VIDEO: Allen firefighters and the department's own fire chief ran up their training tower to rescue a teenager who collapsed during their citizen academy graduation exercises. Jakob "JJ" Perez was thrilled. He had just completed the Allen Fire Department's eight-week Citizens Fire Academy. The academy allows a select number of citizens at least 18 years of age to learn about how the department works. Members receive hands-on training and are able to go on ‘ride-alongs' with AFD. "He's been dedicated to this," said Perez' sister Crystal Hall. "He's always had this thing about being a hero." The 18-year-old and other academy members celebrated graduating from the academy last Thursday by demonstrating some of the skills they had learned.  

VIDEO: Jasper County fire crews endured one of the worst wildfire seasons in Texas history, while working with outdated equipment. Now, thanks to FEMA, Jasper County Emergency Service District 4 is getting a breath of fresh air. ESD 4 got over half a million dollars' worth of new equipment. Five departments will benefit from what is being called the Assistance to Firefighters Grant. "The facemasks were scratched. They were just used and worn," said Lake Rayburn Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Brett Clark. Clark, along with the rest of the firefighters in ESD 4, is ready to use the brand new equipment. "It's going to keep everybody safer, which keeps our community safer," Clark said. Beech Grove Fire Chief James Gunter says they got the half a million dollar Assistance to Firefighters Grant from FEMA in the beginning of 2023.  

PHOTOS: After several days of being reported missing, one family's heartwarming reunion with their beloved dog was made possible by the efforts of the El Paso Fire Department. The canine was discovered in a cave within McKelligon Canyon in northeast El Paso. Upon receiving the distress call, dedicated rescue units mobilized to the site and successfully retrieved the stranded pup from its situation. Following the rescue operation, the courageous canine received immediate medical attention to stabilize its condition, ensuring a swift recovery. The cherished pet was reunited with its owner.  

VIDEO: "He was a little shook up, kind of scared because the water was rising and he was about to go into the back doors of the truck when we got him out," Tioga Assistant Fire Chief Elvin Fisk said. He was describing the moments he and his team saved an Amazon delivery truck driver from a flooded vehicle, Sunday evening. "We were able to get down to within about 80 yards of it," Fisk added. The rescue happened on Horseshoe Road off of Range Creek, in between Collinsville and Tioga. Responders had to use rope to get the driver to safety. "We got the gentleman tied off, and then the rest of the team just made sure that we kept slack out of the ropes in case anything happened, and got him back to dry ground," he replied.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Eight people were killed and 40 others hospitalized in a crash involving a bus carrying farm workers in Marion County Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. According to FHP, a 2010 International Bus carrying around 53 farm workers collided with a Ford truck. Troopers said ‘for reasons to be determined,' the two vehicles collided in 'a sideswiped manner.' After colliding, the bus careened off the road, through a fence, and overturned. The crash occurred on SR-40 about 500 feet west of SW 148 Court. The Marion County Sheriff's Office reported that West Highway 40 between S.W. 180th Avenue and S.W. 140th Avenue was closed due to the crash. The stretch of road will be closed for an extended period of time, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.  

VIDEO: San Francisco is poised to become the first city in the country to issue a ban on firefighter clothing manufactured with so-called forever chemicals. Local lawmakers are expected to pass an ordinance on Tuesday prohibiting the use of protective equipment made with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The long-lasting compounds do not break down, allowing them to linger almost permanently in the environment. PFAS can be ingested or absorbed into the skin and have been linked to harmful health effects, including decreased fertility, low-birth weight and developmental delays in children, a higher risk of certain cancers and increased cholesterol levels, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.  

Lawmakers are considering spending $6 million to test the use of "sprint" paramedics in three northern Minnesota counties and confront the state's worsening rural emergency response. The hope is that paramedics, roving the Iron Range and northwest lakes region in cars and trucks, could shave minutes off response times, and sort out calls that don't need fully loaded ambulances in the first place. "Could mean the difference in surviving and not surviving," said Jim Rieber, who has led efforts to use sprint paramedics in Otter Tail and Grant counties. When rural EMS agencies are notified about medical emergencies, they often page paid or volunteer first-responders to hustle to the station and drive ambulances to the scenes.  

VIDEO: The Roswell Fire Department (RFD) is shifting to a new schedule designed to promote firefighter health and efficiency. Through a pilot program, firefighters will now work a 48/96-hour work cycle and will have a later start time. The department made the move based on health risks associated with prolonged sleep deprivation, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and mental health disorders like PTSD and anxiety. The new schedule aims to improve rest time by offering firefighters more time to recover. The revised schedule also includes a later shift start time of 11 a.m. Fire officials say the new schedule eliminates the need for early wake-ups on consecutive days, since firefighters will already be at their station, and enhances overall sleep quality.