Austin-Travis County EMS revised its job application by removing a disqualification for prior marijuana use in hopes of increasing applicants as they struggle to fill positions. Saving lives isn't an easy job. The president of the Austin EMS union, Selena Xie, said doing it short-staffed is even harder. "It's really bad right now," said Xie. "We're about 80 paramedics down." After partnering with Texas Norml, putting together a petition and sending thousands of letters to the Austin City Council and EMS Interim Chief Jasper Brown, Xie said the City gave them the green light in late October to change the policy. She said the old policy was deterring out-of-state applicants where marijuana use is legal. "We didn't want Texans and people from all over this country to be not allowed to work for our department because of legal use," said Xie.  

The McAllen Fire Department responded to a large fire near the area of 26th Street and U.S 83. Business. The City of McAllen was advising motorists to avoid the area until further notice as crews worked to extinguish the fire. The McAllen Fire Department received an initial call at 1:15 p.m. that there was a fire. Upon arrival, they were able to determine that the fire occurred at recycling yard, and involves compressed carboard and recycled plastic, according to Juan Gloria, Assistant Fire Chief of the McAllen Fire Department. There were no injuries caused by the fire, according to Gloria. McAllen FD and McAllen police were on the scene, and the situation was under control, according to a Facebook post from the City of McAllen.  

The Wichita Falls City Council approved the bid for major upgrades to the Wichita Walls Fire Department which will cost over $9.9 million. "What took place today was unanimous support for insuring that we can accomplish our mission to serve the public," Ken Prillaman, Fire Chief of the Wichita Falls Fire Department, said. The upgrade will include eight custom fire pumper trucks, two custom fire ladder trucks, two ford skeeter squads and more. Prillaman said the upgrades are much needed. "The fleet today exist kind of in thirds," Prillaman said. "A third of the fleet is beyond its reasonable lifespan, with engines that date back to 96 or 97. Another third of the fleet was purchased from a manufacturer that did not live up to our expectations. It has been difficult to keep them in service and acquire parts for those."  

San Antonio firefighters say an electrical problem appears to be what sparked a fire inside a South Side home. Two people who live in the home, located in the 200 block of Crane Avenue, were able to escape safely after the fire broke out around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. When fire crews arrived, they found heavy fire in the front room of the home. They say they had a difficult time accessing the other rooms because of a large amount of clutter. Firefighters eventually were able to extinguish the fire which they said seemed to be centered around a sofa. They say they found an extension cord underneath the sofa that may have played a role in it. An investigation team was called in to look into the cause of the fire.  

More than 90 students from Smith County schools received awards for their Fire Prevention Posters. The Smith County Fire Marshal's Office, along with the Smith County Volunteer Fireman's Association, hosted their annual Fire Prevention Poster Awards Ceremony on Friday. The theme this year was "Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety." Students from Arp, Bullard, Chapel Hill/Jackson Heights, Lindale, Troup and Winona Independent School Districts, as well as Brook Hill, Christian Heritage and Owens Elementary School, were recognized during the event on Friday evening at the Rose Garden Center. Awards categories included Division 1 for Early Childhood, Pre-K and Kindergarten; Division 2 for first and second grades; Division 3 for third and fourth grades; Division 4 for fifth and sixth grades; and Division 5 for seventh and eighth grades.  

The Flower Mound Fire Department is planning to conduct a prescribed burn on The Flower Mound around noon on Friday, the town of Flower Mound announced Wednesday morning. The burn's time or date may change due to weather conditions. The prescribed burn is being done in conjunction with The Mound Foundation to remove the invasive plant species and to allow the natural prairie grass and wildflowers to thrive on The Flower Mound, located on Flower Mound Road, just east of FM 2499. Crews will be onsite around 9 a.m. to begin prep work with the goal of having fire on the ground around noon. The burn itself should be complete in under an hour, according to a news release from the town of Flower Mound. The entire Mound will be burned, including the strip of grass and wildflowers between the sidewalk and Flower Mound Road.  

VIDEO: Suffolk County police say a fifth person has been found dead after a large fire swept through house in Riverhead, Suffolk County. The five victims were all found on the top floor of a 3-story home with four apartments that went up in flames just after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Firefighters arrived at the home on East 2nd Street to find fire shooting through the roof after an eyewitness walking his dog called 911. Of the ten occupants in the building, several were able to escape and told rescuers that others were trapped inside. As firefighters tried to gain entry, a stairwell on the third floor may have collapsed, trapping the remaining victims. Firefighters put out the flames and started finding bodies during an ensuing search. Five people did not survive. The remaining five occupants are all accounted for, police said.  

Austin-Travis County EMS revised its job application by removing a disqualification for prior marijuana use in hopes of increasing applicants as they struggle to fill positions. Saving lives isn't an easy job. The president of the Austin EMS union, Selena Xie, said doing it short-staffed is even harder. "It's really bad right now," said Xie. "We're about 80 paramedics down." After partnering with Texas Norml, putting together a petition and sending thousands of letters to the Austin City Council and EMS Interim Chief Jasper Brown, Xie said the City gave them the green light in late October to change the policy. She said the old policy was deterring out-of-state applicants where marijuana use is legal. "We didn't want Texans and people from all over this country to be not allowed to work for our department because of legal use," said Xie.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A group of volunteer firefighters gathered to demonstrate just how delicate of a balance deep frying that holiday turkey can be. Local fire and rescue squads from Blanche and Boonshill in Lincoln County, Tennessee set up a flaming example to warn anyone who plans to fry their bird this Thanksgiving to take as many precautions as possible. "One of the things we really have to be concerned about is paying attention to what we're doing," says Doug Campbell, Lincoln County Fire Chief. "With all the activities that are going on around the holiday season, people tend to get distracted." Unattended cooking is one of the biggest causes of house fires, especially around the holidays. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, cooking fires cause more than 50 percent of house fires.  

VIDEO: Tuscaloosa firefighters are working on new hydraulic extrication rescue equipment they said is much more advanced. Firefighters said the new tool in their toolbox could literally save your life one day. The new jaws of life is a little lighter, and just as powerful as the old one. Tuesday, firefighters spent the better part of the day training on it. "When it comes off the truck it's ready to go you don't have to set up hoses and all that stuff. It's quicker to get it action and it's a self-contained unit that operates off batteries. The cordless aspect is my favorite part because when you walk around a vehicle, you don't have to worry about hoses getting tangled up and all that kind of stuff while you're trying to work," said Capt. Glen Nelson. "We're able to remove enough of the car to make it safer to get the person out of the car without them getting hurt. The new equipment just makes it a lot faster," Nelson added.  

Mike Alstott is remembered for his plays out on the field with the Buccaneers but for several years now, he's created a special bond with firefighters that truly reflects the meaning of the holidays. "Most of us grew up watching him on Sundays and representing the Bucs and being the "A-Train" and then seeing the personal side of Mike, giving back to the community and giving back to our firefighters in Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, it's an experience that we are all proud to be a part of," said Jon Dougherty, Deputy Chief of Operations of the Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. Alstott continued the legacy of giving on Monday morning by handing out hundreds of meal kits to fire crews who will spend thanksgiving day on call at the 46 stations that make up Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.