It's been 30 years since El Paso hosted a Fire Department convention, and thanks to a 12-member delegation of the El Paso Association of Firefighters and the city's Destination El Paso a bid was presented and awarded for our city to be a host again. The bid was presented in July 2021 at the 47th TSAFF Biennial Convention in Rockwall, Texas and will have an immediate positive impact in our area visitor revenue and business opportunities. According to TSAFF it represents 18,000 professional firefighters in 190 communities. Hundreds of association delegates and guests will attend the four-day convention, which addresses statewide workplace issues, legislative initiatives, and safety standards, among other issues.  

Fire departments in the Cy-Fair area are adapting to staffing challenges as the number of volunteer firefighters has declined over the past three years while the annual number of responses by each department serving Cy-Fair have increased. The challenge of recruiting and retaining volunteers has led some fire departments to transition to hiring full-time staff, including Cy-Fair and Cypress Creek fire departments in 2019 and 2016, respectively. "As all of the fire departments in sort of the Harris County areas are transitioning from volunteer and combination departments into hiring full-time personnel and even part-time personnel, there's a very big demand for certified firefighters and EMTs right now," CCFD Fire Chief Richard Lieder said. "It's quite a competitive hiring market."  

A woman who was being evicted from her apartment complex on Tuesday set a unit on fire and attacked a deputy constable with a box cutter, League City fire officials said. The incident took place at the Calder Square Apartments in the 100 block of North Calder Drive in League City. Two Galveston County Precinct 4 Constable deputies were trying to serve the woman a possession order, according to Constable Justin West. As deputies approached, they said the woman left the apartment without any clothes and threatened the deputies with a box cutter. That's when smoke began to billow from the apartment, according to West. One of the deputies was able to take the woman into custody. Everyone was evacuated from the building as fire crews quickly doused the blaze and arson investigators were called to the scene.  

Members of the Plainview Fire Department were recently named to the Honor Guard. Jordan King and Shane Rowell were inducted and presented with badges as the newest members. King is an advanced EMT and has been with the department for two years. Rowell is an equipment operator/EMT. He is a five-year veteran of the department. The Honor Guard was founded in 1994 with four members. Fire Chief Bobby Gipson and Captain David Sells are the only two original members still with the department. Other founding members include Janet Hooks and Mike Dickey. Captain/Paramedic Kevin Goss is also a member of the Honor Guard. He is the current Honor Guard Commander. The Honor Guard is held to high leadership standards. It conducts flag presentations at public events, flag folding presentations at funeral services and line-of-duty death funerals and ceremonies, according to the city of Plainview.  

San Antonio arson investigators are working to determine the cause of a vacant house fire on the city's South Side early Wednesday morning. The fire was called in around 4 a.m. at a home near Palo Alto Road and Vincent Street, found just inside Loop 410. Firefighters said it appears that someone set fire to the outside of the house since the home is boarded up. No one was inside at the time of the fire. Fire officials said they are now looking into how the fire started because there are no working utilities. Damage is estimated at $20,000 to $30,000. According to the San Antonio Fire Department website, as many as 15 units were originally were called to the fire. Many were eventually called off.  

VIDEO: TxDOT crews spent the early hours of Wednesday morning cleaning up a Central Freeway overpass after an explosion caused a semi to go up in flames. The fire caused Old Windthorst Road to be closed where it crosses over Central Freeway. The driver of the semi told our crews at the scene he had begun to pull over due to a fuel leak. By the time he jumped out, the semi was already on fire. No injuries were reported. The pictures and videos were sent in by KAUZ viewer Bryce Smith.  

VIDEO: Six inmate firefighters were injured when a flash fire occurred in the back of their crew vehicle while working in the Castaic area Tuesday morning. The incident was reported about 11 a.m. near the Golden State Highway and Templin Highway, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. "A flash fire occurred in the back of an inmate camp crew vehicle," Fire Department officials said in a tweet hours after the incident. A flash fire is a sudden burst of flames typically caused by air mixing with a flammable substance and ignited by a heat source Battalion Chief Chad Sourbeer called the fire "spontaneous," which he described as being "a little odd." All six victims were taken to hospitals with mild to moderate burns and are in stable condition. One was taken to a critical burn center as a precaution because of where the burns were located, Sourbeer said.  

Today marks a milestone in the storied history of The Bloomfield Fire Department. Firefighter Stephanie Orgueira-Aponte began her career as the first professional female in the history of the 139-year-old department. FF Aponte recently completed a rigorous training curriculum at the Passaic County Fire Academy as well as EMT certification prior to today. She is in the midst of her first shift at Fire Station 2 located on Watsessing Avenue. "Getting to the firehouse I was excited but nervous about how the guys would feel working with me and meeting their expectations. As soon as I got in they were ready to show me the ropes and were very accepting of me. They made me feel comfortable and confident in myself after some training. Today's been eventful to say the least, and I am grateful to be here," said Aponte.  

Baltimore County has approved restarting a program to incentivize police, firefighters and paramedics to delay future retirements and extend their careers. The benefits incentive, known as a Deferred Retirement Option Program, won't have an immediate effect in curbing departures from public safety agencies, as the change applies to hires made after July of 2007, who aren't eligible for retirement until 25 or 30 years of service. Still, the renewed version of the program is being praised as a recruitment and retention tool, as well as a way to keep more experienced public safety professionals on the job. "We are grateful every day for our brave and selfless first responders, and this new benefit demonstrates our commitment to making sure we continue to honor them even after they retire," County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said in a Tuesday news release.  

At 58 years old, Salem resident John Payne leads a less-than-average life. While most 50-something-year-olds spend their weekends on the golf course, Payne spent his Saturday night in the center of an Octagon, securing his first TKO win at Plymouth Memorial Hall in Plymouth, proving that age is really just a number. Payne has been a firefighter for the Salem Fire Department for 30 years. Fighting is in his DNA, but it took some warming up for him when it came to following mixed martial arts. "My sons and my stepsons starting following MMA," he said. "I wanted nothing to do with it." One of his stepsons convinced Payne to try it out it. He began following local fighters such as Joe Lauzon and John Howard, and the itch to compete needed to be scratched. Payne would go on to take his first MMA fight in his 40s.  

Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood will donate $1 from each ticket sold to her recently announced tour to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the Staten Island-based charity has announced. The donation continues Underwood's longtime tradition of designating a portion of ticket sales from her tours to support what she considers to be worthwhile charities and organizations. Underwood's "The Denim & Rhinestones Tour" kicks off in October and will hit 43 arenas across the country through March 2023, including a performance at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 21. Tickets are on sale now. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is dedicated to honoring the sacrifice of Staten Island FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller, who lost his life on Sept. 11, 2001, after running through the former Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to assist at the World Trade Center.