Wildfires have been plaguing the Black Forest area of Colorado for more than a week, and first responders have been working around the clock to combat the blaze. In recognition of the firefighters' hours out in the field battling flames, a number of restaurants and super markets in the Colorado Springs area have teamed up to provide them with thousands of meals, according to The Gazette.

So far, businesses such as McCabe's Tavern, Bite Me Gourmet Sausages, Safeway and King Soopers have provided an estimated 4,000 meals to more than 1,200 firefighters, National Guardsmen and law enforcement personnel. Given the skill of those involved, the food is certainly not typical buffet fare. First responders applauded the impressive spread that was laid out before them for breakfast earlier this week.

"We had quite the assortment, from scrambled eggs, to Potatoes O'Brien, breakfast burritos and tons of coffee," Linda Holder, who has helped lead the project, told the newspaper. "I think they cooked 155 pounds of bacon. I've never seen so much bacon in my life."

By Tuesday, the fire was 65 percent contained, but it left a considerable trail of destruction. According to NBC News, the flames killed two people and destroyed more than 470 homes.

Tragedy struck the Boston Marathon on Monday when a pair of bombs exploded along the race's final stretch, killing at least three people and injuring scores more. Amid the news of the destruction came hopeful tales of first responders bravely running onto the scene, ordinary civilians leaping into action and runners helping their fellow competitors. These stories offer some brightness on one of the country's darkest days in recent memory.

Footage of the bombing shows just how quickly emergency personnel sprung into action. Almost immediately after the blast, police officers, firefighters and emergency workers began tearing down the barricades to get to those wounded. Spectators who were on hand also helped out, including former NFL star Joe Andruzzi. He said it was most important to keep the focus on the impressive work of the first responders.

"While I appreciate the interest in hearing our perspective on today's horrific events, the spotlight should remain firmly on the countless individuals – first responders, medics, EMTs, runners who crossed the finish line and kept on running straight to give blood, and the countless civilians – who did whatever they could to save lives," the former New England Patriot said. "They were the true heroes."

The Massachusetts National Guard has also played a role in the aftermath, offering their support to state and local officials as they look to increase security.

Last year was one of the busiest seasons on record for first responders battling forest fires. Blazes burned more than 9.3 million acres of public and private land in 2012, and experts are anticipating that this year might be even worse, USA Today reports.

The dire warnings have sprung up for a number of reasons. Chiefly, many of the regions that were hardest hit by forest fires last year are still in the midst of especially dry conditions. Not only that, but budget cuts caused by sequestration have reduced the number of firefighters the U.S. Forest Service can employ to combat the expected blazes. While officials can take steps to reduce the impact of the cuts, they still pose a challenge.

"There isn't anyone that can do it alone, and when we see further cuts in the federal end, that is a partner that is not going to be able to come to the table as strong as in the past," James Karels, director of the Florida Forest Service, told the publication. "And that is a concern."

First responders will be impacted in other ways by sequestration as well. Specifically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency may reduce the amount of grant programs given to fire stations around the country.

It's been more than three months since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School killed 20 children and six adults, and as a clearer picture emerges of the day's events, it's becoming evident the first responders suffered significant emotional trauma when they arrived on the scene. In an effort to help them overcome these challenges, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy recently approved a fund to pay for their psychological treatment, reports CBS New York.

The fund was the idea of several Connecticut legislators, including House Minority Speaker Larry Cafero, and will be comprised of donations raised by corporations and the public. Offering the fund is important, Malloy says, because psychological treatment is often not covered by health plans, leaving first responders to have to choose between skipping treatment and paying hefty out of pocket expenses.

"The trauma is being felt and will be experienced for a period of time. So there may be people- the volunteer firemen or state troopers or police officers – who may experience, a year from now or two years from now difficulties in their lives," Malloy told CBS. "Some of them are in situations where they might not get the help they need relying on traditional methods or policies, and so we're setting up this fund."

