Village Manager David Fieldman has announced the appointment of Deputy Chief Scott A. Spinazola to the position of Fire Chief for the Village of Downers Grove, effective Saturday, July 24, 2021. He assumes the role with the retirement of former Chief Jeff Pindelski. "Over the past five years, Chief Spinazola has demonstrated his thorough understanding of the operational and administrative aspects of fire department operations. He is a respected leader who is well prepared to meet our community's expectations for great public safety services," Manager Fieldman said. Spinazola joined the Downers Grove Fire Department in 2016 with 28 years of experience in the fire service. Over the past five years as Deputy Chief, he has been responsible for fire suppression and rescue, Emergency Medical Services activities, and specialized rescues.  

The body of a Dolton firefighter who was found dead while on vacation is finally back home. The remains of Robert Morgan arrived Saturday night at O'Hare International Airport from the Dominican Republic. Fellow firefighters brought his casket to Country Club Hills for his funeral. According to published reports, the 50-year-old died on July 7, but his body was not sent back home until a thorough investigation was done. The results of that investigation have not been released. Morgan was an engineer who served Dolton fire for 21 years.  

Police, firefighters and paramedics from Fox River Grove responded about 6:35 a.m. Friday, July 23, 2021 to a report of a drowning in an in-ground backyard pool behind a home in the block of 1000 Lincoln Avenue in Fox River Grove. Police, firefighters and paramedics on arrival discovered a 5 year-old girl unresponsive in the back yard of a home on Lincoln Avenue near Elder Lane just south of the Fox Fiver. Paramedics treated the girl with CPR and Advanced Life Support, but pronounced the girl deceased at the scene. The child was able to exit the house about 5:00 a.m. without adults aware that she went outside. The McHenry County COroner's Office will be conducting the autopsy.  

After battling an early morning arson fire in Peoria, two firefighters were treated for injuries. Just after midnight on Sunday, crews responded to the 800 block of West Richmond for a report of a house fire. Upon arrival, they found heavy fire coming from the two-story home. Crews entered the house multiple ways but evacuated multiple times due to the heavy heat and smoke. A ladder truck was set up and streams were used to knock down the fire, eventually putting it out. An investigator on the scene determined the cause to be arson. No civilians were injured, but two firefighters were transported for treatment. Damage is estimated to cost $55,000.  

VIDEOS: An explosion rocked a New Jersey apartment building Friday afternoon as fire department crews raced to put out flames shooting out of the structure. A multi-level apartment building in Carteret had heavy smoke and tall flames shooting out from much of the roof by 2 p.m. At one point an explosion could be seen in the middle of the roof and the top floor of the building. Nine hours after the fire began, firefighters were still pouring water on hot spots. By the time fire teams were able to get control of the fire and extinguish most of the blaze, 48 units had been damaged and 75 residents were displaced. A city spokesperson called the building a complete loss. One single mother who lived in the building was devasted to learn everything had been burned.  

VIDEO: You don't have to be in Howie Schneider's presence long to realize he's a firefighter with more than 30 years of service. The family portraits give it away, as most of the Schneiders wear fire suits for a living. He's the third generation and spent more than 10 years at the Los Angeles Fire Department, where his grandfather started. "He had badge number 3, so he was one of the founders of that department. They got over 2,000 guys down there now," Schneider said. Now that badge number three sits in a case and is the oldest known LAFD badge in existence - but that isn't even close to the oldest pieces Schneider has. The bulk of the case is what appear to be fragrance bottles but are actually old fire extinguishers dating back to the 1860s.  

VIDEO: For a second time this week, a D.C. firefighter has been the victim of car theft while on duty serving the public, but this time, it was an armed carjacking. "It's extremely frustrating for people that are trying to help other people to have this happen to them," D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly said. The firefighter walked out of Engine Company 8 in the 1500 block of C Street SE just after 11 p.m. Wednesday and started to get into his car parked nearby, according to the police report. Two young males, possibly teenagers, both armed with handguns approached him, demanded his keys and cellphone, then drove away in his Volkswagen Passat. "I think the police chief said it the other day," Donnelly said. "I'm sick and tired of this, and I agree with him, but our people, we're still going to be serving, but is very disappointing."  

On the day before Thanksgiving in 2019, a fire tore through the 14th floor of Cedar High Apartments in Minneapolis. Five people died in the fire. State fire marshals determined sprinklers could've prevented the tragedy. It led to calls for changes to state and federal law. The high-rise apartment building, however, still doesn't have sprinklers in every unit. "When an alarm goes off, everyone runs away as if something's going to happen bad," said Abdi Mohamed, whose mother died in the fire. "There's no trust in that building because there's no sprinklers. If there's sprinklers, people might be at peace." The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority told us it plans to start installing the sprinklers this fall. It's part of a larger plan to retrofit 24 buildings across the system over the next three years, according to Deputy Executive Director Jennifer Keogh.  

PHOTOS: The 9/11 Traveling Memorial has made its way to downtown Cheyenne. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, along with Carpet One have done their part in bringing the traveling memorial to Cheyenne to honor the brave heroes that lost their live after providing their courageous rescue efforts as this year marks the 20th anniversary of the events of 9/11. The memorial will be in Cheyenne through July 26th and will be on display just to the west of the downtown Depot. This will be the first visit that the traveling exhibit is making to Cheyenne. The memorial is a traveling museum that contains stories and remains of 9/11. It is currently one of four traveling 9/11 memorials in the U.S. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is an organization that is nationally recognized. They have dedicated the organization to firefighter Stephen Siller, who died in the horrible events of 9/11 after he had saved others on that day.