Columbus Division of Fire

Columbus fire officials say crews were inside the building after a smaller initial collapse, then evacuated just before a much larger portion of the structure caved in.

“This is our peak season for house fires,” said Columbus Battalion Fire Chief Steve Martin. “And in the winter months, the main cause is going to mobile heating and other means of heating the houses.”

Hiring more police officers and firefighters is one of the goals for Mayor Andrew Ginther in the 2022 operating budget.

Ninety percent of the new cadets will be a person of color, a woman or both.

Saturday marks 20 years since the 9/11 attacks. The collapse of the World Trade Center towers in New York claimed thousands of lives and altered the course of American life. In the immediate aftermath, first responders from around the country flooded into the city to assist with search and rescue efforts, among them Craig Mignogno, part of Ohio Task Force 1.

For the past few months, Columbus has placed a social worker in the 911-dispatch unit to help triage calls for service. At the surface level, the program aims to divert calls away from police, but in a broader sense the initiative is meant to better diagnose what callers really need and to de-escalate volatile situations before first responders arrive.

After a 40-year career, Columbus Public Safety Director Ned Pettus has announced his retirement.

Columbus' mayor and public safety director were back on the recruiting trail on Monday, this time welcoming a new class of fire recruits after visiting a police class last week.

Columbus City Council votes Monday on a plan to purchase gun locks and give them away for free.

Columbus is trying out an alternative response program to steer some 911 calls away from the police.