VIDEO: Late CFD Lt. Kevin Ward was remembered Wednesday by his colleagues and family during a funeral ceremony in the Gold Coast neighborhood. The funeral took place in the heart of Chicago, shutting down Michigan Avenue for several hours and giving the public a chance to share in the sorrow and take a beat to honor the respect and sacrifice of someone who died fighting a fire for the city. Ward was celebrated Wednesday for his many specialized careers and hobbies. He was a devoted public servant for 26 years. Ward died after battling a house fire on the Northwest Side. He had been hospitalized for 17 days and was unable to breathe on his own. There was a walking procession on Michigan Avenue Wednesday morning. The Emerald Society Pipe and Drum Corps led and fire engines followed.  

Two former firefighters were honored at Constellation Energy's Midwest Fire Training Academy in Morris on Sunday, Sept. 10th. Firefighters from 15 departments across the region spent the day in training as part of Pow Wow 2023, the annual training and continuing education hours sponsored by Chief Shabbona Firefighters' Association. During the event, retired Morris Fire Deputy Chief Bob Wills was presented with a plaque recognizing his "many years of dedicated service to the Chief Shabbona Fire Training Association." Wills retired from the Morris Fire Department in January after more than four decades of service. In addition to recognizing Wills, Chief Shabbona also recognized Fire School Chair Charlie Boyd. Boyd served several years with the Braidwood Fire Department and is currently a trustee with the Braidwood Fire Protection District.  

VIDEO: Eighty people are displaced after a four-alarm fire ripped through an apartment complex Wednesday night. Firefighters battled flames into Thursday morning. All 49 apartments in the complex have been impacted, and 80 residents have been displaced. Officials are telling people in the area to conserve water. Oxford police said to avoid South 3rd Street between Market and Hodgson Streets. The fire started just after 11:30 p.m. at the apartment complex, at Third and Locust Streets. Flames spread to multiple buildings including businesses and a warehouse. A structural collapse also occurred. In total, 17 businesses were damaged, including 13 residential buildings. The fire chief said one firefighter suffered minor burns, and several nearby fire companies were called out to help, including some from out of state.  

VIDEO: San Diego first responders say they are overwhelmed with mental health calls. They're hoping changes at the state and local level will provide more resources to help alleviate the problem. They received more than 53,000 calls last year and oftentimes, there's not much they could do to help those on the other end. San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell said responding to mental health calls has put a strain on his department, it's affecting all first responders. "You're talking about over 130,000 hours, personnel hours just that year on scene for mental health emergencies," said Chief Stowell. That's the equivalent of 36 first responders spending their entire shift every day for a year just responding to mental health calls. Chief Stowell also said it creates overcrowding at local hospitals because there's nowhere else for the patients to go.  

Bridget Melton, Ed.D., professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Kinesiology at Georgia Southern University, is part of a team awarded $1.1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist with a study aimed to promote wellness in firefighters and first responders. Melton is collaborating with researchers at the University of Kentucky as part of a three-year study that builds on a decade of foundational work by Melton and the Tactical Athlete Initiative team in the Waters College of Health Professions, College of Education and the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health. The grant will help the researchers assist firefighters with injury mitigation, better work outcomes and reduction in financial burdens.  

VIDEO: Five years after over-pressurized gas traveled through underground lines fueling fires and explosions across the Merrimack Valley, new legislation aims to prevent that from ever happening again. "We proposed new regulations to affect nearly 2.3 million miles of pipelines across the country," said Tristan Brown, the Deputy Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration part of the Department of Transportation. The explosions destroyed five homes, damaged more than a hundred properties, injured firefighters and civilians, forced fifty thousand people to evacuate their homes and caused the tragic death of Leonel Rondon. The legislation will be named after Rondon and was co-sponsored by Senator Ed Markey.