VIDEO: A kite surfer was rescued from Lake Michigan on Monday morning, after ending up in the water near Wilmette. Around 11:35 a.m., Wilmette firefighters responded to a call for a kite surfer in distress off Gillson Beach. When they arrived, they found a man who appeared to be in his 30s in the water about a quarter mile offshore. The Wilmette Fire Department launched a rescue boat from the sand, and a three-person crew was able to reach the kite surfer and bring him back to shore. Officials said the man was in good condition, and did not require medical attention.  

The 100 Club of Chicago gave McHenry County Sheriff Bill Prim a Valor Award for going "above and beyond the call of duty" in helping families of fallen first responders. The 100 Club of Chicago gave Prim the 2019 Lieutenant Rich Kozik Memorial Valor Award for Prim's actions in furthering the mission of the Club. "I'm honored to be recognized and proud that McHenry County is a part of the 100 Club. This is all possible because of the support from all the local police and fire chiefs," Prim said. Since 1980, the 100 Club of Chicago has given the Valor Award to those who have performed actions above and beyond the call of duty, according to a statement. "Sheriff Prim has been a strong advocate for the mission of the 100 Club and was an integral piece in bringing assistance to the families of first responders in McHenry County," said CEO of the 100 Club of Chicago, Caitlyn Brennan.  

PHOTOS: Caseyville Police are praising one of their officers who saved an infant from choking. In a Facebook post, the department says Officer Travis Hoguet heard a radio call for a four month old choking. The officer made it to the location before the ambulance. He was able to dislodge the obstruction and the baby began to breathe on his own. Police shared some photos of the very happy baby on Facebook: Every so often we get to post a positive interaction and this is one of them. This past Friday evening, Officer Travis Hoguet heard a radio call of an ambulance responding to a 4 month old infant choking. Officer Hoguet responded prior to the ambulance and was able to dislodge the obstruction and the baby began to breathe on his own.??? Because of his quick thinking actions the infant is back at home recovering. ? We are proud to call Travis one of our own!  

VIDEO: A Riverside family's Halloween decor is so realistic that multiple people have made emergency phone calls summoning firefighters to the home. To say Carmen and Travis Long love Halloween is an understatement. They began creating their "Pirates of the Caribbean"-themed creation three years ago. "We've been adding things every year," said homeowner Carmen Long. "It started with just skeletons, then we added a cannon in the back and the ship, the pretend fire on the side." The make-believe blaze is so realistic that passersby have called the fire department numerous times. As many as 400 people have been arriving each night to admire the spooky spectacle. Onlookers can watch the creative show every Friday through Sunday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the corner of Chapman Place and Magnolia Avenue.  

VIDEO: In his 15 year career as a firefighter, Lt. Stephen Curry with Roanoke Fire-EMS has never seen anything like the fire that happened on Bullitt Avenue in southeast Roanoke over the weekend. A fire broke out around 5:45 on Saturday morning at a vacant house on the 700 block of Bullitt Avenue. As the fire burned through the structure, it started to collapse. Firefighters warned each other to be careful. Not long after, the building toppled. "I have not personally seen this happen in my career. Often in the city, it doesn't happen because our trucks get there so quick and our crews are on it pretty quickly. You can have fires that devastate a house, but it's still standing," said Curry. "So to see that particular house twist in that fashion and collapse in the back was kind of an odd sight." Falling debris hit and injured one firefighter. "That was certainly a close call. We do a dangerous job," said Curry.  

The first New Orleans firefighters were furloughed on Sunday under a plan requiring six unpaid days off by the end of the year to help stem a precipitous decline in city sales tax revenue during the coronavirus pandemic. The city's furlough requires almost all 4,700 employees to take the six unpaid days, including police, firefighters and other safety workers, reducing their salaries by about 10% and saving the city $6 million. But firefighters say it comes at the cost of public safety and the safety of firefighters. The firefighters' union said Sunday the impacts of the furloughs are already being felt. Three trucks were out of service on Sunday because firefighters had to be moved around to fill shifts elsewhere. While only about 13 people at the department were furloughed on Sunday, prior staffing issues left the NOFD with only about 110 on duty out of about 153 the union considers necessary to be fully staffed, said Aaron Mischler, the union president.  

Just as predicted, the US is now grappling with a new Covid-19 surge -- one that could overwhelm hospitals, kill thousands of Americans a day by January and leave even young survivors with long-term complications. "We went down to the lowest point lately in early September, around 30,000-35,000 new cases a day. Now we're back up to (about) 50,000 new cases a day. And it's going to continue to rise," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "This is the fall/winter surge that everyone was worried about. And now it's happening. And it's happening especially in the northern Midwest, and the Northern states are getting hit very hard -- Wisconsin, Montana, the Dakotas. But it's going to be nationally soon enough."  

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says New York City will have to cover a $4 million shortfall to a program that helps 9/11 first responders pay for medical bills. The federal government removed funds to the World Trade Center Health Program to settle debts with the city over several years. Attorney Michael Barasch represents thousands of 9/11 first responders and survivors. He says his clients will be left untreated during the pandemic while Mnuchin and New York City fight. "The federal government, which has not exactly been truthful about the severity of this COVID-19, is pulling the rug out from underneath the [New York City] Bureau Health Services, which treats these firefighters. And making it impossible for them to hire as many people that need to be hired to take care of these firefighters." At least 21 jobs at the program are left vacant without money for new hires.