State Senator Bill Cunningham passed legislation out of the Senate Behavioral and Mental Health Committee that would help promote mental health treatment for police officers and firefighters by providing better focus for the First Responder Suicide Prevention Task Force. "First responders have difficult, stressful, important jobs," said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. "They need and deserve more mental health support." According to studies cited by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, firefighters consider and attempt suicide at a higher rate than the general population, and nationally, between 125 and 300 police officers commit suicide every year. Cunningham's legislation would require the First Responder Suicide Prevention Task Force to make recommendations in specific areas that would help prevent suicide and connect first responders to mental health resources.  

There is now new gear at the Mendon, Illinois, Volunteer Fire Department that will keep fire crews safer. Chief Robert Simmons said it's thanks to a small equipment grant through the state fire marshals program, plus $10,000 dollars of their own cash they were able to replace nearly 11-year old bunker gear. That's the equipment firefighters wear into a fire. That grant covered around $26,000. Simmons said had they not replaced the gear they could have faced an eventual shut down by the department of labor. "We'd like to thank the taxpayers of the Mendon Fire Protection District that you know they have to pay taxes to to further protection and we just want them to know where their money's going and what it's spent on," said Simmons.  

A 17-year-old boy died from his injuries after the car he was driving hit a tree near a forest preserve just outside of Woodridge late Tuesday, according to Daily Herald. Police say the boy was driving north on Greene Road near 79th Street when his car hit a tree around 11:45 p.m. The impact caused the car to flip over and catch fire, Daily Herald reports. Officers from nearby Greene Valley Forest Preserve shattered the car's front window to pull the teen from the vehicle. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. The DuPage County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Patch's request for more information Wednesday afternoon.  

Several fire companies were called to a massive fire that occurred on Timbers Edge Drive in Seneca around 5 p.m. The Seneca Fire Department said a shed caught on fire then spread to a trailer nearby, which then went to another trailer. All three structures were completely destroyed by the blaze and the estimated damages are around $100,000. All occupants of both trailers were able to escape the fire and no injuries were reported. The American Red Cross is assisting the families. The Seneca Fire Department said the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office and MABAS Division 15 investigators are investigating the blaze.  

The Moline Fire Department will host a virtual Memorial Service on Saturday, May 22, according to a Wednesday news release from the department. The service will be virtual because of COVID-19 restrictions. The memorial can be viewed on Facebook starting at 9 a.m. Attendees are encouraged to view the name-reading memorial and pay tribute virtually.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A fireball explosion at a home in Martinez was captured in multiple videos Wednesday afternoon, destroying the residence and sending up thick, black smoke hundreds of feet into the air. Investigators say three minors playing with fire were the cause. Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said Wednesday evening that the fire started in a backyard on Arthur Road. The current conditions led to the fire the youths were playing with to get out of hand. The juveniles were released to their parents. Several videos of the explosion show flashes of electrical wires arching inside the rising ball of fire and smoke. Crews responded to the large fire, which was burning on the 4000 block of Arthur Road. When they arrived, they found one home fully engulfed. Officials said that fast work spared other homes from destruction. However, vehicles and other equipment were destroyed.  

Allegheny Health Network has teamed up with Marvel Comics to tell the true-life stories of medical responders from community EMS services, who have been serving the community through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Set in the winter of 2020, the first responders' stories are brought to life in a comic book, titled "The Vitals: True EMS Stories," that was unveiled Monday. In 2020, the Pittsburgh winter felt darker and colder than most. The COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, and hospitals were jammed with patients, as every day an increasing number of people were diagnosed with the virus. The roads stayed quiet as people sheltered in their homes, missing the fun of gathering for sporting events or celebrating Christmas with family and friends.  

PHOTOS: The Asheville Fire Department might be the most accepting of change in the fire service, given what firefighters have been through over the last several years. The department has made significant changes in a short period of time, specifically when it comes to effort to better protect a firefighter from a risk many weren't even talking about a decade ago. Now they're talking about a firefighter's cancer risk and changing their protocols, including ensuring their health care provider makes firefighters aware of important cancer screenings during annual physicals and keeping a firefighter's SCBA or self-contained breathing apparatus on longer at a fire scene. This better protects their airway and hopefully lowers their exposure to dangerous gases and chemicals, ultimately lowering their risk for cancer. The impact of cancer on the Asheville Fire Department and their losses have been fueling change, not only in the mountains, but across the state.  

Mayor Sylvester Turner joined Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena to announce the proposed pay raise for Houston firefighters. Turner said because of the $670 million American Rescue Plan from President Joe Biden's administration, the city will be able to use those funds to help raise firefighters' pay. He said under the new pay, Houston firefighters will receive an 18% increase in pay over the next three fiscal years, which will be based on qualifications. Turner said the first pay increase of 6% will begin in July, another 6% in 2023 and 6% in 2024. In all, the city of Houston will use $115.3 million of the American Rescue plan to help with the pay increase. Turner said firefighters making $17 an hour will see an increase to $21.35 an hour. The mayor thanked the Biden administration for putting firefighters in better standing with the city of Houston. Pena also thanked Mayor Turner and Houston City Council for bringing firefighters' pay wages up in the market rate.  

A University of Florida research team is working on a robot dog that has the ability to enter an enclosed space, scan it, and provide humans with a visual of what's inside, an application that could lessen dangerous situations for first responders. The team of graduate and undergraduate students is led by Eric Jing Du, Ph.D., a professor of civil and coastal engineering at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Du said the inspiration behind the robotic dog was learning that firefighters often get trapped in dangerous places because of the unfamiliarity of the environments during rescues. The dogs have the ability to scan a room in three seconds and quickly build a 3D model, which is sent to augmented reality goggles and allows the user to see inside a room before walking into it. Du said he spent a lot of time thinking about what the renderings would look like once they got the dog working.