Captain Matthew Adermann was sworn in as Taylorville Fire Department chief at Monday's City Council meeting. Adermann, who had been serving as acting chief since Oct. 23 when Chief Mike Crews officially retired, was approved by the Taylorville City Council in an unanimous vote. He was sworn in by City Clerk Julie Lilly with his wife, Samantha, son, Jaxon, and daughter, June, looking on. Adermann, a 14-year veteran of the department, was also the Fire Prevention Program Manager, overseeing all public education for the department as well as doing community outreach. His father, Merle, served as chief of the Vandalia Volunteer Fire Department from 1992 to 2011. "I think it's important on a small force to promote from within," said Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry, about the choice of Adermann.  

After 35 years with the department and 10 years in charge, Galesburg Fire Chief Tom Simkins has moved on. Simkins finished his run on Friday, Oct. 25, with a party in the fire station, marking an apparent end to a career Simkins said he fell into almost by mistake. Raised in Abingdon, Simkins' father was a fire chief, but when he went off to Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, he was studying zoology. "Which I say was pretty fitting for the fire department," he jokes. After graduating, Simkins was living back in Abingdon "pounding nails" with his dad when an opening came up in a volunteer department. After a couple of years in that department, Simkins was hired at Monmouth. A few years later, in 1985, he joined the Galesburg Fire Department, where he remained until now, being promoted to chief in 2009.  

Mount Prospect police and firefighter/paramedics responded about 12:16 AM Tuesday November 5, 2019 to a report of a fire at a next door house in the block of 500 Forest Avenue just south of the intersection of Forest Avenue and Highland Street Mount Prospect, Il. Police on arrival first confirmed that there was a fire and that residents were evacuated. Initially there was confusion whether there was a second house catching on fire. Firefighters on arrival reported a roof fire, and that they were pulling a line. The fire department response was upgraded to a "Working Fire" by 12:23 a.m. The fire was reported to be an exterior fire that extended to the back of the house, roof and attic. Firefighters extinguished the exterior fire by 12:44 a.m. but were still working on the attic fire, chasing some remaining attic fire at 12:56 a.m. The fire was declared under control with a secondary search complete and negative by 1:04 a.m.  

For the third consecutive East Peoria City Council meeting, an agenda item to approve a contract agreement with East Peoria firefighters did not result in a contract agreement with East Peoria firefighters. On Tuesday, the contract vote was pulled from consideration without public discussion. Mayor John Kahl said he expected a resolution at the council's Nov. 19 meeting. "I feel good about a positive solution coming out of the next council meeting," he said after Tuesday's meeting. He did not provide details, a complete explanation for his optimism or why there was no vote on Tuesday. On Oct. 1, the council approved a five-year contract by a 3-2 vote. Commissioners Dan Decker, who is also an assistant fire chief, Seth Mingus, who oversees the fire department's operations for the council, and Mark Hill voted to approve the contract.  

Despite Normal's decision to scale back its police and firefighter pension contributions to help stave off a tax levy increase, Bloomington officials are taking a "wait-and-see" stance. The Normal City Council voted unanimously Monday night to alter its goal of achieving 100 percent funding of those pension funds by 2040. The goal now is to reach 90 percent by 2040 with the hope that the state will change the pension system. Bloomington city officials, however, want to see if the state decides to consolidate nearly 650 downstate and suburban Chicago public safety pension funds into two funds to maximize investment returns. The Illinois Legislature could act on the proposal when its veto session resumes Nov. 12 to 14.  

A house where firefighters extinguished a fire Sunday morning was ablaze again by 11:30 p.m. that night. La Salle Fire Department's Brian Zeller said firefighters were called due to a second fire at 747 Third St., and fire filled the entire upper story. Firefighters spent much of Sunday morning trying to put out all hot spots and breaking walls and ceilings to get a relatively small fire extinguished. Firefighters put out the second fire Monday morning — a blaze that caused extensive damage to the roof and elsewhere — and fire chief Andy Bacidore returned to the scene to investigate. Bacidore said all of the electrical service had been shut off, and after 10 a.m. Sunday, the tenants of the six apartments had been allowed to enter and exit the then-slightly-damaged house to remove their belongings.  

VIDEO: West Metro firefighters got a glimpse at what could be the future of public safety Tuesday. It was all part of a competition to see which product prototypes help firefighters best navigate dangerous conditions. All of the devices were incorporated in the firefighter's gear and involved haptic technology, which involves using a vibration or touch sensation to communicate which direction to go in a dangerous or hectic situation. Four teams of developers from around the country came to compete in the event sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The goal was for developers to get the firefighters in and out of a smoky building the quickest at West Metro Fire Rescue's training center.  

There was "no way in hell" Victoria Sinclaire was rebuilding in Paradise. She'd thought she was going to die during the six hours it took her to escape the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. The town where she'd raised her family was nearly wiped out, two of her three cats had disappeared into the flames, and she "was done." Sinclaire and tens of thousands of others in nearby communities fled the wind-whipped inferno that killed 85 people and incinerated roughly 19,000 homes, businesses and other buildings on Nov. 8, 2018. Despite her vow to stay away, Sinclaire's family was one of the first to rebuild, braving the enduring threat of wildfires, and now, repeated power outages as the nation's largest utility tries to prevent its equipment from sparking blazes on windy days like it did in Paradise a year ago.  

It started with a conversation three years ago. Hays CISD met with the Kyle Fire Department and discussed what kinds of professionals were needed in the community. The consensus? More firefighters and emergency medical technicians. And so the district's Firefighter Academy was birthed. This isn't a school field trip. It is actually the fifth period for some Hays and Lehman High School students. These juniors and seniors are part of the firefighter academy – a partnership between Hays CISD and the Kyle Fire Department. Freddy Rolon is the training captain for this two-year program. "So these cadets are in a two-year interview with us. We can see what they are capable of and we can see how smart they can be and how we can develop them," Rolon explained.  

Rushing to the aid of Pennsylvania towns that need to recruit more volunteer firefighters and emergency personnel, the state House of Representatives passed 16 bills in the past two weeks to support their efforts. State Rep. Frank Farry, R-142, of Langhorne, co-introduced House Bill 1459, which would create an Emergency Responder Mental Wellness and Stress Management Program that would assist first responders, including 911 dispatchers and coroners. "I want to ensure our first responders have the necessary resources to seek support if they are or have been suffering from post-traumatic stress injuries," said Farry, who is chief of the Langhorne Fire Co. "While dedicating their lives to protecting others, our heroes have witnessed some of the most horrifying scenes that are engraved in their memories forever. These memories often become a heavy weight on their shoulders, and it is our duty as legislators to return the favor of protecting those who keep us safe."  

VIDEO: A local fire department is fighting for a bill that would offer protections for firefighters with cancer. Midway Fire Rescue is holding a town hall meeting Wednesday to spread awareness of the Presumptive Firefighter Cancer Bill. "We're trying to make (people) aware and have people call their legislatures and tell them to support this bill," President of Midway Professional Firefighters Association Justin Lenker said. "We're one of the last states in North America that doesn't have cancer presumption." News13 first reported about this bill when it was introduced earlier this year. It's made to designate certain cancers as line-of-duty diseases, entitling sick first responders to workers' compensation. Midway fire is hoping it passes next year. "We want to make headway now," Lenker said. "So when they're back in session, we're ready to rock and roll"