Downsville Volunteer Fire Chief Kelvin Toliver has passed away after a battle with cancer. The Downsville Volunteer Fire Department stated on their Facebook page, "Our Chief Kelvin Toliver has passed away this morning. Please keep his family in your prayers." KWTX's Alex Fulton interviewed Toliver in November 2022 while he was in the middle of treatment for stage four stomach cancer. "I graduated from Robinson High School and our motto is ‘Rockets Never Quit,'" Toliver said. "And I stay in the country. You put them two together, you can't give up." To thank him for his years of dedication to the community, Toliver's fellow firefighters and school staff came together for a chili fundraiser at the station at the time. Altogether, they raised over $6,500 for him and his family.  

In a press release from early Wednesday morning, the city of Nacogdoches announced the appointment of Michael Brown as interim Fire Chief and Michael Self as interim Assistant Fire Chief for the Nacogdoches Fire and Rescue. Chief Brown has been a full-time employee with the City of Nacogdoches since 1999, and has served the Fire Department as a Firefighter, Driver-Engineer, Fire Captain, and most recently, as Division Chief and Fire Marshal. "I am honored and excited to lead and work with the phenomenal men and women that make up Nacogdoches Fire and Rescue, to continue to serve the great community of Nacogdoches, and to carry on our tradition of excellence as instilled by Fire Chief Kiplinger," said Interim Chief Brown.  

Four firefighters at the Jacksonville Fire Department have begun paramedic training to help the current EMS staffing challenges across the state. Texas has faced staffing challenges since the beginning of the pandemic. So the Texas legislature allocated 21.7 million dollars and passed senate bill 8 for EMS recruitment and retention. The Jacksonville Fire Department applied for the grant in December of last year and received 31,800 dollars from the state. Firefighters Blake Wilson, Carson Ezell, Kooper Hand, and Sam Stiles started the program on February 6th. "As much as firefighters don't want to admit it, fires are probably two percent of the job, EMS is 98 percent of it. So it take a load off of some of these guys if we can run double medic trucks because that takes a load off the paramedic running all the calls by himself." said Hand.  

The Midland Fire Department is investigating a fire that happened at the Renew North Park II Apartments on Tuesday. According to a city spokesperson, at about 6:45 p.m. crews responded to a call for an attic fire at the complex. The attic fire extended the full length of the building, damaging eight top floor units, while lower units only had minor damage. No one was injured, and the American Red Cross is helping the eight displaced families. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it is under investigation.  

A fire department in Texas is sharing a sweet love story this Valentine's Day. Two first responders might be a match made in heaven, but finding love while responding to a call isn't something that happens every day. Temple Fire & Rescue shared photos of Cpt. Dustin McGraw and his wife, Chrissy, who is an officer for the Temple Police Department. According to the fire department, the two met in 2017 while responding to a call, "then technology took care of the rest." The McGraws tied the knot a year and a half ago, the fire department said. Since then, they have welcomed a son. "We love having this power couple in our midst, protecting and serving in the City they fell in love. Happy Valentine's Day!" the fire department said.  

VIDEO: Firefighters worked throughout the night to fight a massive 2-alarm fire that started at a duplex near Downtown San Antonio. The fire started around 1 a.m. Wednesday along Baltimore Avenue near East Euclid Avenue. Firefighters were able to get here quickly because it's in a central part of the city, but the fire was already pretty large by the time they showed up. There is also a metal roof, which makes putting out the fire more difficult. Crews tried to fight the fire from the inside, but this is an old building with unstable floors, so for their own safety, they had to pull back. Officials say it appears people were living in the upstairs part of the building, but we're also told homeless people often seek shelter in places like this one, so there could have been more people inside.  

PHOTOS: A two-alarm fire gutted a South Jersey home Tuesday night. It happened just before 8 p.m. on the 200 block of Port Elizabeth-Cumberland Road in Maurice River Township. Action News obtained dramatic video of the inferno-like scene from the ground as intense flames burned through the two-story house. Authorities have not reported any injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

Three Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams containing IAFF members continue to search for survivors in the aftermath of the deadly Feb. 6 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The death toll has now surpassed 36,000. "Our USAR team members are dedicated fire fighters trained to work in harrowing situations," said General President Edward Kelly. "Their training and resources are vital to supporting disaster operations. "We pray for their safety as they work to help others," he said, "and we keep the people of Turkey and Syria in our prayers as they recover from this devastating earthquake." "The people our members are assisting are facing an unimaginable level of devastation. But what our members' are doing is important. They are bringing trapped victims to safety and giving hope to Turkish and Syrian citizens," said General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma.  

New Philadelphia has extended the time that firefighters have to earn their paramedic certification in hopes of expanding the pool of potential employees. On Monday, council approved an ordinance that gives firefighters hired by the city two years to earn their certification. Previously, they had one year to do that. All new hires are required to have certification as a 36-hour volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician. The move was taken before the city offers a civil service exam on March 21 for new firefighters. Fire Chief Jim Parrish explained that people working to earn their paramedic certification have to attend more than 900 hours of class time to do so. That is difficult for someone with a full-time job who wants to become a firefighter.  

PFAS chemicals help protect firefighters by repelling water and oils off their gear. They're also used to make fire-suppressing foams "extremely effective." Firefighters were found to be more likely to get diagnosed with cancer and more likely to die from it, according to research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Lawmakers and researchers believe the presence of PFAS class of chemicals in their gear is likely a key reason for this disparity. PFAS have also been linked to other health issues. Several bills this session aim to help Indiana draw attention to this harmful class of chemicals' impact on firefighters – but alternatives aren't available. "What we're finding out is that same piece of equipment that we think is helping us is also hurting us to a certain degree," South Bend Fire Chief Carl Buchanon said in an interview.  

The city of Hoover has been chosen to host the 2023 U.S. National Firefighter Challenge Championship with up to 300 firefighters from around the country participating in skills-based competitions in September. The firefighters are expected to come from more than 125 fire departments in 19 states, competing in events that simulate the physical demands of real-life firefighting, such as climbing a five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and rescuing a life-sized, 175-pound "victim" as they race against opponents and a clock. The firefighters will be wearing full turnout gear and a self-contained breathing apparatus as they compete in individual, two-person and five-person (relay) events, and they will be divided into developmental, competitive and pro divisions and compete in age and gender brackets.