Barrington officials announced Thursday the hire of John Christian as the village's new fire chief, effective next month. Christian comes to Barrington from the Grayslake Fire Protection District, where he's been chief since 2009. He replaces Jim Arie, who retired as Barrington's fire chief in March after leading the department since 2003. "As Barrington's new fire chief, I'm most looking forward to leading the talented firefighter/paramedics and officers of the department," Christian said in a statement. "I am confident we can accomplish great things together to serve the residents of the village of Barrington."  

PHOTOS: Three were injured in a truck lot fire that caused $500,000 in damage and shut down Higgins Road between Oakton Street and Landmeier Road for several hours Wednesday. Firefighters were dispatched to the lot at 2513 Higgins Rd., unincorporated Elk Grove Township, at 3:30 p.m., Elk Grove Township Fire Chief Mike Nelson said. The fire was brought under control at 4:14 p.m. and the last firefighters cleared the scene at 6:30 p.m. Nelson said high winds aggravated firefighting efforts. Nelson said the fire destroyed three trucks and five trailers while hospitalizing two workers and a firefighter at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village. All were treated and released. According to Nelson, mechanics were working on a vehicle that had electrical issues. When workers attempted to start the vehicle, it caught fire and spread to other nearby vehicles.  

A 51-year-old Braidwood man died Wednesday afternoon in a house fire in the 400 block of Anndon Drive, the Will County Coroner's Office announced. The victim has been identified as Edward Emery, officials said. According to Braidwood Police Chief Todd Lyons, police officers and firefighters responded to the house fire around 1:55 p.m. Neighbors told police that the house was occupied. Firefighters went inside and tried to rescue the homeowner, Emery, who later died from his injuries, police said. The Braidwood Fire Department was assisted by several neighboring fire departments The Braidwood Police Department along Illinois State Fire Marshal are handing the investigation.  

Firefighters from multiple area jurisdictions fought a heavy blaze at 406 Adams St. in Kane on Wednesday afternoon. The fire call came in at 2:30 p.m., Carrollton Fire Protection District Chief Tim Thaxton said. Several rounds of ammunition went off within the house due to the heat of the fire, but it was contained by the firefighters. "The ammunition popped off a little bit," Thaxton said. "There wasn't anyone at the house when the fire happened. The owners were in the process of moving." Thaxton described the house fire as "a total loss." He said the firefighter group fought the blaze valiantly and had it extinguished as quickly as they could. Firefighters from the Carrollton Fire Protection District were joined at the scene by White Hall and Greenfield firefighters. Thaxton said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.  

The Mount Vernon Illinois has implemented a new program for first responders. It is a program that started in 2009 called the Illinois Premise Alert Program. Mount Vernon Dispatch Supervisor Allison Harris said "the program was implemented in Illinois to help first responders know information about people with disabilities and special needs." Harris says on the form, which can be found on the Mount Vernon Police Department website, you should include "name, address and what the special need or disability is. They can write on there some de-escalation techniques that officers or paramedics could use to help the person and then an emergency contact information." Fire Chief Kevin Sargent said, "this is just one more tool in the tool box, when we respond to a call, to help us be better prepared." Chief Sargent believes this is going to help out all first responders.  

The Naperville Fire Department says oil-stained rags that were improperly disposed of caused a fire that broke out in a garage in the 200 block of East Hillside early Thursday. The fire was reported at 5:30 a.m., according to a news release from the Naperville Fire Department. According to fire officials, heavy black smoke was coming from the garage of the home. When they got to the scene, they put out the fire within 10 minutes and removed an SUV from the garage. Officials said no one was injured in the blaze.  

Faced with continued financial shortfalls, the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District has announced that it will take "new urgent measures" to maintain its limited operations and keep firefighters safe. ECCFPD Chief Brian Helmick said during a news conference Thursday that the department will only send firefighters into burning structures if lives are at stake, starting on July 1. "There are many realities and many forces that are driving the decision I am making," Helmick said of the defensive strategy. "We really don't have any choice, being underfunded and underresourced." The chief, in an earlier news release, said the district's three-station model — instead of the six needed to cover 250 square miles — is "pushing firefighters to their limits as they respond to twice as many calls for help." In addition, only three of the department's five fire engines will be sent to a working structure fire, Helmick said, noting East Contra Costa Fire is the only agency in the county to impose such a limit.  

As the United States begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, ample praise has been focused upon the nation's emergency first responders – and rightfully so. Millions of nurses, doctors, firefighters and police have set their personal interests aside, routinely placing themselves and potentially their families at risk so that critical frontline medical services remain operational at a time when tens of thousands of Americans have been sickened and died from a disease with no known cure. However, the same cannot always be said of the dedication and sacrifice displayed by emergency medical service personnel. Paramedics and EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians); the health professionals who arrive in the ambulance, are nearly always the first to closely interact with patients, including those infected with COVID-19.  

VIDEO: D.C. firefighters saved the day Thursday when they threw their bodies on two dogs who were attacking people while other members were fighting a fire in Southeast. D.C. Fire and EMS officials say they were in the 4000 block of South Capitol St. SE when two dogs began attacking residents in the area. Firefighters from Truck 8 threw their bodies on the dogs in an effort to hold them down and stop further attacks before police arrived at the scene. Officials say a firefighter and another person were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Humane Rescue Alliance is investigating the incident and the dogs are now being quarantined.  

A group of New York City emergency medical service workers who gave interviews to the news media, including NPR, are suing the city for allegedly retaliating against them after speaking about their experiences responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday with the federal court in Manhattan, four EMS workers allege the city is violating their right to speak on issues of public concern under the First Amendment, as well as their due process rights. In late April, the New York City Fire Department sent letters notifying three paramedics — including Elizabeth Bonilla, who spoke to NPR earlier that month — that they were restricted from treating patients, according to the complaint. Workers on restricted status are not allowed to receive overtime or work for any other emergency medical services in the city's 911 system. The letters, the complaint says, gave no reason why they were put under restrictions.