Latest news with #JFRD
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
TRAFFIC ALERT ⚠️: Accident with injuries on Bartram Park Blvd., expect delays
Emergency crews were sent to a traffic crash with serious injuries at Bartram Park Boulevard and Rounded Crown Drive, Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department said after 8 a.m. Monday. Expect delays in the area, JFRD said. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [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
06-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Landscape supervisor turned hero: Man helps over 2 dozen people, pets escape apartment fire
They say not all heroes wear capes, and that is exactly the case with Cornelius Rainey. The people he helped save from a burning apartment complex in Hyde Park on Wednesday night agree. The Landscape supervisor was visiting his family at Riverbank Apartments on Wednesday, June 4, when he quickly realized something was wrong. 'I looked to the left and see fire, flames shooting out the building,' said Rainey. 'That's when I went and helped everyone out of their apartment.' >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Around 4:45 pm Wednesday, JFRD responded to a fire at Riverbank apartments in Hyde Park. JFRD said the fire originated in a bedroom inside one of the apartments. The fire quickly spread to the attic, and as a result of that, JFRD told me they told JEA to cut the power off for the entire building. The state fire marshal is currently investigating the cause of the fire. Without hesitating, Rainey said he ran inside the burning building and began banging on residents' doors, telling them it was time to go. 'I was trying to kick people's doors in, burglary style, but it wasn't flying open,' said Rainey. 'And the doors that I didn't get opened, kicked in, it was people actually in those apartments, too.' [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Rainey tells me he helped get 15 people and 3 dogs out of the burning building, including an elderly woman in a wheelchair. 'I was knocking on their door. It wouldn't open; I opened the door. She was sitting in the living room. Her husband was trying to get her out. And I just grabbed him. I said 'Move, man. I got her, I got her,' said Rainey. 'I grabbed her and rolled her out. And that's how she got out there.' I asked Rainey why he decided to run into that building. He said it was instinct. 'I just care about people. I was just helping everybody. I couldn't leave them in there. The building was shooting fire, like real big flames,' said Rainey. Rainey told me everyone he helped was extremely grateful to him, and he was just happy that everyone was safe. The Red Cross said it assisted a total of 34 individuals displaced by this fire. In addition, there are also other people displaced. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] 'I had never been in a place with a fire before,' said Riverbank apartment resident Ekira Jackson. Jackson was on her way back home from work on Wednesday when she got a call telling her apartment building was on fire and she needed to evacuate. 'When I walked up, I just see this black apartment complex,' said Jackson. 'I just moved in literally I haven't been here for not even a month yet. And everything I work hard for is ruined.' I spoke with Riverbank Apartment's Property Manager about what they are doing to help residents during this time. They told me everyone who was impacted by the fire can access their units, but they need to obtain an access pass through the city, which they have available if residents contact them. 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
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2 Jacksonville Fire Chief applicants have been the subject of Action News Jax investigations
As the City of Jacksonville looks to replace outgoing Fire Chief Keith Powers, Action News Jax has learned some of those applying have been the subject of controversy in recent years. The 17 candidates in the running to become the next chief of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department come with a combined total of more than 330 years of fire experience. The diverse slate of applicants includes educational backgrounds ranging from bachelor's to master's and even two doctoral degrees. Five are military veterans. Their fire experience is equally diverse, with one candidate holding the position of a rank-and-file firefighter, while others currently serve in top-level positions like District, Division, and Battalion Chief. 'We'll be interviewing those folks that we feel are most qualified to do the job and we'll move on from there,' Mayor Donna Deegan said Tuesday. Deegan will be tasked with appointing the new Chief. In 2023, she announced a series of ten new leadership appointments at JFRD, along with a new program aimed at growing the next generation of leadership from within the department. 'Safety is job one and I think Chief Powers has done an amazing job with that over the years,' Deegan said. But two of the current candidates have been the subject of Action News Jax investigations. JFRD Lieutenant Todd Smith faced sexual harassment claims during his time as Chief of Emergency Preparedness in 2022. He resigned from his post days after Action News Jax broke the story in 2023. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Candidate and current Fire District Chief Bryon Iveson also made headlines in April when Action News Jax revealed he faced an internal investigation and had been reassigned to desk duty after allegedly forcing a Muslim firefighter to break his Ramadan fast. When asked about the controversy surrounding the two applicants, the Mayor told us she'll be looking for a candidate that can unite the community. 'We need to pick somebody that will bring this community together, but also make sure that it is safe,' Deegan said. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] The Jacksonville City Council will need to confirm whoever the mayor picks to replace Powers. His last day is June 30th. The mayor's pick will serve as Acting Chief as their appointment moves through the council confirmation process. 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
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
LIST: 17 candidates in the running for the next chief of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department
The City of Jacksonville currently has 17 candidates it is considering to be the next fire chief of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department. Action News Jax told you last month when the city confirmed that current Chief Keith Powers would be stepping down. His last day is June 30, and the city wants to have a new chief in place by July 1. Here is the list of candidates being considered for the role: Aaron Bebernitz Damien Bell Jacob Blanton James Davis Percy Golden Darin Hooten Renaldo Horn Bryon Iveson Willie King Benjamin Kodatt Christopher McKeown Eric Mitchell Timothy Nguyen Michael Pluhacek Paul Rigdon Steven Serrato Todd Smith Phil Perry with the City of Jacksonville said that another 12 were deemed ineligible, for a total of 29 applicants. 'The 17 candidates currently being considered meet the basic criteria, including the requirement that they are currently serving at JFRD,' Perry said in an email to Action News Jax. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'We believe that out of nearly 2,000 firefighters, there are qualified candidates to be considered,' Perry continued. The 17 candidates will now go through a more detailed evaluation process. [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
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Atlantic Beach considering cutting contract with Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department
After years of paying millions in taxpayer money to the City of Jacksonville for fire rescue services through the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department, the City of Atlantic Beach is asking whether it should be paying at all. The conversation came up in an Atlantic Beach City Commission meeting on April 28th, when Mayor Curtis Ford brought up his concerns with continuing the city's contract with JFRD. Read: Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Chief Keith Powers set to retire, city confirms 'Fire services are a county service and, therefore, should be paid by the county,' Ford said during the meeting. City commissioners said Atlantic Beach pays more than $1 million every year to the City of Jacksonville for fire rescue services. The money is used for staffing, equipment, and fire engines inside of Atlantic Beach's fire station, which the city owns. But since Atlantic Beach leaders pointed out Neptune Beach doesn't pay a cent for fire services from the City of Jacksonville, it doesn't believe it should have to do so, either. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< 'We shouldn't have paid last year, that was my thinking, and I don't think we should pay another penny after this year,' said Commissioner Jessica Ring during the April meeting. The contract for fire services between Atlantic Beach and the City of Jacksonville recently expired. Atlantic Beach leaders initially had a plan to slowly stop paying Jacksonville for fire services over the next three years. But Mayor Ford called the plan generous, saying he doesn't believe another dollar should be paid. 'I'm very concerned about this, and this is the time to take action,' said Ford. The City of Jacksonville could not provide an interview with Action News Jax, but did provide a statement: 'Over the past year, the City of Jacksonville and City of Atlantic Beach have been reviewing the interlocal agreement between the two cities. These discussions are ongoing. No decision has been made yet about fire services. Mayors Deegan and Ford will be meeting soon to discuss further.' We asked the city of Atlantic Beach how fires would be managed in the city if it were to cut its contract with JFRD. The city told us it is working on arranging an interview with us to help answer this question. The City of Jacksonville tells us the mayors of the two cities are expected to meet next week to discuss fire services. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
