Office Worker, Alpharetta Firefighters Team to Save Ducklings

A local office worker spotted some fowl trouble recently, and the Public Safety workers' quick response earned them an award from PETA.

Alpharetta firefighters made a special rescue recently, saving eight ducklings as their mother flew overhead keeping an eye on another threat to her babies. And now the firefighters have earned PETA's Compassionate Fire Department Award. Carla Britton spotted the mother duck circling a metal grate and quacking like crazy as she was walking away from her office building at Parkside Terrace West, 3780 Mansell Road. That looked odd, and at first she started to walk away but something about that scene bothered her. "I got closer and heard a bunch of little quacks. That was when I realized it was coming from the grate," Britton said. "I looked in and could see several ducklings running around frantically trying to figure out how to get out …

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Suspect Dead as SWAT Team Rescues Gwinnett Firefighters

A police officer was shot, but his injuries appear to be non life-threatening.

Milton Won't Pay for Speedy Ambulance Service it Never Got

City Council votes to approve the lower cost after being told paramedics and EMTs on city fire engines respond within six minutes to emergency medical calls.

Milton is going to save more than $132,000 a year by not paying for faster ambulance response that's never been delivered. Rural/Metro has never met its contractual requirement to have ambulances respond to emergency calls within eight minutes of 911 calls 90 percent of the time. Milton Fire Chief Robert Edgar said the ambulance service has been averaging  more than 11 minutes to get to Milton addresses. The state approved a Regional Ambulance Zoning Plan which designates Rural/Metro as the 911 EMS providers for North Fulton, including Milton, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Mountain Park, Roswell and Sandy Springs. Fulton County makes the choice of providers without input from the cities. With a call volume so low in Milton, and ambulances being…

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Milton Fire Department Says Don't Get 'Burned' This Holiday Season

The city's firefighters offer tips and warnings about using turkey fryers and fireplaces.

Are you using that big turkey fryer for the first time this Thanksgiving? Make sure you use it outside away from flammable material, especially if it's the propane-fueled variety. And have you ever had a chimney sweep check out your fireplace? Better do it before starting another fire. With the holiday season comes more cooking and increased fires in the hearth, so the Milton Fire Department offers these reminders to be safe by taking a few precautions.    COOKING FIRES More cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day than at any other time of the year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Unattended cooking equipment is the leading cause of these fires, reports the National Fire Protection Association, …

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Alpharetta Creates Emergency Child Kit for Speedier Treatment

One of the Department of Public Safety's paramedic/firefighters brought the idea to administrators.

Children in critical condition are now being treated with greater efficiency, as the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety has a new tool kit on its trucks designed specifically for pediatric cases, according to a new release from the department. The kits were donated by the Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation and provide Alpharetta EMT’s and paramedics with quick and easy access to specific, child-sized equipment and charts alleviating the need to calculate sizes and doses during stressful situations. “The response times are the same but we have taken the diagnosis and treatment to a whole new level,” said Councilman D.C. Aiken. “God forbid we have to deal with that, but now we’re able to deal with it more efficiently.” Previously, the …

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Alpharetta Firefighters Welcomed the Heat at Fire Station No. 1

The 2012 Chili Cookoff was presented by the Public Safety Foundation.

The fire was at Alpharetta Fire Station No. 1, but it was restricted to the pots of chili being served, and the mouths of the local residents attending the 2012 Chili Cookoff. Alpharetta Public Safety Director Gary George described it as"simply another big, huge community event sponsored by the Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation." "But this is really not all about public safety. It's about partnerships with the citizens of Alpharetta, the businesses of Alpharetta and all the Alpharetta city employees," he said. The foundation sponors the event and it's a fundraiser for them. "But at the end of the day it's about connecting the city government of Alpharetta with the citizens and businesses of Alpharetta, period. That's what it's really …

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Chili Cook-Off Will Set Taste Buds Afire in Alpharetta

The host, Alpharetta's Fire Services headquarters, might be the perfect location to keep the heat under control.

The Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation is inviting the public to its annual Chili Cook-off. Police officers, firefighters and other public safety staff will put on their chef's hats and aprons to deliver dozens of competing pots of tasteful homemade chili. The competition may be hotter than the chili. Numerous prizes will be awarded at this event including special recognition for the best chili recipe. Come watch the fierce competition between police and fire and enjoy making your taste buds happy. Each ticket to the event costs only $5, with all proceeds going to the Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation. Special tickets may be purchased for the drawing of some super prizes. Adults and children will also be able to tour the fire station …

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Cumming Car Dealership Destroyed by Fire Sunday

Alpharetta firefighters help battle blaze on Highway 9 in Cumming, but the fire destroyed the business and at least 14 vehicles along with it.

A raging fire destroyed U.S. Auto Sales on Atlanta Road (Highway 9) in Cumming Sunday afternoon, producing a cloud of black smoke that could be seen across Georgia 400 between exits 14 and 15. No one was injured in the fire, according to Battalion Chief Jimmy Hildebrand of the Forsyth County Fire Department. It is unknown when the fire was first reported, but Cumming Patch was on the scene shortly after 1 p.m. At that time flames were consuming the structure and by the time firefighters had the blaze under control, at least 14 vehicles were destroyed. Hildebrand told Cumming Patch the owner of the used car dealership has been notified, but the cause of the fire is unknown and currently under investigation. Firefighters from Gwinnett, …

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Explosions, 'Gunfire' Erupt at Wills Park in Demonstrations for National Night Out

The Alpharetta Public Safety Department's K-9 units, SWAT team and firefighter rescue teams showed off their skills at the Equestrian Center.

Neighbors who didn't know about National Night Out might have thought a major incident took place at Wills Park on Tuesday, Aug. 2, but it was all a series of demonstrations by Alpharetta's Public Safety Department. The SWAT unit "attacked" a house, K-9 units sniffed out drugs and captured suspects, and the firefighters "rescued" a victim from the roof of the equestrian center. Some of the sponsors of the event included Merrill Lynch at North Point, which donated $2,000 through the Alphatetta Public Safety Foundation; Chick-fil-A North Point, which donated chicken sandwiches; Costco, donating buns and water; Target, donating food; My Party Rentals, providing a "bounce house"; and Dairy Queen, donating ice cream.

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Community Yard Sale Needs Sellers to Help Alpharetta's Noble Heroes

Table reservations serve as donations to the organization, which helps injured firefighters and police officers.

Injured firefighters and police officers need your help, and you can empty out your closets, storage units and basements to do it. On Saturday, July 16, a community yard sale benefitting injured firefighters and police officers will take place at Union Hill Park, 1590 Little Pine Trail, Alpharetta. The second annual event is organized by the NobleHeroes Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization providing financial assistance and social services to certified public safety employees who are severely injured, disabled or who have experienced a traumatic event during the course of their assigned duties. “It’s time to dig those relics out of the basement and bring them to the yard sale. It’s all for a good cause,” said Alpharetta police …

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