Waco City Manager Wiley Stem Wednesday announced the lone finalist for the fire chief's job and said he'll ask the city council to approve the appointment. Stem's choice is Gregory Summers, the former fire chief in Little Rock, Ark., who has more than 34 years of fire service experience. Summers has a bachelor of science degree in emergency management from Arkansas Tech University and an associate's degree in fire science from Black River Technical College. "I am excited to recommend Greg to the city council for consideration as our next fire chief and am looking forward to the leadership he will bring to this important position." Summers would succeed former Fire Chief Bobby Tatum, who retired at the end of 2019. According to city records, Tatum, a native of Fort Worth, began his fire service career with the Fort Worth Fire Department in 1985 at the age of 19.  

A local fire department chief has died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound. Bell County Sheriff's Office Major TJ Cruz confirmed that Jason Worsdale was taken to the hospital Tuesday morning, where he later died. Wordsale is listed as Fire Chief for Central Bell County Fire. No other information was available.  

Although being a firefighter is already a risky job, cancer is a long-term danger that can remain dormant for years and is becoming more top-of-mind for these first responders, who are significantly more likely than the average person to be diagnosed with various forms of cancer in their lifetimes. Overall, firefighters are 9% more likely to develop cancer and 14% more likely to die from cancer than the general population. However, firefighters are at a 114% to 202% greater risk of developing certain cancers, such as mesothelioma, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, malignant melanoma and leukemia as these are classified as common occupational illnesses, said Doug Boeker, Sugar Land Fire-EMS chief. "We have a number of retirees that have had cancer, and we've had a number of current employees that have had some sort of cancer," Boeker said. "The number of skin cancers on chests, necks and faces ... is very similar to the absorption areas that studies show are highest."  

Tuesday afternoon, Tarrant County Public Health along with the Fort Worth Fire Department updated city council members during their work session about what they're doing to prepare if COVID-19 arrives in the area. "The important thing to understand is that there are no active cases of COVID-19 in Fort Worth or really in Texas that we're aware of ," said Veer Vithalani, MD, Medical Director for EMS Systems. "There are people that we consider at-risk patients that are watched by the health department, but there's no one in the community that's actively infected right now." Tarrant County Public Health is the lead agency and has been providing daily updates to Fort Worth Police, Fort Worth Fire and Medstar. They're also coordinating with EMS, hospitals, schools and universities as part of its joint emergency operations.  

With employment contract negotiations at a standstill, the city's firefighter union is taking its case to the people, petitioning for a November vote on amending the city charter to force binding arbitration. Texarkana, Texas, Fire Department firefighters and their supporters sought to take advantage of Tuesday's primary elections to gather registered voters' signatures. With tents and tables set up at several Texarkana polling places, they asked for support in their effort to achieve a new contract featuring higher wages. The firefighters need signatures from 5% of the city's registered voters by May 28 to put the measure on November's ballot. If they are successful, residents will vote whether to change the city charter.  

In an effort to cut down training time and costs, Amarillo Fire Department is now partnering with Amarillo Medical Services to provide mobile training unit services to each fire station. "We've designed and tried to coordinate a mobile classroom to help facilitate training our crews on duty," says Jeff Harbin, training lieutenant for Amarillo Fire Department. "So the mobile classroom can go around to the station and be able to catch the firefighters in house." Firemen in the Amarillo area are expected to undergo an extensive amount of training, and often times, this can cause major inconveniences within AFD's work schedule and budget. This new program is set to alleviate the majority of those issues. "There's just a significant amount of training that goes on, and a lot of cases, to make that training happen, we have to get a lot of crews in one place at one time," says Harbin.  

The City of Ann Arbor and the firefighter union agreed Monday night to new collective bargaining terms before the expiration of the current contract for the first time in 25 years. City Council voted 8-1 to approve the contract March 2 at Larcom City Hall, 301 E. Huron St. Council also voted unanimously to approve a new contract with the police department deputy chiefs. The firefighters' contract is good for five years until Dec. 31, 2024, a press release stated. Chris Buscemi, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 693 Union, called negotiations with the city "fair and productive." "Having a five-year contract will not only provide stability within the fire department, but it will also allow our focus to be placed elsewhere," Buscemi said in a news release. "We have always seemed to be playing catch up with two contracts settled in 2019; one of which has been expired for more than two years."  

PHOTOS: The criminal complaint filed against Press Bar owner Andrew Charles Welsh outlines firefighters' efforts to contain the fire and details leading up to the blaze. Welsh is suspected of setting the Feb. 17 fire that destroyed the historic building by igniting an accelerant on his office desk, according to court records. One firefighter became disoriented while working to control the fire in the basement, but was later helped to safety. Just minutes after the last firefighter escaped, the entire bar was fully engulfed in flames, according to the complaint. Press Bar employees told investigators business at the bar had been declining recently — and that Welsh had been reducing staff and ended the sale of tap beer, according to the complaint.  

Republican State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington along with Democrat Ram Villivalam from Chicago are sponsoring legislation to help volunteer firefighters and EMT's with a $500 tax credit. Metamora Fire Chief Mike Sluga said he hopes this new tax credit could help boost recruitment. Metamora's Chief Sluga has been on the job for almost 40 years. "It's a calling really, you love what you do, that's why we do it. You don't do it to make money, you're not going to get rich doing this job I guarantee it. You go to help the community." said Chief Sluga The firefighters have other jobs, but they are prepared to report for duty at any time. "We're all married to this pager and when it goes off we all come." said Sluga Senate Bill 3224 would create a $500 dollar tax credit that qualifying volunteer firefighters and EMT's can claim when they file their Illinois income taxes.  

As Milwaukee prepares to host the Democratic National Convention some leaders within the city are getting new roles to keep the area safe. Milwaukee Fire Department Deputy Chief Kevin Hafemann is the person behind the city's fire and EMS response for the DNC. He has been planning for everything from a person suffering from heat exhaustion to a bomb. "I have to plan for the absolute worst," said Hafemann. According to Hafemann, fire and law enforcement are collaborating to form multiple teams of experts. "We might have a fire member on a rescue taskforce team with perhaps law enforcement or an FBI agent or somebody else," said Hafemann. He said that way if the emergency was more of a fire or a Hazmat concern than the firefighter would help direct the response. And if the situation was related to a gun or a bomb than the law enforcement  

Anyone who hasn't been to the city for some time will be captivated, and possibly alienated, by the new architectural profile of New York. The Empire State, the Chrysler and other 1930s classics have maintained their grandeur. But they seem to be losing much of their visual relevance to the most recent construction development: the ultra-high residential apartment buildings that continue to spring up in Manhattan. These structures are some of the most expensive residences in the world, and among the tallest. Developers have amassed air rights and made use of loopholes in zoning laws to create luxurious enclaves which in some cases are only occupied on a part-time basis by individuals who maintain multiple homes. Large portions of these buildings may contain no apartments at all, since up to a quarter of the interior space can be reserved for the necessary mechanical equipment systems.