Fire/EMS

By Cameron Montemayor A familiar face within city hall will lead daily operations in the short term as St. Joseph City Council members approved Clint Thompson as interim city manager at Tuesday’s council meeting. Thompson will assume the position — likely for the next four to five months — following the resignation of Bryan Carter

By Jenna Wilson One of the busiest days of the year for emergency crews is here and local firefighters are prepared, even if it means time away from their families. Capt. Jeff Werner is working the Thanksgiving shift and has been with the St. Joseph Fire Department for 14 years. He comes from a military

By Leah Rainwater With colder weather making its entrance this week, the St. Joseph Fire Department has been busy. Two vacant homes were devastated following fire calls on Tuesday. The first happened at about 3:15 p.m. at 21st and Faraon streets. The cause is unknown and no injuries were reported. The second fire was at

By NewsPress Now Fire crews were on the scene of a structure fire near the intersection of North 21st and Faraon streets. The St. Joseph Fire Department responded to the call at 3:17 p.m. Tuesday. Smoke and fire appeared to be showing on the porch of the residence, which was vacant at the time. No

By Chris Fortune St. Joseph Fire Department officials are pre-emptively preparing for an audit to ensure its systems are running smoothly and home insurance premiums aren’t negatively affected. The fire department chief and assistant chief met with a field representative from the Insurance Services Office in October to gain an understanding of what they need

By Kendra Simpson With colder weather arriving, St. Joseph residents will be putting their fireplaces, space heaters and radiators to use, but no one wants their holidays going up in smoke. Home fires occur more in winter months than any other time of the year, but by following a few safety practices, people can be

By Jenna Wilson Trying to stay warm as the temperatures drop? People who are unhoused can sometimes resort to unsafe measures – causing more fire risks. This time of year, the St. Joseph Fire Department is seeing more transient fires that are accidentally caused by those living outdoors to cook and find ways to keep

By Chris Fortune The cause of a fire that started just before noon Tuesday at a home at the intersection of King Hill and Indiana avenues is unknown and an investigation is underway. Emergency responders arrived at the scene and temporarily closed King Hill Avenue for a few blocks. Fire inspectors remained on the scene

By Jenna Wilson The St. Joseph Fire Department will receive more than $280,000 in ARPA funds for a new rescue truck and apparatus equipment to replace pieces of its aging fleet. The rescue truck currently in reserve use is more than 12 years old and has more than 100,000 miles, a rebuilt motor and is

By Jazmine Knight With many gathering yard waste to burn this month, following established guidelines is key to keeping people and property safe. The open burning season is back again for the fall. Burning is allowed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. “It doesn’t mean that you just burn anything,” said Frank Till, executive director

By NewsPress Now Those who have yard waste to get rid of have the option to burn it this month. During November and April, open burning of dry yard waste is allowed within the city limits between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. Fires must be fully out by 6 p.m. If weather conditions such

By Cameron Montemayor One area fire district is beefing up its supply of equipment with help from a federal grant aimed at assisting fire protection entities. The DeKalb Fire Protection District was recently awarded the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Fire Protection Grant, which is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. The award

By Jenna Wilson The St. Joseph Fire Department recently received over $100,000 in grant funding to upgrade aging equipment of fire trucks and implement a mobile inspection software. $13,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding was awarded to the general fund fire department program, and $18,871 from Tyler Technologies was used to purchase digital fire