VIDEO: Police officers and firefighters would no longer be forced to retire at age 63 under a proposal that's being considered by a city council committee. Supporters say it could save the city money and would help with staffing levels. The proposal is still in the planning stages at this point, but the chairman of the Committee on Police and Fire said there are a lot of good reasons to consider it, despite concerns about the job of police officer and firefighter perhaps being better suited for younger people. Police officer retention has been a big concern in recent years, with retirements outpacing the city's ability to hire and train new recruits and staffing levels falling far below ideal numbers. Now, the union representing the rank and file is renewing a two-year-old push to extend the retirement age from 63 to 65.  

PHOTOS: A large 6-foot snake was rescued in Herrin, thanks to the help from local firefighters. The City of Herrin Fire Department said they had units respond to a home where the pet snake was stuck in a wall Wednesday morning. After crews got there, they found Nagini, a 6-foot boa constrictor, which was stuck in the side panel of a kitchen cabinet for roughly 12 hours. Firefighters had to take apart the cabinet so they could free the large snake. The owner was able to grab it and put it back in the safe enclosure.  

The Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is recognizing the critical need for fire safety during the holiday season, emphasizing the alarming statistics provided by the National Fire Protection Association. The NFPA reports that over one-third of home decoration fires originate from candles, with more than two in five incidents caused by decorations placed too close to heat sources. To raise awareness, the OSFM continues its annual "Keep the Wreath Red Campaign," initiated in 1954, where white lights replace red bulbs upon the occurrence of a fire-related death in the state. The campaign aims to symbolize the lives lost during the holiday season, with seven lives tragically lost in Illinois last year.  

Firefighters responded to a rowhome fire in Northeast Philadelphia on Thursday morning. The fire started at about 8 a.m. at a home on the 6300 block of Cardiff Street. When crews arrived, heavy smoke was pouring out of the two-story home and flames were seen at the back of the house. Initial calls were that someone was trapped inside the home, so firefighters made entry on the second floor. A firefighter was trapped for a brief time, and a mayday call was issued, but that firefighter was rescued. Firefighters rescued four additional people from inside the home and everyone made it out safely, said Derek Bowmer, executive chief of the Philadelphia Fire Department. Two police officers, a firefighter and four people from inside the home - including a small child - were taken to an area hospital for treatment.  

VIDEO: Three major structure fire responses in just four days got support from the Colorado Springs Fire Department's new Special Operations Division. The support from the division formed back in August is visuals and infrared images from drones. "We have just been evolving pretty much every week since we've been stood up," said Captain JJ Halsey with Colorado Springs Fire Department. Drones add highly useful information very quickly. Firefighters stay at a safe location while the drone shows views from around and above an incident. "Allows us to be better at what we do, allows us to be quicker, and allows us to you know, mitigate those hazards earlier than when we didn't have it," said Halsey. Because of a drone overhead, incident commanders get a better idea of what is burning and what is threatened.  

VIDEO: With the help of helpful local residents, three people were pulled from a sailboat in distress close to the shore in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, firefighters said. Video from the scene shows the sailors jumping into the choppy surf, where people bundled in cold weather gear were waiting in the water to shuttle them to the beach. It was a cold day, and was snowing in parts of the Greater Boston area.The incident unfolded off the Center Hill Preserve. A 911 caller reported the sailboat was in distress and close to the shore near 92 Center Hill Road about 7:30 a.m., according to Plymouth fire officials. One of the bystanders who helped the two men and a woman before firefighters arrived was retired Plymouth Fire Battalion Chief Michael Roy.  

VIDEO: Firefighters in Louisville are getting tools to help them have better ways to cope with the difficult calls they respond to. This week on Monday and Tuesday, firefighters with Louisville Fire and civilian employees participated in an International Association of Fire Fighters training focused on peer support. "Firefighters love their jobs, but they affect them every day," said Danny Adams, a master peer support trainer. "They see things everybody else would not see." Adams said this training is highly sought after nationally. Louisville Fire had the training booked well in advance of Dec. 4, not knowing that day would include a deadly house fire in Louisville's Chickasaw neighborhood that left a 7-year-old boy and 65-year-old man dead.