McKinney Fire Department Captain Jared Turner has been selected to serve on Gov. Greg Abbott's Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Advisory Council's Emergency Medical Services Committee. A Nov. 23 news release announced Turner's selection and went on to state the council recommends improvement to the EMS and trauma system to provide comprehensive and efficient emergency care. "Captain Turner is a leader in our department and we are proud that he is now taking his skills to the state level to help determine the best ways to provide emergency services to Texas communities," McKinney EMS Chief Charlie Skaggs said in the news release. Turner's term will begin in February. He will serve for 12 months.  

VIDEO: Technology can either hinder or help people. The Smith County Fire Marshal's Office is using innovation in a positive way. Drones are assisting them while they fight fires in the county. First responders are using this technology to take their safety precautions and investigation to the next level. "Because normally we go in, and we're looking at you know, what's around us and this allows to actually look from the top down," said Jay Brooks, Smith County Fire Marshal. They have two drones. The smaller drone is the one they use on a regular basis. The larger one, also known as "Big Bird" is used during large-scale fires. "When you have a fire that's over a hundred areas, you can't have firefighters everywhere all the time. That aerial view is priceless to us," said Brooks. One of the features these drones have is infrared to give them an in-depth look at the scene.  

VIDEO: The Texarkana Fire Department responded to a fire on West 10th street early Tuesday morning. Firefighters responded to a call around 5:25 a.m. about a house fire at 1518 West 10th Street. The house was already engulfed in flames when crews arrived. It took 15 crews around 4 hours to completely extinguish the flames. Woman found dead in Texarkana drainage ditch identified The roof of the home collapsed and an excavator was ordered to demolish the rest of the house so firefighters could safely finish putting out the fire. The fire is believed to have been started by a can of fuel being used for heating. 13 people were in the home at the time of the fire and were all able to safely evacuate. No injuries were reported.  

VIDEO: Deep frying a turkey is a quick way to pack a ton of flavor into Thanksgiving's main course in a short amount of time, but as the Austin Fire Department demonstrates, a lot can go wrong if the rules aren't followed. AFD released its yearly video about frying a turkey the safe and correct way Tuesday, just in time for rookie chefs to learn the proper way to get the bird done and not burn your house down. First thing is first, don't overfill your pot with oil. As the firefighter in the video shows, overfilling your pot causes huge flare-ups while the oil splashing out and can start a structure on fire quickly. To see how much liquid you'll need to submerge your turkey for cooking, use water in the pot without the gas on to test it out. "It's important to drop the turkey slowly," said Capt. Bennison with AFD.  

A San Juan couple is recovering after a fire broke out in their home Tuesday. The San Juan Fire Department responded to the home off Sunchase Road, where officials say the fire was contained to a bedroom but had damaged other parts of the house. San Juan Fire chief Tirso Garza said the couple were both taken to a nearby hospital. "We did have some injuries," Garza said. "A resident, a female, was transported to the hospital to get her checked out for some possible burns to her body." Garza said the woman's husband was taken to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire remains unknown.  

Emergency crews have extinguished a burning 18-wheeler along the Interstate 20 Access Road in Liberty City early Wednesday. Shortly after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, law enforcement and fire crews were called to the intersection of I-20 and Old Kilgore Highway. The intense heat from the fire caused the big rig's tires to burst. Explosions were heard from miles away. "(The truck) has recycled batteries on it. So we're dealing with battery acids." said Chief Richard Sisk of Sabine Fire and Rescue. "The metals on it that are inside that trailer are on fire. So it's compacted in there. It's really hot. It's put off a lot of high heat. So getting in there and being able to penetrate that and get the fire out is pretty extensive. We've had to cut the side of that trailer to make multiple entrance points to put water on it."  

A raging house fire in Cranford, New Jersey claimed the life of one person and injured another, local authorities said. Chopper 4 captured images of the intense scene that unfolded on Beach Street near West End Place -- prompting several area fire departments to spring into action. One woman died and two other people who were inside had to be rescued by a neighbor after the flames were reported around 7 a.m. Tuesday in a 2 1/2 story structure. No other injuries were reported as a result of this. Officials say when they arrived, they were met with heavy flames right away. "When we arrived on scene neighbors were out, they were actively trying to rescue the occupants and we immediately went into an offensive rescue operation at that time to save two victims," Cranford Fire Department Lt. Matthew Lubin said.  

PHOTOS: With the dust still settling after a red SUV mowed down Christmas parade marchers in a Milwaukee suburb Sunday, killing at least five people and injuring dozens – including children – law enforcement and witnesses at the scene are praising first responders' handling of the chaos that unfolded. Brayden Kowalski, 19, one of the witnesses at the scene, described the first responders' professionalism as "wonderful" in an interview with Fox News. "It was wonderful," Kowalski said when describing the first responders' professionalism and swift actions. He said it didn't take long for first responders to arrive on scene and he recounted how paramedics and fire personnel worked their way up through the crowd, starting from where shots were first fired.  

New research by Cassandra Kwon, a research assistant professor at NC State's Textile Protection and Comfort Center, and former Ph.D. student Meredith McQuerry, who is currently an associate professor at Florida State University, suggests that many women firefighters may struggle with poorly fitting gear that is designed with the male form in mind. The two researchers have spent the past several months collecting data about how conventional firefighter suits fit women, and how to better tailor firefighting gear for women. Recently, they have traveled to the Women in Fire conference, showcasing their project to fire departments, manufacturers and women firefighters themselves. "It's sort of an unspoken kind of fact that firefighting gear, it's not really made for the female form," Kwon said. "It's always been designed for the male form."  

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have teamed up with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) to upgrade the FDNY's ambulance Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response operations and optimize hospital capacity balancing so that hospitals aren't overwhelmed in the future by an unprecedented patient surge like the one that occurred in the early months of the pandemic. FDNY oversees New York City's 911 EMS system, providing coverage for all five boroughs of the city with ambulances and specialized response vehicles. It currently operates two-thirds of the nearly 450 ambulances in NYC's 911 system directly, with the rest provided by about 22 of New York City's private hospitals. In addition, 198 fire engine companies provide medical response to a subset of life-threatening emergencies.  

Thursday marks the second Thanksgiving during the coronavirus pandemic. Many grandparents are excitedly planning to see their grandchildren. Friends are dressing their dining tables for turkey and loved ones. Some people have flights booked or road trips scheduled. But in the background, COVID-19 case numbers are inching upward across the United States and millions of Americans remain unvaccinated -- leaving some people worried about the possible COVID-19 risks that could come with their Thanksgiving plans. If you have concerns, experts say there are some important questions to ask to help weigh your risk: Will those around you be vaccinated? Have they been tested? Should you open windows when indoors?