The Aurora City Council this week approved a $477 million budget for 2020 that includes new police officers and firefighters, a major increase for the Aurora Public Library and money toward a new Public Works building. The budget passed 11-1 with city staff and most aldermen saying the budget reflects solid financial management by the city. "We have a plan; we have revenue. We indicate how things are going to be paid for," said Ald. Robert O'Connor, at large, the Finance Committee chairman. "We do have balanced budgets; we meet our commitments. We don't see dramatic ups and downs." The overall budget is about 9.3% higher than last year's $431 million. Some of that is due to almost $35 million carried over from the 2019 budget for projects that did not get finished during the year.  

Thanks to a grant from Illinois American Water, the Romeoville Fire Department will be purchasing new cancer dog screening tests, as cancer is a high priority for firefighters. The Illinois American Water Firefighter Grant Program provides financial assistance to fire and emergency organizations serving communities in its service areas. The program awards grants to provide personal protective gear, communications equipment, firefighting tools, water handling equipment, training materials and classroom programs. The grant winners were announced in conjunction with National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6 – 12, 2019, to raise awareness about the importance of fire prevention and emergency planning. This year, over $88,000 will be shared by 90 Illinois fire departments through the grant program.  

A Champaign Fire Department spokesman says a fireplace is to blame for a blaze that damaged a house early Thursday morning. Randy Smith says crews were called to 915 West Vine Street at around 5:50 a.m. He says they saw light smoke coming from the attic and eaves of the two-story home when they arrived on scene. Smith says there was one occupant home at the time of the fire. He says the resident heard the smoke alarm go off, saw smoke near the corners of the fireplace and called 9-1-1. Smith says firefighters found flames in the wall near the fireplace. He says they opened the interior wall and the ceiling in that area to make sure the fire hadn't spread any further. Smith says there was minor smoke damage in the house. A dollar damage estimate was not available. There were no injuries.  

A woman is accusing her ex-boyfriend of allegedly setting her vehicle on fire Thursday morning in Grand Crossing on the South Side, police said. According to police, the 29-year-old woman told officers around midnight she was in the 1400 block of East 69th Place when she allegedly saw her ex-boyfriend pour an accelerant on her black Jeep SUV and set in on fire. No one was injured and police said the ex-boyfriend is not in custody. CPD arson detectives are investigating.  

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Wednesday announced that the city would provide firefighters an average raise of nearly 20 percent. The raises will go into effect this January.Fire Chief Randall B. Slaughter called the raises historic. "This pay raise represents the single largest pay enhancement to firefighters in this city in my 29 year career," Slaughter said.Wednesday's announcement capped years of tension between firefighters and the city leaders that at times became public. Firefighters did receive a 3.1 percent raise in the city's 2020 budget but that amount is dwarfed by the 30 percent raises for police officers that Bottoms announced last year.The city agreed to the police raises after a study found that Atlanta Police are paid below the median amounts at almost every level and rank.  

Phoenix Fire Department Chief Kara Kalkbrenner announced in a message to the department Wednesday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Kalkbrenner, who was sworn in as the first woman to lead the department in December 2014, said in the message she will undergo a double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery this Friday. "While this is unfortunate news, I have a positive outlook and feel confident that I will beat this,'' Kalkbrenner said in the message, which was posted on the Phoenix Fire Department's Facebook page on Wednesday evening. "The diagnosis came after I discovered a lump in my breast several weeks ago,'' she said. "Our department is fortunate to have the exemplary team from the Vincere Cancer Center in our court. The physicians used state of the art diagnostics to determine the best course of treatment."  

Never far from the busy engines of Los Angeles's Fire Station 9 on Skid Row is a man known by everyone in the area as 'Mango.' Even though he can often be found wearing an LAFD cap and jacket designating him as the "Fire Traffic Officer," he is not an official member of L.A. City Fire. But when the calls fire off at Station 9, Mango springs into action, just like the crews. "This is the number one busiest fire station in the nation," said Mango. "My job is helping my guys here." The biggest way he knows how to help is clearing a safe path for the fire engines and ambulances to get where they need to go. "What I do is I stop the traffic, so they can have enough time to get off the truck, secure themselves," Mango said. Whether it's late at night or early in the day, Mango is there to offer a hand or sometimes even a hug to the crews.  

Chattanooga Fire Department Capt. Skyler Phillips fought back tears Tuesday as he told City Council members the story of a nearly blind woman with broken glasses who used to regularly call 911 seeking help after tripping and falling. This fall, the department launched a new program, CFD Connect, that seeks to connect frequent non-emergency 911 callers with social services that proactively address their problems before they turn to calling for emergency help. Since outfitting that woman with a new chair and glasses, she hasn't called 911 a single time, said the emergency medical services coordinator for the fire department. The saddest part is how common these cases are, Fire Training Chief William Andrews told the council. When they get the calls, first responders recognize the addresses. They know the callers by name.  

Local first responders are talking about ongoing issues they face when responding to 911 calls. Fire and EMS providers now rely on GPS systems that sometimes take them far from where they need to go. Fire Chief Jerry Hanson says it's an issue for East Prospect Fire Company about once a month. "There was a fire last month on Otter Street, which is literally two miles from here, but the way it came up on mapping, it wanted me to go to Columbia," Hanson said. The problem is the mailing addresses people give to 911 dispatchers don't always match up with the new GPS systems used by nearly all fire companies in York County. "We have a lot of people here that have Wrightsville mailing addresses," Hanson said. "In the borough, there are things like Cherry Street. Well, there is a Cherry Street here and a Cherry Street there, and it can get pretty confusing." EMS providers say they have the same issues. Like the fire department, they bring on volunteers who don't know the area well.