The appointment of Assistant Fire Chief Shane Glaiser as interim Fire Chief was confirmed by the Round Rock City Council Oct. 14. On Sept. 22, the city announced Glaiser had been selected to fill the position vacated by former Fire Chief Robert Isbell, who now leads the city of Stephenville's fire department. "It's a great honor to be here to help protect the citizens of Round Rock," Glaiser said. "They have been here for me, my family through a bunch of ups and downs and they have supported us all the way through them." Glaiser has been with the Round Rock Fire Department since 1995, having risen through the department's ranks. He served as the project lead for the city's Public Safety Training Center, which was completed in 2018.  

Firefighters battled a blaze late last night at a building that had previously been a church. The fire erupted about 9:20 p.m. Thursday at Freeport and Bandera in eastern Harris County. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the former church. "Once the fire department got there, they made a quick attack but the fire was moving very quickly, mostly through the attic space," said Rachel Neutzler, of the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office. Several area fire departments were called to the scene to battle the blaze. "Investigators are on site and we are working to determine the origin and cause of the fire," Neutzler said. One firefighter was transported to the hospital with a shoulder injury. "This used to be a church," Neutzler said adding that it had been vacant for a couple months.  

Round Rock Fire Department has received the distinction of earning a Class 1 Public Protection Classification rating by the Insurance Services Office (ISO). The program measures and evaluates the effectiveness of fire mitigation services in communities throughout the country. For each fire protection area, ISO assigns a Public Protection Classification code between 1 to 10, with Class 1 representing the highest possible fire protection. The classification is used by insurance companies to set rates, and is expected to specifically help commercial businesses with an approximate 2% savings on insurance. The rating bodes well for economic development, as many large companies look to this rating as a factor in determining location. Grading is based on multiple factors, including the fire department, water supply and dispatching.  

Beasley Fire Department added a 2022 tanker to their fleet thanks to a $220,000 grant through the Texas A&M Forest Service Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program. The primary purpose of a tanker is to keep a supply of water available to firefighters, aiding in fire suppression. "This 3,000-gallon tanker will bring greater capabilities by providing water throughout our fire district for fire operations," said Beasley FD Fire Chief Tim Sabrsula. "It will be a great asset to the approximate 5,000 residents over 80-square-miles of our territory." The fire department is prepared for all types of fire response. "We received the truck and immediately trained on it and equipped it for service," said Sabrsula. "Within the first two weeks the truck was used in response to a mutual aid structure fire, two grass fires and two trash fires."  

The condition of three firefighters injured in an apartment explosion in Dallas has improved. Once listed in critical condition at Parkland hospital, all three are now in serious but stable condition. But Dr. Marshal Isaacs, Medical Director for Dallas Fire Rescue, said the difficult journey isn't over. "I don't want anybody to think that now that they're out of the woods that they'll be discharged in a matter of days and resume their lives and careers," said Isaacs. "They've got long roads of recovery ahead of them." In addition to being under the care of Parklands burn center, one of the largest in the nation, he said each firefighter has a colleague by their side daily. "From the chief and his command staff, to our chaplains, and then our rank and file members who are here each and every day," said Isaacs. On the outside, the firefighters' families are feeling the weight of a new, unanticipated financial burden.  

San Marcos and surrounding Hays County experienced heavy rainfall Thursday night, causing flooding throughout the region. Due to the high floodwaters, San Marcos First Responders rescued eight people and two dogs. At 1:30 a.m. first responders were called to the bridge at I-35 near Freddy's restaurant where San Marcos Police Department personnel located two individuals clinging to a tree. Fire crews set up Truck 3 and extended the aerial approximately 75' to reach the two individuals, who reported exiting their car after it was swept away by fast moving water and clinging to the tree until rescuers arrived. Then at approximately 5:37 a.m., crews responded to a report that six people needed to be rescued from flood waters at the Highway 80 bridge over the Blanco River.  

VIDEO: The city of Boston celebrated the opening of its first new firehouse in more than three decades on Thursday. The new $23.5 million, state-of-the-art facility is the Engine 42, Rescue 2, District 9 Firehouse in Roxbury. "It's so important that we make sure that our first responders, our frontline workers, have the support and the tools necessary to do their jobs and to do it with honor and integrity," said Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey at Thursday's ribbon-cutting ceremony. It was designed from start to finish with firefighters in mind. It is complete with in-house training opportunities around every corner and at every height. It also has a sparkling new kitchen, a gym, and sleeping quarters. "I can see the smiles in all the firefighters faces. It's just an awesome feeling for us to take this over," said Robert Dowling, Chief of District 9.  

New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS) will be the first ground ambulances in the region to carry blood for emergency transfusions for patients with traumatic injuries. "We did the numbers over a year. There were about 80 to 90 patients that we envisioned that blood could have been given and an opportunity for a difference to be made, so this is a really huge opportunity that we're excited to tackle," said Dr. Emily Nichols, medical director for NOEMS. Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death. Early transfusions have been shown to improve outcomes for patients with major traumatic bleeding. "When you lose a trauma patient that you think gosh another couple of minutes would have made a difference, it's really hard. It's hard to have that conversation with the family. It's hard for even a seasoned team to see that over and over again," said Dr. Jennifer Avegno, director for the New Orleans Health Department.  

Aviation accidents are so rare that they naturally make front-page news. Some plane crashes, however, have left lasting imprints due to their unique circumstances or indelible images. Although not the deadliest in American history, these seven plane crashes are among the most unforgettable. Thick fog enveloped a B-25 Mitchell bomber as it approached Manhattan on a routine flight from Massachusetts to New Jersey on the Saturday morning of July 28, 1945. Flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet in heavy fog, the 10-ton aircraft suddenly slammed into the north side of the Empire State Building between the 78th and 80th floors. Wreckage littered the streets below. One engine tore completely through the structure, the world's tallest at the time, and started a fire that destroyed a penthouse art studio across the street.  

VIDEO: Overdose-related calls more than quadrupled in September on Kauai, which has first responders concerned. "We've seen a dramatic increase of these opiate overdoses," said Cody Bonilla, county supervisor for the Kauai Emergency Medical Services, "We're seeing the cases being linked to fentanyl." Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic drug, extremely addicting and growing in use. It's being mixed into counterfeit prescription pills and street drugs. In September, Kauai Emergency Medical Services responded to 18 overdose calls. Of those, five patients died. That's a huge jump from August, when EMS responded to just four overdose calls, with no fatalities. And in July, it was even lower, Narcan was used only twice by EMS, again without fatalities. "Absolutely concerned," said KPD Assistant Chief Bryson Ponce.  

In tears Tuesday, just one day after a plane crash fire in Santee destroyed their first home, newlyweds Cody and Courtney Campbell held out hope they would find Cody's wedding ring in the rubble. He had been wearing a black rubber ring and kept his other ring in their home. "To get it back would be amazing, but in the end, this is all that matters," Courtney Campbell said. Then the next day at their home of only five months, the couple sifted through ashes and debris until they finally found it, Cody's wedding ring. It was charred black but all in one piece. Courtney wrote on Instagram: "We are speechless. Also intact, soaking wet, and now perfectly imperfect, the letter Cody wrote to me on our wedding day and gave to me with our photo."