City officials say opening the Rockford Fire Department vehicle repair shop on Falcon Drive to other fire departments is paying dividends by covering the cost of an extra mechanic and producing a modest profit for the department. Not only does the program raise revenue, but it also gives the department an extra set of hands to repair and return Rockford fire equipment to service quickly after a breakdown, Fire Chief Derek Bergsten said. Now the department is trying to spread the word to other departments that it can repair their fire trucks fast and at good price. "We have the training and the expertise to work on pumps and aerials," Bergsten said. "We are highly trained, certified and have that great turn-around time." Rockford piloted the program this year.  

An elderly woman has died following a house fire in Lake Barrington Friday afternoon, according to media reports. The woman was initially brought to Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington in critical condition after emergency personnel were called to the home in the 1100 block of Oak Hill Road, according to a news release from the Wauconda Township Fire Protection District. The woman, who lived in the gated community of Lake Barrington Shores, died at the hospital on Saturday, the Lake County News-Sun reports. Fire crews were initially called to the home at about 4:45 p.m. and all residents were able to escape the blaze. The woman had burn wounds, fire officials said. A dog was rescued and given oxygen by crews at the scene before being taken to a local veterinarian for treatment, according to a news release.  

Chicago police are investigating a fast-moving fire in a Chatham apartment building as an apparent case of arson, after a 50-year-old man was found dead Saturday morning. The fire started shortly before 3 a.m. on the second floor of an apartment building at 83rd and Drexel, police and fire officials said. A tenant who asked to be identified only as Theresa said she was in the middle of playing a game on her phone to relax before bed, when her cousin came in running. "He's banging on the bedroom door, ‘Get up! Get up!'" she said. Theresa said the fire spreading through the apartment building's hallway was so bright, so ravenous, she didn't even have to open the door to see it. "I could see the flames from the peephole," she said. In the time it took to put on her boots, the flames had already gained ground, devouring their hallway, trapping them from leaving through the front door.  

A family escaped a house fire in Charleston early Friday morning. Firefighters were called to the 700 block of Eastgate Dr. around 5:45 a.m. Smoke and flames were coming from the attached garage. The fire was brought under control within minutes. The homeowners were there when the fire started, but were able to get out safely. It was determined the fire started in the garage. Actual flame damage was limited to the garage, but there was some smoke and water damage in the home. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Charleston Fire Department was assisted by Mattoon Fire Department, Charleston Police Dept., Coles-Moultrie 911, Ameren CIPS, and the American Red Cross.  

A group of retired White Plains firefighters are urging the city to uphold a promise made to them that their health benefits would be covered through retirement. For over a year, former Deputy Fire Chief Ed Lobermann, 85, has made presentations and met with city officials regarding the issue. Lobermann represents around 100 retired firefighters who pay 15% of their premium, when they were told in the 1970's it would be paid for them. The legality and impending financial impact on the city have caused pause for some members of the council. Council member Milagros Lecuona proposed legislation to benefit the group of retirees that was discussed at a special meeting Monday. The legislation would stop retired firefighters aged 70 or older from contributing any amount toward their health insurance.  

Elected officials from the Village and Town of Waterford and the Village of Rochester agree: A joint fire and emergency medical services district would benefit all three municipalities. But at least 22 years after a consolidated department was first proposed, the chance of a district for these western Racine County communities appears further off than ever. Local officials have failed to make any tangible progress and intergovernmental relations are rapidly deteriorating. And as politics get in the way of progress, citizens are the ones who could pay the ultimate price. Consolidated departments carry the benefit of reduced costs, unified training and response methods and better response times because jurisdictional borders are removed from the equation. Sturtevant and Mount Pleasant combined their fire departments in 2009 to form the South Shore Fire Department for those very reasons. Waterford-area officials have at least taken notice of the potential benefits.  

The Scottsdale Fire Department is facing a period of heavy retirements in the next five years, but Northwest Valley fire services are on a firm footing with staff. Scottsdale is a fairly new city department, having been creating July 1, 2005 after purchasing that portion of Rural Metro, including infrastructure and staff. Tom Shannon has been the Scottsdale fire chief since 2011. He has known from that time the department would face high retirement numbers beginning next year. Scottsdale will see 49 of 69 captains and 41 or 69 engineers retire by 2025. Northwest Valley fire services are on a more stable footing, due partly to having longer operating histories.  

A new real time wildfire mapping system was used on the Cave Fire near Santa Barbara, California this week. In September the Orange County Fire Authority began a 150-day pilot program to use and evaluate the Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System (FIRIS). The program got off the ground thanks to funding secured in the 2019-2020 California state budget by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach). The system utilizes a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with infrared and radar sensors that can see through smoke. The plane provides real-time fire perimeter mapping and live high definition video to support supercomputer-based wildfire predictive spread modeling. A supercomputer at the University of California San Diego runs WIFIRE spread projections based on fire perimeter data collected by the aircraft.  

City officials say opening the Rockford Fire Department vehicle repair shop on Falcon Drive to other fire departments is paying dividends by covering the cost of an extra mechanic and producing a modest profit for the department. Not only does the program raise revenue, but it also gives the department an extra set of hands to repair and return Rockford fire equipment to service quickly after a breakdown, Fire Chief Derek Bergsten said. Now the department is trying to spread the word to other departments that it can repair their fire trucks fast and at good price. "We have the training and the expertise to work on pumps and aerials," Bergsten said. "We are highly trained, certified and have that great turn-around time." Rockford piloted the program this year.