The Randall County Fire Department will benefit from earning training, experience and new equipment in nation wide natural disasters through a new program they had recently joined last week. When the fires got worse in California this month, the state of Texas was the first to respond sending over 200 firemen to the area. The Texas Interstate Fire Mutual Aid system has allowed one more firefighter from Randall County to join them. "It's a great opportunity to get some great experience, you know work with different types of firefighters out there and it's gonna be very very exciting," said a Randall County fire man, Vicente Jimenez. Jimenez was able to lend a helping hand because the Randall County Fire Department was just accepted into the Texas Interstate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) Tuesday.  

One man and two women were injured in a single-engine plane crash in Jonestown Monday afternoon. Sgt. Deon Cockrell with the Texas Department of Public safety says officials believe the plane was headed for the Rusty Allen Airport in Lago Vista, just a few miles from the crash site. He says the plane came from an airport "south," but it was unclear where exactly. The plane crashed in the woods, 50 to 100 yards behind Heritage Construction Co. on FM 1431, near Tyler Trail at approximately 2 p.m. Fire Chief Donnie Norman, of Travis County ESD 1 says "it was a difficult rescue." Explaining that officials had a "hard time" locating the plane. Norman, says they had to bring in a helicopter to find the crash. It took approximately twenty minutes to do so, as first responders scoured the rugged terrain.  

Midland firefighters put their lifesaving skills to the test Monday in a way they never have before. The Firefighter Combat Challenge is a travelling obstacle course that tests firefighters' everyday skills. The course also reportedly helps to manage first responders' stress levels. "You think about a fire fighter going onto a scene, firefighters see things that we can't even imagine," said Todd Shelton, operations manager for the challenge. "What's the best way to handle that? Physical fitness," Shelton said. While on its way to Dallas, the traveling competition stopped in Midland, giving local firefighters a competition to help keep them in shape. Firefighters from the Austin area also joined Midland crews on the course Monday morning.  

The Woodway Fire Department was called to a residential structure fire this morning at 2:30 AM in the 500 Blk of W. Fairway. When crews arrived, flames were through the roof of the structure. Despite heavy winds, firefighters were able to contain the fire to one side of the house. The house suffered extensive structure, smoke, and water damage. The house was vacant at the time and nobody was injured. No other information was made available.  

A Belton Fire Department engine that an 18-wheeler struck at the scene of an early-morning accident on in 2019 on Interstate 35 is back in service. "We're so happy to have such an important vehicle back in our fleet," The department said in a Facebook post. The 18-wheeler was evidently traveling at a speed of around 60 mph when it hit the fire truck on the rear passenger side at around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2019 near the U.S. Highway 190/Interstate 14 overpass on the southbound interstate. The force of the collision moved the truck over two lanes. Three firefighters were taken to Scott & White Medical Center in Temple for treatment of minor injuries. The fire truck received significant damage and was towed from the scene.  

The Hunt County Commissioners Court plans this week to review the funding for the county's volunteer fire departments, after the creation of an emergency services district, or ESD, was put on hold earlier this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The district itself may also be discussed, as it is included under the items under an executive session as part of the agenda for a special meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Auxiliary Courtroom, 2700 Johnson St. in Greenville. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will be conducted via telephone and/or video conference and streamed at www.huntcounty.net/page/hunt.health_services. The first item on the agenda for Wednesday's meeting is a discussion of the financial distribution to the Hunt County Volunteer Fire Departments. Under a Fire Protection Agreement Contract between commissioners court and the members of the Hunt County Firefighters Association, each department receives a $2,400 monthly stipend from the county to assist with operating expenses.  

A fast-moving fire trapped three children inside a Bronx home on Monday morning. They had to be rescued by firefighters. Police said the girls' mother brought her 7-year-old son to the hospital for an unspecified injury and left the three girls, who range in age from 16 months to 6 years old, home alone. They were found on the second floor struggling to breathe, firefighters told CBS2's Alice Gainer. As smoke poured out the two-story building on Burke Avenue in the Allerton section of the borough, neighbors could only watch as firefighters streamed in. In all, approximately 60 first responders answered the call and the blaze was under control by 10:10 a.m. "Windows blown out, fire coming out," Miasotis Linares said. Linares was the one who called 911 at around 9:30 a.m. She said her stomach turned when she realized there were kids inside. "One of the firemen came out with a lifeless child, ran into the ambulance, put the child down and commenced CPR," Linares said.  

Philadelphia is about to promote its first Black female battalion fire chief. CBS3 spoke exclusively with the trailblazing firefighter for our Justice and Understanding series. "It kind of feels weird because I've been a captain for seven years so to hear chief, because people have already started, but I'm like no, that's not me yet," Capt. Lisa Forrest said. Not yet, but soon enough Capt. Forrest of Ladder 24 in West Philadelphia will be Battalion Chief Forrest. She will be the first Black woman to hold that title in the department's history. "The fire department has been in existence for 149 years so to hear that, it's not surprising and I'm going, to be honest, I didn't think that I would be the first," Forrest said. She says she fell into the career. Her original plan was to be a nurse. She enlisted in the Army after high school and a year at Penn State University. She was discharged due to an injury and when she returned home, the first department was hiring. She says she only planned on staying for five years.  

Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved legislation prompted by the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others in Calabasas earlier this year. The bill signed Monday makes it a crime for first responders to take unauthorized photos of deceased people at the scene of an accident or crime. Reports surfaced after the Jan. 26 crash that graphic photos of the victims were being shared by eight deputies. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the department has a policy against taking and sharing crime scene photos, but it does not apply to accident scenes. Vanessa Bryant has sued the sheriff in a lawsuit seeking damages for negligence, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. "This lawsuit is about accountability and about preventing this disgraceful behavior from happening to other families in the future who have suffered loss," Vanessa Bryant's attorney, Luis Li, said in a statement.  

An explosion related to an earlier reported gas leak in Dubuque was the source of a large fire on Monday evening along Loras Boulevard. Dubuque Fire Department Chief Rick Steines said that a house was destroyed in the explosion, but nobody who lives there was injured. One firefighter was hurt, though the extent of their injury was not released. Eyewitness accounts said that the explosion shook nearby structures. Video from the scene shows multiple emergency crews responding to the fire, which was still burning intensely over 40 minutes after reports came into the KCRG-TV9 newsroom. The fire was extinguished shortly after 7:00 p.m. At around 4:00 p.m., the Dubuque Fire Department reported a gas leak in the 400 block of Loras Boulevard. Officials described it as an "isolated" leak from a gas main and that crews were arriving to begin repairs. One home was evacuated in the immediate area.