It was supposed to be just a game of golf for four McKinney firefighters - but they had to put their game on pause Wednesday morning when jumped into action to stop a fire burning at a home just off their course. Firefighters Casey Durham and Chris Dudley, along with Capts. Jared Turner and Bill South, had just finished their shifts at work Wednesday morning. With their time off, they planned to start a round of golf at the WestRidge Golf Course in McKinney. "We planned it all about 6 o'clock yesterday morning to come out and play, because the weather was going to be somewhat cool," South explained. It's something the group said it tries to do - play a few rounds of golf together - a couple of times a month. But once they got to the seventh hole, Dudley said they noticed smoke coming from a house near the green.  

Firefighters said goodbye to one of their own Wednesday as honorary Fire Chief Justin Perez, 4, lost his battle with cancer. "It's important that we celebrate his life, that we recognize who he was as an individual and how inspiring it was to see him as just this little boy, careless, doing what he loves," McAllen Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Juan Gloria said. Perez battled a brain tumor for half of his life. Last month, his wish of becoming a firefighter came true. "He spent a full day at the fire station, cooking, responding to pretend calls, putting out an actual little fire that we set up for him," Gloria said, adding that none of the firefighters who met Perez that day will ever forget his warm smile and the excitement in his eyes. "I take with me the memories of him acting like nothing was affecting him, like nothing was bothering him," Gloria said.  

Smith County Fire Marshal Jay Brooks said East Texas fire services are preparing and training for the unique challenges electric vehicles bring when it comes to possible rescues. "These are fires that could last for hours and hours. It's just not something that we typically have seen in the past with normal motor vehicles," Brooks said. "It's special consideration when it comes to rescue. Not to mention you've got high energy wires, 400 volt systems. They are designed to power houses if they need to. They have to take into account not only fires, but where they are cutting on these vehicles." Although the training and research is extensive, Brooks said this is not out of the ordinary for fire services. "It's an evolving process and it's something the fire service does all the time. They just constantly train, constantly train, for new and emerging threats. It's just part of what's engrained in the fire service."  

Harris County Emergency Services District 48's new fire chief, George McAteer, said he's excited to return to serving the community he lives in after spending more than 30 years with the Houston Fire Department. He said he'd been with the Houston Fire Department a long time and wasn't looking to move. "Then I heard this spot became available and this is really the only job I would have left HFD for because I loved my HFD job," McAteer said. He began his career in the 1980s in what was then known as the West I-10 Fire Department, now HCESD 48, and said he's impressed with how the department has evolved over the years, especially the level of organization and programs offered throughout the community served by HCESD 48.  

Anheuser-Busch donated thousands of cans to first responders in East Texas. The supplies were given to firefighters and other officials in Rusk County. The county applied to the Anheuser-Busch program, and they were selected to receive 3,000 cans just before the Texas summer begins. According to their website, Anheuser-Busch provides water to firefighters who "put their lives on the line." Every year, the company also stops producing beer in Fort Collins, Colorado and Cartersville, Georgia so they can produce drinking water for people during natural disasters. The emergency drinking water program was started in 1988, and Anheuser-Busch has partnered with the American Red Cross to give water to those who need it the most during emergencies. The company has distributed 86 million cans of water to different communities since the program began.  

Austin first responders will compete in We Are Blood's Battle of the Badges to raise awareness and drive blood donations. Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS, will "battle" it out to see who can recruit the most blood donors from July 1-9. The one to receive the most votes is declared the winner – bragging rights included, officials said. We Are Blood, which provides blood to more than 40 hospitals and medical facilities in Central Texas, hosts the annual event to help foster awareness for blood donations. Last year, the event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, authorities said. "After COVID-19 suspended last year's event, we're thrilled to be back alongside our public safety partners for the annual 'Battle of the Badges' blood drive," said Fire Chief Joel G. Baker.  

VIDEOS/PHOTOS: At least one person was killed and a massive search and rescue effort was underway for survivors following the partial collapse of a 12-story condominium building in Surfside early Thursday. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials said more than 80 units responded to the beachfront condo near 88th Street and Collins Avenue just north of Miami Beach around 2 a.m. The collapse sent a cloud of debris through the neighborhood, coating cars up to two blocks away with a light layer of dust. Footage from the scene showed a large section of the sea-view side of the building collapsed into a pile of rubble. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett confirmed at least one person was killed in the collapse. It was unknown exactly how many people were injured or were inside the building at the time of the collapse but Burkett said at least 10 people were treated at the scene.  

VIDEO: Virginia Beach investigators have not released the cause of a massive fire that destroyed a multi-million dollar home on McCullough Lane. Firefighters faced several challenges, including its remote location across the water from First Landing State Park. There are only two fire hydrants in that area. So, they had to use their fireboat to battle the flames. The Virginia Beach Fire Department has three fireboats including Fireboat One, which was the vessel that responded to Monday's fire. "A house fire off of fireboat is a very low-frequency occurrence. Just everything has to add up for that to even happen," said Fire Captain Joe Polozzi. Captain Polozzi was on the fireboat the night of the house fire. He explained what it's like when they are in that situation. "If we're docked up and there's a house on fire, we can run lines off of here and supply them just like a fire truck supply from the hydrant. We draft the water straight from where we are."  

PHOTOS: Tiffany Hyde has been an emergency room nurse for 31 years, almost 13 of those at Williamson Medical Center. She also taught nursing and emergency medical services (EMS) courses at Ravenwood High School for eight years. Seven years ago, Hyde, her husband and their son, Clark, moved to Arrington. For a Nashville native, moving to a country town was a big change, but it was an easier drive to her job. At the time, their daughter was in college and heading to law school, and Clark would be heading off to college soon. The Hydes saw the empty nest approaching. She began thinking it was time to give back to the community. An out-of-the-blue message from a former student provided an unexpected opportunity. "Joey Zaccarelli was in the first class I taught [at Ravenwood]," Hyde said. "After [Joey] graduated, he went to college and later became a volunteer firefighter at Arrington. He said he wanted to talk."  

VIDEO: Some kids who say they want to be a firefighter when they grow up got to do just that this week. The Indianapolis Fire Department is hosting its Firefighter For a Day camp, offering children aged 7-12 a chance to get hands-on and learn new skills. The camp includes the opportunity to learn about CPR, hazardous materials at home, and more. "They're learning about hands on CPR, they're learning about the value of teamwork, they're learning about nutrition and they're even having fun while they're' doing it," said Aleatha Henderson, Captain and Director of Public Education at the Indianapolis Fire Department. "And the most important part, they're learning about what it's like to be a firefighter." Henderson said the children attending the camp take the lessons home along with a goodie bag filled with information that re-enforces what they learned at the camp.  

A man suspected of being a serial arsonist was arrested in Mound House while in the process of starting another fire. According to the Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS), 29-year-old Kevin Critor from Dayton was arrested on June 21 in the area of Cash Drive and Carry Way in Mound House. In addition to the intentionally set fires, Critor was tied to multiple fire station burglaries across Washoe, Douglas and Lyon counties, according to DPS. When Critor was arrested, he was in possession of a stolen firefighter badge and gun. A search warrant of Critor's property found more than $50,000 in firefighting equipment, firefighting uniforms, firefighter identification cards and public safety radios. DPS said Critor also had a retired fire engine with operating emergency lights and sirens. Authorities said Critor would identify himself as a firefighter with no ties to a specific agency.