Emergency Response
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1 killed, Milwaukee firefighter badly injured in 3-building blaze
One person died and a Milwaukee firefighter was badly burned early Sunday in a fire that spread to three houses.
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Milwaukee Fire Department’s dive team trains for every water rescue scenario
Ron Firnrohr is the battalion chief for the Milwaukee Fire Department. He was a member of the department’s Dive Rescue Team team for 28 years. Firnrohr spoke with “Morning Edition” host Alex Crowe about how their team prepares for high stress rescue situations.
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Heart disease caused death of woman in case that led to Milwaukee 911 policy change
A Milwaukee woman whose death at a bus stop on a freezing cold day inspired a change in the city’s 911 response policy died of heart disease.
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Woman’s death leads to policy change for Milwaukee paramedics
Paramedics in Milwaukee will now get out of their vehicle to look for patients when responding to calls in extreme weather or when there’s reduced visibility or obstructions at a scene.
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Milwaukee officials urge ambulance policy changes following woman’s death
Milwaukee officials are urging local ambulance companies and the Milwaukee Fire Department to change their policies in the wake of the January death of a 49-year-old woman in subzero temperatures.
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Bill would allow 17-year-olds to provide emergency medical services
Seventeen-year-olds would be able to provide emergency medical services as part of ambulance crews under a bill proposed by Assembly lawmakers.
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Two rural Wisconsin chiefs sound off on staffing concerns
As 2024 approaches, the heads of police and firefighting services in two western Wisconsin communities are looking ahead with concern. Like the leaders of other rural first responders, Galesville fire Chief Lucas Teska and Cadott police Chief Daryl Pries are feeling under pressure from staffing and funding shortages. Each chief recently appeared on WPR’s “The…
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USS Milwaukee’s voyage ends, underscoring failures of costly Navy ships built in Wisconsin
When the U.S. Navy formally decommissioned the USS Milwaukee in September, the juncture marked the end of an eight-year journey plagued by problems nearly from its start in Wisconsin. The Navy encountered numerous mechanical flaws with the USS Milwaukee and other vessels of its class known as littoral combat ships. The ships were designed to…
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Volunteer rescue workers cite statewide shortage at Sept. 11 remembrance
Wisconsinites gathered Monday to remember the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial and Education Center in Kewaskum. The third annual event focused on the importance of volunteer rescue workers. According to the National Volunteer Fire Council, 3,000 of the firefighters who responded to Ground Zero and the Pentagon were…
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Housing, transportation among top challenges facing Afghan refugees in Dane County
More than 12,000 Afghan refugees escaped Taliban forces in 2021 during the withdrawal of American troops and were evacuated to Fort McCoy in Monroe County, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Two years later, the work of resettling Afghan refugees continues in Wisconsin and around the country. On Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Morning Show,”…