A procession began early Thursday morning from Northwestern Memorial Hospital to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. A south suburban South Holland firefighter in his 20s died after a dive training exercise in Kankakee Wednesday afternoon. The incident took place at Haigh Quarry. Dylan Cunningham, 29, of Thornton died at 10:40 p.m. Wednesday at Northwestern Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner. South Holland and Kankakee County officials did not immediately provide additional information about the circumstances surrounding the incident. It's not clear for how long Cunningham worked at the department.  

Firefighters from all over McLean County will kick-off Fire Prevention Week on Sunday with the annual Chief Del Thomas Fire Truck Parade. The parade, sponsored by Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Division 41, marks the start of fire prevention week each year. It was started in 1982 by Hudson Fire Chief Del Thomas, and last year featured about 35 trucks and first responder vehicles from McLean County. This year, MABAS Division 41 is dedicating the parade to all first responders, nurses, doctors, CNAs, emergency management personnel and those in supporting roles who have assisted and cared for COVID-19 patients. "Most of them have been going through quite a bit," said Lt. Les Siron, with the Bloomington Township Fire Protection District. "I think this year, with everything going on, I just think it's a good idea to honor the people that have been on the front lines every day dealing with this."  

While saving one of the two Peoria Fire Department engines targeted by budgetary cuts remains a possibility, the other station is about to close. Fire Chief Tony Ardis issued a statement Wednesday reminding residents that Station 4 on the city's South Side will be shut down at 7 a.m. Thursday. The station's territory will be absorbed into Station 8's coverage area. Ryan Brady, president of Peoria Firefighters Union Local 50, said the station's closure will impact service detrimentally. "The grave concern of longer response times and how that impacts the safety of not only the citizens but our firefighters – even though we knew it was going to happen tomorrow – it's still hard to stomach," said Brady.  

At 11 a.m. Friday (Oct. 2), the family of a Des Plaines firefighter/paramedic who perished in a tragic accident will meet one of several individuals he saved. Paul Miller, Jr., a 33-year-old McHenry resident, served both the McHenry Township Fire Protection Dist. and the Des Plaines Fire Dept. before he died from motorcycle accident injuries last April in Lake Zurich. Alan Wax, who was chief of the Des Plaines Fire Dept. at the time, said Miller was known as a man who "lived life to the fullest." After Miller's family learned he would not be able to recover from his injuries, they fulfilled his wish to become an organ donor. According to Miller's mother Sally, these donations have gone to at least nine recipients through the Gift of Hope non-profit organization.  

The Exchange Club Fire Fighter of the Year award for Joliet this year will go to the entire fire department, an "unprecedented" recognition, a club president said. It's been an unprecedented year, Joliet Fire Chief Greg Blaskey said. "The Exchange Club felt based on the challenges we had this year from pandemic to civil unrest, all things that people in the department have not seen before, that it could not just pick one person," Blaskey said. The award ceremony itself will be unprecedented, being a virtual event due to social distancing requirements but shown on Facebook and Channel 6 community television when it is held at noon Tuesday. The only nominee sent to the Exchange Club from the Joliet Fire Department was the fire department as a whole.  

The Chicago Fire Department is joining the American Cancer Society to launch Breast Cancer Awareness month starting Thursday, October 1. Chicago Fire says it has the largest number of women serving as firefighters and paramedics in the United States. Chicago Fire Department's First Deputy Fire Commissioner, Anette Nance-Holt sat down with ABC 7 to explain why the cause means so much. "Well I hope it gets out the importance of what breast cancer and how important it is to get tested earlier so you can get the medical help you need. It's also one of the biggest health issues among Black women and I think fear prevents a lot of people from getting tested," Nance-Holt said. Nance-Holt is the first woman to serve as First Deputy Fire Commissioner in the fire department's history.  

A tractor-trailer driver was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and reckless driving in Hanover County Circuit Court on Wednesday for a 2018 crash that left Hanover County Fire & EMS Lt. Brad Clark dead and several other firefighters injured. The driver, Lester Labarge, faces up to 11 years in prison when he is sentenced. Circuit Court Judge Patricia Kelly issued the guilty verdicts after a two-day trial that saw 19 witnesses called to the stand, including the injured firefighters and Labarge. The crash in question happened on October 11, 2018 on Interstate 295 South near exit 38. Clark and the others had just arrived to that location responding to another crash. Labarge lost control of his tractor-trailer when it hydroplaned and crashed into the back of Clark's fire truck and the firefighters who were standing outside it.  

Leaders in states across the country are sounding the alarm about rising COVID-19 cases that experts say could foreshadow a coming surge. In New York, several COVID-19 clusters have created "hotspot" zip codes, the governor said, with a positivity rate about five times more than the statewide figure. The clusters are a "stark reminder" that New Yorkers need to stay vigilant, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "Wear a mask, socially distance, follow the public health guidance -- because this thing is not over," Cuomo said in a statement. Leading health officials including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, have also warned that the US could see an especially challenging fall and winter this year. They say cities and counties should prepare by keeping safety measures and guidelines in place.  

Topeka's first structure fire came soon after the city was founded. The nine men who founded this city in December 1854 built a cabin here, which was destroyed in an accidental fire soon afterward. Still, it wasn't until March 1870 that Topeka created a fire department. This week's History Guy video at CJOnline focuses on that department, which turned 150 years old this year. The Topeka Fire Department initially consisted solely of volunteers. But George Wilmarth, an accountant who was hired as fire chief in 1872, arranged later that decade for the city to pay its firefighters. Wilmarth became chief after fire destroyed the building that housed his accounting firm, said Alan Stahl, the department's current public education officer. The department was modernized considerably during the 42 years Wilmarth served before dying of pneumonia in 1914 after being exposed to the elements at a fire scene, Stahl said.  

Water surrounds three sides of Logan International Airport, with all departures and arrivals flying over Boston Harbor. There are a handful of coveted jobs on the Massachusetts Port Authority team that protects the harbor, the Massport Fire Department's Marine Unit. The $7 million vessel is equipped with water guns that can pump up to 6,000 gallons of water per minute. "The probability of having a major incident in the ocean is pretty high for us," DeGrace said. "So if we had one of these structures here along the waterfront catch fire, between our boat and (the Boston Fire Department's) boat, we could dump quite a bit of water on it." Massport's Marine Unit provides a critical piece of mutual aid in fire and rescue operations: not only in the city of Boston, but coastal cities and towns statewide.  

In an emergency, seconds count. During a fire, choosing the right door to enter or pinpointing where someone is trapped can be a deadly guessing game. In response to emergency situations, the first tool of its kind in Southwest Florida is helping to save lives. When North Collier County firefighters head out on a call, they respond with a $5,000 drone packed in the chief's truck. "As soon as we get dispatched, the drone pilot and the drone will arrive on scene," said Chandler Craft, a drone pilot for North Collier County Fire Control and Rescue District. "They will launch." It's a launch that gives firefighters a technological edge. The high-tech drone has an infrared camera and starts sending data immediately. "Instead of doing a rule-out method — the traditional method of it's not here, it's not here — we can tell them this is exactly this is where the fire is," Craft said.