While some doctors play golf or tennis on their days off, one local emergency room physician spends his free time riding along with the Peoria Fire Department with his camera. Dr. Elsburgh Clarke is an ER doctor at Hopedale Medical Complex. He's been working in emergency medicine for more than 40 years and previously trained at LA County Hospital, where he began taking photographs. "I started to do pictures in the ER. I have multiple pictures from back in the day, back in 1977, ‘78 when ‘ER' was just coming about," said Clarke, referring to the TV show. Growing up, Clarke said he always knew he would be an FBI agent, a fireman or a doctor. While he ended up as the latter, he always took an interest in fire departments, frequently following fire engines around whenever he could.  

Algonquin Fire Protection District officials are working to investigate what caused a home that is under construction to catch fire on Tuesday in a blaze that sent one firefighter to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Firefighters were called to the construction site in the 500 block of Harrison Street just after 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Once on scene, they found a two-story home that is under construction on fire, fire officials said on Tuesday. Fire crews, including those from neighboring communities, started an aggressive attack on the fire, which was coming from the home's first floor along with flames when crews arrived, officials said in a news release. However, firefighters were forced to shift into a defensive posture when the structural integrity of the home's first floor became compromised, fire officials said.  

Fire crews are on scene of a fire that spread in a forested area in the northern portion of Williamson County Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters with the Williamson County Fire Protection District responded to a fire in the 14000 block of Urbana Lane, just southwest of Johnston City. A big plume of smoke could be seen by motorists from miles away, with reports seen from Carterville, Goreville and north of Johnston City. We have a crew on the scene and will have more information as it becomes available.  

Niles Fire Dept. Explorer Post 28 advisor, fire engineer Jim Leibach, and members of the Explorer post received the Above and Beyond Volunteer Award from the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance at an event in Addison earlier this month. Leibach and the Explorers were recognized for their work at Camp I Am Me, a summer camp for burn victims. "Members of Post 28, have volunteered their time, talents, and efforts annually at Camp I Am Me's Visitor's Day for many years," Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Ray Larson said in his award nomination letter. "They have participated in the annual parade, as well as providing countless hours of setting up and helping run the camper's fun fair event," Larson continued. "The dedication of this post and the time they have given have provided countless smiles and positive memories of the campers that attend Camp I Am Me. Without volunteers such as these, Camp I Am Me would not run as seamlessly as it does. Their spirit and desire to volunteer betters us all who strive to make a positive difference."  

One person is dead, two are unaccounted for and several others are hospitalized following a massive fire that consumed a rooming house in New Bedford on Tuesday afternoon. As of Tuesday evening, fire officials were using a drone to peer through windows and search the ruined building. "We can confirm one fatality," Mayor Jon Mitchell said. "We can confirm there are two people who are unaccounted for." The fire at Royal Crown Lodging, on Acushnet Avenue, was initially reported shortly after 3 p.m. More than an hour later, as Sky5 flew over the four-story building, firefighters were dousing the building with water from all sides. The water was pouring out from doors on the ground floor but flames and heavy smoke continued. New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger said that the first firefighters to arrive rescued several people from the windows of the building.  

Since Sept. 28, when Southwest Florida's first responders and dispatchers took thousands of heartbreaking 911 calls, there has been a big focus on those first responders' mental well-being. Part of Florida's emergency response plan for Ian was providing mental health support for our first responders. WINK News asked them what that day was like and how they're doing six months later. "I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it," said Diana Hernden, division chief of EMS and health/safety with the Iona-McGregor Fire District. Hernden was one of the people keeping track of those emergency calls as the wind picked up and the storm surge rushed in. "Our hearts were just breaking for the community," Hernden said. She didn't hear the panic in the voices on the other line—dispatchers handled that—but she wrote down all the calls. Looking at the call logs six months later still gives her chills: Water rescue, 11 people… water rescue, three people in an attic… 1-year-old needs oxygen.  

PHOTOS: While some doctors play golf or tennis on their days off, one local emergency room physician spends his free time riding along with the Peoria Fire Department with his camera. Dr. Elsburgh Clarke is an ER doctor at Hopedale Medical Complex. He's been working in emergency medicine for more than 40 years and previously trained at LA County Hospital, where he began taking photographs. "I started to do pictures in the ER. I have multiple pictures from back in the day, back in 1977, ‘78 when ‘ER' was just coming about," said Clarke, referring to the TV show. Growing up, Clarke said he always knew he would be an FBI agent, a fireman or a doctor. While he ended up as the latter, he always took an interest in fire departments, frequently following fire engines around whenever he could.  

With a proposed $750 million grant program, the newly introduced FIRE STATION Act (Facilitating Investment Required for Emergency Services to All Towns in Our Nation Act), put forth by U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), as well as U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), pushes for modifications, upgrades and build-up of fire and EMS facilities across the country. "Our firefighters deserve the best possible facilities so they can be ready with everything they need to spring into action when duty calls," Van Hollen said. "Yet nearly half of the fire stations across America require major repairs – with some even posing serious health hazards to the men and women who protect our communities. This bipartisan bill will unlock more funding to ensure our fire and EMS heroes have modern, safe, and mission-ready facilities."  

VIDEO: Zach Krato is a Florissant Valley Fire District firefighter, husband, and dad who has spent over a decade serving as a first responder. Zach receives the FOX 2 Proud to Serve award in March 2023, including $500 from Brown & Brown Law Firm. In addition to being a valued firefighter, Zach has the added responsibility of implementing and training the district on the ‘STARS' program. The STARS program was created along with Cardinal Glennon to create a registry of high risk pediatric patients in the community close to where they live, and better prepare and train first responders to know how to treat those individuals. STARS stands for Special Needs Tracking and Awareness. It's a one-of-a-kind program designed to improve emergency response and emergency care for children who live with complex medical conditions.