On Thursday, January 25, 2024, Azachorok Incorporated unanimously approved a resolution to address and expand the need for more Air Medical Transport (medevac) resources – a vital link in the chain of patient care in the Alaskan health care system for Western Alaska. Most of rural Alaska relies on air travel as 80% of the state's communities are not connected to the road system. This limited road access makes medevac the only option for emergency care for most of the state's communities. "Medevac resources remain limited for Western Alaska and are long overdue. Many times, medevac flights origin out of Anchorage and Bethel adding extra time to get to rural areas where emergency life or death incidents often occur and rely on quicker response times to save more lives," says Loren Peterson, Chairman & CEO of Azachorok Incorporated.  

Congratulations to Dispatcher Kristine with the Anchorage Fire Department on reaching 10 years with the department! And to all our heroes: thanks for all that you do.  

PHOTOS: Nine firefighters are injured, including two who are in critical condition, following an explosion in Los Angeles, according to the LA Fire Department. The blast occurred six minutes after 10 firefighters arrived on scene responding to a semi-truck on fire early Thursday, the department said. The semi-truck does "not run on diesel or on gasoline, but it is actually propelled ... with compressed natural gas," Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said at a news conference. Two 100-gallon tanks were on the truck, one of which exploded while firefighters were putting out the blaze, Scott said. The flames were as high as telephone poles and exploded a transformer nearby, he said. Two firefighters were critically hurt, four suffered moderate injuries and three had minor injuries, Scott said.  

PHOTOS: The nation's first 911 emergency call was placed by an Alabama state politician on this day in history, Feb. 16, 1968. The landmark moment came four years after the shocking unreported murder of a New York City woman proved to many Americans the need for a standard and easy-to-use system to call for emergency assistance. "Senator Rankin Fite completed the first 911 call made in the United States in Haleyville, Alabama," writes NENA the 9-1-1 Association. "The serving telephone company was then Alabama Telephone Company. This Haleyville 911 system is still in operation today." Before the advent of 911, people had to make a direct call to local emergency services, a nearby police station or a firehouse, most likely after sifting through the pages of the phone book — a large tome in major metropolitan areas.  

VIDEO: Watch the AutoPulse NXT at work. It's a real story of man versus machine. Particularly when it comes to saving a life. The advanced CPR machine once attached to the chest, delivers compressions to a patient in cardiac arrest. "The device is completely in charge for this human," says Jill Andersen, a Firefighter and Paramedic with North Tahoe Fire Protection District as she demonstrates the device on a plastic model of a human head and chest. "We can sit someone up, take them in an elevator." The machine allows the chest compressions to occur in tough spots like an elevator, up a hill, or coming downstairs--places where a firefighter may have to wait or even pause those compressions until the patient is in a more stable location. North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District is the first to obtain these machines in the state with the help of a FEMA grant.  

VIDEO: Should volunteer firefighters and EMTs be able to miss work to respond to an emergency? Lawmakers from across Vermont support legislation offering protection to employees after some reported they were not allowed to leave their jobs for a 911 call. Dorieann Chesbrough is a career firefighter with the Vermont Air National Guard. She's also an EMT and volunteers at three different fire departments. She says it's a big job and she can't always leave when she's called upon. "If I had an emergency call on another department or another volunteer department, I would stay at my full-time job, as with many people who work their regular full-time jobs. When you get off of work, you would respond to calls when you can," Chesbrough said. Lawmakers are trying to create a solution to get more volunteers for more emergencies.  

PHOTOS: When a man went into cardiac arrest while working at his family's restaurant a few years ago, Fire Station No. 1 responded, resuscitating him on scene. The next day he walked out of the hospital, an uncommon sight for these patients. Soon after, he was back working at his restaurant, said apparatus operator Caleb Hodges. With the restaurant being in the station's district, Hodges and his crew were able to return to the restaurant and catch up with the man and his wife. Situations don't always go well — when they do, the firefighters don't always get the follow-ups. Being able to experience the positive outcome of a situation was a memorable moment for Hodges. He worked at Fire Station No. 9 before being promoted to his current role in 2017, and transferred to No. 1 shortly afterward.