Police officers and firefighters in the City of Bellmead are one step closer to getting an increase in pay--across the board. On Tuesday night, the city council voted 4-1 in favor of moving forward with a proposed tax hike to help fund public safety. "When I'm losing firemen to Marlin, I'm not happy," said City Manager Yost Zakhary. "The citizens of Bellmead deserve better than the lowest paid officers and firefighters." Zakhary says, per capita, Bellmead's officers are busier than Waco's and 'a lot busier' than Woodway's, yet still get paid much less. The proposed 1.7 cent tax increase would raise the minimum pay for a Bellmead patrol officer from about $34,900 to $39,500. "They get more experience here than anywhere else," said Police Chief Daniel Porter. "Then by the time they're trained, they're gone."  

There's some good news from the Houston Fire Department where firefighter Cary Hunter has been discharged from the hospital after a battle with the coronavirus. HFD posted Tuesday on Facebook that Hunter would be going home to continue his recovery. "Please continue to keep Cary and his family in your prayers," stated the fire department. "Thank you Stations 71, 72, and 94 for coming out to support FF Hunter and showing what HFD family is about." Dozens of Houston police officers and firefighters have been quarantined since the coronavirus pandemic began. The fire department has also suffered deaths among its staff, including longtime firefighter Jerry Pacheco.  

The League City Fire Department is getting a new addition to its rolling stock. Well, make that the floating stock. In a Theodore, Alabama, boatyard, Silver Ships Inc. is in the metal fabrication phase of building League City a fireboat with extra features that will be an "all-hazard response boat" able of handling various types of marine emergencies. The boat, which cost $436,790, is expected to be delivered before the end of the year. Of the cost, 75 percent is funded by a Department of Homeland Security grant. League City is picking up the rest of the tab. The craft will be outfitted with a 1,000-gallon-per-minute pump for firefighting and side-scan sonar for search-and-recovery efforts. In addition, the boat will be able to respond to events that produce radiation threats, making it the only boat between Houston and Galveston with such broad capabilities, said Jeff Allen, a deputy fire marshal for League City.  

One person was hospitalized Tuesday evening after an odor investigation in Round Rock. A tweet from the Round Rock Police Department says Aberdeen Drive is shut down while the Round Rock Fire Department leads the investigation at a home. KXAN crews on scene say the investigation is at a home located in the 1900 block of Aberdeen Drive. Aberdeen Drive is off East Bowman Road in the north part of town. Will Hampton, a spokesperson for the fire department, said at least one person was taken to the hospital. She is expected to be OK. Some Malathion, a type of insecticide, was found in the driveway, according to Hampton. It could be the source of the odor, he says.  

Bastrop County fire departments have fought four fires—two wildfires, a structure fire and a grass and brush fire—since the beginning of the month. On August 3, the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) announced at 12:41 p.m. on their Facebook page that they and the Smithville Volunteer Fire Department, Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 2 and the Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department were on scene at a ten-acre wildfire north of Smithville. The Texas A&M Forest Service was also on the scene with two dozers and overhead personnel. By 12:50 p.m., the wildfire, called the Big Letter F ire, was estimated to be 70% contained, and forward of the fire was stopped by 2 p.m. No structures were under threat. By 4 p.m., the Big Letter Fire was 75% contained with a dozer line around the entire perimeter of the fire, according to the OEM.  

Being at home is usually a place where people forget about social distancing, but for Amarillo firefighters, the station is their second home. They have to manage keeping everybody safe, while living at the same time. For Amarillo firefighters, the Central Fire Station in downtown is where they live half a week. "It is like your second house. Imagine being at your house and having eight guys that you got to try to stay away from in your home. It's a little difficult," said Captain Cody Snyder with the Amarillo Fire Department. "On top of that, they get calls and they're on the truck with four guys in a small area. We are wearing masks, we're trying to keep our distance as best we can. It's just difficult being inside a home with several guys. It's difficult to keep your distance, but we're doing the best we can."  

Mayor Lori Lightfoot has cut a one-year deal with the Chicago Firefighters Union that includes $95 million in back pay but would nearly double employee health care contributions. One union official said rank-and-file members are "not happy" about the hike in health care costs, though the contract also maintains treasured union perks and outdated staffing requirements that cost taxpayers millions. However, the mayor's office said the higher health care contributions by employees would save taxpayers roughly $7 million a year. Active members will have to pay an additional 1.5% of their salaries towards health care costs. The deal also raises the salary cap for those contributions to $115,000. Firefighters and paramedics would continue to be eligible for retiree health care at age 55.  

VIDEO: The Franklin Fire Department trains for all types of incidents, but the rescue of two teenagers from a railroad bridge above the Harpeth River Monday was unique. Officials told News 2 the teenagers were walking on the railroad tracks around 8:15 at night. One of them dropped a cell phone, and both went to retrieve it. They ended up in a metal cage under the tracks and above a concrete pier unable to climb out. The pair used the phone to call their grandmother. She made the call to 911.The rescue was difficult on many levels, according to Battalion Chief Joseph Polenzani. First it was dark. Second the bridge was approximately 400 yards from the nearest access point making it impossible to get big equipment and crews right to the scene. Chief Polenzani said, "We weren't given an exact location at first. So, we sent in two crews to check the railroad tracks in both directions."  

PHOTO: The Wilmington Fire Department is testing out new helmets, only four firefighters are giving the new equipment a try right now, but the deputy fire chief says it could be something they phase in over time. The helmets look much different than the traditional design with many bells and whistles that make them unique including LED lights. There is also a communication system add-on which makes the helmet nearly five times more expensive than the helmets used now, costing about $1,100 for one. However, the chief says the new helmet can make communicating with other firefighters on scene much easier. "Speakers inside the helmet and a large lapel mic and boom mic that allow easy access in the dark just by feeling and you find that transmitter and you can push it and hear very clearly through the speakers in your helmet," WFD Deputy Chief Steven Mason said. "That greatly improves communications right there."  

Brownouts for local fire stations have been taken off the table as county officials plan to use one-time funds to bolster deficits in the Kern County Fire Department budget. Citing the need to save $6.5 million annually, Fire Chief David Witt prepared a plan that would have temporarily closed an average of three fire stations per day for the next year. The plan was considered solid enough that in July, the county's Human Resources Department set up a negotiation meeting with the local fire union over the brownouts. However, after the County Administrative Office worked with Witt to mitigate the need for the brownouts, the meeting was called off. Still, the fire union was alarmed by the plan, going so far as to organize a community campaign to keep all stations open. "We will see an increase in life loss, we will see an increase in property loss with delay in response times," union President Dave Nelson said of the potential for fire station closures.  

Hawaii is regularly seeing triple-digit increases in COVID-19 infections, a situation that underscores just how fast the virus is spreading in Hawaii. Scientists actually track that rate of spread ? or reproduction rate. And experts say that Hawaii now has the highest reproduction rate in the nation, at 1.6. In other words, every person who gets sick is passing the virus on to 1.6 other individuals on average. "That is very, very high," said Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. Anything above 1 means the virus is spreading quickly. The next closest state is South Dakota, at 1.2. In Texas, the number is 1.16. Dr. Scott Miscovich, who has overseen mass testing events statewide and on the mainland, said Hawaii's reproduction rate is bad news. "It's just a glaring example of how we need to be serious about this. We need to wear masks, we need to social distance," he said.