Jack Lakowsky
The Day, New London, Conn.
(TNS)

East Lyme — For years, the fire department has relied on inflatable boats and help from neighboring departments when people were in trouble on the water.

But not much longer, First Selectman Dan Cunningham said Tuesday. The fire department’s 1969 Boston Whaler will return to service in the next few weeks, fitted with a new engine that cost about $19,000.

The engine should last 10 years, Cunningham said.

Recent incidents compelled Cunningham to make buying the engine a priority, he said. One was a 2 a.m. rescue of a boater who got stranded off of the Giant’s Neck beach neighborhood last winter.

Another rescue that brought attention to the need for a functioning rescue vessel, Fire Chief Bill Bundy said, was of a couple in the Niantic River. In July, East Lyme and Waterford emergency services responded to Powers Lake when a family’s canoe capsized.

Last August, the nighttime rescue of four women from the dock at Cini Memorial Park drew a huge response, with emergency crews and K-9s from East Lyme, Waterford, Stonington, Old Lyme, the Coast Guard and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responding. Officials launched a marine rescue when the darkness caused them to lose sight of a woman, who was intoxicated and refused to leave the water. She was located about 2 a.m.

“It’s still a small response boat, so we’ll have to rely on mutual aid, but it increases our capability to respond,” Bundy said. “We’ve had some occasions where we could’ve deployed it.”

The department has relied on inflatables, Cunningham said, which work in a pinch but can tear.

Used extensively by Navy Seals and the U.S. Coast Guard in the Vietnam War, Boston Whalers are known for their indestructible hulls, thanks to a revolutionary design, Cunningham said.

“It can’t sink,” Cunningham said. “And ours is in great shape.”

The department has another 2021 rescue vessel and, Bundy said, is in the process of finding a vendor for another, more modern apparatus expected to cost about $250,000, taken from the town’s capital budget.

j.lakowsky@theday.com

© 2025 The Day (New London, Conn.). Visit www.theday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Two firefighters were seriously injured in a fire apparatus rollover on Friday, according to a report.

WHAS11.com reported that two firefighters with the Raywick Fire Department were responding to an incident when the crash occurred.

The report indicated that one of the firefighters was airlifted in critical condition to the University of Louisville Hospital, while the other member was airlifted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center in serious condition.

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Christopher Leach
Lexington Herald-Leader
(TNS)

A man was charged with a DUI Wednesday evening after police say he crashed a Knox County EMS vehicle into a street sign while driving impaired, according to court documents.

The collision happened around 8 p.m. on Kentucky Route 1304 near Paynes Creek Road in Hinkle. Court documents say Steven Jones, 60, told a Kentucky State Police trooper he swerved to avoid a deer.

The trooper smelled alcohol coming from Jones, according to court documents. Jones told police he had two beers after he got off work around 1:30 p.m.

Jones was off duty when the collision occurred, Knox County EMS confirmed to the Herald-Leader.

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After the collision, Jones turned around on Paynes Creek Road and reported it to Knox County dispatch, court documents say. The state police trooper investigated the crash, as it’s against Knox County Sheriff’s Office policy to investigate a collision involving a county-owned vehicle.

Jones performed field sobriety tests and showed signs of impairment. Court documents say he changed his previous statement, admitting to drinking three large beers, and was arrested.

Jones took a preliminary breath test at the Knox County Detention Center and registered a blood alcohol concentration of 0.14, nearly twice the legal limit to drive, according to court documents. Jones did not consent to a blood test.

It was Jones’ first time being charged with DUI, according to court records. He was released from custody on his own personal recognizance on Thursday.

Jones is scheduled to be arraigned in Knox District Court on Monday, Aug. 25.

©2025 Lexington Herald-Leader. Visit kentucky.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Andrea Klick
Los Angeles Daily News
(TNS)

Some of California’s state firefighting resources have been deployed in Los Angeles County amid red flag warnings issued ahead of a heat wave that’s expected to descend on Southern California in the coming days.

The state Office of Emergency Services sent 10 fire engines, two water tenders, two bulldozers, a helicopter, two hand crews, three dispatchers and an incident management team to the county in hopes of slashing response times and lessening the impact of any fires that start amid the heat event.

“This strategy is about protecting lives, property, and communities by ensuring help is ready when it’s needed most,” said OES Director Nancy Ward in a news release Tuesday.

A red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service, indicating extreme fire-weather conditions, goes into effect 9 a.m. Wednesday and lasts through 9 p.m. Saturday for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Impacted areas include the 5 Freeway Corridor north of Los Angeles, the Santa Clarita Valley, the San Gabriel Mountains, the Antelope Valley foothills, the 14 Freeway Corridor and the Ventura County Mountains.

Some areas across Southern California could reach highs of more than 100 degrees as the heat wave develops.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service to peak Friday. Projected highs across the region that day include:

• Long Beach: 92
• Pasadena: 101
• Los Angeles: 90
• Santa Ana: 84
• San Clemente: 81
• San Bernardino: 105
• Ontario: 100
• Murrieta: 100

To prevent heat-related illness, experts recommend residents drink lots of water and electrolytes; stay inside or in cool outdoor spaces, especially during peak hours of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.; do outdoor activities like walking the dog in the early morning and evening hours and, for those who have to work outside, take frequent breaks in air conditioned or shaded areas.

©2025 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit dailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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