Tow truck driving can be a dangerous job when workers are along the interstate cleaning up the scene of an accident or towing a vehicle away. After the loss of Ross Booker, local tow truck drivers are asking if something can be done to make their jobs easier. Booker was killed by a 16-year-old after a Scott's Law violation in early March. "If you are going down the interstate and you see orange and white lights, that doesn't mean a whole lot to people," said Taylor Feldkamp of Feldkamps Towing. Feldkamp said that working on highways and interstates provides challenges every time they have to do it. That is why he wants to see if drivers can use red and blue lights on their trucks, along with the white and amber they already use.  

With fuel prices remaining high, it is causing potential concerns for fire departments who are now looking for workarounds. "Unfortunately that is one of the, if you will, a wildcard as far as budgetary purposes are concerned," said Danville Fire Chief Don McMasters. McMasters said the rising cost at the pump could have an impact ion how fire departments are doing their job. He said it is a good thing they avoided the current rise when the cold weather could have made an impact alongside it. "In a blink of an eye it can freeze, in drastically cold weather it is detrimental to the pumps and the truck and if we have a fire and we need to use it," said McMasters on why shutting down a running truck in the cold is a bad idea.  

Members of the Quad Cities and Chicago area fire departments are lacing up their skates to honor fallen firefighters on Saturday, March 26 at the TaxSlayer Center. All proceeds from the event will benefit the families of fallen Sterling Fire Capt. Garrett Ramos and Downers Grove firefighter and paramedic Mike Baldwin. Ramos passed away Dec. 4, 2021 while responding to a rural fire in Rock Falls. Baldwin passed away Jan. 22, two months after he retired to become a pediatric nurse. Tickets are listed at $17 for the exhibition at 4 p.m., and they can also be used for the lower bowl at the Quad City Storm game scheduled for 7 p.m. — also for taking place on Saturday. The exhibition marks the 14th annual benefit game for QC Fire Hockey. The team says they've raised over $50,000 in the past 13 years for different causes. QC Fire Hockey is made up of more than 15 firefighters from seven local departments and other volunteers.  

Clarendon Hills needs paramedics, but the local fire department can cover its shifts, the chief said this week. Every month, Fire Chief Brian Leahy releases the monthly schedule more than a couple of weeks ahead of time. Many shifts, often during weekends, are open. For March, the fire department put out the original schedule Feb. 11. Nearly two weeks later, about four dozen shifts remained unfilled. "That's pretty normal," Leahy said in an interview. "The firefighters, EMTs and paramedics put in their shift requests. Some don't put in any until they get their schedules for their full-time jobs." Except for Leahy, the department's members are part time.  

Crews in a small Texas community are working to put out a fire that engulfed the city Thursday afternoon. Heavy flames filled the city of Ranger's downtown area and engulfed historic structures including the police department building and a 100-year-old church. Video taken by the Eastland County Today newspaper showed crews working to put out the fire at the historic Second Baptist Church and the police station. Ranger is in Eastland County, about 85 miles west of Fort Worth, off of Interstate 20 and Loop 254. According to the city's website, Ranger has a population of 2,468 as of the 2010 census. "A lot of sentimental value here. Lived in Ranger my whole life," fire chief Darrell Fox said. Fox told WFAA the fire may have been started from a barbecue pit and was fueled by high winds in the area.  

For years, the fire prevention messaging was simple and snappy: When you change your clocks for daylight saving time, change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. If Congress does away with the biannual clock change, as the Senate this week proposed, that reminder won't be there anymore. Fire protection officials said they're not too worried. "I've got to say that I hadn't thought about it," said Edward Williams Jr., president of the Fire Prevention Association of Massachusetts and a deputy chief in the Brockton Fire Department when asked about the potential implications of the Senate legislation to make daylight saving time permanent. "The good thing right now is we tell people to check them monthly anyway." Many detectors in new homes are sealed, so people cannot borrow their batteries to put in the TV remote or a child's toy, he said.  

Tow truck driving can be a dangerous job when workers are along the interstate cleaning up the scene of an accident or towing a vehicle away. After the loss of Ross Booker, local tow truck drivers are asking if something can be done to make their jobs easier. Booker was killed by a 16-year-old after a Scott's Law violation in early March. "If you are going down the interstate and you see orange and white lights, that doesn't mean a whole lot to people," said Taylor Feldkamp of Feldkamps Towing. Feldkamp said that working on highways and interstates provides challenges every time they have to do it. That is why he wants to see if drivers can use red and blue lights on their trucks, along with the white and amber they already use.  

Calhoun County firefighters are looking to establish a firefighter training association to help standardize fire response protocols across the county. "One of the big things is that you've got every department now doing kind of their own training. There is not a whole lot of uniformity within Calhoun County. It definitely helps if everybody is on the same page with training," Sandy Run Fire District Assistant Fire Chief Christian Wolfe said Monday. "We all train together because we all have to work together," Wolfe said. "That kind of makes everything go a little smoother on a fire scene." Wolfe spoke on the topic at a recent Calhoun County Council meeting. He said the first step is to create a governing body and rules and regulations the body will follow. Organizers hope to create a commission independent of county council. Even so, organizers hope council will appoint members to the commission similar to what is done with the Rural Fire District and Sandy Run Fire District.  

A simple call to action from an Iowa woman has gone viral on social media. Allison Marois made a TikTok in February asking for help for a gift she's working on for her father's birthday in August. Her father, Bill Collins, recently retired after being a firefighter for more than 38 years. "He really is passionate about being a firefighter. That's the one thing that he's loved. If someone was born to do something, my dad was born to be a firefighter," Marois said. "My dad is one of my number one supporters and he — he is really one of the best men in my life and I wouldn't trade him for anything." Marois is creating a T-shirt quilt for her father. Her goal is to collect fire department T-shirts from all 50 states. The response from her TikTok has been overwhelming.