Feb. 6, 2023 Ormond Beach FF/Medic Ethan Wilson, 33, was found unresponsive in the water at New Smyrna Beach.

By Madeleine List Source The Charlotte Observer (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A firefighter died three days after a surfing accident at a Florida beach, officials said.

Ethan Wilson, 33, was surfing Feb. 1 at New Smyrna Beach when he was found unresponsive in the water, according to a statement from the City of Ormond Beach. He was pulled from the water and admitted to an intensive care unit at a hospital, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a statement.

“Sadly, this 33-year-old husband and father never made the recovery his many friends and loved ones were hoping for,” the statement says.

Wilson died on Feb. 4, according to the City of Ormond Beach.

“Ethan proudly served our community with bravery and commitment for many years, always putting the safety and well-being of others before his own,” the statement says.

Wilson worked as a firefighter and paramedic with the Ormond Beach Fire Department, according to the city. He previously worked in the 911 communications center with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, according to Chitwood.

Wilson had a wife, Ashley, and an infant son, Coast, according to a GoFundMe organized by his brother-in-law. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed surfing and fishing.

“Those who know Ethan know he is the most kind and gentle soul one could ever hope to meet,” the GoFundMe says. “Whether you know him from the brewery, CrossFit, the beach, or the firehouse — he’s probably put a smile on your face.”

After his death, Wilson’s organs were donated to people in need, his wife wrote on Facebook.

“In true Ethan fashion, his last act as a physical person of this world will be an act of generosity,” she wrote. “The hospital staff has already matched some recipients and Ethan will give those recipients the ability to live a full and healthy life.”

Ashley Wilson did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Feb. 6.

Friends and coworkers remembered Wilson as a person who put others before himself.

“One morning after being up all night, Ethan, and another crew member got off shift, bought new smoke detectors, wired, and installed them into an elderly citizen’s house who had no other means,” a coworker wrote on Facebook. “He didn’t hesitate. That was Ethan.”

The City of Ormond Beach called Wilson’s death a “tremendous loss.”

“He will be deeply missed, and his selfless spirit will live on in the lives he touched,” the city said in a statement. “… We will always remember and honor his sacrifices and his unwavering commitment to serving and protecting our community.”

New Smyrna Beach, which is about 55 miles northeast of Orlando, was named the deadliest beach in the U.S., according to a January report from the travel blog Travel Lens.

Feb. 6, 2023 The ambulance was stolen from a downtown station Monday afternoon.

Source Firehouse.com News

Houston police used spike strips to stop a stolen ambulance during a pursuit Monday afternoon.

The rig was stolen from Station 17 after 1:30. Officers started searching areas including along the railroad tracks, KHOU reported.

They found the ambulance in the Rice Village area, but the driver wouldn’t stop. They eventually deployed spike strips to slow it down.

The driver eventually got out of the ambulance. and started running. But he didn’t get far before he was taken into custody. 

Feb. 6, 2023 East Bethel firefighters and the North Metro Special Rescue Team worked to free the victims.

By Nick Ferraro Source Pioneer Press (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Authorities say three men are hospitalized with injuries after a house under construction exploded in East Bethel on Monday morning, trapping them inside.

One man was transported by air ambulance to Hennepin County Medical Center, two by ground ambulance. Their conditions are unknown, Anoka County sheriff’s office Lt. Bill Jacobson said in a statement.

Deputies and East Bethel firefighters were called to the scene in the 2800 block of Viking Boulevard Northeast just before 8:30 a.m. and discovered that the three men were trapped in the house. Rescue operations began with assistance of the North Metro Special Rescue Team. Allina paramedics and Life Link EMS also responded to the scene.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Anoka County Fire Investigation Team, Anoka County Sheriff’s Office and East Bethel Fire Department.

Feb. 6, 2023 Firefighters from Chicago Heights and other departments are operating to control the fire.

Source Firehouse.com News

A massive fire broke out at a Chicago Heights warehouse on Monday morning.

Multiple departments have been dispatched to assist with the in the south suburb, ABC7 reported.

Roads in the area have been closed. 

According to FOX 32, the fire broke out around 6 a.m. at Big Daddy Scrap Yard at 1111 Washington Ave., and spread to Arsco auto repair shop and a furniture manufacturer Morgan Li.

It was upgraded to a two-alarm fire around 7:30 a.m.

Feb. 3, 2023 Five Virginia Beach firefighters who worked at the 2012 ‘Good Friday Miracle’ have been diagnosed with cancer.

Source Firehouse.com News

A decade after five Virginia Beach firefighters battled the flames after the crash of a Navy FA-18, they have something else in common — cancer.

The fire was dubbed the “Good Friday Miracle” as all the souls aboard as well as those in the apartment complex the jet hit survived. 

While no one can say for sure that the crash is the culprit behind the cancer diagnoses, the toxic brew that filled the air and littered the ground that day was extremely hazardous, according to an investigation conducted by 13NewsNow.

“There is a handful of us who have developed some type of cancer and we’ve all been to the jet crash and that’s pretty eye-opening,” said Capt. Chris Isdell, who was also diagnosed with non-invasive follicular thyroid cancer in September.

Surgery successfully removed the cancer in the 31-year-old, who was a rookie at the 2012 fire. 

“It was taken care of with just surgery, didn’t have to do any kind of treatment, it’s just going to be constant monitoring and scans,” he said.

Virginia Beach Chief Kenneth Pravetz told reporters: “When things burn, it’s a whole different game. You know, the chemicals were there when it started, but when things burn, the carcinogen effects of the chemicals and the burning and the meltdown, it creates complex new chemicals that you really don’t understand.”

