May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, which was created in 1949 to bring attention to the struggles. Earlier this month, Illinois Lieutenant Governor, Juliana Stratton, put out a statement, which recognized the importance of mental health. "Mental wellness is essential for a happy life, and we are committed to ensuring everyone has access to the help they need. An inclusive and equitable approach to mental health, will lead to stronger, more resilient communities where no one faces their challenges alone," Stratton said. With conversations surrounding mental health becoming more common, one of the groups having to make the focus more of a priority is first responders. 13 WREX spoke with Rochelle's Fire Chief who said 20% of first responders are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.  

Dozens of DeKalb residents are displaced after an apartment fire Wednesday night. A strong smell of smoke still lingers in the air near Kimberly Drive. According to an update provided by city officials on Thursday morning, 43 people have been displaced and three people were assessed for smoke inhalation. Damage is estimated around $850,000 and the building has been deemed uninhabitable. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Fire Chief Mike Thomas has sympathy for those displaced by the fire. "That's devastating for those folks," Thomas said. "And so we feel bad for them. We feel bad for the loss to the community of having a building that—- it's going to take a while for that building to recover." Tommy Phillips has lived in the neighborhood for about three years. On Wednesday night, he says he saw smoke at the building next to his and called 911.  

A six-alarm fire on Thursday night destroyed several buildings that were part of a Templeton, Massachusetts, horse farm, video from the scene showed. Fire tore through several buildings at the Liberty-Belle Stables on Patriots Road in Templeton. Templeton firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving reports of heavy fire in the area between the house and the horse barn. "First arriving, crews did a very, very good job getting the horses out safely," Deputy Chief Rick Paine with the Templeton Fire Department said. "All the horses were accounted for." Paine said the flames very quickly spread to the first barn and worked their way into the riding stable. Paine said flames were shooting 40 to 50 feet in the air, along with intense heat. "Both horse farms in the riding arena were a total loss," Paine said.  

Many firefighters enter the profession because of their passion of helping and serving others, but according to research, they're doing it at the risk of their own health and safety. "I'll be honest, I wasn't very surprised. I've been in the profession for 24 years now and not in a sense of comparing it to others, but I just know the demands that come along with it," said Shreveport firefighter Brandon Lee. Firefighting is the most physically demanding job in the country. That's according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracked the physical requirements of about 480 jobs at more than 56,000 workplaces. "I think they've shown studies before where even just a 30-minute time frame, the type of work we do equates to a seven- or eight-hour work time frame for the average physical activity," said Caddo Fire District 4 Chief Chad Falls.  

VIDEO: The Busted Plug sculpture - one of city's most known landmarks - still hasn't been relocated. The 40-foot metal fire hydrant was created by well known Columbia artist, Blue Sky, but was taken down with little indication on where it would be put next. In February of last year, the city of Columbia commissioned a construction company called McClam & Associates to remove the sculpture off Taylor Street and keep it in storage until the city decided what they were going to do with it. "We aren't being paid to leave it on our property, we are just allowing the city to leave it here until they move it. I haven't been told where they will put it, but I am told they will be relocating it," said Rusty McClam, the president of the company.  

VIDEO: One in four Floridians would ignore hurricane evacuation warnings, according to a new AAA survey. Hurricane season starts Saturday and forecasters predict it could be one of the busiest on record. Preparation is key during hurricane season, which includes knowing your evacuation route. But most people also say they would only evacuate for a Category 3 storm or stronger. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasters predict this Atlantic hurricane season will be above average. They say unprecedented ocean heat and a brewing La Nina are factors. A new AAA survey says a quarter of people living in Florida would not evacuate if a hurricane was approaching. The top reasons include people wanting to stay and fix any damage to their home or property, belief that a storm would turn away from their direction and that they would not know where to go.