The effects of responding to the shooting have already been evident. During a recent meeting with New Orleans police officials, Connecticut State Police Colonel Danny Stebbins said many first responders have quit their jobs due to the trauma, according to NBC Connecticut.

First responders and recovery workers who rushed to the scene on 9/11 have been embroiled in a long battle to receive payments for the medical treatment required due to their time at Ground Zero, and late last month the first group of recipients was paid – nearly 12 years after the attacks. The benefits were given to 14 firefighters and one corrections officer, and while it’s an important step forward, advocates for the first responders say it’s long overdue, according to DNAinfo.com.

The payments ranged from $10,000 to $1.5 million and were a result of the much-discussed Zadroga Act, which provided $4.3 billion to compensate the workers who became sick after responding on 9/11. However, despite it being signed into law more than two years ago, the payouts were slow as advocates fought to add some cancers to the list of covered diseases. 

“I’m happy to see the wheels of justice finally turning, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” John Feal, who was part of the 9/11 process, told the website. “I’m happy, but there were also nine first responders who died in January because of cancer and respiratory illness who weren’t able to benefit from this fund.”

The first payments come shortly after a recent analysis revealed that firefighters who were at Ground Zero were at a much greater risk for a number of diseases. Specifically, the rate of prostate cancer was about 40 percent higher than the average population among the more than 9,800 firefighters working in New York City.

Single-digit temperatures have bore down on the Midwest for the last few days, and first responders in Chicago recently had to brave the frigid weather to battle one of the biggest fires in recent memory. The enormous blaze, which started on Wednesday in a warehouse in the Bridgeport section of the city, required more than 200 firefighters to get under control, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Fire officials in Chicago say the blaze was the worst they had seen in seven years, and it was compounded by the near-zero temperatures. Firefighters had to contend with frozen hydrants and ladders that were encased in ice, obstacles they don’t often have to consider. By the time the fire was under control, the warehouse, as well as several trucks parked alongside the road, was covered in ice. Though the fire resulted in some beautiful photo opportunities, they don’t accurately portray how much of a struggle it was for firefighters to contain.

“Everything is wood inside these buildings, beautiful facades on the outside,” Chicago Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago told the newspaper. “They’ve been up for a long time. When they start burning like this, they start coming down.”

While the cold temperatures surely were an unexpected challenge for Chicago’s bravest, working in the Windy City has likely prepared them for anything. 

In the wake of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School last month, President Barack Obama vowed to take steps to make sure such an event never happens again. On Wednesday, he unveiled a long list of gun control initiatives that are designed not only to make communities safer, but to make it easier for first responders to do their jobs.

A multi-pronged approach
The plan was written with four specific goals in mind. For starters, Obama wanted make sure guns were kept out of the hands of potential criminals, remove so-called “weapons of war” from the streets, improve safety around schools and address the mental healthcare system.

Obama addressed all four issues in a number of sweeping proposals that includeboth Congressional initiatives and nearly two dozenexecutive orders he could implement, Reuters reports. The announcement sets up a potentially lengthy battle in Congress, but it’s one Obama says needs to be fought.

“I intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them a reality,” he told reporters. “If there’s even one life that can be saved, then we’ve got an obligation to try.”

‘Weapons of war’ a priority
High powered weapons, like those used by servicemembers and first responders,have become somewhat easy for civilians topurchase. To address this, Obama proposed making it impossible for people to get magazines that carry more than 10 rounds. He also recommended eliminating armor-piercing bullets and strengthening a ban on semi-automatic weapons.

“I will put everything I’ve got into this and so will Joe [Biden],” Obama said. “But I tell you, the only way we can change is if the American people demand it.”

Better security
A lot of attention will be paid to the measure in the proposal aimed at reducing the number of guns on the streets,but Obama also included language that will help keep communities safe in other ways. In particular, he called for an increase in federal money to hire more police officers. In a similar vein, he suggested setting aside funds to hire at least 1,000 school resources officers to provide added safety.

Perhaps most importantly, the proposals could give police officers the ability to crack down on trafficking of illegal weapons, which would go a long way inkeeping them out of the wrong hands.