The Nest — #firefighters

Coworkers, men and women, bullied and tormented a young paramedic during a difficult period of her life instead of training, mentoring and supporting her In the days after the body of firefighter-paramedic Nicole Mittendorff was found and allegations of bullying and harassment were made public, we received messages from women who have experienced bullying, harassment and sexual assault in their EMS agencies and fire departments. This article is from Sarah Mielke, creator of the Emotional Trauma Life Support program. The first time I really faced bullying was as a probie on a skilled, well-regarded part-time fire department. I had come from...

The dream of becoming firefighters was made real for two boys receiving cancer treatment in New York City on Tuesday. River Laurence, 4, and Trucker Dukes, 3, are both receiving treatment for cancer, neuroblastoma, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Trucker's dad, Josh, is also a firefighter in Hawaii. Trucker's family is here all the way from Hawaii. River's family is from Texas. His mom, Jocelyn, says the FDNY has made home feel all the more closer. While in treatment both boys had chance encounters with firefighters and the comradery only grew. Trucker's mom, Shauna, says she...

Sharee Page (left) and her sister, Annette Page, at Sharee's home in Farmington, Utah. Photo: (AP) Two Utah sisters grew up in the same bedroom, went to the same college, worked for almost a decade at the same company and have visited over 50 countries side by side. Now every three weeks, they sit together in matching chairs and chat as their bodies are pumped full of chemotherapy drugs.   Sharee Page, 34, and Annette Page, 36, were recently diagnosed with breast cancer within about two weeks of each other, a coincidence that doctors say is extremely rare. But that...

Credit CREDIT KATE WELLS Michigan firefighters came in from across the state to rally in Lansing, trying to force lawmakers to finally put some actual money in the First Responder's Fund.It doesn't seem like it should be that hard, since the Legislature created that fund more than a year ago to cover firefighters who get job-related cancer.More than half of all states already have something similar. But Michigan lawmakers never got around to putting any money in the fund they created. Since then, 8 active-duty firefighters have been diagnosed with cancer, according to the state union. One of them passed away just...

Happy Memorial Day!