Smith County Emergency Services District 2 announced on Monday a new fire chief was hired "after an extensive search." Fire Chief Eric Greaser assumed the role on Jan. 9, and an official swearing in ceremony will take place on Tuesday conducted by Smith County Judge Neal Franklin. "I am honored to be of service to the citizens of Smith County and the members of Smith County ESD 2," Greaser said. "I am very excited about the potential to improve our services that will save lives and property. We must always remain focused on the mission of our organization's existence." According to the department, Greaser comes to Smith County with over 30 years of fire service experience and most recently served as the fire chief for the town of Flower Mound.  

New recruitment efforts by the Round Rock Fire Department and Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 are widening the applicant pool. "In the past, you had to come to the city with a fire certification and at minimum an EMT certification," said Round Rock Fire Chief Shane Glaiser. The department's new "Green Academy" works around that step. Round Rock hires cadets who haven't gotten certified yet and provides them with classroom and hands-on training to prepare them to take a state certification test. They get paid as city employees throughout the process. "That's what can inhibit people from going to fire school, because they can't work and so they're paying for school and don't have an income," said Glaiser. "It allowed us to find people who have thought about being a firefighter, but didn't know which schools to attend. And now, we're putting them through all the paces here."  

A man is in critical condition after he was hit with a hammer by his nephew and then trapped inside a home while it was on fire Tuesday, officers with the Houston Police Department said. HPD responded to reports of an aggravated assault in progress in the 4000 block of Knoxville around 12:45 a.m. Officers said when they arrived at the scene, they saw people running out of the house and heavy smoke and flames coming from the home. Officials with the Houston Fire Department were dispatched and got the fire quickly under control as HPD officers reportedly began taking the witnesses and suspect into custody. According to HFD, firefighters located a man inside the residence and rescued him from the home. The man was transported to a nearby trauma center, where police said he remains in critical condition.  

Austin-Travis County EMS and firefighters explained how to help save a life during mass casualty situations through the "Stop The Bleed" course on Monday. According to the Gun Violence Archive, last year, the U.S. saw more mass shootings than days, with 647 occurrences. Its data also shows this year we've seen nearly 40 mass shooting before January is over. "So there's been quite an uptick in gun violence, in particular downtown, just in the last couple of years," said Austin-Travis County EMS clinical specialist Courtney Meyer. Meyer and Cpt. Shannon Koesterer said they can not stop gun violence but they can stop survivable deaths. "I run a shooting every single weekend," said Meyer. "I ran one just Sunday morning. It's pretty prevalent, and because we have so much foot traffic downtown and we have all these major festivals and all these people, we really want to force multiply."  

An Austin home has been declared "a total loss" after a fire in the early morning hours on Tuesday. At 6:35 a.m. on Jan. 24, the Austin Fire Department (AFD) tweeted that crews had been on the scene of a large structure fire in the 4500 block of Eric Circle. When crews arrived to the scene, there was a fire exiting the home through the roof. The only occupant inside the home was evacuated by officers from the Austin Police Department. The person did not sustain any injuries. The fire has been extinguished and the cause is currently under investigation. In the tweet, AFD stated that the "house is a total loss." Pleasant Valley Road has been blocked off between Reverse Road and Franklin Park Drive to allow for AFD crews to work at the scene.  

The Bullard Volunteer Fire Department was gifted a drying rack for their firefighting gear thanks to generous donations from Lowe's and Home Depot. The drying rack will aid the firefighters in protecting their health on the job. Bullard VFD said the rack decontaminates the clothing from toxic chemicals and substances like cancer-causing carcinogens they're exposed to when fighting fires. The team wanted to give a special shoutout to Rafe and Landen Dean who built the drying rack. Bullard VFD said the rack will decrease the turnaround time to get the crew in service more quickly.  

A few weekend fires are bringing an advisory from Rural Metro Fire (RMF) in Josephine County. It says a fire destroyed a shop and pickup early Monday morning in the 200 block of Teel Lane in the New Hope area southwest of Grants Pass. It says though no injuries were reported, the fire is one of three fires in three days involving extension cords running to vehicles. The Office of State Fire Marshal is leading the investigation into its cause. RMF says the Office of State Fire Marshal concluded the cause of the Monday morning fire was related to an electrical issue involving an extension cord that ran from the shop out to a pickup truck to power a "block heater" used to keep diesel engines warm during cold temperatures. RMF says it remains unclear as to whether the extension cord or the block heater failed first. RMF says Monday's fire was the third fire in four days involving a power supply cord used to run electrical components in a mobile vehicle, after two RVs were damaged January 20.  

After sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a motorcycle accident five years ago, it seemed as if Jimi King's dream of becoming a full-time firefighter vanished in an instant. Doctors at St. Anthony's Hospital, who had at first given him just a 1% chance of surviving the crash, were slightly more hopeful after King came out of a four-day coma. Even so, he'd need to endure three months of rehabilitation at Craig Hospital, teaching himself how to walk, talk and eat again before he could even think about setting long-term life goals. But when King was discharged in December of 2017, he went after firefighting with the same determination that made him a star pitcher at Green Mountain High School, described during his senior year by The Denver Post as a "hard-throwing lefty."  

Each year, an estimated 7 to 12 million people worldwide sustain burn injuries that require medical care. That trauma can lead to long recovery, absence from work, school, or even death. Amid those dark statistics is a bright spot in Sacramento: The Firefighters Burn Institute, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023. To mark the occasion, the organization unveiled a permanent memorial display at the Sacramento Regional Fire Museum on Jan. 22. "It's our history. It's how we, as a community in Sacramento, knew we could do better and what we have tried to continue to do," said Joe Pick, institute director. The institute was created after a September 1972 crash that left 22 people dead and 25 in need of specialized treatment for their traumatic burn injuries. From the ashes of the wreckage came a dedicated center for burn treatment at UC Davis Health, transforming the regional response to burn care.  

Austin-Travis County EMS and firefighters explained how to help save a life during mass casualty situations through the "Stop The Bleed" course on Monday. According to the Gun Violence Archive, last year, the U.S. saw more mass shootings than days, with 647 occurrences. Its data also shows this year we've seen nearly 40 mass shooting before January is over. "So there's been quite an uptick in gun violence, in particular downtown, just in the last couple of years," said Austin-Travis County EMS clinical specialist Courtney Meyer. Meyer and Cpt. Shannon Koesterer said they can not stop gun violence but they can stop survivable deaths. "I run a shooting every single weekend," said Meyer. "I ran one just Sunday morning. It's pretty prevalent, and because we have so much foot traffic downtown and we have all these major festivals and all these people, we really want to force multiply."