The Illinois Fire Service Institute started its Explorer-Cadet fire training Thursday afternoon. This year is the first year since 2019 they are able to train for a full four days. The training these explorer-cadets get will prepare them for a future in firefighting. Something Champaign Fire Explorer-Cadet Ryan Latz said he feels like he was born to do. "It's just a rewarding job you can help other people and I find it to be a lot of fun I enjoy fighting fires," Latz said. "I also enjoy helping other people." Latz said he wants to keep the firefighting spirit in his family. "My dad was a firefighter for 20 years for the City of Champaign, and I've always wanted to follow in his footsteps," Latz said. Latz said the unique experience at the state-of-the-art training center in Champaign is only making him more excited to do that.  

Longtime Arlington Heights resident Lance Harris has been named the new chief of the Arlington Heights Fire Department effective June 27. Harris has served as fire chief for the village of West Dundee, and the deputy chief of fire for the Elk Grove Fire Department where he worked for 25 years in various roles. "Lance Harris's 25 years of experience serve as a proven track-record for his commitment to the Fire Service, " said Village Manager Randall Recklaus this week. "His ability to successfully serve in the role of chief, combined with his love for Arlington Heights, make him the best possible choice for this position." Harris earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Lewis University and his Chief Fire Officer Certifications from the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal and the Center for Public Safety Excellence.  

A fire broke out at an apartment building in Wrigleyville Friday morning. According to the Chicago Fire Department, the fire started on a porch at building, located at 3523 and 3531 N. Sheffield Ave. CFD confirmed five adults and one child were displaced by the fire. One resident told CBS 2's Jackie Kostek, he woke up to alarms and smoke over his head. He said he grabbed his keys and wallet, but he'd thought to grab a safe with a letter his dad wrote him. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.  

It's not just everyday people dealing with the high prices at gas stations. Fire departments are also feeling the burden as they fill up, especially ones with volunteer firefighters. "Our volunteers they use their own gas, their own vehicles to come to the firehouse and they respond from here," Taylorville Fire Department Chief Matthew Adermann said. "Unfortunately, the high gas prices are going to hurt some of those members as well." For fully volunteer-ran departments like the one in Edinburg, some of their firefighters are struggling to front the costs. "We have some folks, some farmers on our roster that live way out in the country and it's a bit of a drive for them," Edinburg Fire Department Assistant Medical Chief Dan Swinson said. "They're not making as many calls anymore."  

A 3-year-old boy who followed his dog into the woods was quickly found after community members jumped into action to help with the search, according to authorities. Police were called just after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday to the 3900 block of Staton Ridge Road in downstate Massac County after the child wandered away from a home in the area, according to the Massac County Sheriff's Office. The county fire department, Metropolis Police Department, Illinois Conservation Police and state police joined the search. A drone was deployed and, residents volunteered to look for the boy. About two hours later, a volunteer found the child, uninjured, roughly a quarter-mile from the home.  

VIDEO: Arkansas Department of Transportation crews took over 24 hours to clear all lanes along I-30 westbound after a fiery, fatal, multi-vehicle crash happened on Wednesday. There were 20 vehicles involved in the accident, which also included eight semi trucks. The accident happened near mile marker 86 along I-30 westbound and it resulted in three fatalities. Traffic was backed up for hours and was at a standstill until shortly after 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. "Looking at that road, we had to get all of the damaged trucks off the interstate. The final damaged truck was removed sometime around 7 or 8 this morning," said Dave Parker with ARDOT. Parker said that the crash started as a two car accident, but in the aftermath of that incident having backed up traffic, a second crash involving semi-trucks came around 15 to 20 minutes later. And the second accident caused a large fire to erupt. "The pavement, it literally melted and buckled. So, to reopen it safely we've got to get in there," said Parker.  

Only a few short months since it was established, the Texas Emergency Communications Center, which serves as the 911 dispatch center for five volunteer fire departments in northern Harris County, has achieved a noteworthy milestone. The local emergency response service was designated as an Accredited Center of Excellence for emergency fire dispatching, one of only 64 agencies in the world to receive that distinction. The accreditation status was bestowed on the TECC last month by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, the standard-setting organization for emergency dispatch services worldwide. Accreditation from the IAED is the highest distinction given to emergency communication centers, certifying that the center is performing at or above the established standards for the industry. "The distinction places our center among the highest performing centers in the world," Lori Broadrick, TECC executive director, said in an interview.  

VIDEO: Captain Raymond Coci with Toledo Fire and Rescue went on his last call Thursday morning, leading crews to the intersection of Locust and East Bancroft streets for a fire at a duplex, less than two hours before his scheduled retirement. "Well, I was the first officer to arrive, so I had to take command, so I didn't get to go in immediately but as soon as the chief got here and took command I got to go in and do a little bit of firefighting," Coci said. Coci's fellow firefighters aren't surprised he was working until the last minutes of his 34-year career. He has bounced back from injuries in the past and finished his career as captain at "one of the busiest engine houses in the city," Station 7 on the corner of Bancroft Street and Franklin Avenue in central Toledo, TFD Pvt. Sterling Rahe said. Veterans with the TFD can't remember the last time a crew member retired while on the scene of a fire, which Rahe said "is a storybook ending."  

VIDEO: The FDNY has a brand new way to train its members for some of the most complicated rescues. The simulator was dedicated Thursday to a beloved member of the department who made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11. At first glance, the enormous pile of rubble looks like the latest disaster in New York City with the broken fuselage of a plane, crushed cars and piles of concrete, but the firefighters feverishly working the scene are training at the FDNY Fire Academy. "Possibly somebody's under there. They're trying to get them out. They're in a confined space," FDNY Battalion Chief Joe Downey explained. Downey showed CBS2's Andrea Grymes the newest training site -- each piece of rubble meticulously placed to simulate several different real-life disasters.  

VIDEO: There's a team dedicated and ready to transport any future patients suspected of having monkeypox, and any other communicable disease here in Atlanta. The Grady EMS Biosafety Transport Team has already safely transported one suspected case. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 40 cases of monkeypox across the country, including one in metro Atlanta. Team Lead Benjamin Mize and Medical Director Dr. Lekshmi Kumar expect to get more calls in the coming weeks. "We got the call for activation from Emory University Hospital's Serious Communicable Diseases Unit. What happens then is they call us and give us a two hour window to activate the team, get the members here and get the teams set and in suit, get the truck ready," Mize explained. "From there, we respond to the location and make contact with the patient."