ST. LOUIS - Three police officers, one firefighter and two park rangers were honored by members of St. Charles Elks Lodge 690 at a reception last month for their community service and heroism. Recipients included: St. Charles City park rangers Sgt. Paul Jokerst and Christina Gonzalez, St. Charles Sheriff's Deputy Ron Neupert, St. Charles Police Officer Michael Davis, St. Peters Police ...

BANGOR, ME — Capt. John Prentiss, a 23-year Bangor Fire Department veteran, says he hangs out with angels. Those angels are the four medically trained firefighters who worked with him on Sunday and brought him back from the dead. “I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for those four guardian angels,” Prentiss, 55, said Wednesday while sitting in his Dedham ...

SPRINGFIELD - As the Springfield Fire Department prepares to fill some positions that have been frozen for a year, it is changing eligibility requirements to broaden the pool of candidates. Applicants for this summer's Fire Training Academy are now eligible if they meet one of the following qualifications: • Emergency Medical Technician-B certification; • Firefighter I and II certification; • 36 ...

CAMDEN - After two large fires that tore through vacant warehouses within days of each other last week, Camden's mayor voiced her concern Monday to the state attorney general. Speaking at a news conference, Mayor Dana L. Redd did not say whether officials thought that Thursday's 12-alarm blaze at a building near the Parkside neighborhood, once rented by a tire company, ...

DETROIT - No one was injured and there were no reports of significant damage from an electrical fire at a Detroit auto show exhibit that shut the event down for a few hours today, officials said. The fire, which spread smoke throughout Cobo Center and forced the evacuation of the main showroom, began in scaffolding and high-powered lights in the ceiling ...

The first frantic call for help as a wildfire gathered momentum in the foothills west of Boulder came from a longtime firefighter who was helpless as flames burst across his wooded property, devouring trees and torching a propane tank. His breathless descriptions — captured on a dispatch tape — detailed the fury of a blaze that, by Wednesday evening, had charred ...

NEW YORK, NY - Ralph Gullickson never found his firefighter brother's remains after 9/11. All he has is a street sign honoring him - and now a city atheist group wants to take it away. The Manhattan-based NYC Atheists are demanding the city change the name of a Brooklyn block christened "Seven in Heaven Way" in honor of seven area firefighters ...

MADERA, Calif.—A volunteer firefighter is being credited with saving a Georgia man who fell into a creek and plunged down a waterfall while hiking in the Sierra National Forest. Madera County sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart says 46-year-old Billy Williams was trying to cross a creek above Corlieu Falls Saturday when he slipped, fell into the creek and plunged down a 30-foot ...

CHICAGO - Chicago firefighters and paramedics will get $94 million in back pay dating back to June 30, 2007 — bankrolled by debt likened to “borrowing to pay for last year’s groceries” — thanks to a contract ratified Monday. “We’re very concerned. It’s enormously expensive to borrow to pay for operating costs. Future taxpayers are gonna have to pay, not only ...

LONG BEACH - It's a little late, but compensation data on city of Long Beach employees is now online at the state controller's website. The information, which is available at www.sco.ca.gov, lists the pay ranges for each city position, how much each worker actually earned in 2009, pension details and the cost of other benefits. Among the Long Beach managers who ...

EMS Week pays tribute to the men and women who are dedicated to provide first response care to your community and are often the difference between life and death. This gallery honors these first responders whose commitment to providing day-to-day lifesaving services helps us all live happier lives. Hear from communities they've helped, tour EMT facilities across the country, and listen ...

BANGKOK (AP) - A 603-pound (274-kilogram) woman believed to be the heaviest in Thailand left her apartment for the first time in three years Thursday with the help of Bangkok city hall and a forklift. Neighbors of 40-year-old Umnuayporn Tongprapai contacted the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority when they learned she needed medical attention to remove a tumor in her right leg. Bangkok's ...

Everyone knows that firefighters are brave men and women that rescue people from fires and various emergencies. What some people don't know is that firefighters are EXTREMELY FUNNY. FireLink has compiled a list of the top 30 Firefighter jokes to keep everyone laughing through the weekend. Next Firefighter Joke-> [page] Hunting Three firefighter went out on a hunting trip. There ...

Residents will be able to get a firefighter with their pizza Oct. 6 and 7. The Somerset Volunteer Fire Department is teaming up with Pizza Hut in Somerset during Fire Prevention Week to check the smoke alarms of people who order pizza on those days. Pizza Hut owner Erik Bittner said he was happy to help fire department members reach people’s ...

NORFOLK, VA - A fire in the 700 block of Carolina Ave. this morning sent one firefighter to a hospital and displaced three people. The fire was first reported in the kitchen of the home shortly after 4 a.m., said Battalion Chief Harry Worley, Norfolk Fire-Rescue spokesman. When firefighters arrived, they found smoke and flames coming from the home. They went ...

JOPLIN, Mo. — Rod Pace, manager of the Med Flight helicopter service at St. John's Regional Medical Center, had just finished payroll paperwork Sunday evening when he decided to stay an extra 15 to 20 minutes to let the menacing weather pass. From the second floor, he watched the storm approach from the southwest, just like so many other systems. The ...

REHOBOTH -- Family, friends and colleagues of a Rehoboth firefighter who died of a heart attack responding to a call are paying their final respects. The wake for firefighter Ken Marshall Jr. is scheduled Wednesday at the Foley Hathaway Funeral Home in Attleboro. The funeral is slated Thursday at the Community Covenant Church with a burial at nearby Oak Knoll Cemetery. ...

Volusia County firefighters this morning are continuing to battle the 125-acre brush fire that threatened homes Wednesday near DeLand. Pat Kuehn, spokeswoman for Volusia County Fire Services, said firefighters will be putting out flares and hot spots today. Winds are predicted to pick up today and they could affect the fire located in the Daytona Park Estates subdivision, on Larkspur Road, ...