Decatur City Manager Scot Wrighton has proposed to close the city's busiest fire station next year. The optional cut would halt all emergency response from Fire Station #1 in 2021. The proposal is one of 13 options for lowering expenses that the Decatur City Council will discuss at a study session on the economic impact of COVID-19. According to Decatur Firefighters Local 505, in 2019, Fire Station #1 responded to over 20% of total calls. So far this year, the station has responded to a quarter of the calls. It comes at a time when statistics show an increase in the number of structure fires in the city. There have been 80 structure fires this year compared to 53 in 2019.  

A man was critically injured when a boat caught fire Saturday afternoon at Burnham Harbor in Chicago. Flames engulfed the boat around 3:20 p.m. as it was still attached to a tow at the boat launch. Witnesses said they saw a man on the boat trying to put out the flames on his own with a fire extinguisher. "It was smoking and next thing you know, ball of fire was out there," said Christopher, who witnessed the scene. Witnesses said a few men were trying to start the engine on an older model boat when it went up in flames around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. "I think they were spraying some starter fluid in there and it was flooded," witness Brian Fogle said. "Spark caught it, maybe too much starter fluid, and it went up."  

Two people suffered minor injuries late Friday night after a fire rendered two townhouse units on the 1200 block of Appaloosa Way in Bartlett uninhabitable, fire officials said. A damage estimate was not immediately available and the cause is under investigation, officials said in a Saturday media release. "The cause is undetermined at this point," said Bartlett Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Brian Becker. Firefighters were called about the fire at 11:52 p.m., arrived at the two-story townhouse complex at 11:59 p.m., and brought the blaze under control by 12:35 a.m. Saturday, officials said.  

Jet Blue, New York public transit and others are using UV Light technology to help sanitize their spaces. Now, that unique technology is coming to first responders in the northern suburbs. Whether you're flying Jet Blue, taking a ride on the New York MTA or a sleep break during your shift at the Mundelein Fire Department, UV technology is now part of the plan to slow the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses. "We can't just spray chemicals in a room and leave for three hours. We have to be able to live in these spaces. So, the UV technology was essential," saidMundelein Fire DepartmentDeputy Chief Darren Brents. Brents said this tech is a vital part of keeping his firefighters healthy during the pandemic as numbers continue to rise in Lake County, Illinois.  

VIDEO: One person has died and at least three others are critically injured after several houses exploded in Baltimore on Monday morning, officials say. The explosion happened in the area of 6500 blk Reisterstown Rd 21215. Firefighters have rescued three critically injured patients. Special Rescue Operations are searching for more victims. Some of the trapped individuals might be children, Baltimore firefighters say. A second alarm has been called. This explosion happened on the 4-year anniversary of the Flower Branch Apartments explosion that left seven people dead, including two children.  

Another Houston firefighter is in the ICU with COVID-19 as of Friday night, according to the firefighters union president. According to the union president, Captain Tommy Searcy was in the ICU as of Friday night. The news comes as Houston firefighters prepare to bury 17-year HFD veteran Jerry Pacheco, who died on August 3 from coronavirus. "While we make final preparations to bury our brother Firefighter/Paramedic Jerry Pacheco tomorrow, we are asking for Houston to pray for Capt. Tommy Searcy who is now in ICU. Prayers Needed!" the union president tweeted Friday night. Houston Fire Department tweeted about Captain Searcy on Thursday, praying for a speedy recovery. Searcy is the third Houston firefighter to be treated in the ICU with COVID-19. Two other firefighters have died, including Pacheco, and Captain Leroy Lucio, a 29-year veteran of the department.  

The New Bedford firefighter's union rallied on Sunday to oppose the mayor's proposal to take an engine off the road. The rally started and ended at Station 8 in the city's north end. The union argues that public safety would be compromised if the cuts are made. The proposal cuts engine 8 and ten vacant firefighter positions. City of New Bedford Public Information Officer Jonathan Carvalho told NBC 10 that the main reason is a financial one due to the pandemic. Cuts to the budget should prevent layoffs, Carvalho said. He added the recommendation was made by the fire chief and called it the "least painful cut to make." Carvalho said there would still be another engine to respond to calls. NBC 10 previously reported that two people died in fires earlier this year while the city's blackout policy was in effect. A blackout is when stations transition out of service on a daily basis to save money.  

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new guidance on wearing face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic. The CDC still encourages people to wear masks so they don't infect others, but they should not have valves or vents that could allow the virus to escape the mask. For months, America's top health officials and experts have pounded home the message: We have to wear masks to combat this pandemic. But the U.S. government says not just any mask will do. The CDC says we should not wear masks with one-way vents, or valves. A trainer of front-line medical personnel, wearing protective gear, explains why: "Masks with valves have a one-way valve. And this doesn't work — because what happens, and we've known this for a long time– when I breathe out, that valve only opens and allows that air to escape from me, which could infect you," said Gavin MacGregor-Skinner, Global Biorisk Advisory Council.  

Only a handful of San Francisco Fire Department members tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies in a recent UCSF study, even though nearly half of those surveyed said they had probably or definitely been around people infected by the virus. Just three of 1,223 people who were tested had antibodies for the virus, according to a summary of the results made public by UCSF. The study tested two-thirds of the department's employees, and featured people in every job category, including firefighters and paramedics. Researchers believe it is among the first COVID-19 antibody studies of emergency responders who do not work in a hospital, according to UCSF's Dr. Robert Harrison, who directed the study. Harrison said the low positive tests are likely a reflection of the "powerful public health action" the Bay Area took when it shut down in March, combined with the Fire Department's pandemic work practices, including the use of N95 respirator masks.