The City Council voted Tuesday night to hire Litchfield's former fire chief, Kevin Schott, as the Mattoon Fire Department's interim chief. City Council member Rick Hall said Schott has extensive experience as a city chief and as a firefighter with the Illinois Air National Guard. After retiring from the Guard, Schott served as chief operating officer for the Illinois State Fire Marshall's Office. "I look forward to working with all of you and meeting all of the public and trying to make things better," Schott said at the meeting. Schott's interim chief contract will be effective Jan. 13-July 12. Hall said the city will begin searching for a permanent chief with the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association's help, adding that all applicants are welcome.  

Peoria firefighters were called just before noon Tuesday to a home in the 1100 E. Melbourne on reports of a fire with an occupant possibly trapped inside. Battalion Chief Nate Rice said crews found smoke coming from the front door and a man attempting to come out. "He was using a walker. So, it took him a little bit of time to get out of his house," Rice said. The man was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The extent of his injuries were unknown. Rice said oxygen bottles were found inside the home. "I believe he was on oxygen. So, that may have contributed some to it. Because those materials can help the fire spread quicker," Rice said. The fire was contained to a bedroom. Crews had it knocked down within five minutes.  

The Monmouth Fire Department recently received a donation of specialized oxygen mask equipment for pets. The kits are part of Invisible Fence's Project Breathe program and were donated by Phil Vroman from Invisible Fence Of The Quad Cities. During a structure fire, large amounts of noxious smoke can be generated in a very short time. On account of the shape of a dog or cats snout, it can be problematic to deliver oxygen rapidly after the pets have been removed from the incident. The new, pet-specific masks can fit around the animal's snout and create a tight seal that allows the correct amount of oxygen to be delivered, aiding in the recovery. "These kits are a welcome addition to our toolbox," said Monmouth Fire Chief Casey Rexroat. "There have been times in the past when we have had to adapt oxygen kits designed for humans to work with man's best friend.  

A Tuesday morning fire heavily damaged an Alton home. At 6 a.m. Tuesday, the Godfrey Fire Protection District issued a box alarm for a heavy blaze in the 5200 block of Brook Road. While the address is in Alton, the home is located in the Godfrey Fire Protection District's jurisdiction. Godfrey Fire Protection District Chief Eric Cranmer said that firefighters arrived to see heavy smoke coming out of the house. According to Cranmer, the fire had started in the basement of the house. "It was a one-story house, and the main floor collapsed into the basement," he said. Cranmer said the homeowner, his wife and son were present at the time of the fire. The homeowner attempted to put out the fire, he said, and suffered minor burns. No other injuries were reported.  

The Plainfield Fire Protection District will be purchasing fifty "Stop The Bleed" kits to utilize in providing training to local school districts thanks to a grant from Illinois American Water. 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.  

As California Governor Gavin Newsom continues cracking down on the state's oil industry, local officials say that a move away from oil may carry some unintended consequences. If Kern's oil industry took a hit, so would it's economy. And that would manifest itself in many ways, one of which being property taxes. Kern collects property taxes based on the value of oil and gas reserves within county lines. So if the value of everything collected is gone, that could mean trouble. "Property tax is the primary funding source for the fire department, any changes in the evaluation of lands, especially our oil lands, will have a significant impact to that budget," said David Nelson, the President of the Kern County Firefighters Association, a union that represents the Kern County Fire Department.  

New Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green wants the city council to review the city's controversial Public Safety Officer program. The city has been slowly replacing firefighter positions with Public Safety Officers, or PSO's, which are police officers cross-trained as firefighters. The move has angered firefighters and was a big issue in the election where council member Green defeated incumbent Mayor Jim Brown. "There are aspects of it I like. There are aspects of it I don't think are in the best interests of the city," Green told KCRG TV. Just 15 fulltime firefighters remain on staff in Cedar Falls which is down from 30. Many left, saying they don't feel safe working with PSOs. Firefighters endorsed Green for mayor, hoping he would bring changes to the program. Now less than one week in — Mayor Green says he does not want to cut any more firefighter positions, but he stopped short of promising to reverse the program.  

The Superior Fire Department rung in 2020 with a new building, a new chief, a new fire truck and new technology that will take their work into the digital cloud. It's a young crew heading into the new year. Half the department has been there five years or less. Firefighters in their 20s outnumber firefighters in their 50s by 10-to-1. "The most senior person is not 50 years old — that has never happened in the history of the fire department," said Fire Chief Scott Gordon, 49. The loss of experience is a challenge, he said. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the department lost a cumulative 80 years of experience when former Fire Chief Steve Panger, Battalion Chief Steve Edwards and Captain Dave Johnson retired. It's also an opportunity for change. Seven years ago, Panger inherited a veteran command staff. Gordon's command staff has a cumulative three years of experience in administration.  

If your house catches fire, your husband has a heart attack or your cat gets stuck in a tree in Reno this year, you might find yourself the unsuspecting star of a new "COPS"-style reality TV show that airs in real time. At its meeting Wednesday, the Reno City Council will decide whether to sign a contract with A&E's "Live Rescue" that would allow television production crews to embed with firefighters responding to calls. Created in 2019, "Live Rescue" is a spin-off from the popular "Live PD," which has roiled communities across the country with the way it depicts it citizens interacting with police. Under the contract, "Live Rescue" crews would be allowed exclusive access to film Reno firefighters for the next year in exchange for a licensing fee of $500 a week. The footage would be aired "almost live" as a panel of in-studio personalities provide commentary.  

The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department (TFRD) is rolling out a new way to recruit with a focus on the community. Fire Chief Brian Byrd has assigned a specific team to recruit even more diverse candidates. They will work with community leaders like Toledo City Council members and Toledo Public Schools to fill the 50 open spots for the next class. "The fire department, and people have heard me say this before, is 150 years of tradition unimpeded by progress," Byrd said. "We need some progress. We need to do some things differently." Byrd says the time for change is now. He announced Tuesday morning that there will now be a full-time team of at least two people dedicated to finding the right recruits. "First of all we're looking for people who want to help people. That's what we do. We're out there for one purpose. That's to serve the community and help people."