MES Dispatch staff

The Briefing
• A CAL FIRE division chief told the Oroville City Council that repeated non-emergency calls are straining fire crews and delaying responses to true emergencies.
• Officials said some private businesses have relied on public fire resources due to internal staffing failures.
• Oroville crews were delayed about 20 times in March because of avoidable calls, the chief said.
• The city council moved forward with drafting an ordinance to recover costs from repeat “billable incidents.”

OROVILLE, CA — A division chief with CAL FIRE – Butte County Oroville told the Oroville City Council that a surge in non-emergency and preventable calls for fire service has strained crews and caused delays in responding to true emergencies.

CAL FIRE-Oroville Division Chief Chris Tenns said this week that repeated calls from certain private companies, often for situations that could be handled internally, have diverted fire resources and contributed to about 20 delayed responses in March.

One address alone generated more than 500 calls in a single month, Tenns told council members, though he did not identify the specific parties involved.

Tenns said crews are deployed with lights and sirens and sometimes arrive at medical facilities for non-emergent situations, tying up apparatus needed elsewhere.

In response, councilors directed staff to draft an ordinance that would allow the city to recover costs from repeat “billable incidents” as determined by the fire chief or a designee.

City leaders said the proposal aims to protect emergency response capacity and ensure taxpayer-funded services are available when needed most.

By MES Dispatch staff

The Briefing
• A five-alarm fire engulfed a vacant church and adjoining rectory in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York, injuring six FDNY firefighters.
• The blaze broke out Thursday evening around 6:45 p.m. and rapidly spread between structures, prompting an extensive FDNY response.
• More than 270 fire and EMS personnel responded to battle the fire that was brought under control later that night.
• Parts of the roof collapsed and one firefighter was struck by falling debris; all injuries were reported as non-life-threatening.

QUEENS, NY — Six Fire Department of New York firefighters were injured Thursday while battling a five-alarm blaze that consumed a vacant rectory and spread to an adjacent historic church in the Astoria neighborhood, officials said.

The fire was reported about 6:45 p.m. at the First Reformed Church of Astoria and a nearby vacant residence, both more than a century old, FDNY and local news outlets reported. The flames quickly escalated to a five-alarm assignment, bringing roughly 270 firefighters and emergency medical personnel to the scene.

Crews initially fought the fire from multiple streets, but portions of the roof and structure became unstable, forcing operations to shift to an exterior attack as heavy smoke and fire spread through the complex.

FDNY Chief of Fire Operations Kevin Woods said firefighters faced significant collapse danger as they worked to extinguish the blaze. One member was struck by falling debris, and others suffered injuries such as smoke inhalation; officials described all injuries as non-life-threatening.

Investigators with the FDNY Fire Investigation Unit were expected to begin determining the cause of the fire, which took several hours to bring under control.

By MES Dispatch staff

The Briefing
• A new NTSB report found that airfield warnings were missed in the seconds before a fatal ARFF runway crash at a New York City airport.
• The vehicle struck an aircraft during takeoff, killing the ARFF firefighter and injuring another.
• Investigators found missed alerts from ground radar and automated warnings in the final moments before impact.
• The report includes safety recommendations to prevent similar runway incursions.

NEW YORK, NY — Seconds of missed airfield warnings occurred before a fatal aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicle crash on a New York City runway, according to a preliminary report released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The ARFF vehicle struck a departing aircraft on the runway at the airport last year, killing one firefighter and injuring another, investigators said. Radar data and automated alert logs reviewed by the NTSB showed that critical warnings of the vehicle’s presence were not acted on in the final seconds before impact.

Investigators noted that several layers of alert systems, including ground movement radar alerts and visual signals, were available but not fully heeded by air traffic control and ground personnel during the incident sequence.

The report did not assign probable cause but identified safety issues related to communication and alert response, and it made recommendations aimed at improving coordination between ARFF units, controllers and flight crews.

The NTSB said its investigation remains open as it continues to gather information and work toward final determinations, and officials urged implementation of the recommendations to reduce runway incursion risks.

By MES Dispatch staff

The Briefing
• The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation will add the names of 204 firefighters who died in the line of duty to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial.
• The additions will be made during the 45th annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, scheduled for May 2–3 in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
• The 204 names include 97 who died in 2025 and 107 from previous years.
• Family members, fire service leaders and communities nationwide will gather to honor the fallen.

EMMITSBURG, MD — The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation announced that the names of 204 firefighters who died in the line of duty will be added to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial during the Memorial Weekend observance May 2–3.

The additions will be made at the 45th annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where family members, fire service leaders and others from across the country will gather to honor those who have died in service.

Officials said the 204 names include 97 firefighters who died in 2025 and 107 from prior years whose names will now be inscribed on the memorial’s wall.

The memorial, located on the campus of the U.S. Fire Administration and National Fire Academy, serves as the U.S. national tribute to career and volunteer firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

Events during the weekend will include traditional remembrance ceremonies and opportunities for families and colleagues to pay tribute to the fallen.