Decatur's fire department is claiming over $270,000 from Assistance to Firefighters federal grants announced Thursday. The office of U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) said in a press release the money is coming from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). The Decatur Fire Department is one of four departments in Illinois' 13th Congressional District to receive funding. Davis' office said departments are expected to use the money on items such as a Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) packs, along with other needs, depending on the department.  

A fire broke out on a mattress early Thursday in Austin on the West Side, leaving an 86-year-old woman and a man dead. Firefighters pulled the pair from a home about 1:10 a.m. in the 1000 block of North Parkside Avenue, according to Chicago police. Mary Lynch was taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where she was pronounced dead, the Cook County medical examiner's office said. A man in his late 60s went in critical condition to Loretto Hospital, police said. Chicago police said the man later died. The fire was confined to the mattress inside the bedroom, according to fire department spokesman Larry Merritt. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

Rescue crews resumed search efforts for two boys swept into the Illinois River while playing in shallow waters Thursday. Members of at least eight agencies started the search late Thursday after reports the boys, ages 12 and 15, were missing. First responders suspended the search about 4:30 a.m. Friday. The boys could not be located. Searchers returned to the river about 8:30 a.m. Friday. Beardstown firefighters were called about 7:30 p.m. to a location near a railroad bridge after the boys were pulled in by the current while wading. Jacksonville/Morgan County Underwater Search & Rescue team, Beardstown police, Cass County sheriff's deputies, Illinois State Police, the Illinois Department of Conservation, Mason County Emergency Management, Havana Fire Department and Copperas Creek Fire Department crews were called to assist.  

Peoria firefighters responded to smoke in a house around 1:00 p.m. Thursday at 2117 W. Ann St. Fire crews found plastic blinds in the kitchen that caught on fire after incense were left burning on a window sill. According to Peoria Fire Battalion Chief Ralph Phillips, a resident suffered minor burns to his hand after attempting to extinguish the fire before crews arrived. Fire crews extinguished the remaining fire within minutes. The resident was treated on scene and did not require transport to a hospital. No other injuries were reported.  

Statesville City Council approved this week a $15 per hour minimum wage for all city employees. However, some Statesville firefighters have been voicing their displeasure this week because they are not included in the wage increase. Statesville City Manager Ron Smith told FOX 46 Thursday that firefighters work different hours, 24 on and 48 off, so their pay structure is different. He said the wage increase approved this week by city council focused on city employees who work eight hour days. "The sanitation department I really feel they are so underpaid because they have the dirtiest, nastiest job," said one councilmember Monday, before city council approved the minimum wage motion by a vote of seven to one. That comment in particular rubbed some Statesville firefighters the wrong way since they are not included within the city employee minimum wage increase.  

If Fire Chief Jeff Rowe were headed to Bangor, or somewhere out of state for a conference, he would likely know the most efficient way to get there. He might not know where the charging stations were though, should he need one, for the new Tesla 3 command vehicle. He could soon find out, by using the car's GPS, which not only plots the course, but also marks the charging stations — and how long he would have to be there for the charge to complete. The new command vehicle arrived March 30, and so far, Rowe has been pleased with its performance. While some people raise their eyebrows when they hear the word Tesla, imagining a price tag with lots of zeros included, the Tesla 3 all-wheel drive purchased by the town cost taxpayers about $41,500 — which includes a $7,500 rebate from Efficiency Maine. The fire chief had intended to buy a Chevrolet Tahoe — but was were having trouble locating one that matched specifications, and after exploring the Tesla further, and considering the town's commitment to energy efficiency, Rowe asked the Select Board to approve the Tesla 3 in February, which they did.  

Ammonium nitrate (AN) became infamous when convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh used it in the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. Ammonium nitrate is back in our collective consciousness with the horrific Beirut, Lebanon, blast, and its reminders of the explosion at a West, Texas, fertilizer plant that claimed at least 15 lives, caused 200 injuries and destroyed more than 50 homes. The Beirut disaster is only the latest in an inglorious history between humans and ammonium nitrate. More than a dozen other explosions involving the chemical have occurred over the past century. The deadliest was on April 16, 1947, when a series of explosions rocked the huge waterfront petrochemical complex at Texas City, just southeast of Houston. The disaster began with an explosion on a French freighter filled with more than 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. The blast and ensuing fires left at least 576 people dead and 5,000 injured.  

As health experts gather more data and continue to learn about COVID-19, certain protocols and regulations are changing. According to the CDC and local health experts, it's now okay to go back to work just 10 days after testing positive for the virus. That's not the only change — Requiring a negative test result to return to work is no longer encouraged. Noelle Bellow: "It's almost as if testing means everything, but after a certain point, means nothing." Dr. Maldonado: "Testing is one tool among many and it's a very good tool, but it needs to be interpreted properly." Six months into the COVID-19 fight here in the US and health experts are revising previous recommendations to help stop the spread. In an article published Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states those who have tested positive can be around others 10 days after the positive test date, as long as you have no fever and your symptoms have improved. "We started with 14 days because we didn't understand much about the virus," Dr. Maldonado said.  

PHOTOS: It was just after 9 AM and already the temperatures were in the 90s. A work crew was pin-welding insulation onto a gigantic 5-million-gallon fuel storage tank in the tank farm next to the Canal Electric Plant. But the crew had not properly grounded the tank before they began work. That mistake would cause one of the largest fires the Sandwich Fire Department has ever battled. The date was Tuesday, August 5, 1980. Forty years have passed since that massive tank farm fire but the events of the day are still fresh in the memories of the Sandwich firefighters who battled the blaze. Former Fire Chief Dennis Newman, who was a lieutenant at the time, said that the day became known as Torrid Tuesday among those who were there. Chief Newman was off duty that day spending time in Falmouth with his son when he heard the call come in on the portable radio he kept in his truck. Chief Ferdinand (Freddie) Alvezi was calling for all the mutual aid he could get.