Sterling Fire Department

The decision to waive the bid process and accept a proposal from Jefferson Fire and Safety for the purchase of a customized Rosenbauer King Cobra firetruck with a 101-foot articulating aerial ladder came after a series of reports on the state of the department’s apparatus.

Sixteen fire departments were involved in the fire call.

Sterling Deputy Fire Chief David Northcutt said the new truck is needed to replace Truck/Tower 4, the department’s only truck with an aerial ladder.

A structure fire along state Route 38 near Ashton resulted in “a total loss” as crews battled against strong winds Wednesday afternoon, Ashton Fire Chief Bernard Richter said.

Several fire departments responded to an emergency call reporting a possible structure fire early Thursday morning.

A fire in Sterling is under investigation after breaking out early Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.

Outwork Elite partnered with the Garrett Ramos Foundation on Monday, Feb. 17, to host a free basketball camp for kids ranging from third through eighth grade. Over 120 players from throughout the Sauk Valley and beyond attended the clinic at Newman Central Catholic High School.

Icy road conditions Wednesday night led to multiple accidents in Whiteside County, Sterling Deputy Fire Chief David Northcutt told Shaw Local.

The Sterling Fire Department, Rock Falls Fire Department, Sterling Police Department and CGH EMS were dispatched at 1 p.m. Friday to the Sterling Steel property, 101 Ave. K, for a report of a man under a railcar.

Sterling Deputy Fire Chief David Northcutt recently spoke about the department’s plans to upgrade equipment.

Local agencies and state officials were left in a cloud of uncertainty Tuesday after an order from the White House to pause the distribution of all federal grants and loans.

Christina M. Haugen, 32, who resided at the home, died in the blaze.

An autopsy Tuesday morning confirmed the identity of the victim, who resided at the Emerson home.

The CHAD program began in 1992 as a result of a car crash involving 13-month-old Chad Bodine, whose babysitter was driving and was instantly killed, leaving emergency personnel unable to identify the injured child.

One dead following Sunday house fire in rural Sterling.

Firefighters discovered a body Monday at the scene of a fire that broke out Sunday afternoon in rural Sterling, Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker has confirmed.

Sterling and Rock Falls firefighters and CGH EMS were called to 5500 Mill Street in Emerson around 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, for a reported structure fire with flames and smoke visible.

Investigators on Monday continue the search for a possible victim of a fire that broke out Sunday at 5500 Mill Street in rural Sterling.

Area firefighters respond to a house fire Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, at 5500 Mill St. in Emerson. More details to come.

The two fire departments also encourage residents to sign up for Community Connect, an online program where users can input information to assist departments during an emergency.

Sterling and Rock Falls fire held a safety event Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, at the Northland Mall.

All evidence at this time indicates this to be an isolated incident in which a man died as the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a Sterling Police Department news release.

The Sterling City Council swore in two new police officers and two new firefighters during a City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.

The Sterling City Council on Monday, Jan. 6, will add to the ranks of the city’s police and fire departments.

Dixon City firefighters were called at 2:03 a.m. Friday to 417 W. Second St. for a report of a structure fire called in by a passerby.

Wallace Head Start's “Breakfast with Heroes” event invited members from both Rock Falls and Sterling’s police and fire departments to share a bagel breakfast with students to help foster positive connections with them.

Fire damaged a Sterling apartment building Tuesday night, causing three people to suffer smoke inhalation symptoms and two cats to be resuscitated.

Due to the smoke plume, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency will be monitoring air quality and will follow up with a report through the EPA.

The Sterling City Council designated the last of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds Monday, choosing to put the remaining funds toward building demolition costs and a new fire department training center.

Wednesday morning's fire damage was limited to Country Inn and Suites' room 102, with water damage reaching the hallway.

Steven W. Coleman was sentenced Thursday for three counts of murder, three aggravated arson charges, and a residential arson charge. All seven sentences will be served consecutively to each other.

After a sobering report on the condition of Sterling Fire Department’s apparatus, many have asked: “How did we get here?” To answer those questions, we need to go back a few years, writes Shaw Local reporter Brandon Clark.

Brian McPhillips, 32, of Sterling was driving east on U.S. 30 near Riverdale Road when he attempted to pass an eastbound semi, met a westbound semi and collided with both, according to a Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Paul S. Cobane, 43, was taken into custody at 12:45 p.m. Friday in the 1200 block of Sixth Avenue, according to a news release issued Friday afternoon by the Sterling Police Department.

Residents can share important information about their homes and businesses with the fire department, such as how many people and pets live in the home or building and where utility shut-offs are located.

Sterling and Rock Falls firefighters were called at 10 p.m. Tuesday to the burning home in the 5400 block of Anne Street, Galt, in rural Sterling.

Fire chief says that of the department's 3 fire engines, 2 are not reliable and the third is aging quickly due to overuse to make up for the other two. The department has one fire truck, which has an aerial ladder. That truck has been out of service for 10 months, chief says.

Alan Marshall, arrested on three counts of arson, now has been charged with two counts of aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery and unlawful restraint in connection with events leading up to a Sept. 25 fire at a Sterling duplex in the 600 block of West Fifth Street.

Sterling police say three arson arrest warrants have been issued for a Sterling man who is accused of running from police Wednesday during a domestic battery investigation and then barricading himself in his West Fifth Street apartment shortly before fire broke out there.

The state fire marshal’s office is investigating a fire that destroyed a Sterling home Wednesday afternoon and sent one person to the hospital with smoke inhalation.

Certified technicians will provide attendees with child car and booster seat installation. Technicians also will inspect installed car seats.

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to consider helping to fund a training center for the Rock Falls and Sterling fire departments to the tune of $825,000 when it returns to session next month.

To build a training facility that, decades down the road, still effectively serves Sauk Valley firefighters and, by extension, residents. That’s the goal members of the Garrett Ramos Training Facility Cooperative set for the Rock Falls and Sterling fire departments.

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee voted to approve an appropriations bill Wednesday that includes $825,000 in Community Project Funding for the Rock Falls Fire Department to build a burn tower where firefighters can train in live-fire conditions.

A Morrison man was seriously injured Monday when his motorcycle and a vehicle collided in rural Sterling.

Fire at 1501 First Ave. was contained in the attic.

Firefighters battled a house fire Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 1501 First Avenue in Sterling. Multiple departments responded to the scene including Sterling, Rock Falls, Dixon, Amboy, Morrison and Prophetstown.

Fire crews from Sterling, Rock Falls and Dixon fire departments responded to a residential structure fire late Monday night.

Fifteen fire departments, one from as far away as Clinton, Iowa, assisted in fighting the blaze that broke out in an outside pile of recycling remnants and took four hours to extinguish.

Fire officials say residents may experience low water pressure.