The City of Harker Heights has announced its new interim fire chief. Harker Heights City Manager David Mitchell announced Thursday that Deputy Fire Chief Cindy Hicks has agreed to serve as the Interim Fire Chief for the City. Hicks joined the Harker Heights Fire Department in 1994, and moved through the ranks before serving in her current role as Deputy Fire Chief. This comes after Fire Chief Paul D. Sims retired from the department on April 28, 2023 after six years of service. Chief Sims retired from the Texas Municipal Retirement System, and will remain in the fire services – but within a different retirement system. The City says Sims accepted a position as Assistant Fire Chief with Montgomery County Emergency Services District #9 Caney Creek Fire & Rescue within Montgomery County. The City is conducting a search currently for the next Fire Chief.  

VIDEO: A McKinney fire captain has died following an off-duty vehicle crash, officials said Thursday. The McKinney Fire Department said on Wednesday that fire captain James "Bull" Graham was critically injured in the crash and was on life support in the hospital with family by his side. The initial investigation revealed that a big-rig truck was crossing traffic and turning left onto McDonald Street. That's when Graham crashed into the truck, according to investigators. "It was a very difficult scene where they had to actually extricate Captain Graham from the vehicle and then get him out and treat him. A challenging incident," McKinney Fire Chief Paul Dow said. Video from the crash scene showed the top of Graham's pickup truck torn off by the impact.  

McAllen city officials broke ground on a new training facility for the fire department on Wednesday. The new facility will cost around $4.6 million and will go up at the city's current training field on La Lomita Road. "We have our training tower where we conduct all kinds of drills and skills, practices and be able to have within the same compound be able to have a classroom where they're going to go through their lecture and all the cognitive aspect of training is very important," McAllen Interim Fire Chief Juan Gloria said. Along with classrooms for incoming cadets, administrative offices will also be located there. The project is scheduled to be completed by August 2024.  

VIDEO: Matt Dawson, an injured Lubbock firefighter testified before the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce on Thursday. He pushed for HB2468/SB1033, which would give injured first responders in Texas lifetime income benefits. Dawson suffered a traumatic brain injury and multiple broken bones after an incident in Lubbock on January 11, 2020. The incident killed Lubbock Police Officer Nicholas Reyna, 27, and Lubbock Fire Rescue Lieutenant Eric Hill, 39. In the testimony, Dawson spoke of how he is unable to physically provide for his family due to his injuries. "It has seriously changed my life, I have a 9-year-old daughter who is an active basketball player. It's hard for me not to go out there and play basketball with my 9-year-old," Dawson said. He said that because of the current way the worker's compensation works, that despite his injuries he was not qualified to receive those benefits.  

A massive three-alarm fire engulfed an industrial warehouse in Commerce Friday, sending thick smoke into the air and destroying what is believed to be a plastic manufacturing plant. The blaze erupted at about 3:40 a.m. in the 6500 block of Flotilla Street west of Davie Avenue. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews encountered flames leaping into the air, creating a massive plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles. Smoke was visible from more than 10 miles away. The roof of the structure quickly collapsed as flames ripped through the building, which is believed to house a textile business that manufactures plastic benches. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and it was unclear what sparked the blaze.  

The Georgetown Fire Department is now the first in Kentucky to offer a specific type of cancer screening test to its firefighters. It's called the Galleri test and it can detect more than 50 types of cancer, even in the earliest stages. "We always want to try to figure out ways that we can take care of our members," said Chief Tim Thompson, Georgetown Fire Department. The partnership for the tests is with Grail, LLC which created the multi-cancer early detection test. Chief Thompson says he's excited about what it can do for the men and women in the department. "The test is a simple blood draw. They'll come take blood from us and send it off. What it does is it actually detects DNA breakdown if there's cancer in the body," said Chief Thompson. Chief Thompson says if a cancer signal is found in the blood, the Galleri test can pinpoint, with a high level of accuracy, the source of the signal in the body.  

While the Lake Norden fire department has received offers of help after a Wednesday morning fire destroyed much of its equipment, the long-term replacement will take time and money. Four of the department's five fire vehicles were destroyed in the fire as well as the two ambulances, said Tony Aas, the city's police chief. Area fire departments will help cover fires and related emergencies for the fire department. The state and others have stepped in to provide equipment and vehicles for ambulance service, Aas said. "It's 18 months out with any public safety vehicle, for new. It's going to be a long process," Aas said. The fire destroyed two tanker haulers, a brush truck and one engine pumper, Aas said.  

Volunteers at the Thibodaux Fire Department are getting floats ready to roll for Sunday's morning Firemen's Fair parade, one of the longest-recorded parades in U.S. history. When you rewind and travel back in time for a peek at pictures from past parades, you'll learn the parade has been rolling through Thibodaux since the 1800s. Our research indicates the parade started in 1860 and ran non-stop, except for two times throughout the 160-year history: World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic. It's the parade that keeps going and going, celebrating a longstanding tradition in Thibodaux, and recognizing the hundreds of volunteers that make up the Thibodaux Fire Department. With a float from all eight companies, the real proof is in the people: the people in the parade and the ones waiting and watching, so proud to know that the biggest volunteer fire department in America has Louisiana roots.  

VIDEO: When Michael McAllister of Turtle Creek is not on the football field, he's fighting fires. Now, the 23-year-old is heading to California as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams! He became a volunteer firefighter for the Turtle Creek Volunteer Fire Department when he was 16. "I fell in love with it at a young age, and I've always made time for this place. It's like a second home to me," McAllister said. "I just like the idea of volunteering in the free time that I had." His free time was limited because of the passion he found long before he put on his firefighter helmet. "Since I was 9 years old, I told people I was going to play in the NFL," McAllister said. As of 8 p.m. last Saturday, he got one step closer to proving it. "I was a free agent for all of about an hour," McAllister said. That's when he got a call from the Rams.