Maryville Fire Department struck Box Alarm 2401 at approximately 1030 this morning. The fire was located at Division Street and Route 159. Collinsville responded with an engine and truck to assist. Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, and Troy also assisted with manpower, apparatus, and change-of-quarters assignments.
On Monday night, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the hiring of Mark Emert as chief of the fire department. Emert's latest role has been the Assistant Fire Chief for the Affton (MO) Fire Protection District. Mark promoted through the ranks at Affton over a 25-year career.
Emert is heavily involved in training in Missouri, and was awarded The Greater St. Louis Area Fire Chiefs Association and The Greater St. Louis Area Training Officers Association Instructor of the Year in 2011. Emert is also nearing completion of his Bachelor's Degree in Fire Service Management from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Mark is also claims to be a decent hunter and fisherman, but we'll surely put him to the test to verify that he's not just blowing smoke.
Congratulations, Chief Emert, and welcome to the Collinsville Fire Department!
In an effort to make personal safety a top priority, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the Chicago Fire Department (CFD) today released a new video, Chicago Fire Department - Everyone Goes Home®. Members of the CFD and families of fallen firefighters share their stories in this compelling and moving testimonial of the importance of adhering to safety standards and accepting personal responsibility for following procedures.
Chicago Fire Commissioner Robert Hoff was impressed by a video that the NFFF and the Fire Department of New York produced several years earlier to educate members about the importance of training and safety standards. The FDNY leadership had noticed behavioral improvement among its members following the release of their video. Hoff felt that the members of the CFD could benefit from hearing first-hand accounts of the lessons learned by their colleagues and invited the NFFF to collaborate on a video for Chicago.
"The culture of firefighting requires us to do everything we can to make sound decisions so we can be in a position to help the people we serve when they most need it," said Ronald J. Siarnicki, executive director of the NFFF. "With this video the firefighters and leadership of the Chicago Fire Department are clearly showing the rest of the fire service you can still be a firefighter and at the same time do your best to make sure Everyone Goes Home®."
More than two dozen survivors of fallen firefighters, including coworkers and family members, participated in the filming of Chicago Fire Department - Everyone Goes Home®. The video took nearly one year to complete and was produced and directed by Rob Maloney of Cool Water Multimedia.
All members of the Chicago Fire Department have had the opportunity to see Chicago Fire Department - Everyone Goes Home® and it is now available for the entire fire service. To see the video, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=vODww1qwSuE.
The 20th Annual AFFI Honor Guard Convention & Induction Ceremony will take place January 27-29 in Collinsville. Belleville Firefighters Local 53 & Honor Guard District 1 is the host of the event. Registration and payment is due by January 6. Online registration is available beginning November 21.
