At the Wood River City Council Meeting on Jan. 6, the Wood River Fire Department promoted former Captain Wade Stahlhut to Fire Chief following the retirement of Brendan McKee a month prior. Stahlhut started his career as a firefighter at age 17 with his father for the Holiday Shores Fire Protection District. "Passion kind of took over from there," he said. "The fire was lit after taking a few classes and an EMT class." From there, he returned to his home town of Wood River as a paid on-call firefighter. In 2000, he was hired full time for the Roxana Fire Department, where he worked up his way to Fire Chief before moving back to Wood River in 2005.  

A Bull Valley home became a total loss as the result of a structure fire Thursday night, according to a news release from the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District. Crews responded to the 9700 block of West Bull Valley Road at 6:52 p.m. to discover a "well-involved" fire after the homeowner called 911, according to the release. Because there were no fire hydrants in the area, the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System was activated to call for additional water tenders and firefighters. Assisting agencies included Marengo, Harvard, Hebron, Union, Wonder Lake, Huntley, McHenry, Algonquin, Fox River Grove, Pingree Grove, Cary, Nunda Rural, Richmond, Barrington and Antioch. No injuries were reported as a result of the fire. Although the home was a total loss, initial estimates of damage were not available Thursday night.  

The Tonica Volunteer Fire Department's volunteers engaged in extensive fire and rescue trainings during 2019. The many hours of trainings are conducted in order to stay proficient at the many tasks that are required to provide expert emergency services. Some of the firefighting and operational trainings were conducted with the following Mutual Aid and Auto Aid departments: Oglesby, Cedar Point, Leonore and Peru departments. Officer Lead Squad Trainings covered command and control, leadership, communications and organizational skills, along with the review and operation of apparatus and equipment. Auto extrication included the use of hydraulic extrication tools to successfully complete agility and skill tests. Rescue personnel also reviewed a newer generation of extrication tools.  

A fire broke out in a shuttered eatery on the West Bluff Thursday morning. About 6 a.m., Peoria firefighters were called to 424 N. Western Ave., formerly home to the Chicago Grill. Firefighters arrived to find smoke in the building and a small fire in the ceiling of the vacant, one-story structure, said Battalion Chief Ralph Phillips. The blaze was extinguished in less than 10 minutes. The cause was an "electrical wiring issue," Phillips said. Damage was estimated at $10,000.  

Amy Quinn has been a paramedic for years. She will be the first to tell you she would not trade it for anything. "It's really nice to be able to help the community and it's nice to make those one-on-one connections with the people who really want your help," she said. Quinn has been working at the Scappoose Rural Fire District as a single-role paramedic. On Wednesday, Quinn and the other single-role paramedic found out they were being laid off. "Losing a job you love kind of blows," said Quinn. "It hurts your heartstrings and makes your stomach ache a little." "It is kind of unprecedented," added Ron Morgan of the Tualatin Valley Firefighters Union. Morgan believes the two layoffs will negatively impact the Scappoose community. "The fire department will go back to having to down-staff their engine to run medical calls and transport patients in the area," he said.  

VIDEO: On a gloomy morning in downtown Los Angeles, the crew at Los Angeles Fire Station 10 meandered about the firehouse, checked the equipment and swapped playful jabs at one another. Then the bell rang out. The loudspeaker blared out orders for a rescue: Someone was on top of a two-story building, possibly threatening to jump. Firefighter Steve Schaller, 39, rushed into his yellow jumpsuit. He hopped into the front driver's seat of Tiller Fire Truck 10. His captain jumped in next to him. A third firefighter joined them in the cab. Sixty feet in the back, firefighter Robert Bobadilla climbed up the side of the truck and into a glass and metal cab the size of a small fridge, alone. He pulled his headset on as the engine in front roared to life. As the truck took off, Bobadilla, 32, was tugged along, steering in conjunction with the firefighter up front driving, the engineer – his partner.  

Buena Vista Charter Township no longer is considering a proposal to merge its police and fire departments after hearing public backlash to the plan, the township superintendent said. The proposal considered by Buena Vista's Board of Trustees would have created a new public safety department with some police officers cross-trained to respond to fires, eliminated some fire jobs and hired more part-time, on-call firefighters to maintain services. "As of right now, the Board of Trustees is taking that (proposal) off the table," township Superintendent Torrie McAfee said. The township currently is negotiating with its police union, McAfee said. To fix the budget issues that prompted the proposal, the hope now is that something changes at the bargaining table, she said. The proposed merger was tabled after community concern at a recent board meeting, after which a town hall was scheduled to explain the proposal and solicit ideas. Those in attendance were strongly opposed to the plan.  

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will investigate a Dec. 29 crash on I-70 that killed a 23-year-old. Jenna N. Monet, of Prescott Valley, Arizona, was a passenger in a 2019 Tesla Model 3 when it crashed into the back of a firetruck parked in the passing lane of I-70, Indiana State Police said. Monet and her husband, 25-year-old Derrick N. Monet, received serious injuries and were taken to Terre Haute Regional Hospital, where Jenna N. Monet died. No firefighters were injured in the crash. The firetruck had its emergency lights on, State Police said. Indiana State Police have not yet been able to determine if Tesla's Autopilot feature was activated at the time of the accident, Sgt. Matt Ames of the Putnamville post told IndyStar. The feature allows the car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically. The company says Autopilot does not make the vehicle autonomous.  

VIDEO: For more than a year, the East Texas 100 Club has helped to raise money and support for the brave men and women who serve East Texas as first responders. The money they raise plays an important part in helping to care for the families of first responders killed in the line of duty. It also helps to care for those who are seriously wounded. The importance of caring for those who serve our communities cannot be understated, especially in the tragic shooting death of Panola County Deputy Chris Dickerson. Originally, the East Texas 100 Club on served law enforcement. However, that changed with the beginning of the New Year. Now the organization supports firefighters, EMS, jailers, detention officers and prison guards as well.