Paramedic

Colorado Springs Fire Chief Randy Royal will retire on March 9, 2027, the exact date he completes 40 years with the department. The fire department announced the planned departure this week, capping a career that began in 1987 and included more than two decades in chief officer roles after he was named battalion chief in 2005.

Royal spent 28 years as a paramedic, delivering 24 babies, and helped establish the department's Tactical Emergency Medical Services program. His tenure spanned major regional events including the 1997 blizzard, the 2007 Cattle West Apartment Fire, the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire, and the 2013 Black Forest Fire. He has received two Medals of Distinguished Service, a Firefighter of the Year award, and was named Colorado's Fire Chief of the Year in 2023 and International Career Fire Chief of the Year in 2024. Mayor Yemi Mobolade praised his four decades of service ahead of the transition to new leadership.

Cleveland is advancing a proposal to apply for up to $1.031 million in federal funding to begin replacing mobile radios installed in police cars, fire trucks and ambulances. The U.S. Department of Justice's fiscal year 2026 project list names Cleveland as invited to apply for the money for "Cleveland Public Safety Radios," a request made by U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown. The city has 778 mobile radios; the funding would replace 151 of them, about 19% of the fleet, with no local match required. Public Safety Director Dornat "Wayne" Drummond told City Council's Safety Committee that replacing the remaining 627 radios would need substantial additional funding, though no estimate was given.

This is separate from a 2024 project, approved via Ordinance 640-2024, that funded $13 million to replace 1,840 aging handheld radios carried by police, firefighters, paramedics and Animal Care and Control staff. The new measure, Ordinance 907-2026, cleared the Safety Committee and now moves to the Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Firefighters, police officers, state troopers and community members in Canton, Ohio, gathered on the 24th anniversary of the September 11 attacks to honor the 343 firefighters and other first responders killed in New York. Beginning at 8:46 a.m., participants in full turnout gear climbed the 108 steps outside the McKinley Memorial 11 times, totaling 22 laps to symbolize the 110 stories of the World Trade Center towers.

Each climber wore a badge bearing the name of a fallen first responder. Organizers, including Canton Fire Department Division Chief Steve Henderson and Mayor William Sherer II, said the exercise was meant to give participants a small sense of what responders endured that day. Local high school students also took part, connecting with an event that occurred before many of them were born. Participants included volunteer firefighters and educators who described the climb as both a tribute and a way to keep the history of the attacks alive for younger generations.