The founders of a non-profit group honoring fallen service members stopped in Tioga Wednesday with a hand-carved memorial honoring the first responders and victims of the attacks on 9/11. Anthony Monnin and Jeremy Soles are founders of the non-profit organization "Carry On" which "honors the sacrifices of our fallen military, law enforcement, fire fighters and EMS." Three weeks ago they came up with the idea to design a log to honor fallen first responders from the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and brought it to a master carver out of Whitharral, Texas. Their plan is to bring it to Virginia Beach for a memorial honor walk this Friday on the 19th anniversary of the attacks. "From there after that particular event we're hoping that the log will then be transported by Virginia Beach Fire Department to the Pentagon. Then from the Pentagon transferred over to the New York Fire Department and then finally be on display at the 9/11 memorial museum," Soles said.  

The Tomball Fire Department welcomed a new assistant fire chief at the last city council meeting, who brings nearly 30 years of experience serving as a firefighter at departments across Texas. Taner Drake, the new assistant chief, was sworn in at Tuesday's meeting, and has been on the job for about two weeks. Drake came from Webster, where he served as a lieutenant before coming to Tomball. Drake began his career in firefighting with the Odessa Fire Department, where he spent much of his time combating brush fires in West Texas. He worked his way through the ranks there for 19 years, leaving as an assistant chief in 2011 to become the fire chief in Victoria. He was there for seven years before leaving to the Houston area for the Webster Fire Department to be closer to his children and two granddaughters.  

Heavy rains fell in Travis County Wednesday afternoon and evening, causing several low water crossings to close. The Austin Fire Department had to rescue a man who was actually trying to help someone else on such a crossing on State Highway 71. Firefighters got the call about a stranded car in the water just after 2:30 p.m. But when AFD arrived, they realized the driver of the car had gotten out. Now, a bystander in danger of getting swept away was the one who needed help. He was trying to help the driver push his car out of the water. He was able to catch himself on a pole before firefighters were able to save him, AFD said. "Was hanging onto the pole, in a very precarious situation, with the water rapidly rising, a lot of logs and debris coming down the creek itself that could have knocked him off, he very easily could have been knocked off and swept away," explained Division Chief Thayer Smith.  

Friday marks 19 years since nearly 3,000 people died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. People can always remember where they were that day, when everything seemed to changed, said Joel Gomez, a volunteer with the Goliad Volunteer Fire Department who retired from the Victoria Fire Department last June. "It tugs at you because there are so many stories I've read about these men that knew they weren't coming down and yet they still went up there in the stairs," he said. "To me that is just the ultimate sacrifice for the fellow man." Gomez is among many Americans who have vowed to never forget the lives lost on 9/11, including those of 412 first responders who sacrificed themselves to save others at the World Trade Center in New York City. With his help, a 9/11 ceremony and symbolic climb will be held at Memorial Stadium on Friday.  

The Wichita Falls Fire Department extinguished a house fire on 7th Street late Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters on scene say there were no occupants inside at the time of the fire and they believe it possibly started on the bed in the back backroom. The fire remains under investigation. WFFD has not released the extent of the damage at this time.  

VIDEO: A massive fire erupted early Thursday in Sanford when a gas line ruptured, prompting officials to evacuate more than 800 nearby homes. The fire broke out around 1 a.m. near Michigan Avenue and Oregon Street, west of I-4 near the St. Johns River. A ball of smoke and flames shot 100 feet into the sky for nearly two hours, with News 6 viewers saying they could see flames and smoke from miles away. Fire officials said they received so many calls about the fire that they had difficulty pinpointing the exact source of the blaze. Crews discovered the ruptured 12-inch gas line, owned by Florida Public Utilities, in a remote area near the Black Bear Wilderness Area. "We got reports of a structure fire, we got reports of brush fires and there was some limited area of brush fires, but because the winds were only approximately 1 mph, those were very small," said Seminole County Fire Chief Otto Drozd III. Drozd said 837 homes were evacuated via reverse 911 calls.  

Chicago firefighters will soon receive $95 million in back pay thanks to a four-year contract, approved by the City Council Wednesday, that dramatically increases health care contributions to generate $10 million in sorely-needed savings. The détente between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and a Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 that gave her a crucial run-off endorsement may be short-lived. Firefighters' current contract expired in 2017, so the new four-year deal lasts only through June 30. And Budget Director Susie Park has warned that treasured union perks and staffing requirements costing taxpayers millions will be "back on the table" to help the city erase a 2021 budget shortfall Lightfoot now pegs at $1.25 billion. The contract already has been ratified by a 76% vote. It includes a 10% raise with all but 2.5% retroactive. In exchange, rank-and-file health care contributions rise 1.5 percentage points. For single coverage, firefighters and paramedics contributing 1.3% of salary will kick in 2.8%.  

The Great Depression was a tough time in America. Today we can see the effects of 10-11 percent unemployment due to the economic slowdown caused by COVID-19. Imagine what life in the United States would be like if unemployment was around 50 percent. No one was driving Uber to make ends meet in the 1920s, so they had to resort to some pretty spectacular money-making schemes. One of these schemes was murdering alcoholic bums – which turned out to be pretty lucrative. But you couldn't do this alone; you needed conspirators. Michael Malloy was a victim of this kind of scheme but his death would end the lives of four of his conspirators, some former friends. Those "friends" would try to kill him seven different times, seven different ways. Malloy was an out-of-work firefighter who became the target of his favorite bartender at his favorite speakeasy.  

The Solon Fire Department has received the 2020 American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Achievement Award. Fire Chief Mark Vedder informed Mayor Ed Kraus and members of City Council of the award in an email Sept. 2. Several council members congratulated Vedder and the fire department on the achievement at the council meeting Tuesday (Sept. 8) "I think it's outstanding," Ward 7 Councilman Bill Russo said. "It shows the professionalism of our firefighters and the training that they go through to be able to obtain an award such as this." In his email, Vedder said the award honors the fire department's paramedics for adopting and successfully implementing protocols to help them recognize a specific type of heart attack, called a STEMI, as it is happening.  

The FDNY added the names of 27 department members who died of illnesses related to their work in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall in a closed ceremony at FDNY Headquarters Wednesday. Those 27 former New York City firefighters died of 9/11-related illnesses in the past year, bringing the total number of firefighters killed after the World Trade Center attacks to 227. That's in addition to the 343 FDNY members killed on September 11, 2001. "Our department made a solemn promise to never forget the bravery and sacrifice of the 343 members who gave their lives on September 11th, and the growing list of heroes who have died due to illnesses related to their courageous work throughout the rescue and recovery effort," Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.