Ameren Illinois and the Peoria Fire Department are partnering to share the importance of safety near power lines. Tuesday, two sessions of electrical safety training took place for local first responders at the Peoria Fire Department's central station. Live Line instructor and retired utility industry worker Steve Hancock performed a live demonstration of a 7,200 volt distribution system. Hancock went through several scenes to demonstrate what to do and not to do near live lines. He said the training is important for first responders because they're usually on scene before anyone else. "99.9% of the time the electric system is very, very safe but in the event something happens, it causes major problems, accidents and including death. So, we just want to make sure people understand what they're up against and how to effectively deal with it to keep themselves safe and whoever they may be rescuing," Hancock said.  

Lombard Fire Department officials said no one was injured in a Monday evening apartment fire that caused more than $100,000 damage. Firefighters were called to the apartment complex on the 2100 block of South Finley Road at about 8:30 p.m. by a resident of the apartment reporting a fire. Upon arrival, firefighters saw flames from a second-floor window of the two-story apartment building. Fire officials said the blaze significantly damaged the upper-floor unit, while the first-floor unit suffered water damage. The fire was brought under control within 15 minutes. The cause remains under investigation.  

The Godfrey Fire Protection District team called a mutual aid alarm for a fire in the 5100 block of Little Creek Lane in Godfrey around 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Alton, Brighton, and Fosterburg all responded to the scene with Godfrey, with the Madison County Emergency Management team. The fire was serious, and the home suffered damage, but a quick response by Godfrey and neighboring agencies saved the home. The Madison County Sheriff's Office directed traffic on the street during the fire response. Godfrey Fire Protection Chief Eric Cranmer said there was heavy smoke damage that burned through the roof on the backside of the house with the Little Creek Lane Fire. "This house will be uninhabitable for quite some time," he said. "The fire crews and mutual aid companies worked very well together and put a good stop to it."  

The Illinois State Police reported a vehicle fire shut down the northbound lanes of Interstate 72 for an hour early Tuesday morning. According to the report, a 2021 Kenworth tractor-trailer with double trailers, driven by Cody Geary, 27, of Mason City, Ill., was heading east around 3:30 a.m. on I-72, taking the northbound exit onto I-172, when Geary noticed the brakes were on fire on the second trailer. Geary attempted to extinguish the fire and, when he was unable, he disconnected the second trailer and pulled the truck and first trailer away. The ISP reports that the second trailer was destroyed by the fire.  

VIDEO: Suffolk County police say a fifth person has been found dead after a large fire swept through house in Riverhead, Suffolk County. The five victims were all found on the top floor of a 3-story home with four apartments that went up in flames just after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Firefighters arrived at the home on East 2nd Street to find fire shooting through the roof after an eyewitness walking his dog called 911. Of the ten occupants in the building, several were able to escape and told rescuers that others were trapped inside. As firefighters tried to gain entry, a stairwell on the third floor may have collapsed, trapping the remaining victims. Firefighters put out the flames and started finding bodies during an ensuing search. Five people did not survive. The remaining five occupants are all accounted for, police said.  

Austin-Travis County EMS revised its job application by removing a disqualification for prior marijuana use in hopes of increasing applicants as they struggle to fill positions. Saving lives isn't an easy job. The president of the Austin EMS union, Selena Xie, said doing it short-staffed is even harder. "It's really bad right now," said Xie. "We're about 80 paramedics down." After partnering with Texas Norml, putting together a petition and sending thousands of letters to the Austin City Council and EMS Interim Chief Jasper Brown, Xie said the City gave them the green light in late October to change the policy. She said the old policy was deterring out-of-state applicants where marijuana use is legal. "We didn't want Texans and people from all over this country to be not allowed to work for our department because of legal use," said Xie.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A group of volunteer firefighters gathered to demonstrate just how delicate of a balance deep frying that holiday turkey can be. Local fire and rescue squads from Blanche and Boonshill in Lincoln County, Tennessee set up a flaming example to warn anyone who plans to fry their bird this Thanksgiving to take as many precautions as possible. "One of the things we really have to be concerned about is paying attention to what we're doing," says Doug Campbell, Lincoln County Fire Chief. "With all the activities that are going on around the holiday season, people tend to get distracted." Unattended cooking is one of the biggest causes of house fires, especially around the holidays. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, cooking fires cause more than 50 percent of house fires.  

VIDEO: Tuscaloosa firefighters are working on new hydraulic extrication rescue equipment they said is much more advanced. Firefighters said the new tool in their toolbox could literally save your life one day. The new jaws of life is a little lighter, and just as powerful as the old one. Tuesday, firefighters spent the better part of the day training on it. "When it comes off the truck it's ready to go you don't have to set up hoses and all that stuff. It's quicker to get it action and it's a self-contained unit that operates off batteries. The cordless aspect is my favorite part because when you walk around a vehicle, you don't have to worry about hoses getting tangled up and all that kind of stuff while you're trying to work," said Capt. Glen Nelson. "We're able to remove enough of the car to make it safer to get the person out of the car without them getting hurt. The new equipment just makes it a lot faster," Nelson added.  

Mike Alstott is remembered for his plays out on the field with the Buccaneers but for several years now, he's created a special bond with firefighters that truly reflects the meaning of the holidays. "Most of us grew up watching him on Sundays and representing the Bucs and being the "A-Train" and then seeing the personal side of Mike, giving back to the community and giving back to our firefighters in Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, it's an experience that we are all proud to be a part of," said Jon Dougherty, Deputy Chief of Operations of the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. Alstott continued the legacy of giving on Monday morning by handing out hundreds of meal kits to fire crews who will spend thanksgiving day on call at the 46 stations that make up Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.