An opioid overdose reversing drug could soon be available over-the-counter. Administered by injection or as a nasal spray, Naloxone is currently only available by prescription. One brand name, Narcan, is commonly used by first responders, including the Quincy fire and police department, EMS service and sheriff's office. Quincy Fire Department Chief Bernard Vahlkamp said it can be an incredibly useful tool to help someone. "If the person is not breathing and you show up on scene and you are suspecting a possible opiate overdose, even if the person is not breathing, you can give Narcan and it won't hurt the person," Vahlkamp said. "It doesn't have any side effects, it's very quick acting in the body so it can be administered and will reverse the effects fairly quickly, within a minute or two."  

Neighbors in Iroquois County are processing a tragic chain of events. A house fire was only the beginning on Monday, because the owner died in a car crash just hours after it started. "One of my siblings was panicking, watching the fire. They got the news before all of us," neighbor Zoe Tilley said. Then, they all watched as flames took over the second floor of their neighbor's house. "Mom said, ‘you can smell the wood burning,'" Tilley said. "It overwhelmed me personally. I haven't seen anything like that, ever." Buckley Fire Chief Tyler Ecker said no people were inside when crews arrived around 2:48 p.m., and it took about four hours to contain a fire he says started in an upstairs bathroom. Meanwhile, according to Iroquois County Sheriff Clint Perzee, deputies were gathering information about the man and woman who lived there, and the car they left the scene in.  

For the sixth straight year, Buffalo Grove police officers and firefighters gave back to the community with the annual "Shopping With Heroes" event. The holiday event was held on Dec. 10 at Target in Wheeling, "The officers and firefighters look forward to this event every year," said Deputy Chief Michael Szos, who also participated in the event. "It's a great way to give back and help spread some holiday cheer to those who may be needing it most." Donations from the police and fire departments, along with generous donations from the "Temple Chai Guys" men's group from Temple Chai and other anonymous donors, made the event possible. According to organizers, the department identified 16 local children in need to provide gifts for – children who had faced personal or financial family hardships.  

A suburban fire department is stepping up to help spread some warmth this holiday season. The Elgin Fire Department is holding a winter clothing drive that is lasting until Christmas Day. So far, they've collected 400 coats and are still looking for more donations to help those in need. "We collect coats for all folks in need, adults as well as children. Anyone who is able to donate something they will be distributed to the families, individuals that are most in need," said Capt. William Nangle. Although they've collected hundreds of coats already, Nangle says the department is looking to reach this year's goal. "I'd love to see us reach 600 coats if we could. That would really benefit the citizens of Elgin," he said.  

A building collapsed after a fire sparked Thursday morning in northwest Oklahoma City. The fire started at a building in the 2400 block of Northwest 40th Street, near Interstate 44 and Pennsylvania Avenue. When crews arrived, they found heavy flames coming from the building. The building has since collapsed, and crews firefighters are working to put out the flames. Authorities have not said what started the fire.  

The Baltimore City Fire Department began a pilot program Monday to assign senior officers to assistants responsible for making numerous fire scene decisions. Dubbed "battalion technicians," the assistants aim to assist firefighters with tasks that can become overwhelming in an emergency, such as: B. the Stricker Street fire in January, in which several firefighters were trapped when a vacant house collapsed; three people died. In the past 16 years, six department reports have suggested that the department is instituting such a program, but it was only after the Stricker Street fire and the release of a damning investigative report into the incident that the department began providing aides to battalion chiefs. The department has six battalions, each led by a chief who acts as a "deployment commander" at a fire scene.  

VIDEO: As North Texans prepared for severe weather and heeded tornado warnings Monday night, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a familiar directive. "The State of Texas has resources ready for swift deployment, and we are fully prepared to address any potential severe weather expected to impact communities across our state," the governor announced Monday afternoon. "I thank all of our emergency response personnel who are working around the clock to protect their fellow Texans this holiday season." The announcement is one of more than thirty instances just this year in which Gov. Abbott has "activated state resources," "increased readiness levels," or "directed immediate assistance" to areas in need. The levers behind such moves involve a statewide web of first responders and interagency coordination that can connect Texans with help before and after disaster strikes.  

Jay Leno, the guru of the garage, did not mince words describing the accident that put him into intensive care. "And suddenly, boom, I got a face full of gas," Leno said. "And then the pilot light jumped and my face caught on fire." In a televised interview on NBC's "Today" show, the comic looked only a little worse for wear, and he's now back on stage doing standup after nine days at the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles. He was burned last month while he and his friend Dave Killackey were working on one of Leno's vintage automobiles, a 1907 White Steam Car. Describing the accident, Leno said that he had asked Killackey to blow some air through a clogged fuel line, when gasoline erupted and a pilot flame ignited it. "I couldn't even see his face," said Killackey, who joined Leno in the interview.  

It has been 10 years since 20 students and six educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Rob Sibley is a Deputy Chief in the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Department and is also the deputy director for Emergency Management in the village of 9,000 people. Back in 2012, Sibley's youngest son was in the 3rd grade at Sandy Hook Elementary. His wife, Barbara, had gone to the school that morning, December 14, which was a regular sunny winter morning. The parking lot was full. "And as she arrived, it looked like a regular school day," Sibley said. "However, there was a car parked out front." It was shortly before 9:30 a.m. Their son, Daniel, had forgotten his homework. "Daniel had forgotten some items for school at home," Sibley said. "And so, her hope was to be able to get to the classes before assignments were due."