Latest news with #Engine15
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Yahoo
Charlotte firefighters receive Hometown Hero Award for actions during Shannon Park Shooting
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Four members of Charlotte Fire Engine 15 were honored for their efforts during the deadly shooting that killed four law enforcement officers April 29, 2024. The east Charlotte station's team — Capt. Nathan Jones, Engineer Justin Barringer, Firefighter William Costello, and Firefighter Jonathan Moore — recently received the Hometown Hero Award, presented by Modern Woodmen of America. The honor, awarded annually by the financial services organization, is given to individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary acts of service and bravery. DA rules 23 officers who fired shots in Shannon Park shooting were justified The Hometown Hero Award is presented at the discretion of local Modern Woodmen chapters, recognizing first responders, educators, and community leaders who go above and beyond. For the crew of Engine 15, the idea of being called heroes is something they have yet to embrace. 'No, no. Nobody calls us heroes. We make sure to squash that,' Captain Nathan Jones said, reflecting on the award. 'We just did what we would hope anyone else would do. If this had happened anywhere else in the city, I would hope those crews would have done the same thing.' That day, Engine 15 responded to what initially came through as a MEDIC Routine for an unknown medical emergency. Minutes later, the update came: two officers down. Without hesitation, they mobilized, arriving at the scene and assessing the rapidly evolving situation. As gunfire continued, they donned ballistic vests and, with CMPD providing force protection, moved toward the fallen officers. Under a hail of gunfire, the crew assisted in extracting CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer and loading him into a police vehicle to be transported to an ambulance staging area. They then moved back into the hot zone to assist in extracting Officer William 'Alden' Elliott, providing life-saving medical care en route to the hospital. 'We were just doing our job,' Costello said. 'We didn't have time to think about anything else. The only thing on our minds was getting those officers out.' When asked what advice he would give to a new firefighter who might one day find themselves in an unpredictable situation, Jones was direct. 'Stay in our pocket,' he said, referencing a fire service saying about staying close to senior firefighters and learning from their actions. 'That's how you get through situations like this. You watch, you listen, and you trust your team. That's what we did.' For Firefighter Moore, one of the newer members of Engine 15, the lessons of that day were life changing. 'I had only been with this crew for a few months when this happened,' he said. 'I learned more in those eight minutes than I had in my entire career.' Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson praised the crew for their composure and quick thinking under extreme pressure. 'The members of Engine 15 displayed the highest level of professionalism and courage that day,' Johnson said. 'They faced a situation most firefighters will never encounter, and they acted decisively to protect lives. Their actions are a testament to the unwavering dedication of Charlotte Fire.' Engineer Barringer reflected on the overwhelming intensity of the moment and the trust he had in his crew. 'We didn't need to say much to each other — it was all about action,' he said. 'When you work alongside people you trust with your life, you don't think twice. You just do what has to be done.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Scranton extends lease of former fire station to nonprofit spay/neuter organization
Scranton will let a nonprofit spay/neuter organization use the former Engine 15 fire station at 1409 Ash St. for another year for free. Last year, the city temporarily leased the building for seven months to St. Cats and Dogs Inc. — which pronounces the 'St.' as 'street.' The lease term now would extend for another 12 months 'to help relieve the current crisis of insufficient animal shelter space in our community,' according to legislation adopted by Scranton City Council. The Engine 15 building closed as a fire station in 2011. It later was used over several years by the Police Department and more recently by city animal control officers. The Scranton Fire Department's former Engine 15 station building at 1409 Ash St. on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) A year ago, city leaders were considering eventually selling the former firehouse. By June, they instead decided to have the city keep ownership of the Ash Street building and leased it for $1 to St. Cats and Dogs for seven months, from June 18, 2024, to Jan. 17, 2025, for that organization to use for its operations. Now, the city intends to extend the lease, retroactively from Jan. 18, 2025, to Jan. 17, 2026, according an ordinance authorizing the lease. Scranton City Council introduced the ordinance Jan. 21, advanced it Jan. 28 and adopted it Tuesday, according to meeting agendas and minutes and Electric City Television videos of meetings posted on YouTube. Established in 2012, St. Cats and Dogs opened its cat-and-dog spay/neuter clinic at the former zoo building at Nay Aug Park in 2015. Efforts to reach St. Cats and Dogs founder Joanne Davis were unsuccessful. While the legislation refers to the former firehouse on Ash Street as an animal shelter under St. Cats and Dogs use, Councilman Mark McAndrew said that is not the case and cats and dogs are not kept there. 'They can't kennel them there,' McAndrew said, adding the city needs to find a solution to better handle strays, especially in frigid weather, according to minutes of the Jan. 21 meeting. He also addressed the issue at the Jan. 7 council meeting, according to meeting minutes, saying, 'I received some complaints about (stray) dogs. You know, there's been a feral cat problem. We're all aware of that and the city struggles with it.' The website of St. Cats and Dogs also stresses, 'We are NOT a shelter.' St. Cats an Dogs spay/neuter clinic at Nay Aug Park in Scranton on Dec. 21, 2022. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) St. Cats and Dogs traps feral cats, sterilizes them and releases them back into the neighborhoods they came from. The practice also is known as trap, neuter, return, or TNR. The organization says TNR is a nonlethal solution to feral cat overpopulation, with cats humanely trapped, sterilized, vaccinated and returned to where they were trapped. TNR also ear-tips the feral cats for immediate identification if they are trapped again, so they can be released immediately. TNR decreases colony sizes as cats are sterilized, which means fewer unwanted kittens and fewer cats euthanized in shelters. Screeching, fighting and spraying also are eliminated and the treated cats are vaccinated against rabies, according to St. Cats and Dogs. The organization works with the nonprofit Eastern Pennsylvania Animal Alliance of Brodheadsville, which operates a mobile clinic for spaying and neutering. Municipalities throughout Lackawanna County also have passed ordinances in recent years requiring residents to spay and neuter feral cats if they intend to feed them. Residents and animal-welfare groups often take such cats to St. Cats and Dogs at Nay Aug Park for TNR purposes. St. Cats and Dogs also adopts out felines and has 60-100 cats and kittens available at any given time. Joanne Davis of St. Cats and Dogs holds kittens at the group's home in the former zoo at Nay Aug Park in Scranton on June 11, 2019. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO) 'Through TNR, adoption of friendlies and other community projects, we strive to reduce the population and improve the lives of our feline friends,' the St. Cats and Dogs website says. For information about the organization, adoptions or volunteering, see the St. Cats and Dogs website at or on Facebook.
