A longtime member of the Western Springs Fire Department was promoted to assistant chief this week. At Monday's Village Board meeting, Capt. Steve Smith was sworn into the assistant chief's position. Smith has been with the department since 2001, when he graduated from its fire academy. His public safety career began in 1988 in his hometown of Closter, New Jersey, where he became an emergency medical technician. He moved to Western Springs with his family in 1999. "During his 22-year career with the Western Springs Fire Department, Steve has been one of the most active and steadfast members of the department," Fire Chief Michael Kelly said at the meeting.  

The Joliet Fire Department extinguished a roof fire that broke out around 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Old Fashioned Pancake House on West Jefferson Street. Joliet Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim Ryan told Joliet Patch this was considered "a small structure fire." Ryan said he was not sure whether The Pancake House will need to be closed for any length of time, but he did say the Will County Health Department has been notified due to the fact that the fire occurred inside an eating establishment. The fire was contained to the restaurant's roof, Ryan said. He did not believe the main dining room areas of The Pancake House sustained any damage. He said the fire engines were expected to return to quarters before 9 p.m.  

Godfrey Fire Protection District and Construction manager S. M. Wilson & Co. on Thrusday hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on the village's new fire station and administration building project at 3023 Godfrey Road. Voters approved a $7.5 million bond issue in April 2021 to construct the new station on the former site of the Hi Way House and consolidate current Stations 1 and 2. Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick on Thursday thanked village trustees for their support of the project. "It's been a pleasure working with the fire district," McCormick said. "This is a good day for the Village of Godfrey." "Who would have thought that four or five years ago, when we tore the (motel) building down that there would be a fire house here?" McCormick said.  

Illinois State University expects it will cost about $3 million to get its Lexington farm up and running again after a fire there last November. ISU's Board of Trustees will be asked to approve the project at its meeting this afternoon. ISU expects its insurer will pay for the entire project with the exception of a $100,000 deductible, according to the staff's report. The Nov. 18 fire destroyed about 66%, or about 31,000 square feet, of the beef barn, including the calf birthing room. The university did not lose any cattle, thanks to the efforts of Farm Manager Jason Lindboom who responded to the middle-of-the-night call and moved all of the animals out of the barn. The 116 cows were temporarily moved to neighboring farms, the staff's report said. The university said it's working toward having the farm fully operational again in time for the fall semester.  

Nearly 20 crews are at the scene of a large fire at an apartment complex in Willoughby Friday morning, according to Willoughby Fire Chief Todd Ungar. The building was completely destroyed. The fire is at the Chagrin Riverwalk complex on Mentor Avenue between Erie Street and Kirtland Road. Ungar, who is at the scene, said no one was inside the building when the fire started. He said fire was found throughout the building. At this point, Ungar said the main concern is making sure the surrounding buildings do not also catch on fire, including a school and fine arts building across the street, and two apartment buildings on each side. Ungar told Fox 8 crews that it is hard to tell at this point what exactly started the fire in the four-story apartment building.  

VIDEO: A former New England Patriot and University of Central Florida football player is the newest member of the Seminole County Fire Department. Chris Martin left behind his life as an NFL star after an awful personal tragedy and decided to become a firefighter to teach others how to avoid that tragedy. Martin's 2-year-old son Gunner was precious, adorable and everything a dad could have ever wanted in a little boy. "On April 6, 2016, my wife and I found our son unfortunately at the bottom of a pool," Martin said. "We had a pool in the backyard. We weren't really aware of the different preventative measures we could take to prevent it." The Florida native was playing football at the time, first at UCF and then in the NFL. "That's when I realized that's what I want to do when I'm done," Martin said.  

VIDEO: Ambulance crews in Antigo have some help when taking care of young patients. A special security strap allows then to secure and transport pediatric patients. Up until now they've been using car seats, since traditional stretchers are made for the average adult. While most calls are for adults, they do occasionally need to take a child to the hospital. "The more capacity these cots hold, the less likely they are to properly fit a child, these devices go up to a 110 pounds, so that's a pretty significant sized child, and so that definitely goes to show that the harnesses that comes with the cots are definitely not made for children," said Corey Smith, Assistant Fire Chief. The new devices have three sizes, ranging from infants to older children.  

PHOTOS: Twenty years after the nation's 4th worst nightclub fire, Rhode Island is still dealing with the collective trauma, legislative fallout and lasting impacts of The Station nightclub fire. The West Warwick, Rhode Island club The Station was purchased by brothers Michael A. and Jeffrey A. Derderian in 2000 and three years later became a scene of tragedy that would haunt Rhode Island forever. As the California band Great White took the stage that February night in 2003, pyrotechnics ignited soundproofing foam insulation which resulted in a massive blaze. Survivors, families, friends, firefighters, doctors and nurses were left to carry the physical and emotional scars of that night. For everyone who was involved, the memories still haunt them.  

Megan Wichmann sat in her high school English classroom in 2009 and contemplated her new assignment for the month: Pick a career and research it. Wichmann was interested in shadowing a paramedic, so she went on a few ambulance ride-alongs in Johnson County. Wichmann's mother's partner at the time was an Iowa City firefighter, and he asked Wichmann if she wanted to ride along in a firetruck for the day. Wichmann quickly accepted, eager for every experience she was offered. "I think that's honestly where I fell in love with firefighting because I get to do EMS and fire," the Iowa native said. "Then, it kind of took off from there." And with each ride-along and conversation, Wichmann's passion for helping others grew stronger. Twenty days after Wichmann graduated from Iowa City High School, she went on a ride-along at Station Five in Cedar Rapids.