New Belmond fire truck ready soon

Fire Chief Dean Adcock spoke to the Belmond City Council on several matters Monday night. He presented a long list of additions and subtractions for the department’s new rescue truck, which is currently being built. The changes amounted to an extra $4,771, which will be paid by the Belmond Fire Department Foundation. The council approved the changes. The truck, which should be ready for delivery in early March, will cost $574,885. Adcock asked the city to fund part of the cost of a new air bottle breathing system that will cost $49,948. The department has raised $40,450 of that amount, and has asked the BFD Foundation, the Rural Fire Association, and the City of Belmond to each pay $3,166 toward the shortage. The council agreed to do this.
Belmond Independent

Council Bluffs Fire Department trains for potential life-threatening situations on frozen Lake Manawa

Freezing temperatures have iced over many bodies of water in southwest Iowa, providing the opportunity for Council Bluffs Fire Department to get some training done. Firefighters and medics conducted ice rescue training Thursday at Lake Manawa State Park, with department members — wearing protective suits — plunging into the icy water. “We do this every year, to run everyone through the equipment, the suits and our rescue procedures,” Capt. Rich Rodewald said at Lake Manawa. The training focused on ice rescues where the department is unable to use its hovercraft to reach a victim. “The hovercraft makes ice rescue a lot easier,” Rodewald said, but there are scenarios where it’s unusable for a rescue.
Council Bluffs Nonpareil - Metered Site

Bill would let Iowa EMTs carry firearms in high-risk situations

A new bill going through the Iowa Legislature would allow Emergency Medical Technicians to carry a firearm if they are a part of a police tactical team. Senate File 2006, introduced by Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, would allow emergency medical professionals to obtain a professional permit to carry weapons if they train with a tactical team, complete a firearm safety training course and are not disqualified from carrying weapons. Tactical teams are often called upon for high-risk situations like shootings or serving search warrants to armed individuals. Emergency medical professionals who accompany these teams are there to administer immediate medical care to victims. Currently under Iowa law, workers like police officers, security guards and bank messengers are allowed to obtain a professional permit, which allows them to carry a firearm while working.
Clinton Herald

Burlington house fire under investigation

The Burlington Fire Department is investigating an early morning house fire. At 2:09 a.m. Wednesday, firefighters responded to a reported house fire in the 2300 block of Gordon Street, the department said in a media release. They found light smoke coming from the eaves of the two-story, wood-frame house and contained a small fire above the ceiling of the kitchen near a light fixture. Damage to the structure is estimated at $10,000 and $5,000 to the content, according to the release. Four people were home at the time of the fire and escaped without injury. The Red Cross has been called for victim assistance. The fire remains under investigation and is not considered suspicious. The fire department was assisted by the West Burlington Fire Department, Burlington Police Department, and Alliant Energy.
KWQC-TV NBC 6 Davenport

Follow Up: Independence man found guilty for arson, attempted murder

A man who was accused of attempting to kill his wife and her uncle by setting a house on fire has been convicted by a jury. Shane Allen Heins, 45, of Independence, was found guilty of first-degree arson and two counts of attempted murder. Investigators say Heins set the fire on March 2, 2019, in Independence in an effort to kill his wife, Christina Heins, and her uncle, Nick Necker. Both were taken for treatment at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. The incident involved a verbal disagreement that escalated to breaking items and eventually setting multiple fires throughout the home. Christina Heins was able to escape through a window, and Necker required rescue from law enforcement. Heins is facing up to 75 years in prison on the three counts. He will be sentenced at a later date.
KCRG-TV ABC 9 Cedar Rapids

Fatal accident in Marion County under investigation after explosives are found in victims truck

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office and State Fire Marshal Division are investigating after a truck caught fire killing one man inside. The Sheriff’s Office was called to a single-vehicle crash on Wednesday, January 12th just east of Knoxville. While responding to the call suspected improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered from the crash. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene and has been identified as Del Sorey of Arnolds Park. The truck Sorey was driving caught fire and was destroyed. Sorey was the only one inside. Search warrants related to the IED’s were served on Wednesday, January 15th at three addresses in Milford and Arnolds Park, Iowa, in Dickinson County. The case remains under investigation.
WOI-TV ABC 5 Des Moines