The Houston Fire Department is hoping to get some new recruits by offering a $5,000 incentive for new cadets. The department said it has implemented a $5,000 incentive pay program that will go into effect this month and will include future HFD cadet classes through December 2024. "In a competitive labor market, this incentive will assist the Houston Fire Department to compete with other departments in the industry and continue to attract the most qualified applicants," said Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña. The first group of cadets is scheduled to get the $5,000 incentive pay this month. Cadets joining the department after April will receive the incentive in two stages: Academy Start - $2,500 to be paid within the fourth month of the training period; and Completion - $2,500 to be paid during the 8th month of training or approximately two weeks before graduation.  

VIDEO: A family is safe after their home was struck by lightning in Conroe, causing it to catch fire Thursday, officials with the Woodlands Fire Department said. Just before midnight, a lightning strike hit a house on Golden Autumn Place, causing it to go up in flames, the Woodlands Fire Department battalion chief Palmer Buck confirmed. Buck told KPRC 2 that everybody in the house, except for two kittens, was able to get out before the fire spread. The homeowners, who also have a 5-year-old daughter, then called the fire department for help. Firefighters arrived at the home and were eventually able to go in, rescue the kittens and return them to the homeowners. According to the chief, the little girl was inside her room when the lightning struck the home.  

Crews in Pflugerville rescued 16 people from their cars during flash floods overnight. Travis County Emergency Services District 2, also known as the Pflugerville Fire Department, received 15 calls about water-related emergencies Thursday night. Firefighters responded to several locations in northeast Travis County: Gregg Ln., N. Railroad Ave., Crystal Bend, and Dessau Rd. at Howard. "You never know how severe a flash flood is going to be until it arrives," Nick Perkins, Fire Chief for Travis County ESD No. 2, said. "While we are here to serve in any emergency, we want to stress to the community the classic saying of ‘turn around don't drown.' If you have to travel in rainy conditions, be sure to stay on even-level pavement and avoid any hills or dips in the road. When it's dark, you may not see how deep a dip or hill may be until it's too late. I am glad the men and women of ESD No. 2 were able to assist the impacted individuals to safety."  

VIDEO: The alarming increase in drug overdoses has led Dallas Fire-Rescue to create a team of first responders with Narcan and special training. DFR started the overdose response team earlier this year in large part due to the dramatic rise in fentanyl overdose cases. Many of the victims are young teenagers. The team is joining forces with Dallas ISD this weekend to help educate students and their parents about the dangers of the potent drug. The Dallas Fire-Rescue overdose response team is busy. A rise in fentanyl overdoses is to blame. Master firefighter-paramedic Jarrod Gilstrap is part of the two-member team. "I'll go out and follow up with that patient to see if they need some services," he said. Gilstrap is assisted by a recovery support peer specialist. Thursday, it was Dan Midgett with Recovery Resource Council.  

Firefighters worked to keep a huge fire from spreading in Truro Friday morning after a house exploded. There were no reports of injuries, as the fire chief did not believe anyone was home at the time. The blast on First Light Lane shook houses in neighboring towns, people on social media reported. Video from the scene showed flames completely engulfing the home. "Significant explosion. . . the house behind it, surrounding houses have lost windows," Truro Fire Chief Tim Collins said. Firefighters will be on scene all day investigating. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. Just one week ago, a house explosion in Berlin killed a 79-year-old woman and injured her daughter.  

VIDEO: Firefighting is both a physically and mentally demanding profession, and while Wisconsin women have been blazing the trail for others in the industry, some said there is still work to be done. In 2020, women accounted for less than 5% of career firefighters nationwide, according to the latest estimated numbers by the National Fire Protection Association. For some Wisconsin departments, that percentage is higher, but women are still underrepresented in the field. In the state's biggest department — the Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) — a little more than 7% of sworn Milwaukee firefighters are women. In Madison, women make up around 11% of all commissioned firefighters. That number is lower in La Crosse, at a little more than 4% and women with the Green Bay Metro Fire Department make up close to 3% of all sworn firefighters.  

A new law signed Thursday by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb will help protect Hoosier firefighters from the toxic chemicals known as PFAS. But it stops short of actually banning cancer-causing compounds. House Bill 1219, which was passed unanimously at the state house, will require the monitoring of PFAS levels in firefighters' blood because the so-called "forever chemicals" have been linked to multiple cancers. The law comes after the death of longtime South Bend firefighter Mike Brown from esophageal cancer in February, just weeks after he retired. The toxic particles are found in a firefighting foam and the protective gear firefighters wear on the job every day. "Firefighters are exposed to these toxic, man-made chemicals at a higher rate than the population due to that chemical being in their protective gear and also in the AFFF fighting foam that they use to put out some of the most severe fires," said State Representative Maureen Bauer, who sponsored the bill.  

VIDEO: Mikey Riley has been with the Asheville Fire Department for just over 15 years. Just within the past few years of his time there, Riley said he's been personally impacted by the loss of active and retired firefighters due to occupational cancer. The Asheville Fire Department has lost four active members in the last four to five years due to occupational cancer, according to Riley, which he plans to use as motivation on Saturday, April 22. "Unless we do something about it, there's going to be a number five and six over the next couple of years," Riley said. "So we want to do everything we can to decrease those numbers and not have this continue. I'm going to run for 24 hours. I've run 12 or 13 hours before, but 24 hours is going to be a different beast."  

The New York City Fire Museum has now launched a new exhibition, Strike Up the Band: A Tribute to the Bands of the Bravest, which tells the story of the New York City Fire Department's extensive musical traditions that span generations. The exhibition will be on display from April 26, 2023 through late August 2023, and will take guests on a journey of over 100 years of history. It will include historic objects such as bagpipes and drums, uniforms, trophies and photographs from throughout the bands' histories, as well as modern video displays that allow visitors to fully explore this little-known aspect of the department. "The arts are what continue to inspire us and keep our cultures alive, and the FDNY is no exception. That is why we are elated to share this unique, months-long exhibition with our community," said Sean Britton, Collection Manager and Curator at the New York City Fire Museum.