Latest news with #ClayCountyFireRescue
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wife of fallen Jacksonville firefighter working to install memorial sign at his fire station
Ian Church had only lived 41 years by the time he died. His wife, Brittany, believes he spent every second of it in service to others. 'If I had to give one adjective to Ian Church, it would be loyalty,' said Brittany Church, Ian Church's wife, 'He would have ran through a fire to protect anyone, and he just loved the city and wanted to make sure that it was safe.' Running through fires wasn't just part of Church's character, but his calling. He spent three and a half years as an engineer with the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department, after serving both with Clay County Fire Rescue and the U.S. Marine Corps. Action News Jax told you last August when JFRD shared that Church had died after a long-fought battle with cancer. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< During her conversation only with Action News Jax, Brittany Church shared that she still thinks of one of his stories of courage: saving a dog from a burning home in December 2023. 'He always just wanted to make the world a better place and let other people know that they were protected and well taken care of,' Church said. Church has now been without her husband for nine months, working as a single mother to her and Ian's three young kids. Recently, Ian's former fire captain at JFRD Station 60 in Jacksonville Beach inspired her to ask the city for a memorial street sign to be placed outside of the station in his name. Church says it's both a way to honor his legacy and poke fun at his challenge with directions. 'His captain said that we should do a street sign by our house so he'd always find his way home back to us,' said Church. But Church feels her husband has never lost his way back in the months he's been gone. She told Action News Jax she had asked her husband, soon before he died, to return to their family as a crow. She says she sees crows flying by her car, at the playground with their kids, and in other places whenever she's having a rough day or feeling a strong wave of grief. She doesn't just miss celebrating his service fighting flames, but the fire for his family, she can still feel burning. 'He said his favorite time of the day was when he'd get off shift and come home at 7:30 in the morning and all the kids would come running out in their diapers to give him a hug,' said Church, 'that's what I miss, is my kids having their dad.' The Jacksonville Beach City Council is meeting Monday to vote on approval for the street sign to honor Church. If it's passed, it will go up outside the station by South Beach Park. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
VOTE: Local police, fire agencies competing for best vehicle graphics in Florida
Local first responders are asking for the public's help in securing statewide bragging rights. The Florida Sheriff's Association has launched its 2025 Vehicle Graphics Contest, which is meant to decide which agency has the most eye-catching car or truck. Northeast Florida has two entries in the contest. The first is Clay County Fire Rescue's camouflage-patterned Engine 25 (pictured above), which is stationed at Camp Blanding. The Fernandina Beach Police Department is representing the city's picturesque ocean views on its own entry: The public is invited to vote for their favorite entry once per day through June 4. You can vote online by clicking here. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Clay County Fire Rescue gives retired ambulances new life as brush trucks
Retired ambulances are getting a new purpose thanks to the efforts of members of Clay County Fire Rescue. Rather than scrap or sell its outdated ambulances, CCFR is revamping them as brush trucks, designed to fight wildfires in challenging terrain. Some of their recent brush trucks were surplus from other agencies, with several being 30 or more years old. Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy new ones, some of CCFR's members decided to get creative. 'The idea for using the retired ambulances for brush trucks was, we were trying to figure out what is the best option for the county in cost and for things that we already had,' said Lieutenant Jack Miller. Mechanic Mitch Perry said he researched how to create trucks to best match his firefighters' needs, and ended up making some even more convenient than the ones they had before. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] One truck features a joystick that allows the driver to spray water out of a spout in the front with just a hand. That means it only needs a single operator. 'It's not just a brush truck,' said Lt. Miller. 'Patients that you have to go get that aren't on a paved road, that the ambulance and the fire truck can't get to -- this truck can get to.' By converting the trucks, officials say they're saving anywhere from $150,000 to $350,000. CCFR says it's completed three conversions so far, with a fourth one on the way. Watch the video showcasing the new trucks: [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jacksonville's Morning News Tuesday, April 22 - Jax Beach weighs smoking, parking restrictions
The WOKV Payroll Payout, Sponsored by Mark Spain Real Estate, continues with five chances to win $1,000. Listen for the keyword at 8:00 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Three Big Things to Know: Jacksonville Beach is trying to address complaints residents have about semi-trucks. The city council met yesterday to discuss a parking restriction on A1A. It would ban semi-trucks from parking for more than four hours between 25th Ave South and the county line. Neighbors say the trucks are taking up too many parking spots and making too much noise. The ordinance passed its first reading last night. Another ordinance would prohibit almost every way a person could smoke tobacco on beach property. However, state law doesn't allow a local ban on unfiltered cigars. Four people are hurt after an apparent gas explosion in Clay County. A house on Sycamore Way was damaged in last night's explosion. Clay County Fire Rescue says two adults and two children were taken to the hospital, but there's no word on their conditions. The State Fire Marshal is investigating. Walgreens will pay hundreds of millions of dollars in what's described as a landmark civil settlement. The pharmacy chain agreed to pay 300 million dollars to resolve allegations it illegally filled millions of invalid prescriptions for opioids. Walgreens is also accused of trying to get Medicare and other federal health care programs to pay for the invalid prescriptions. LISTEN: First Alert Meteorologist Corey Simma tracks warm, dry days into the weekend.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Four people injured after suspected gas explosion at Clay County home
An explosion at a home sent four people to the hospital Monday night, according to Clay County Fire Rescue. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Officials said the agency responded to a reported home explosion on Sycamore Way. Crews reportedly took two adults and two children to the hospital. While the cause is still under investigation, CCFR said it appears to have been a gas explosion. Action News Jax is working to learn exactly when the fire occurred and the condition of the victims. A crew is on the way to the scene. Updates will be provided as they become available. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
