VIDEO: Hundreds of first responders are in College Station going through TEEX 60th annual Industrial Fire School. This takes place at the Brayton Fire Training Field near Disaster City. With over 200 instructors helping 700 students, the next generations of firefighters are getting ready. "[I'm] really proud for what it stands for, the impactfulness of the training deliveries, and then just that knowledge transfer that's happening all week," said Gordon Lohmeyer, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Division Director for Brayton Fire Training Field. "A lot of the folks here they're getting the front end, basic skill sets that they need to put in their toolbox to pull out and use this as they need." Emergency response professionals from all over the country and learning the latest in industrial firefighting and safety.  

On July 20, 2018, someone set fire to the Iconic Village Apartments, killing five people. Twenty-year-old Dru Estes of San Antonio, 21-year-old Belinda Moats of Big Wells, 19-year-old Haley Michele Frizzell of San Angelo, 21-year-old David Angel Ortiz of Pasadena and 23-year-old James Phillip Miranda of Mount Pleasant lost their lives. "I met with one of the families for breakfast first thing this morning, and that's something that we've done every year since then," San Marcos Fire Chief Les Stephens said. "Some years we've had almost all of the families affected have come. This year, it was just one that was able to make it. We've got that as a standing thing. And so we keep in touch with them throughout the year." Chief Stephens was fire chief in 2018 when the fire broke out.  

After 20 years of being part of the Laredo Fire Department, Captain Raul G. Valle was recognized at city hall this week for his work during the second quarter of 2022. Valle's time at Fire Station 8 sees him work alongside his team and provide help as the department's chaplain. "Capt. Valle is an example to all officers and firefighters while helping the citizens of Laredo. His professionalism and efforts are recognized by his supervisors and fellow firefighters," said the city in a statement. Aside from being the department's chaplain, where he offers emotional and mental support to his teammates amid their demanding career, he is also part of the training division with peer support. "He continues to be an example for all officers and all firefighters out there," Deputy Fire Chief Christopher Perez said.  

PHOTO: A fire destroyed a mobile home in the north end of Sabine County early Tuesday afternoon, and neighborhood kids are being credited with assisting firefighters. Daily News & More is reporting that the Shamrock Shores, Hemphill, and Pendleton Harbor Fire Departments battled both the blazing fire and the blazing heat as the temperature reached 104° on Tuesday. The report said the blaze occurred on Robins Circle off of Farm to Market Road 276, and along with the house being destroyed, the flames also spread into the surrounding wooded area. According to the report, as the fire was spreading and threatening other houses, neighborhood kids began hauling buckets of water to stop the fire from reaching their houses. There's no word on what may have caused the fire, and at last word it remained under investigation.  

VIDEO: Weather temperatures in Texoma have been around 105 degrees to 110 degree temperatures, but for firefighters when out battling fires, the temperature from the heat of the flames can reach as high as 135° , having heat exhaustion hit the firefighters within minutes, leaving them in desperate need of hydration. "Yeah we are gonna need probably two cases a water a day," Collinsville Fire Chief Damon Stewart said. Chief Stewart said he tells his crew to drink at least eight bottles of water a day. "So our personal know that they need to stay hydrated on a very regular basis everyday, wake up in the morning, drink as much water as possible as you venture through your day so that your body is hydrated when we arrive on scene," Chief Stewart said.  

PHOTOS: Crews with the Shreveport Fire Department responded to the scene of a two-alarm fire Thursday morning. The call came in around 2:30 a.m. on July 21 to the 200 block of Wall Street in Shreveport's Highland neighborhood. When firefighters got on the scene, they found one home to be fully involved. The flames then spread to a second-story home next door. According to firefighters on scene, the only occupant of the first home stepped out for a few minutes and returned to find it on fire. According to Caddo Parish dispatch records, at one point there were more than three dozen units on the scene. Shreveport Fire Department officials say the incident was upgraded to a 2nd alarm response after the first engine got on scene. Fifty-four firefighters worked for several hours to put out the fire.  

With guidance from a team of scientists that included a University of Miami public health researcher, the World Health Organization's cancer division reclassified firefighting as a Group 1 carcinogenic profession. There's no question that becoming a firefighter is a dangerous job. But beyond the obvious perils of saving lives, research reveals that the profession also brings other risks with it. Chief among them: cancer. It's that discovery that led to the creation of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center's Firefighter Cancer Initiative (FCI) in 2015. Now, the ominous trend has gripped the attention of global health researchers.  

State employees in Colorado will now be able to receive paid administrative leave to respond to a fire as a volunteer firefighter or first responder. Gov. Jared Polis signed the executive order authorizing all state agencies and departments to provide up to five days of additional paid leave for these state employees on Wednesday morning. The decision came after Polis recently met with fire officials in Eads and volunteer firefighters in Rico and other parts of the state to talk about their needs. Some discussion surrounded equipment and fire stations, but one problem Russ Watson with the Kiowa County Fire Protection District and others brought up was the amount of state employees they have living in their areas who are or want to be volunteer firefighters having a hard time volunteering because of the unpaid time off from their day jobs.  

Communication is key, especially in medical emergencies, but when a patient has a disability affecting their speech or can't communicate because of a sudden medical crisis, first responders have trouble finding out the best way to help the patient in need. The Peoria Area Speech-Language Hearing Association, or PASHA for short, is partnering with Advanced Medical Transport and the Peoria Area EMS to create more than 200 Augmentative and Alternative Communication Boards for emergency responders. Matthew Jackson is the medical director for the Peoria Area EMS with OSF Healthcare. Jackson said it is vital that first responders can piece together what patients are experiencing when an ambulance arrives. Without proper communication, Jackson said first responders are left guessing what is wrong, and he said this can lead to mistreatment, a delay in treatment and delays in the emergency room.  

VIDEO: A dog nicknamed Aquaman is lucky to be alive after being rescued by a good Samaritan and officials from the New York Fire Department when it was reportedly thrown off a bridge and into the Harlem River. The distressing incident occurred on Tuesday when Marine 4 from the New York Fire Department responded to a report of a dog that was in distress in the Harlem River after somebody reportedly threw the dog off of a bridge, the FDNY said in a post on social media. When Marine 4 arrived, Lt. Salvatore Sodano discovered a civilian in the water with the flailing animal trying to keep it afloat and rescue it from drowning, reported New York ABC station WABC. It is currently unclear who threw the dog into the river or why they may have done it but authorities were able to rescue the dog thanks to their quick response time as well as help from the good Samaritan.