The city of East St. Louis announced Tuesday it would lay off nine firefighters at the end of the month and temporarily shut down a fire station. East St. Louis City Manager Brooke Smith said in a letter to a firefighter that the city had to make "difficult decisions" amid a $5.5 million deficit in the city budget. The firehouse slated for closing is at 1700 Central Avenue. It will be shut down Nov. 1, Smith said in a news release. In the layoff notice, Smith cited the city's handbook for firefighters, which says the city may "separate any employee" because of lack of funds. The affected firefighters were told to turn in their uniforms and other city belongings at the end of the month. "Closing firehouses puts citizens at risk," Lt. Brian Gregory of the fire department said. "Reduction of staff puts firefighters and citizens at risk. If I were a citizen in that neighborhood I'd definitely be concerned."  

East Peoria firefighters had been working since May 1 without a contract going into Tuesday night's city council meeting. Following the meeting, they remained without a pact. Commissioners voted 3-2 to table approval of a collective bargaining agreement between the city and the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local #1498. After the agenda item was read aloud, Commissioner Michael Sutherland was the first to speak. "Let me preface by saying I do support a contract," he said, before proceeding to cite concerns over fellow Commissioner Dan Decker's position as the city's assistant fire chief. Sutherland said Decker has received campaign contributions from the firefighters' union and would benefit from any potential contract agreement, because it would also affect his salary.  

Two Ottawa Rotary clubs donated more than $9,000 towards new equipment for the Ottawa Fire Department. The clubs of Ottawa Noon and Ottawa Sunrise partnered with Rotary District 6420 for a district community grant to help provide better fire response and services. On Oct. 8 the fire department took possession of Apple iPads to allow crews access to 4G LTE networking and continued access when responding to emergencies. Firefighters will also use the iPads to provide community support through education. Various applications can be used to improve technology within the fire department. The applications also will allow crews to plan emergency response to schools and businesses. The iPads also will be used for computer-based vehicle checks and training, and software will be installed to provide public education for residents.  

The Marion Fire Department will continue to educate students thanks to grant money. The Fire Department received $2,500 from FM Global. The money will be used to purchase educational materials for students. Throughout the year, the department travels to local schools and educates students about fire prevention and safety. Marion Fire Chief Jerry Odum said, "Public education is our number one goal. If we can educate young kids and they can take it home to their parents and inform them what they've learned during the day, the main goal is to try to prevent fires and prevent loss." FM Global is a worldwide property insurance company. Each year the company awards grants to local departments, with the ultimately goal of loss prevention.  

A New Lenox resident and several New Lenox Fire Protection District firefighters will receive the district's Life Saver Award at the district's board of trustees meeting Oct. 21. On July 1, New Lenox resident Leo Jimemez noticed his neighbor was unresponsive and performed CPR until paramedics arrived on scene, the fire district said. When paramedics/firefighters arrived, they found the 55-year-old neighbor in cardiac arrest. According to the district, paramedics began the Cardiac Arrest Management Program and ALS interventions. The neighbor was able to regain his pulse with blood pressure and was taken to a local hospital. "We want to say thank you to Leo Jimemez for being willing to help out a neighbor in need," said NLFPD Deputy Chief Dan Turner. "It is because of his quick thinking and knowledge of what to do in this type of situation that we were able to achieve a great outcome for the patient. We are proud to give him our Life Saver Award, he truly deserves it."  

Eleven New York City firefighters were taken to hospitals and one other person was injured after two fire trucks collided while responding to a call in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, officials said. The 11 firefighters were transported to hospitals as a precaution after the fire engine and ladder truck collided just before 10 p.m. in Crown Heights. Any injury was minor, according to a spokesman for Fire Department of the City of New York, Firefighter Michael Parrella. The civilian who was injured was thought to have been a pedestrian with injuries listed as minor, the New York City Police Department said. The New York Daily News reported that the fire trucks crashed into at least two other cars and clipped a 68-year-old man.  

Two chemical storage tanks caught fire and three others were threatened at an energy storage facility in Contra Costa County Tuesday afternoon, according to fire officials. The blaze burned the two tanks to the ground and damaged two others at the NuStar Energy facility in Crockett, according to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, which got the first call at about 1:50 p.m. No injuries were reported. People in Crockett and Rodeo were asked to shelter in place. They were encouraged to stay inside and keep their windows and doors closed. The shelter in place was lifted at about 9:30 p.m. Both directions of Interstate 80 were shut down between Highway 4 and the Carquinez Bridge for more than 6 hours. The tanks were partially filled with ethanol, and fire crews used foam to fight the flames and water to cool the adjacent tanks that weren't burning, according to ConFire and NuStar officials.  

Every day, more than 1 million U.S. firefighters put their lives on the line to protect us. Not only by putting out fires, but by responding to all types of emergencies. On top of that, their shifts often last a full 24 hours. Inspired by the heroism of firefighters, the safety experts at Frontpoint examined government data to report how career firefighters' salaries compare across the nation. California is number one on the list with the highest-paid firefighters at $71,036. The average salary for a firefighter in Kentucky is $33,520 a year. When adjusted for cost of living, they will have a purchasing power of $38,134. ($18.26 per hour). Kentucky pays their firefighters the 5th lowest in the nation.  

The president of the union representing Youngstown firefighters said he was surprised to learn the city plans to close a fire station and eliminate three battalion chiefs through attrition. Charlie Smith, who is also a battalion chief, said the plans were revealed in a Tuesday morning meeting with Youngstown City Law Director Jeff Limbian. Although the city asked for the meeting last week, Smith said the city would not reveal an agenda, so he was shocked to learn that Station 7, at Madison Avenue and Elm Street, would be closed. Smith said the station, which is right next to Youngstown State University and just a few blocks from St. Elizabeth Health Center, is the busiest in the city and its closing would hurt response times not only on the north side but across the city. Because of its close proximity to the Madison Avenue Expressway, Station 7 answers most calls in the city, Smith said.  

They're called "forever chemicals." Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS, PFOS, and PFOA, are man-made chemicals that are all around us. It's expected that the average person has some exposure to the chemicals in their lifetimes whether it's through food containers or the water we drink. The Environmental Protection Agency has linked exposure to certain levels of PFOA and PFOS to cancer, liver and immune deficiencies, as well as developmental effects to fetuses during pregnancy or breastfed infants. But as more information comes out about just how harmful these chemicals are, military firefighters--who had daily exposure to the chemicals in AFFF foam--are starting to wonder if it's the source of their myriad of mysterious health problems.