PHOTO: The Galesburg Fire Department (GFD) selected Captain Matthew Cain as the 2023 Firefighter of the Year. The annual GFD Firefighter of the Year award recognizes significant contributions, achievements, character, and dedication of a firefighter or fire captain. Selection is based on criteria including skills and ability as a firefighter, performance of duties, motivation, teamwork, leadership, and professionalism. Candidates are nominated by the fire department staff, and the final selection is made by a consensus of the management staff, union president, and staff captain. Captain Cain was appointed to the Galesburg Fire Department on February 16, 2003, and subsequently promoted to the rank of Captain on June 29, 2015.  

PHOTOS: Firefighters from eight different Central Illinois fire departments were called to Effingham County Monday morning to battle a severe house fire. Fire crews from the Sigel Fire Department in Shelby County were among those departments. Sigel officials said firefighters arrived at 6:40 a.m. and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the garage; they started a defensive fire attack, staying outside the structure. Several water tenders were called to the rural scene to help bring in water. A nearby hydrant was also used. The Teutopolis, Shumway, Montrose, Neoga, Wabash, Watson, and Altamont Fire Protection Districts helped Sigel Fire at the scene or with providing station coverage. The Effingham County Sheriff's Office, Rural Med EMS and McWhorter Excavating also provided on-scene assistance.  

On Sunday, April 28, at 10:35 a.m., the Quincy Fire Department was alerted to a house fire at 725 South 6th Street. The first crew arrived on scene at 10:39 a.m. and observed smoke coming from the eaves of the single car attached garage. No fire or smoke got into the main body of the house. It was all contained to the garage. About a fourth of the rear of the garage sustained fire damage. The rest of the garage sustained heat and heavy smoke damage. The cause of the fire is labeled as electrical, due to an overloaded circuit. The occupants were not displaced. The last fire suppression crew left the scene at 12:00 p.m. The fire investigation team left the scene at 12:30 p.m. QPD shut down 6th Street between Payson Avenue and Washington Street to protect crews and Adams County Ambulance Service was on scene to standby in case they were needed.  

Crews were battling a large fire that broke out in Concord Monday night. The fire was in the area of Sunset Street and East Street. That is right across the street from the BART station and in a stretch of commercial buildings. The Contra Costa County Fire Department says that the fire has been knocked down. They also say that the building was vacant and no injuries were reported. The Concord Police Department says road closures are expected to last into the morning hours. The BART parking lot on Park St. has also been closed. Drivers are being warned to expect heavy traffic in the area. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

PHOTOS: Firefighters are used to getting to their destinations in a hurry. Hubie Widmer took 10 years to complete his quest. "I said, ‘You know, I want to get my picture taken in front of every fire department in the state,'" Hubie said. In March, the Watertown firefighter completed his task. Over a decade, Hubie visited 775 fire departments – as best as he can tell relying on state records – every fire department in Minnesota. "We kind of didn't think it was ever going to get done," Denice Widmer, Hubie's wife, said with a laugh. Denice traveled with Hubie on most of his trips, crossing off towns on a 20-page list and photographing her husband in front of the fire stations they visited. The pictures Denice took of her husband fill 14 photo albums. "We've basically been to every town in the state of Minnesota." Hubie says.  

Monday, The Milwaukee Fire Department announced they are partnering with Ignite the Spirit to provide essential mental health resources for firefighters through fully funded therapy sessions facilitated by licensed mental health professionals. The program is launching under the All-Hands Initiative, and Fire Lieutenant Joseph Flick founded Ignite the Spirit in 2018. He told WTMJ the importance of mental health for firefighters. "The culmination of everything that we go through and the traumas that we see… sometimes the human brain has a hard time dealing with that." he said. "We want to make sure that that's not what's going to keep our people from being our best selves." "Sometimes it's injury and illness… Other times, untimely death, and [during] this time, we've been looking for ways we can proactively support their mental and behavioral health," he said.