The story begins in 1736, when Benjamin Franklin founded the Union Fire company. By 1871, a Union Fire Company was launched in Centreville, Illinois with 32 members. This is where the story gets a bit confusing, because the town 10 miles south of Centreville also named themselves Centreville. Incredibly, this went on for about 50 years before the southern Centreville realized they had a problem, so in 1890 they changed their name to Millstadt, and the Centreville Fire Department eventually evolved into the Millstadt Union Fire Company. Millstadt is a proud, historic town of German ancestry. German was taught in schools for many years. A drive through town will still take you past Wolfmeier Trucking, Reinrdhart's Lounge, and the Muskopf garage. As other fire departments came and went, Millstadt stayed the course. Today, the Union Fire Company of Millstadt is the oldest continuous volunteer fire department in Illinois.  

The Illinois Fire Marshal and the Madison County Coroner's Office are investigating a fatal house fire early Monday morning after emergency crews battled the blaze for nearly five hours in the 100 block of Second Avenue in Edwardsville. One person and three dogs were pronounced dead Monday, according to Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford. The victim has been identified by Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn as 62-year-old Steven E. King, who resided at the address of the fire, 110 Second St. Nonn said nobody else was home at the time. The blaze started in a residential building shortly after 6 a.m., located on the south side of the street between Bryant and Longfellow avenues.  

Six members of the Springfield Fire Department were promoted to different ranks by Fire Chief Allen Reyne in a ceremony at the City Council chambers Monday. Among those promoted was 23-year veteran Jeph Bassett, who moves from deputy chief to division chief. "Each rank has a different responsibility and job description within the Fire Department," Reyne said afterward, "but it is an important first step for each of those who are taking on new leadership responsibilities. Despite where you fit into the hierarchy of command, each job is important. "I'm excited for them. They've worked very hard. They're all very well-deserving."  

Springfield fire officials are investigating the cause of a Monday afternoon house fire that displaced two people. Chief Allen Reyne said firefighters were dispatched to the 1200 block of North 15th Street at about 11:30 a.m. While crews were able to put out a bulk of the heavy flames coming from the back of the house, he said, their efforts were hampered by a power line on the ground. Reyne said that once City Water, Light and Power deenergized the line, firefighters were able fully extinguish the fire. It took about 30 minutes for them to get the flames under control, he said. Reyne said firefighters rescued a cat at the scene Monday, and the house's two occupants were not home at the time of the fire. A nearby house was also threatened by the fire, he said, but it was not damaged. No injuries or other displacements were reported Monday.  

Making 911 as "smart" as your cellphone. That's the goal of first responders meeting Monday to learn more about Next Gen 911. This new system is already online in parts of three counties, Kittitas, Snohomish and King counties. It's called RAADAR, Real time Agency Activity Display and Reporting. What that means is from right here, NORCOM can see what police and fire are doing in those three counties. Seattle's fire chief says they could have used a system like this when disaster struck on the Aurora Bridge. It remains the worst mass transit disaster in Seattle history. In 2015, a Ride the Ducks amphibious vehicle loaded with tourists lost its axle and plowed into a bus filled with North Seattle College international students. Five people died, 70 were injured. When the call went out, Seattle first responders needed help fast.  

The Greenwood City Council is considering a new food and beverage tax to bolster staffing levels at city departments, specifically the police and fire departments. The plan for a 1% food and beverage tax was made possible earlier this year when state lawmakers passed a bill that authorizes Greenwood and several other communities to impose such a tax. Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers and other city leaders hope the money raised by the tax will ultimately help increase the number of police officers and firefighters working throughout the city. "The revenue generated – much of it from our city's growing number of visitors – will provide critical funding for quality of life, economic development and public safety initiatives," Myers said in a statement.  

The Brighton Fire District in the Town of Tonawanda is being called out by the state Comptroller's Office, for improper use of taxpayer money. A new audit says money was wrongly used on trips for members of the fire company and spouses. The Brighton Fire District protects roughly 7 square miles within the Town of Tonawanda and charges a fire tax on residents who live within the district. A state audit reveals between 2011 and 2016 members of the fire department used a district credit card to take themselves and spouses on trips to conferences, with taxpayers picking up the tab. So how much money are we talking here? The Comptroller's Office looked at credit card and travel expenses totaling $274,000 and that they found $30,000 in questionable spending for the secretary and treasurer.  

The story begins in 1736, when Benjamin Franklin founded the Union Fire company. By 1871, a Union Fire Company was launched in Centreville, Illinois with 32 members. This is where the story gets a bit confusing, because the town 10 miles south of Centreville also named themselves Centreville. Incredibly, this went on for about 50 years before the southern Centreville realized they had a problem, so in 1890 they changed their name to Millstadt, and the Centreville Fire Department eventually evolved into the Millstadt Union Fire Company. Millstadt is a proud, historic town of German ancestry. German was taught in schools for many years. A drive through town will still take you past Wolfmeier Trucking, Reinrdhart's Lounge, and the Muskopf garage. As other fire departments came and went, Millstadt stayed the course. Today, the Union Fire Company of Millstadt is the oldest continuous volunteer fire department in Illinois.  

The Eureka Fire Protection District is testing technology designed to keep drivers and emergency responders safe. Division Chief Scott Barthelmass said his department sees dangerous driving nearly every time they respond to a call. "A vehicle approaching at 60-70 miles per hour when there's an emergency ahead is dangerous," he said. "We park engines farther back to be blockers just because of the fact we're trying to protect our personnel who are helping somebody whose life may already be at risk." That's one reason the Eureka Fire Protection District is testing MakeWay. It's a device that's been installed on emergency vehicles and is automatically activated when the emergency vehicle's lights and sirens are activated. The activation triggers a verbal warning to nearby drivers through their phone before it's too late for them to slow down and move over.