Illinois is facing a shortage of volunteer firefighters, but a new plan from State Senator Patrick Joyce may help address this issue. On Friday, Joyce advanced a plan out of the Senate that would allow for more people to complete firefighter training. Senate Bill 1611, also known as the Firefighter Training Leave of Absence Act, would provide state employees with leave from their job to attend firefighter training courses.
- PUB DATE: 3/27/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Country Herald

The Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Office, the State Fire Marshal, and Newton Fire Department are investigating a home fire in the Township of Newton Friday. Officials say emergency services responded to reports of an explosion at a 9436 Newton Road around 5:15 a.m. According to Sheriff Dan Hartwig, preliminary information indicated that two individuals and a dog were inside the home at the time of the explosion.
- PUB DATE: 3/25/2023 6:42:00 PM - SOURCE: WKOW-TV ABC 27 Madison

Officials say one person is in the hospital following an explosion and fire in the town of Newton Fire officials say they were called to the scene at about 5:15 a.m. to the 9400 block of Newton Road. Officials say the home caught fire and they called for backup from multiple departments. While crews are still working to contain a fire in the home’s basement, they say the fire did not spread to other buildings.
- PUB DATE: 3/24/2023 4:16:00 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

After looking to fill its chief position for nearly two years, the Monroe Fire Department is exploring a new approach to recruiting staff. Al Rufer, MFD’s interim fire chief, said the department is looking to mix traditional ways of recruiting with new ones. Rufer said he knows of several other southern Wisconsin fire departments facing staffing shortages.
- PUB DATE: 3/24/2023 5:27:00 AM - SOURCE: WMTV NBC 15 Madison

The old Doane Stuart School in the area of Mt. Hope Drive in Albany appears to be a total loss, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said. The fire broke out Thursday evening, with all areas of the building involved. A steeple on the building has collapsed, said the mayor, with more collapses expected. Route 9W at Corning Hill is closed in that area.
- PUB DATE: 3/24/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WNYT-TV NBC 13

VIDEO: Mike Washington doesn't go out on calls anymore, but the retired Seattle firefighter is still fighting to save lives. "We lose more firefighters, more police officers to suicide than we do on the job," Washington said. Washington talks to first responders and veterans about stress, addiction and suicide, recently taking his message to Seattle Station 24.
- PUB DATE: 3/24/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

The IAFC is now accepting nominations for the IAFC Fire Chief of the Year Award through June 9. Since 1996, this prestigious award has recognized one volunteer and one career fire chief for their leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, public service and contributions to the fire service.
- PUB DATE: 3/24/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org

VIDEO: There's constantly training for members of the Petersburg Fire Department. "I don't think a lot of people truly realize how many hours a day, most of the time it's 24, that our firefighters spend at the fire station," Kathleen McCay, the owner of Petersburg's Old Townes Alibi, said. To support the three shifts of firefighters at the city's four fire stations, McCay created an Amazon wish list with the idea of going beyond the basics that the city provides.
- PUB DATE: 3/24/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTVR-TV CBS 6 Richmond

Hyundai and Kia are recalling more than half a million vehicles, mainly SUVs and minivans, because of concerns that a tow hitch harness could catch fire when the car is driven, or even parked. The Korean automakers, which are affiliated with one another, are recalling about 571,000 vehicles. The vehicles included are the 2019-23 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2021-23 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, 2022-23 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid, 2022-23 Hyundai Santa Cruz, and 2022-23 Kia Carnival.
- PUB DATE: 3/24/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FOX Business

VIDEO: Thanks to a donation from a local group of philanthropists, the Madison Fire Department is now equipped with a life-saving CPR device known as a LUCAS. Short for Lund Cardiopulmonary Assist System, LUCAS has now been added to all five of the Madison Fire Department's ladder trucks in order to aid first responders when a person has gone into cardiac arrest.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2023 7:35:00 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

VIDEO: Two off-duty firefighters were in the right place at the right time on Wednesday, helping save a man's life after he went into cardiac arrest while running along John Nolen Drive. By chance, firefighter spouses Sue Juedes and Chelsea Utzerath took a different route on their day off when they came across the man lying on the ground and several people around him.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2023 7:06:00 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV CBS 3 Madison

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Spring is here technically. But the Northwoods is still snow and ice covered. With temperatures above freezing recently, the ice is melting and now is the time of year where ice safety is top of mind for many rescuers. Whether its a snowmobiler, a skier, a dog walker, or someone else...
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2023 1:23:00 AM - SOURCE: WJFW-TV NBC 12 Rhinelander

A fire at a McFarland restoration company Wednesday night has been extinguished, and firefighters have left the scene. The fire started just after 10 p.m. at a large building in the 4700 block of McFarland Court. The address is listed as Madison Property Restoration. Smoke was seen coming from a vehicle and storage portion of the building while crews worked to put it out.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2023 1:07:00 AM - SOURCE: WKOW-TV ABC 27 Madison

Investigators believe they've pinpointed the cause of an explosion and massive fire at a Pasadena plant on Wednesday -- and they say it was an accident. One person was injured in the blast at about 12:07 p.m. at the INEOS Phenol plant along Highway 225 near the East Beltway. Houston TranStar cameras captured the large explosion and fireball.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTRK-TV ABC 13 Houston

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A sports science collaboration between Mayo Clinic Health System and the La Crosse Fire Department is yielding results, with firefighters implementing new exercises and practices to improve their strength and stamina. Six months ago, the clinic’s sports medicine team introduced Fusionetics to the fire department, an evidence-based, technology-enabled performance healthcare system that tests, scores and helps create a personalized training routine.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Lacrosse Tribune - Metered Site

PHOTOS: Hoses, helmets and vintage pumper trucks dating from as early as the 1800s bear witness to the legacy of volunteer firefighting in Greensburg. The equipment can be seen in the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department Museum, behind City Hall on South Main Street. Select items from that collection will temporarily have a new home at the Westmoreland Historical Society Education Center at Historic Hanna’s Town in Hempfield.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: TribLive

VIDEO: At least one person was injured after a rare tornado hit a city just southeast of Los Angeles Wednesday, local officials said. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado “briefly touched down” in an industrial park and warehouse district in the city of Montebello and rated the tornado an EF-1 with estimated peak winds of 110 mph – the strongest tornado to hit the Los Angeles area since 1983.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

As of 2018, a law was passed in Maine that if a working police dog is injured in the line of duty, they are able to be treated by EMS before being sent to the hospital. Maine was the first state in New England to pass this law to protect police K9s. One of Portland's K9s, and his officer partner, are now advocating for that same law in New Hampshire.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2023 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCSH-TV NBC 6 Portland

A Town of Anson family lost their home in the early morning hours Wednesday. Anson Fire Chief Rick Schemenauer said when crews arrived, the two-story home was already fully engulfed. The house, located on 80th Avenue, had two people inside at the time, but Schemenauer said both were able to get out before crews arrived and had minor injuries.
- PUB DATE: 3/22/2023 11:00:00 PM - SOURCE: WQOW-TV ABC 18 Eau Claire

PHOTOS: A malfunction with a diesel power unit for a feed grinder started a fire which resulted in heavy smoke and soot damage at Central Feeds in the Town of Lincoln on Wednesday morning. Lincon Fire and Rescue was dispatched at about 7:50 a.m. to Central Feeds at 11051 Falcon Road in town of Lincoln.
- PUB DATE: 3/22/2023 10:52:00 PM - SOURCE: WAOW-TV ABC 9 Wausau