Alton firefighters on Monday used a derelict house to help train on how to save lives. Illinois Fire Service Institute instructors Matt Preston and Josh Byrd guided the firefighters through the training, including a "rescue" of a dummy found during a search of a smoke filled house in the 700 block of Park Street. Alton has a number of condemned houses awaiting demolition; instructors set up different scenerios at different houses. The training in residential fire techniques is scheduled to continue Tuesday and Wednesday in Alton. Additional photos from Monday's training are online at thetelegraph.com. The Illinois Fire Service Institute runs a training program for firefighters in Champaign and conducts smaller training classes across the state.  

Police, firefighters and paramedics from Arlington Heights responded about 1:11 a.m. Monday, May 17, 2021 to a report of a crash with injuries in the block of 600 South Reuter Drive, and another report of a crash at New Wilke Road and Kirchhoff Road in Arlington Heights. Upon arrival police and firefighters and paramedics found two patients in a Toyota 4Runner had crashed in their vehicle, which was up near the back of the house. The driver was outside of the vehicle, and was transported by Arlington Heights Fire Department paramedics to Level 1 Trauma Center Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with life-threatening injuries. The driver, a 29 year-old male, later died of his injuries suffered in the crash The passenger, age 33, was transported with apparent non-life-threatening injuries to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. The passenger was treated and released.  

Forget the played-out trope about firefighters rescuing kittens from trees. In the Loop on Sunday, Chicago Fire Department personnel instead rescued a pet bird from a window ledge. Video of the avian rescue near Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard was posted to Twitter about 5 p.m. Sunday by a man who asked reporters to refer to him by his social media handle, "ChiTownCheese." The video shows the bird on a ledge on the second floor of the Motorola Building, formerly the Railway Exchange Building, 224 S. Michigan Ave. Many commenters online said the animal in question appeared to be a macaw, which some speculated had clipped wings, necessitating its rescue.  

Monday night, 600 kids ages 12 -17 received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Joliet West Field House. Joliet Fire Department Deputy Chief Jeff Carey has been the point person from the start getting residents in Will County vaccinated and setting up the clinic at the high school. Since February, the Joliet West Clinic and the volunteers have administered 60,000 vaccines and volunteers have logged more than 12,000 hours of their time. The clinic, spearheaded by Carey is winding down. The clinic will open again in three to administer the second Pfizer dose to the 600 vaccinated from Monday night. Congratulations to the Joliet Fire Department and all the volunteers who helped at Joliet West!  

VIDEO: A large fire broke out at a paper recycling center in New Jersey Monday afternoon sending plumes of black smoke into the air. The fire, which broke out just before 5 p.m., prompted a 3-alarm response from nearby fire departments to the Colgate Paper Stock Recyclable Processing Facility in New Brunswick. It's not yet clear what triggered the blaze, sending firefighters rushing to the recycling facility on Industrial Drive before 5 p.m. 0Piles of paper sitting in the facility's backlot were seen engulfed in flames. One firefighter was briefly hospitalized with minor burns, and was released later Monday night officials said. The fire was said to be contained and under control before 8 p.m.  

VIDEO: A firehouse was evacuated and a nearby Roslindale street was shut down Monday night after a suspicious package containing an unknown chemical was discovered. The suspicious package came in the mail to a Brooke Street home, prompting a resident to bring the package to the nearby firehouse on Canterbury Street, fire officials said. Two firefighters performed preliminary tests on the package outside the station, while crews did readings at the home on Brooke Street. Four residents and two firefighters were decontaminated as a precaution, fire officials said. An investigation remains ongoing into the contents of the suspicious package. The scene has since been cleared.  

VIDEO: A 100-year-old fire engine has been refurbished and returned to it's original department. Larry Manaro spent a year restoring McDonald's first fire engine. Now retired Fire Chief Todd Stitt approached him about fixing it up. The truck was in rough shape and had been stored in a garage for years. The 1917 Model T was donated to McDonald in 1920 by Carnegie Steel and essentially started the village fire department. "It's an accomplishment that you take it from nothing and you make into something, and people like to see it and enjoy looking at it," Manaro said. Manaro had some help from Kevin Prus, Snyder's Antique Parts and Pro Image Sign Company in Youngstown restoring the fire engine.  

VIDEO: A fire department ambulance that was stolen Monday in Reading later crashed into a tractor-trailer in Lancaster County. Reading police say Reading Fire Department ambulance No. 4 was taken while first responders were attending to a call inside Kennedy Towers senior center, located in the 300 block of South Fourth Street. They say 34-year-old Raymond Gonzalez stole the ambulance around 11:30 a.m. from the area of Fourth and Spruce streets. When paramedics brought their patient outside, they realized the ambulance had been stolen. They called for a second ambulance, which was able to respond quickly. "We're very fortunate that the patient's condition wasn't life threatening," said Reading Fire Chief William Stoudt. "Obviously it had an impact on transport to the hospital but had the patient's condition been more serious, this could've ended up as a fatality."