PHOTOS: A fire at one of Rockford's iconic restaurants Thursday evening caused about $300,000 in damage. The Rockford Fire Department responded to a call at Capri Restaurant at 313 E. State Street at 4:20 p.m. for a structure fire. According to a release, fire officials say Capri employees were preparing to open the restaurant and were cooking food when a fire broke out above one of the pizza ovens. Employees were not able to put out the fire and called 911 when the fire began to spread further into the restaurant. When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke coming from three sides of the building and the roof. Fire officials say everyone inside was able to exit the building safely.  

The Edwardsville and Glen Carbon Fire Departments have implemented an innovative way to treat patients suffering cardiac arrest that's yielding encouraging results. The departments earlier this year began using an enhanced form of cardiopulmonary resuscitation that takes a cue from NASCAR pit crews. Anyone familiar with a NASCAR event has probably seen pit crews in action: Every member has one specific role that they handle simultaneously, enabling the crew to get their driver back on the track quickly. In the life-and-death situations emergency responders face, anything that boosts speed and efficiency is obviously even more essential. And while the enhanced CPR method doesn't completely overhaul how cardiac calls are handled, it makes several critical improvements.  

The Chicago Police and Firefighter Training Academy is about career development and being ahead of the curve – a hands-on, up close, and personal program for students interested in public safety, law enforcement, criminal justice, and fire science. Inysse Tyler, a senior at CPS' Lance Tech, said she is interested in a career exploring and believes a job in civic duty is significant. "I am pretty surprised about how hands-on the program actually is," she said. "I didn't expect to get the opportunity to shoot water out of the hose. It's been amazing and learning about police tactics. It's all been very interesting. My favorite part, personally, is all the exercise that we do. I love the workouts." Workouts include climbing a fire truck or opening a closed door at the fire academy. At the police academy, a workout of the brain as students attends several classes.  

Crews were called out for a hazardous material leak in Gilman Wednesday. Just after 8 a.m., a nitric acid leak was discovered to be coming from a semi that was parked at the Pilot Travel Center in Gilman. Emergency responders, led by Gilman Fire Protection District, were called to the scene. A private cleanup crew was called in to clean up the spill. Overnight, the cleanup crew suffered an equipment failure that led to more nitric acid being spilled. Private cleanup crews are working with Gilman Fire Protection District, Iroquois County EMA, Illinois EPA, and Pilot Travel Center to finish the cleanup job.  

New video shows the moment a Broward firefighter saved his girlfriend from a burning car after a fiery crash involving a fuel truck on Interstate 95 earlier this week. The cellphone footage shows firefighter Bryan Aparicio and his girlfriend, Su Hninyi, running as the fuel tanker and other vehicles are consumed by flames. The crash happened on I-95 near Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday. Aparicio and Hninyi were in an Uber heading to a cruise port at the time. Florida Highway Patrol officials said a car had traveled into the tanker's lane of travel, resulting in a collision that caused the tanker to overturn. A third driver swerved to avoid the crash and hit the median, knocking down a light pole that fell into traffic, hitting the fourth and fifth cars, officials said. Aparicio was able to break the back window of the burning car he was in to escape but Su was still trapped inside, so he went back to save her.  

On National First Responders Day, we honor the bravery of our Nation's heroes who put their lives on the line for their fellow Americans each and every day — from law enforcement officers who keep our streets safe and firefighters who rush into burning buildings, to relief workers who care for our families after natural disasters and EMTs, paramedics, and other public health workers who provide life-saving emergency care at a moment's notice. When tragedies strike, these women and men are always there to help us, and we thank them for their extraordinary service to our country. I have witnessed up close the courage, character, and valor of first responders across the Nation. In Florida, Puerto Rico, and Kentucky, search and rescue teams swooped in to save lives in the aftermath of Hurricanes Ian and Fiona and historic flooding.  

The ATF says they've completed their investigation into the January 24 fire that killed three Baltimore City firefighters. It was that morning when a vacant home at 205 S. Stricker went up in flames. Paul Butrim, Kelsey Sadler and Kenneth Lacayo were among the firefighers who responded to battle the blaze. The privately owned vacant home collapsed, trapping the trio, ultimately killing them. Their deaths were ruled homicide, as an act of arson was determined to have caused the fire. Little information has been revealed on any potential suspects. So far, investigators have only released a 40 second video clip that shows a person near the scene of the fire the night before. A $100,000 reward was being offered for information leading to that person's identity.  

Starting Nov. 1, firefighters who were let go from South King Fire and Rescue because of the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be allowed to come back to work. The agency's board of directors voted unanimously during their Sept. 27 meeting to authorize Fire Chief Dave Mataftin to let unvaccinated firefighters return beginning Nov. 1, which is the day after Gov. Jay Inslee's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers is scheduled to end. That means SKFR employees who were put on leave for choosing not to take the vaccine can return to their public-facing jobs. Those separated from the agency can also return as long as vacancies for their positions exist. (New employees will still need to receive a COVID vaccination, Mataftin said.) Mataftin said he is confident it's safe for those unvaccinated personnel to return.  

A year of preparations and negotiations has led to a new, four-year contract for firefighters with the City of Fort Worth. The Fort Worth City Council unanimously approved the agreement on Oct. 25 following 97.4% approval of the proposal by the 970 members of the association. The agreement is the fourth collectively bargained agreement between the city and firefighters, according to the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association. "This agreement is a win for the city, the taxpayers and for firefighter families. City leaders showed that they are committed to cooperating with firefighters on important issues such as labor-management agreements," said Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association President Michael Glynn.