Time and time again, smoke alarms have been proven to save lives in the event of a fire. Nearly three out of every five home fire deaths occurred in homes with no alarms or alarms that failed to go off, according to the National Fire Protection Association's 2021 Smoke Alarms in U.S. Home Fires report, and the death rate in home structure fires was 55% lower in homes with working alarms. All homes in Illinois have been required to have smoke detectors since 1988, according to the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance. And federal safety codes have required smoke alarms installed in every bedroom as well as outside of every sleeping area on all levels of a home, according to the NFPA. In light of technological advancements, Illinois House Bill 3773 was passed back in 2017 to make crucial safety updates to the state's Smoke Detector Act.  

A firefighter was injured Thursday morning while battling a fire in Gresham on Chicago's South Side, CFD officials said. The fire broke out about 5:30 a.m. in the 7600-block of South Paulina Street in a two-story apartment building and quickly spread to another building. The firefighter suffered minor smoke inhalation and was taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital, where he is listed in good condition, Chicago fire officials said. No tenants were hurt, but two people were displaced. It was not immediately clear how the fire started, and its cause is under investigation.  

More than a dozen fire trucks lined the blocks near the Orrington Plaza tower in downtown Evanston Thursday evening, as area departments used the 22-story building for a training exercise. A news release from the Evanston Fire Department said the drill was a simulated high-rise fire, with crews working together to coordinate "fire suppression in a multi-story structure." Dealing with a high-rise fire, if it was real, is "highly technical and labor-intensive," according to EFD. Along with Evanston, fire departments from Chicago, Glenview, Skokie, Niles, Des Plaines, Morton Grove and Wilmette took part in the exercise. Earlier in the day, a few blocks away on Lake Michigan, the Cook County Swift Water Rescue Team, along with the Cook County Sheriff's Office, trained in locating and saving stranded boaters and swimmers.  

Police and firefighters and paramedics from Elk Grove Village responded about 4:09 p.m. Thursday, October 14, 2021 to a report of a head-on crash at Biesterfield Rd and Beisner Road in Elk Grove Village. Police and firefighters on arrival discovered two SUVs involved in a head-on crash. Fire command requested a second ambulance by 4:13 p.m. although the second ambulance might have been held up. Firefighters reported they were working on extrication by about 4:14 p.m. Quint 8's crew was assigned as an extra crew for extrication. One person was transported to Amita Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center and all firefighters cleared the scene by about 4:28 p.m.  

VIDEO: The city of Boston celebrated the opening of its first new firehouse in more than three decades on Thursday. The new $23.5 million, state-of-the-art facility is the Engine 42, Rescue 2, District 9 Firehouse in Roxbury. "It's so important that we make sure that our first responders, our frontline workers, have the support and the tools necessary to do their jobs and to do it with honor and integrity," said Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey at Thursday's ribbon-cutting ceremony. It was designed from start to finish with firefighters in mind. It is complete with in-house training opportunities around every corner and at every height. It also has a sparkling new kitchen, a gym, and sleeping quarters. "I can see the smiles in all the firefighters faces. It's just an awesome feeling for us to take this over," said Robert Dowling, Chief of District 9.  

New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS) will be the first ground ambulances in the region to carry blood for emergency transfusions for patients with traumatic injuries. "We did the numbers over a year. There were about 80 to 90 patients that we envisioned that blood could have been given and an opportunity for a difference to be made, so this is a really huge opportunity that we're excited to tackle," said Dr. Emily Nichols, medical director for NOEMS. Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death. Early transfusions have been shown to improve outcomes for patients with major traumatic bleeding. "When you lose a trauma patient that you think gosh another couple of minutes would have made a difference, it's really hard. It's hard to have that conversation with the family. It's hard for even a seasoned team to see that over and over again," said Dr. Jennifer Avegno, director for the New Orleans Health Department.  

Aviation accidents are so rare that they naturally make front-page news. Some plane crashes, however, have left lasting imprints due to their unique circumstances or indelible images. Although not the deadliest in American history, these seven plane crashes are among the most unforgettable. Thick fog enveloped a B-25 Mitchell bomber as it approached Manhattan on a routine flight from Massachusetts to New Jersey on the Saturday morning of July 28, 1945. Flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet in heavy fog, the 10-ton aircraft suddenly slammed into the north side of the Empire State Building between the 78th and 80th floors. Wreckage littered the streets below. One engine tore completely through the structure, the world's tallest at the time, and started a fire that destroyed a penthouse art studio across the street.  

VIDEO: Overdose-related calls more than quadrupled in September on Kauai, which has first responders concerned. "We've seen a dramatic increase of these opiate overdoses," said Cody Bonilla, county supervisor for the Kauai Emergency Medical Services, "We're seeing the cases being linked to fentanyl." Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic drug, extremely addicting and growing in use. It's being mixed into counterfeit prescription pills and street drugs. In September, Kauai Emergency Medical Services responded to 18 overdose calls. Of those, five patients died. That's a huge jump from August, when EMS responded to just four overdose calls, with no fatalities. And in July, it was even lower, Narcan was used only twice by EMS, again without fatalities. "Absolutely concerned," said KPD Assistant Chief Bryson Ponce.  

In tears Tuesday, just one day after a plane crash fire in Santee destroyed their first home, newlyweds Cody and Courtney Campbell held out hope they would find Cody's wedding ring in the rubble. He had been wearing a black rubber ring and kept his other ring in their home. "To get it back would be amazing, but in the end, this is all that matters," Courtney Campbell said. Then the next day at their home of only five months, the couple sifted through ashes and debris until they finally found it, Cody's wedding ring. It was charred black but all in one piece. Courtney wrote on Instagram: "We are speechless. Also intact, soaking wet, and now perfectly imperfect, the letter Cody wrote to me on our wedding day and gave to me with our photo."