VIDEO: Fireworks and the 4th of July are synonymous, as are the dangers which come with combustion-based entertainment. Several fire-focused agencies, medical officials, and a parent of a fireworks injury survivor plan to gather Tuesday morning at University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital to discuss "the dangerous risks and long-term consequences fireworks can pose to your loved ones, family pets and combat veterans (and other survivors of gun violence) who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder," according to a press release. Fire officials are then expected to stage a live demonstration to "show how quickly fireworks can turn tragic."  

Freeport Fire Department responded to a house fire on South Blackhawk Avenue in Freeport on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. On arrival, firefighters found there was fire throughout the two-story home. Residents had safely evacuated. Additional shifts were called in for help. Estimated damages to the home are unknown at this time; however, the home is believed to be a total loss. There are also additional damages to a nearby fence and home. No firefighters were injured and one resident was treated on scene, refusing transport to the hospital. The Red Cross is assisting the two families that were residents of the home. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

New video from NewsChopper 9 shows what's left of a warehouse following a four-alarm fire last week. It took nearly 24 hours for Kansas City firefighters to get the fire at Pioneer Pallet under control. Three firefighters were hospitalized with injuries and nearly 200 were needed to combat it. Flames shot up more than 100-feet in the air at the peak of the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by authorities. Investigators say the fire started in a shipping container in the Pioneer Pallet Company's yard.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Impossible means nothing to one firefighter in Lawrence, Massachusetts, who is now back to the job he loves after a serious injury nearly killed him. The amputee is officially suiting up, fulltime. "Firefighting means everything to me," said Miguel Baez, who has worked at the department for more than two decades. "I believe my accident is a blessing. I believe that I'm here for a reason." His near-death experience happened in August of 2021, when Baez got into a motorcycle accident. "I lost my leg on impact. The motorcycle split my pelvis, catapulted me into the woods. I hit a bunch of trees," he said. "I opened-up my eyes, I was being introduced in the back of a helicopter. I remember seeing the red light and seeing the propeller." According to Baez, a passerby found him and called 911.  

The Perryton Fire/EMS station is destroyed after an EF-3 tornado struck the town on Thursday evening, and now the department is looking for a new location. Perryton Fire Chief Paul Dutcher said two firefighters were on duty when the tornado hit. "They did manage to make it into the storm shelter into the stairwell. So they were pretty lucky," Dutcher said. "Of course, the police dispatcher was sitting in the dispatch center. She's not hurt. She was really shaken but she's, she's doing fine." Dutcher said their fire trucks and ambulances are damaged, and the units by the bay doors are in the worst condition. "The garage doors collapsed in on them, busting out the windshield, busting out the, crushing the top of the cab. And then we had the brick wall that fell and collapsed on the other fire truck and did severe damage to it."  

PHOTOS: Typically, when people call 911 in emergencies, communication with a dispatcher is limited to voice only. But those calling the Ravenna police and fire dispatch center with a cellphone now have the option of providing dispatchers with a livestream video of an incident, thanks to new software. "We wanted a different way for our communities to talk to 9-1-1, and this way we can communicate real-time information that we can share with responders.," said Assistant Chief of Police Jake Smallfield in a media release. "Besides using this new technology for Police Emergencies within the City, we are also able to utilize this for the 8 Fire/EMS Departments we dispatch for." This means that not only will people reporting emergencies in the city potentially benefit from it, but also those in areas covered by the Charlestown, Deerfield, Edinburg, Palmyra, Paris, Rootstown and Windham fire departments, which the city dispatches for in addition to the Ravenna Fire Department.