The Illinois National Guard said Scott Williams, a firefighter and paramedic, has died in the line of duty in Lemont. Williams, who served with the Illinois National Guard for 15 years, died after responding to a call at the Argonne National Laboratory Fire Department, the National Guard said in a Facebook post. Firehouse News reported Williams went to investigate reports of smoke in one of the laboratories at the facility on Saturday. He was found unresponsive in his living quarters the next day, the news site said. Williams had deployed to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the National Guard. He was also a member of the Wilmington Fire Protection District since June 2017, the district said on Facebook. He also served previously with the Minooka Fire Protection District.  

In the heart of Oak Park, a stubborn fire shut down Lake Street for hours. "Frankly, we were all in meetings and conference calls and a knock on the door, we have to evacuate. We thought it was a fire drill," said Carol Murphy, who works nearby. This was certainly the real deal with the restaurant, Delia's Kitchen, burning along with apartments above it. "My heart dropped and it is just very big disbelief and shock," said Delia Ciobotaru, the current owner of the restaurant. Her mother named the restaurant after her. Delia's Kitchen has been in Oak Park for about 11 years, serving up breakfast and brunch. "It is a big tragedy for my family and a huge loss. Both of my parents worked really hard on building this empire. And now it just seems that we have to start all over again," said Ciobotaru.  

Old fire hoses are being put to good use at a central Illinois school to help protect students. The Effingham Fire Department donated used fire hoses to Effingham Central School. It all started when a local teacher attended an active shooting training course where someone discussed how old fire hoses could be used to secure classrooms from the inside. That teacher reached out to the Effingham Fire Department and asked for their help. The fire department was happy to help. The old hoses were cut into 4 to 6-inch sections and can be placed on the hydraulic closers of the classroom doors to prevent them from being opened.  

LKQ Corporation celebrated its three-year partnership with the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy (NIPSTA). Since the program began in 2018, LKQ has given access to its facilities across the State of Illinois for NIPSTA to provide technical rescue training to over 250 firefighters. LKQ facilities assisted Illinois Fire Marshalls throughout the Chicagoland area and the entire State of Illinois prepare for emergency events where extrication from vehicles is needed. "LKQ is proud to support our local first responders and do our part to help safeguard our communities," said Mike Dufresne, Vice President of LKQ Self Service Auto Parts Division. "We recognize the important role that training programs serve and are pleased that our facilities can continue to partner with NIPSTA to provide these critical programs."  

A raging house fire in Cranford, New Jersey claimed the life of one person and injured another, local authorities said. Chopper 4 captured images of the intense scene that unfolded on Beach Street near West End Place -- prompting several area fire departments to spring into action. One woman died and two other people who were inside had to be rescued by a neighbor after the flames were reported around 7 a.m. Tuesday in a 2 1/2 story structure. No other injuries were reported as a result of this. Officials say when they arrived, they were met with heavy flames right away. "When we arrived on scene neighbors were out, they were actively trying to rescue the occupants and we immediately went into an offensive rescue operation at that time to save two victims," Cranford Fire Department Lt. Matthew Lubin said.  

PHOTOS: With the dust still settling after a red SUV mowed down Christmas parade marchers in a Milwaukee suburb Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring dozens – including children – law enforcement and witnesses at the scene are praising first responders' handling of the chaos that unfolded. Brayden Kowalski, 19, one of the witnesses at the scene, described the first responders' professionalism as "wonderful" in an interview with Fox News. "It was wonderful," Kowalski said when describing the first responders' professionalism and swift actions. He said it didn't take long for first responders to arrive on scene and he recounted how paramedics and fire personnel worked their way up through the crowd, starting from where shots were first fired.  

New research by Cassandra Kwon, a research assistant professor at NC State's Textile Protection and Comfort Center, and former Ph.D. student Meredith McQuerry, who is currently an associate professor at Florida State University, suggests that many women firefighters may struggle with poorly fitting gear that is designed with the male form in mind. The two researchers have spent the past several months collecting data about how conventional firefighter suits fit women, and how to better tailor firefighting gear for women. Recently, they have traveled to the Women in Fire conference, showcasing their project to fire departments, manufacturers and women firefighters themselves. "It's sort of an unspoken kind of fact that firefighting gear, it's not really made for the female form," Kwon said. "It's always been designed for the male form."  

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have teamed up with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) to upgrade the FDNY's ambulance Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response operations and optimize hospital capacity balancing so that hospitals aren't overwhelmed in the future by an unprecedented patient surge like the one that occurred in the early months of the pandemic. FDNY oversees New York City's 911 EMS system, providing coverage for all five boroughs of the city with ambulances and specialized response vehicles. It currently operates two-thirds of the nearly 450 ambulances in NYC's 911 system directly, with the rest provided by about 22 of New York City's private hospitals. In addition, 198 fire engine companies provide medical response to a subset of life-threatening emergencies.  

Thursday marks the second Thanksgiving during the coronavirus pandemic. Many grandparents are excitedly planning to see their grandchildren. Friends are dressing their dining tables for turkey and loved ones. Some people have flights booked or road trips scheduled. But in the background, COVID-19 case numbers are inching upward across the United States and millions of Americans remain unvaccinated -- leaving some people worried about the possible COVID-19 risks that could come with their Thanksgiving plans. If you have concerns, experts say there are some important questions to ask to help weigh your risk: Will those around you be vaccinated? Have they been tested? Should you open windows when indoors?