Three family members escaped an overnight house fire in the 1800 block of the Kendall Ridge subdivision that caused about $260,000 in damage to the house, Joliet's fire chief Greg Blaskey told Joliet Patch on Friday morning. Three firefighters also suffered minor injuries but they did not require an ambulance transport. Blaskey said their injuries were the result of slips and falls on the ice that accumulated as firefighters were spraying thousands of gallons of water on the overnight blaze while the temperatures were frigid. Blaskey told Patch the firefighters are OK, and he does not anticipate they will miss any work. The fire was reported around 1:30 a.m. Friday at 1836 Kendall Ridge Drive on the far west side of Joliet. One of the residents awoke and noticed smoke in the house.  

The city recently paid a total of $79,000 in compensatory damages to 32 current and retired firefighters in a Mattoon Fire Department staffing level case. Meanwhile, the Mattoon firefighters union awaits the scheduling of an Illinois Labor Relations Board hearing, the outcome of which could affect the upcoming arbitration session for a new collective bargaining agreement with the city. They have been operating under the previous contract, which expired on April 30, 2018. The staffing level case began on Feb. 22, 2018, when the city and Mattoon Firefighters Association Local 691 were in arbitration on union claims that the city failed to maintain minimum staffing of 30 firefighters as required by contract. Arbitrator Gill Vernon found on April 9, 2018, that the city had violated this requirement and he ordered the city to bring staffing up to 30, from the low 20s.  

Police and firefighter/paramedics from Arlington Heights responded about 9:02 a.m. Thursday January 16, 2020 to a report of suspicious package with white powder, and with two people exposed to the white powder. Firefighters arrived, and immediately activated a Hazmat Level 3 response, which brought hazmat crews from multiple area fire departments. Eventually three people were assessed for exposure, and were determined to be in good health. The suspicious package was discovered in the reception area of the Daily Herald. Suspicious material was delivered in a 9-by-12-inch envelope. The envelope was delivered to the Daily Herald office by the United States Postal Service. An angry political message was written on the envelope. When the envelope was opened, white powder fell out, and the material was placed in a garbage bag and tied up.  

Authorities say that five people were injured after a truck slammed into a suburban Starbucks on Thursday evening. According to police, a truck heading westbound on West Elm Street at approximately 4:45 p.m. slammed into a vehicle in the drive-thru of the coffee shop before hitting the northeast corner of the building. In all, five people suffered injuries as a result of the crash. At least one of the victims is in critical condition, and was taken to Advocate Condell Hospital, authorities said. A total of three other patients are in fair condition at Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry, according to a press release. A fifth victim was treated and released at the scene. Authorities say that one person was pinned under the truck after it crashed into the building, and paramedics were able to rescue the individual. Further information on the identity of the victims is pending.  

The new year will bring a new ambulance to the Tonica Volunteer Fire Department. At the department's January meeting, Chief Al Stremlau and Ambulance Administrator Sue Huss presented information pertaining to replacing the current 20-year-old ambulance. Research had previously been done on this topic and presented to the board of directors. Upon their recommendation, the membership voted to purchase a demonstrator ambulance that is available for about $267,000. The current ambulance will be sold. In other news, Stremlau reported that there were 18 emergency calls during December. These calls consisted of one auto-aid to Oglesby for a structure fire, one accident, 12 ambulance requests, one power line pole down, one false alarm and two hazardous conditions.  

At approximately 2:03 p.m. on Thursday, the Wood River Fire Department received a call for a fire in a vehicle parked between two homes in the 300 block of S. 9th St. in Wood River; that call was quickly changed to a structure fire. According to officials, while first responders were en route, the fire reached one of the homes and caught a side of the house on fire. Once on scene, Wood River firefighters were able to control the blaze quickly but not before it spread into the home's attic. Wood River called for aid and Roxana, East Alton and Rosewood Heights all responded while Edwardsville filled Wood River's central station in case any additional calls came in. The home was empty and no injuries were reported. The car had some fire damage while the house had extensive damage to its south side and attic.  

A series of the 911 calls made on the night the Alpine Motel Apartments fire went up into flames were released to 8 News Now by the City of Las Vegas Thursday. The calls detail the moments after residents and victims called 911, along with when first responders arrived at the scene that fateful night Dec. 21. The calls reporting flames and heavy smoke to the three-story apartment building on 9th Street between Stewart Avenue and Ogden Avenue, started to come in at around 4:15 a.m. "I made it out, Oh my God!," said one of the fire victims. Another man is heard on one of the calls describing people jumping out of the first and second windows of the building. "This place is going up in smoke and there are people trapped in there," said another caller coughing and having difficulty breathing and talking to dispatch.  

VIDEO: Paramedic Scott Lazar, a 16-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department, is used to treating the same person, sometimes on the same day, on Skid Row. "Deja vu, yeah, it's every day down here," Lazar told "Nightline" as he treats a man for an overdose, as he did just the day before. Over five months, "Nightline" got an exclusive look at life at Lazar's LAFD Station 9, rare access to the day-to-day operations of this team and a glimpse into daily life for this city's most vulnerable. Station 9 is one of the busiest fire stations in the country, receiving an average of 80 calls a day -- mostly to treat those living on the street in L.A.'s well-known Skid Row. Lazar and his partner, Mike Contreras, are members of the fast-response vehicles at the station. Their job is to dart ahead of fire engines to assess the situation and gauge the required resources.  

The Green Bay Metro Fire Department and the San Francisco Fire Department have partnered to remind communities of the importance of practicing fire safety along with some friendly competition. On the Tuesday following Sunday's game, the fire chief will install a smoke alarm with the winning team's emblem on it. The fire chief will also wear the winning team's jersey for the entire day. The losing fire chief will also personally donate $100 to Burn Camp/Prevention charity of the winning chief's choice. The winning department will receive a donation of 50 smoke alarms from Kidde. "While we hope everyone has fun on football Sunday, we would also like to shed some light on fire safety in your home. Every year, our departments respond to numerous calls to residences without working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors," says Green Bay Metro.  

City firefighters can now bear an emblem for mental health on their helmets after the department's first officer suicide. It's a way for firefighters to keep the fallen officer close to them; it's a reminder for them to take care of themselves, said Shawn Weeks, president of Local 1891, which represents Boynton's paramedics and firefighters. "We look at him as guiding us ... there's a bigger picture," said Weeks, who noted the symbol represents mental health as a whole, not only suicide. "It should be a constant awareness, of, this is real." The city's interim fire chief, Matt Petty, signed off Jan. 7 on the emblem. If they choose, firefighters can put the sticker on their helmets - the symbol includes the fallen officer's last name and a green ribbon supporting open dialogue about mental health.  

VIDEO: Students at Dudley High School are getting the unique opportunity to work on the construction of two new fire stations as summer interns. "Opportunities don't come around like this very often, especially for high school students," Principal Rodney Wilds said. The Greensboro Fire Department received approval for the necessary funding to rebuild fire stations 7 and 56. Samet Corporation is the construction manager for the project. The company has worked with Guilford County Schools on school construction projects. Given its existing relationship with the school system, it approached Wilds with the opportunity to give students hands-on experience through the upcoming fire station projects. "Each student would be involved day to day with how the wiring goes in, how the piping goes in, and how the HVAC system is brought to the building and the cool air comes," Samet Senior Project Diversity Manager Johnny Sigers said