Capt.  Matt Chiaverotti, 44, was diagnosed last summer with late-stage anaplastic thyroid cancer, a rare disease making up 1% to 2% of thyroid cancer cases.

It’s taken its toll and sometimes he doesn’t have enough energy to get out of his recliner.

The department has been spearheading safety improvements in the years since the crash, “We’ve gotten second sets of turn-out gear. The hoods we wear now actually have a barrier in them now to protect our necks,” Chiaverotti said.

Virginia Beach Professional Fire and EMS president, Max Gonano, who has been leading the charge for changes, has become the department’s resident expert on the jet crash and the hazardous agents it produced. Over the years, he’s been in touch with everyone from the military to scientists and officials at the Department of Defense. 

“The Virginia Professional Firefighters, which is our state affiliate, has designated naming thyroid cancer, melanoma, bladder and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma to the named cancers for presumptive benefits for firefighters. We have a lot of friends in Richmond and we’re hoping that we can get this legislation accomplished but we’re not going to stop until we do,” Gonano told the reporters.

The state list right now includes leukemia, pancreatic, prostate, rectal, throat, ovarian, breast, colon, brain or testicular cancer. And there is promising news.

State Sen. Bill DeSteph, whose district covers a portion of Virginia Beach, has vowed his support behind expanding the list of presumptive cancers. “It’s directly related to their line of duty, and it should be covered,” he told reporters.

A bill that expands the workers’ compensation presumption of compensability for bladder and thyroid cancers is making its way through the General Assembly, having already passed the Senate unanimously. 

Six hazardous chemicals were present at the jet crash, including hexavalent chromium, the contaminant featured in the 2000 movie, “Erin Brockovich.”

Other hazards include but weren’t limited to Americum-241, Xylene, Triphenyl phosphate, jet fuel and cadmium.

Chief Pravetz said the focus now is to increase screenings for cancer and for levels of poly-fluoroalkyl (PFAS) among the firefighters. PFAS, linked to cancer, is present in turnout gear as well as foam used to quell flames.

Feb. 3, 2023 The suit alleges North Las Vegas fire officials knew about drug activity in the station and failed to act.

Source Firehouse.com News

A judge ruled the City of North Las Vegas can be held responsible in the lawsuit filed on behalf of the family of Tiffany Slatsky, the late wife of a former firefighter.

She died of a drug overdose three years ago, and Christopher Candito, her husband, was criminally convicted in her death, according to KVVU. 

The city wanted its name removed from the lawsuit. However, the judge ruled that even though Candito wasn’t on duty, taking her to the fire station meant he was working under his duties as an EMT.

Instead of calling 911, Candito took her to his fire station 23 miles away from their Henderson apartment and administered Narcan, documents showed.

“Candito’s access to the fire station and the supplies with which he treated Tiffany was under the City Defendants’ control. The Court thus finds that Candito was acting in a way related to the performance of his official duties,” Judge Daniel Albregts wrote.

In the lawsuit filed in 2022, attorneys claim fire station 51, “had a reputation of being a ‘party station’ with numerous employees engaged in the purchase, sale, trade, and/or use of steroids and illicit drugs.”

The suit also alleges city superior officers and NLVFD employees failed to take actions.

Candito, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter was released on parole in November after serving 16 months. 

Feb. 3, 2023 The Grand Isle firefighter is accused of being on the clock when he was actually somewhere else.

Source Firehouse.com News

A Grand Isle firefighter has been arrested for payroll fraud.

Colby Calderone, 32, was charged with theft over $25,000 and public payroll fraud, WDSU reported.

The arrest comes after investigators have been looking into the department’s finances.

Calderone is accused of being on the clock when he was actually at home or at other locations, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. 

Feb. 3, 2023 Seattle firefighters helped neighbors capture 115 excited dogs who escaped.

By Madeleine List Source The Charlotte Observer (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Firefighters rescued 115 dogs from a doggy daycare after a dryer caught fire in the building, according to Washington fire officials.

The Seattle Fire Department responded to The Dog Resort on Lake City Way in northeastern Seattle just before 11 a.m. on Feb. 1 and found multiple dogs trying to escape the smoke-filled building, according to the department.

The fire department called Seattle police and animal control to help corral loose dogs and prevent them from running into the road, the department said in a statement. Nearby businesses helped provide temporary shelter for the dogs.

Seattle news station KOMO News took aerial video of the fire.

Seven people evacuated the building, and paramedics treated a 19-year-old, the statement says. She was in stable condition and didn’t go to the hospital.

Firefighters searched the facility for all remaining dogs. Four dogs suffered smoke inhalation, and crews used specialized oxygen masks to give them air while performing CPR, a spokesman said. They were taken to a veterinary hospital.

The doggy daycare later said that it had accounted for all 115 dogs that were staying at the facility, according to the spokesman.

The resort posted on Facebook that all dogs were now at the facility’s second location or another daycare called BowWow Fun Towne.

BowWow Fun Towne asked owners picking up their dogs to be patient because its staff were assisting with the emergency.

Fire department investigators later determined that the fire had started in a dryer and spread to the back of the building. It caused about $300,000 in damage, according to the department.

‘A horrible vibe.’ Rangers tackled, tased surfer over unleashed dog, CA lawsuit says

‘Turbulent’ currents push dog down river before harrowing rescue in NC, shelter says

French bulldog named Muny vanished over a year ago. He was found nearly 500 miles away