Jefferson City Council approves $580K purchase of radios for police and fire departments

The Jefferson City Police and Fire Departments are in the process of receiving 79 new Motorola radios, the purchase totaling $582,326.60 in various grants approved by the Jefferson City Council on Monday. Through this purchase, Jefferson City first responders are expected to be more efficient in their emergency response time by expanding the radio connectivity range and streamlining cross-department communication. According to meeting documents, the public safety grants for this purchase came from the American Rescue Plan Act, State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, and First Responder Capital Improvement and Interoperable Communications Equipment Grant. The Jefferson City Fire Department and Police Department will be receiving 40 and 39 radios, respectively.
KMIZ-TV ABC 17 Columbia

Independence firefighters unveil new fire safety video for kids

VIDEO: Firefighters want to emphasize fire safety at a young age. The Independence Fire Department is introducing a new fire prevention video designed to inform the youngest students about safety in the home. The animated product is brand new, and will be shared with area schools soon. Firefighters in Independence have seen a challenging year, battling four deadly fires this year. Two of those fires happened on one weekend. Two of the incidents involved the death of children. The animated video is aimed at audiences as young as preschoolers. It’s designed to teach the basics of fire prevention, including escape plans to avoid smoke and fire and the importance of working smoke detectors. “This knowledge will empower a child to not be afraid if a smoke detector goes off in the house that’s full of smoke. They will have seen this video, hopefully, and instead of trying to hide from it, they will try to escape from it,” Independence Battalion Chief Eric Michel said.
WDAF-TV FOX 4 Kansas City

Adrian residents wake to find prominent community church on fire

VIDEO: On Wednesday, the Adrian Fire Department was on the scene of a large fire in the Adrian United Methodist Church. Witnesses said the fire started early in the morning, sometime before 6:15 a.m. The cause of the fire is currently unclear, but the Bates County Sheriff’s Office reported around 7:15 a.m. that multiple fire crews were actively working to extinguish it. “There is a heavy first responder presence in the area and we ask that you not contest the area so that crews can work safely [and] efficiently,” the Bates County Sheriff’s Office requested. “If you have children walking or biking to school this morning who usually take that route, please help them find an alternate route for today.” The church is active on Facebook, with its most recent post inviting people to join a free, weekly community dinner on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.
KCTV CBS 5 Kansas City

EMT follows late mom’s footsteps, becomes first responder at same district in St. Louis

VIDEO: Becoming a first responder was a top priority for Sch’Erica Wilson. That’s because her mom, Scherise Bishop, is always at the top of her mind. “I started my journey at Northeast Fire doing the EMS academy,” Wilson, an EMT at Northeast Ambulance & Fire Protection District, said. “Once I did that, I worked at Northeast for two years, during that, I did all my clinicals at Northeast, I was mentored by people that worked with my mom when she was here. Once I passed my paramedic test, I am now a full-time paramedic at Northeast.” When Wilson was a little girl, her mother, Sherise Bishop, was an EMT with Northeast Ambulance & Fire Protection District. But when she was just nine years old, her mother collapsed while performing CPR on a cardiac arrest patient. Bishop died days later.
KTVI-TV FOX 2 St. Louis