Huntley Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Albert Schlick, who had over 30 years of fire service, died Tuesday evening following a two-month battle with a duty-related illness. "It is with a heavy heart that the Fire District announces the death of retired Division Chief Al Schlick last evening," the Wauconda Fire District said in a statement. Albert W. Schlick III began his career as a paid-on-call firefighter with the Wauconda Fire District in November 1987. He transitioned to a full-time position in June of 1991, rising up through the ranks to Division Chief of Training. Schlick retired from Wauconda in July 2015 and joined the Huntley Fire Protection District to serve as the deputy chief.  

Firefighters had to stuggle for balance as they fought a Thursday morning blaze in Godfrey. About 9:17 a.m. Godfrey firefighters were called to a structure fire on Watt Lane off Wenzel Road. Their work was challenged by obstacles that cluttered the yard at the location. At the height of fire, black smoke could be seen billowing into the air from as far away as Alton High School. Godfrey firefighters called for assistance from Fosterburg and Brighton fire department to help at the remote location. Firefighters at the scene said they were unsure if someone had been living or working in the outbuilding. The structure was destroyed. No injuries were reported but two Alton Memorial Ambulances were at the scene because of the hazadous clutter on the property, which included a privacy fence, appliances, chairs, milk cartons, wooden pallots and more.  

Illinois' coronavirus case tally eclipsed 1 million Thursday as state public health officials announced 8,757 more people have contracted COVID-19. A total of 1,008,045 infections have been diagnosed across the state since early March. That's an average of about 3,316 new cases per day — or about one person infected every 26 seconds. It also means roughly one in every 13 Illinois residents has carried COVID-19 at some point during the pandemic — almost 8% of the state population of 12.7 million. Experts agree thousands of additional cases likely have gone undetected over the past 10 months. More than 21 million cases have been diagnosed nationwide. Illinois has seen the fifth most of any state, trailing California, Texas, Florida and New York.  

Firefighters contained and extinguished a fire within a two-story house Wednesday evening on the south side of Mattoon. Chief Jeff Hilligoss said in a press release that Mattoon Fire Department crews were dispatched at 8:43 p.m. to a possible structure fire in the 1400 block of Annis Avenue. The arriving crews observed smoke coming from the front of the structure. "The occupant of the residence advised that she had returned home and found the house on fire, there were no occupants inside the residence at the time," Hilligoss said. Crews entered the structure, located the fire and extinguished the flames, keeping the fire to the room of origin. Additional crews ascended to the second story to check for fire extension. Hilligoss said there was extensive heat and smoke damage throughout the residence, and water damage in the room of origin. No injuries were reported to either the occupants or the firefighters. He said the cause and origin of the fire are still under investigation, but the fire appears to be accidental in nature at this time.  

VIDEO: A bang and a bright light woke up the quiet residential street. It was 1:30 a.m. in Carlisle, and a crashed car was burning. "We were the very first to be on scene," said Grace Snyder, an EMT with Cumberland Goodwill EMS. Snyder is now being called a hero for her actions on the scene. The 18-year-old has only been at Cumberland Goodwill for six months. She completed a program her senior year to get EMT-certified. The program is a partnership between Carlisle Area High School, Cumberland Goodwill EMS and Harrisburg Area Community College. When she got to the car, Snyder saw the elderly man inside was having trouble getting out. A neighbor was unsuccessfully attempting to rescue the man. "The bystander was trying to help the individual out of the vehicle or help them away but the car kept blowing up with the tires… the tires kept exploding," Snyder said.  

PHOTOS: The CityHawk variant of Urban Aeronautics' Cormorant military VTOL aircraft has taken a step towards being used in emergency medical service (EMS) applications. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with New York-based Hatzolah Air in August 2020, the non-profit medical transport organization has now preordered four of the aircraft. Emergency response in urban areas would appear to be an ideal application for VTOL aircraft like the CityHawk, where a prompt response or a delay due to traffic congestion can literally be the difference between life and death for injured parties.  

VIDEO: A family of seven is without a home after flames engulfed their house Thursday morning. Crews say they arrived at the scene in the 7400 block of Greenwell Street around 9:15 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 7 to find a home and three vehicles ablaze. Four residents were home at the time of the fire and were evacuated from the home with the help of a neighbor, firefighters say. "Thank God we had our neighbor outside looking, just being a good neighbor because me just waking up, being diluted from sleep, I couldn't do much," said Robert Rogers, one of the family members at home during the fire. Two adults were taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries, according to the fire department. Officials say the home is considered a total loss.  

A retired North Bay paramedic is helping other medics manage their work-related post-traumatic stress through a non-profit group she founded. Officers who respond to emergencies from fires to protests can literally bring their work home. Former paramedic Susan Farren says that stress built up over time can haunt them in forms like depression, stroke, even suicidal thoughts. "So often, we're trained on how to protect buildings and lives, but we're not trained to take care of ourselves," Farren said. So she founded First Responder Resiliency, Inc. in Santa Rosa in 2018. The nonprofit has held 50 conferences and taught more than 4,000 emergency officers nationwide on how to prepare for trauma before it happens. "You can't run a fatal car crash, a cardiac arrest, a felony stop and a fire and not expect that your body and your nervous system are not going to be impacted," Farren said.  

A couple of years back, when a boat ran up on the rocks off Hess Pier in Atlantic Highlands, the borough's fire department dispatched its ladder truck to the scene. The old 1985 Grumman Aerial Cat, with its 102-foot reach, came through. "We swung the bucket out across the water to pick people up who were stranded on the boat," said firefighter Ed Cetron, who assisted in the rescue. The yellow ladder truck served the community well for 35 years — a stunningly long run for such a vehicle. It was retired at the close of 2020, ending an era for Atlantic Highlands' first responders and longtime townsfolk alike, and sold at auction to a Cape May collector. "It served our town exceptionally well," borough councilman Roy Dellosso said. "How many towns get 35 years out of anything?" The average lifespan of a ladder truck is 15 years.