Another Houston firefighter is in the ICU with COVID-19 as of Friday night, according to the firefighters union president. According to the union president, Captain Tommy Searcy was in the ICU as of Friday night. The news comes as Houston firefighters prepare to bury 17-year HFD veteran Jerry Pacheco, who died on August 3 from coronavirus. "While we make final preparations to bury our brother Firefighter/Paramedic Jerry Pacheco tomorrow, we are asking for Houston to pray for Capt. Tommy Searcy who is now in ICU. Prayers Needed!" the union president tweeted Friday night. Houston Fire Department tweeted about Captain Searcy on Thursday, praying for a speedy recovery. Searcy is the third Houston firefighter to be treated in the ICU with COVID-19.  

Two first responders in the Houston area, were laid to rest Saturday after losing their battle with COVID-19. Services were held for Harris County Deputy Mark Brown and Houston Firefighter Jerry Pacheco. Brown's career in law enforcement started about 23 years ago when he joined the Hempstead Police Department, then Precinct 5 in 2017. Pacheco was a 17-year veteran of the Houston Fire Department and was assigned to Station 101 in kingwood. He leaves behind a son, who is also a Houston firefighter.  

After more than 40 years of service, Assistant Fire Chief Randall Potter announced his retirement from the Waxahachie Fire-Rescue, coming Jan. 15, 2021. Potter began his firefighter journey 40 years ago in a volunteer department. "I was raised up in a small town, and all we had was a volunteer department, and so I was a member of the volunteer department. One of the other guys in town ... said you should go find you a job as a paid fireman somewhere. And I thought, ‘You know, that's not a bad idea'," Potter shared. "One thing led to another. I started out in another department, and then I came here ... I've been here since 1980. I've been working for the Waxahachie Fire Department since November of 1980." For 30 of those years, Potter has worked as the Assistant Fire Chief for the city of Waxahachie. He was named Assistant Fire Chief after the position was created in October 1990. He has also served as the department's Training Chief and Compliance Officer.  

Last week, Amanda Vance, curator of the Texas City Museum, noticed an uptick in online chatter about the 1947 Texas City Disaster. That's interesting, she observed. Usually, talk of the disaster tends to occur in April, around its anniversary. It quickly became clear why that incident -- the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history -- suddenly became a topic of discussion: 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate had exploded in the Port of Beirut, killing more than 150. Seventy-three years earlier, at the Port of Texas City, a fire broke out in the cargo hold on board the French-owned S.S. Grandcamp, which was loaded with about 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. As firefighters and the curious converged dockside the morning of April 16, the ship exploded, sending molten chunks of it into the city's petrochemical complex. Buildings were flattened, planes were knocked out of the sky, the nearby Monsanto Chemical Company plant was destroyed and oil storage facilities went up in flames. Hours later, the nearby High Flyer, also loaded with ammonium nitrate, exploded. In all, nearly 600 were killed.  

"Hero" is a word that gets tossed around a lot these days, but when it comes to the EMS teams risking their health and even their lives as the pandemic rages, it totally fits. Like the doctors, nurses and other caregivers grappling with COVID-19, Emergency Medical Services personnel are under a great deal of stress as they do their jobs while also worrying about the safety of their loved ones. Brownsville Fire Chief Jarrett V. Sheldon acknowledged the situation has been tough on his people, a fair number of whom have become infected with the virus, though thankfully most are recovered and back at work. Stress and anxiety among the ranks are a reality, though, while morale among care givers in general has taken a beating these past months, he said. "They're dealing directly with these COVID patients," Sheldon said.  

Nearly a dozen units were damaged Sunday in an apartment fire in north Harris County. Authorities said children were playing with matches when the fire started just before 4 p.m. at the complex in the 990 block of Cypress Station Drive. The children were home alone because their mother had left to run an errand, according to authorities. Firefighters said at least nine units were severely damaged and others were damaged to a lesser extent. Out of the nine severely damaged units, seven were occupied, apartment management said. The Red Cross has been requested to help the displaced families. No injuries have been reported.  

VIDEO: One person has died and at least three others are critically injured after several houses exploded in Baltimore on Monday morning, officials say. The explosion happened in the area of 6500 blk Reisterstown Rd 21215. Firefighters have rescued three critically injured patients. Special Rescue Operations are searching for more victims. Some of the trapped individuals might be children, Baltimore firefighters say. A second alarm has been called. This explosion happened on the 4-year anniversary of the Flower Branch Apartments explosion that left seven people dead, including two children.  

Another Houston firefighter is in the ICU with COVID-19 as of Friday night, according to the firefighters union president. According to the union president, Captain Tommy Searcy was in the ICU as of Friday night. The news comes as Houston firefighters prepare to bury 17-year HFD veteran Jerry Pacheco, who died on August 3 from coronavirus. "While we make final preparations to bury our brother Firefighter/Paramedic Jerry Pacheco tomorrow, we are asking for Houston to pray for Capt. Tommy Searcy who is now in ICU. Prayers Needed!" the union president tweeted Friday night. Houston Fire Department tweeted about Captain Searcy on Thursday, praying for a speedy recovery. Searcy is the third Houston firefighter to be treated in the ICU with COVID-19. Two other firefighters have died, including Pacheco, and Captain Leroy Lucio, a 29-year veteran of the department.  

The New Bedford firefighter's union rallied on Sunday to oppose the mayor's proposal to take an engine off the road. The rally started and ended at Station 8 in the city's north end. The union argues that public safety would be compromised if the cuts are made. The proposal cuts engine 8 and ten vacant firefighter positions. City of New Bedford Public Information Officer Jonathan Carvalho told NBC 10 that the main reason is a financial one due to the pandemic. Cuts to the budget should prevent layoffs, Carvalho said. He added the recommendation was made by the fire chief and called it the "least painful cut to make." Carvalho said there would still be another engine to respond to calls. NBC 10 previously reported that two people died in fires earlier this year while the city's blackout policy was in effect. A blackout is when stations transition out of service on a daily basis to save money.  

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new guidance on wearing face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic. The CDC still encourages people to wear masks so they don't infect others, but they should not have valves or vents that could allow the virus to escape the mask. For months, America's top health officials and experts have pounded home the message: We have to wear masks to combat this pandemic. But the U.S. government says not just any mask will do. The CDC says we should not wear masks with one-way vents, or valves. A trainer of front-line medical personnel, wearing protective gear, explains why: "Masks with valves have a one-way valve. And this doesn't work — because what happens, and we've known this for a long time– when I breathe out, that valve only opens and allows that air to escape from me, which could infect you," said Gavin MacGregor-Skinner, Global Biorisk Advisory Council.  

Only a handful of San Francisco Fire Department members tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies in a recent UCSF study, even though nearly half of those surveyed said they had probably or definitely been around people infected by the virus. Just three of 1,223 people who were tested had antibodies for the virus, according to a summary of the results made public by UCSF. The study tested two-thirds of the department's employees, and featured people in every job category, including firefighters and paramedics. Researchers believe it is among the first COVID-19 antibody studies of emergency responders who do not work in a hospital, according to UCSF's Dr. Robert Harrison, who directed the study. Harrison said the low positive tests are likely a reflection of the "powerful public health action" the Bay Area took when it shut down in March, combined with the Fire Department's pandemic work practices, including the use of N95 respirator masks.