Fire/EMS

By Jenna Wilson Calls involving opioid overdoses have unfortunately become an all-too-common theme for first responders in St. Joseph. Buchanan County EMS crews ran more overdose calls last month than in February of 2023, according to Buchanan County EMS paramedic Andrew King. These overdoses can be a result of recreational drug use, self-harm or unintentional,

By Chris Fortune Unseasonably warm temperatures have the St. Joseph Fire Department preparing for more red flag warnings. St. Joseph reached a high of 78 degrees on Tuesday, and the city was under a red flag warning until 6 p.m. It prohibited open burning within city limits, and the fire department asked residents to avoid

By Riley Funk The St. Joseph Fire Department is looking forward to better serving the community thanks to a few new sets of wheels. The department received two new pumper trucks Tuesday evening, both of which have a water tank that will hold 1,000 gallons. One of the trucks will go to Fire Station 10

By NewsPress Now St. Joseph firefighters worked Monday afternoon to put out a fire at a home in the 1000 block of Ellsworth Avenue. According to fire inspector Steve Henrichson, the fire began at approximately 3 p.m. Crews worked in the backyard area to put out the flames, which damaged the porch and backside of

By Riley Funk The St. Joseph Fire Department is hoping to receive a grant to replace aging thermal imaging devices, which can be key to determining a plan for entering a burning building. At Monday night’s city council meeting, council members authorized 9-0-0 the filing of a grant application with the Firehouse Subs Public Safety

By NewsPress Now A home in one of the city’s historic areas was heavily damaged by an early morning fire Wednesday morning. The initial call for the fire at 1005 S. 12th St. came in just before 7 a.m. There were flames on several spots of the structure when the St. Joseph Fire Department arrived

By Riley Funk At Monday night’s city council meeting Three thermal imaging devices to be used for the department totaling in $22,050 $1,800,000 in funding to be provided for the expansion of Fire Station #6. ARPA  funds and SLFRF funds. Goes toward a grant. 

By Jenna Wilson The low temperatures didn’t stop fires from happening across St. Joseph this weekend, and firefighters stayed prepared to put out the flames. St. Joseph firefighters stayed on their feet this weekend, responding to many fires as temperatures dipped. Just on Sunday, firefighters responded to seven fire calls, with three of those being

By Jenna Wilson Firefighters responded to an additional 1,000 service calls last year compared to 2022. According to data from the St. Joseph Fire Department, in 2022, SJFD handled 15,033 service calls. During 2023, the number of calls rose to 16,100. St. Joseph Fire Inspector Steve Henrichson said the rise is due to several reasons,

By NewsPress Now Two individual apartments are uninhabitable after a fire at 2409 Berkshire Drive on Wednesday. After putting out the blaze, St. Joseph Fire Department investigators stayed on the scene to determine the cause of the fire and whether residents in the building could return to apartments that were not directly damaged by the

By Cameron Montemayor It’s been nearly five years since the last alarm rang out at Station 5 for Travis Owens, a 25-year veteran of the St. Joseph Fire Department who died after fighting a long battle with liver cancer. As time passes and memories fade, the reminders of Owens and the profound mark he left