A measure sponsored by State Senator Sara Feigenholtz will allow Chicago firefighters to add MRSA to the list of occupational disease disability benefits if they contract the infection on duty. "In recent years, firefighters have seen increased staph infections, including MRSA," said Feigenholtz (D-Chicago). "Including MRSA on the list of covered protections for firefighters will aid in stopping the spread of the infection." The new law aligns Chicago firefighters with downstate firefighters by extending an occupational disease disability benefit to any active Chicago firefighter who has completed seven or more years of service and can't perform their duties because of a contagious staph infection including MRSA. "Firefighters risk their lives daily and serve as our first responders in many situations," Feigenholtz said.  

A Belleville Fire Department captain remained hospitalized on Monday, a day after suffering a leg injury while fighting a basement fire in a home. Capt. Jason Unverzagt was injured in the fire that occurred at 6 Dardenelle Drive on Sunday afternoon, according to Kathy Kaiser, spokeswoman for the city. No residents were injured in the fire reported at about 1:20 p.m. Unverzagt said he was walking down the steps toward the fire when he "stepped on a can or something." His leg was pinned between 260 pounds, including his gear. "I fell on my left leg that folded beneath me," he said. "My 218 body weight plus my gear weight broke the leg. Then I tumbled to the bottom." As others advanced toward the fire, Unverzagt said he climbed back up the stairs under his own power and collapsed in the driveway.  

A woman was saved from the Fox River near Hollywood Casino after jumping off a bridge Saturday evening, according to the Aurora fire officials. The Aurora Fire Department received a call around 8:44 p.m. after several bystanders saw her jump off a bridge. When crews arrived, they found the woman in the east channel yelling for help, officials said. A team of 26 firefighters, along with a Water Rescue Response team, were dispatched to the scene to help. Ultimately, a firefighter from the Engine Company was able to rescue the woman. After she was pulled out of the water, the woman was moved to a paramedic unit, where she was treated before being transported to a local hospital in "minor condition," according to officials.  

Local and state agencies, as well as the central Illinois emergency response team, went training together for various life saving exercises. First responders tested their capabilities when it comes to finding people or boats that have sunk in the Illinois River. Fon du Lac Park District Police Chief Mike Johnson is confident in his team's response time and their ability to respond in emergency situations. "It shows the community we can handle any type of situation from a simple drowning to a boat assist. We have the capability and the folks to handle that situation" said Johnson. While it is uncommon for this many agencies to come together for a training exercise, they do attempt to get together at least once a year to prepare for such situations.  

An investigation is underway to determine how a large fire spread through a Kilgore hotel Monday night. Multiple fire crews were called around 8 p.m. to the Best Western Inn of Kilgore, located on business Hwy 259 near Walmart. Kilgore Fire Chief Mark Henderson said the fire started in one of the rooms on the west end of the hotel. The hotel manager and passersby who spotted the flames were able to get everyone out of the 42-room two-story hotel unharmed. Katelynn Moore was driving by the hotel at the time. "My daughter saw smoke and then she saw flames and said, ‘Mom will you turn around.' So I pulled in, got out, and just started beating on doors." A man staying at the hotel tells us that he smelled smoke, and when he opened the door he was immediately "hit by smoke." He was able to escape without injury.  

PHOTOS: The New Hope Eagle Fire Company pulled out all the stops on Saturday for its 200th anniversary by hosting a fire parade through the streets of town. As sirens wailed, more than 65 companies from throughout Bucks County - and beyond - rolled down Main and Bridge streets, showcasing the latest in fire apparatus and restored antiques. Companies came from as far away as Edgely in Lower Bucks and Springtown in Upper Bucks to help Eagle celebrate. Other companies responded from Lambertville, Midway, Newtown, Upper Makefield, Doylestown, Yardley-Makefield, Morrisville among many others. Residents and business owners filled the sidewalks along what would have been a busy Saturday morning in downtown New Hope to wave flags and to applaud their hometown volunteers.  

VIDEO: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in Baltimore on Monday to help unveil the new mission for a very old fireboat named after her dad. The Mayor Thomas D'Alessandro Jr. fireboat is now ready for the public to experience after an extensive renovation and an emotional unveiling. "I do believe that the firemen across the country are our country's nobility," Pelosi said. The Fire Museum of Maryland is the new home of the fireboat named after Pelosi's late father. "It's emotional for us. It's a source of great pride for us. But it is all a recognition of what our men and women in the fire of fire departments across our country do to protect us," Pelosi said. The "Tommy" was commissioned in 1956, with a young Pelosi in attendance. "And see this picture is my father coming off the boat when it was christened, and my brother Tommy is following," Pelosi said.  

The New York City Fire Department is looking for consultants to help it prevent doxing of its 16,000 firefighters, emergency medical technicians and administrative support personnel across the five boroughs. Doxing -- or the weaponizing of an individual's personal information to punish, harass or to encourage threats – is a growing problem, potentially affecting anyone on the wrong end of a grudge, including police, poll workers and school officials. In a request for information first reported by the New York Post, FDNY says it is looking for a consultant to provide expertise and software solutions, including managed detection and response services as well as real-time threat mitigation and recovery capabilities. A vendor with experience working with large organizations would also be required to provide protective strategies addressing the misuse of personally identifiable information and assistance protecting PII.  

A measure sponsored by State Senator Sara Feigenholtz will allow Chicago firefighters to add MRSA to the list of occupational disease disability benefits if they contract the infection on duty. "In recent years, firefighters have seen increased staph infections, including MRSA," said Feigenholtz (D-Chicago). "Including MRSA on the list of covered protections for firefighters will aid in stopping the spread of the infection." The new law aligns Chicago firefighters with downstate firefighters by extending an occupational disease disability benefit to any active Chicago firefighter who has completed seven or more years of service and can't perform their duties because of a contagious staph infection including MRSA. "Firefighters risk their lives daily and serve as our first responders in many situations," Feigenholtz said.