State fire investigators will be assisting in the investigation of a China Spring fire that has left a 73-year-old woman dead. Waco fire units responded to assist China Spring volunteers shortly before 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to a reported house fire in the 300 block of Illinois Avenue. There had been reports of smoke being seen coming out of the house next to the First Baptist Church. The written run reports of the Waco Fire Department indicated entry was made on arrival and moderate smoke was noted throughout the house. After clearing boxes and other objects from around a door, they found a small pile of clothes on the floor burning, which were quickly extinguished. A deputy told firefighters there might be someone inside and a search was immediately begun in an attempt to find a possible victim.  

VIDEO: Typically, to be hired at Lubbock Fire Rescue, you had to be both firefighter and EMT certified. Now applicants don't have to be certified in either to apply. LFR Captain Phillip Grandon says the traditional model worked for a while but times are changing. LFR used to receive up to 400 applications in a given hiring season but lately, it has been getting under 100. He says every industry is dealing with labor shortages, so the department had to try something different. "Fire service is not immune to that either," Grandon said. "So, we have to basically go out and get people and say, ‘Hey, come work for us, and we're going to train you' instead of you having to go out and seek that training yourself." Firefighter Grandon says anyone from any background who wants to give public safety a chance, should. The requirement now is an applicant needs a high school diploma or GED and be between the ages of 18 and 35. Grandon explains the applicant must be 35 or younger by January 2024.  

A critical piece of equipment worth about $2,000 was stolen from a Houston fire truck, and now the fire department is asking for help in finding it. The Houston Fire Department said a chainsaw was stolen off a truck on March 9. The equipment is often used during extractions or entanglement situations such as crashes or other operations. HFD said they are working with the police department to identify those involved in the theft. HPD said the incident happened at about 10:20 a.m. at 3111 Woodridge in a parking lot. Anyone with information regarding the theft is urged to contact authorities at 713-222-TIPS.  

PHOTOS: A woman died after succumbing to her injuries she sustained in an early morning house fire on the West Side. The fire started around 4 a.m. Friday at a home off Monterey Street near West Commerce Street. Fire officials said when they arrived, heavy flames and smoke were engulfing the house. After battling the fire for about 15 minutes, firefighters were able to do a search and found a woman inside and pulled her out. Firefighters immediately began life-saving measures on the woman before she was rushed to the hospital, where she later was pronounced dead. Officials say the fire appeared to start in the back of the home. Heavy winds played a major factor in spreading this fire throughout the house. The house appears to be a total loss.  

The city of Killeen Fire Department and the Fort Hood Fire Department were presented the U.S. Army 2022 Community Partnership Award during a city council meeting here March 14. The Fort Hood Department of Emergency Services and the KFD are partnered with a mutual-aid agreement for emergency management, structural emergencies, wildland fires and swift-water rescue support. This agreement responds to initial fire suppression protection to all of Fort Hood's non-continuous housing villages, where nearly 1,500 Soldiers and families live. "The partnership between our installation and the city of Killeen is strong," Col. Chad R. Foster, U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Hood commander, said. "Everyone knows we had a fire on Fort Hood; it was the largest fire that we'd ever had on the installation. And I think the first to answer the call for help was the Killeen Fire Department."  

A raging blaze tore through a cluster of businesses in downtown Lawrence early Friday morning, destroying a liquor store and a bakery. Crews responding to a report of a fire in the area of Essex and Newbury streets found flames shooting from a building that houses multiple businesses and thick smoke consuming the neighborhood. Firefighters from Lawrence and neighboring communities could be seen dousing the raging fire with water. Video from the scene showed extensive damage to Sweeney's Package Store and Sweet Grace Heavenly Cakes. They have been deemed a complete loss. Mir Tapas Lounge and Fernandez Market are also located next to the scorched businesses. The bulk of the fire was knocked down before 6:30 a.m. but crews were still battling hot spots as the sun came up.  

In the next step in its fight to combat fire fighter cancer, the International Association of Fire Fighters filed suit March 16 against the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for its role in imposing a testing standard that effectively requires the use of PFAS in fire fighter protective gear. "The very gear designed to protect fire fighters, to keep us safe, is killing us," said General President Edward Kelly. "Standard 1971 needlessly requires the use of PFAS in fire fighter gear." A provision in NFPA 1971 requires certain components of fire fighter bunker gear to pass the Ultraviolet Light Degradation Test. The test requires turnout gear to be exposed to UV light for 40 hours without degradation. The only substance that can pass the test for that long is PFAS. The complaint, International Association of Fire Fighters v. National Fire Protection Association, Inc., seeks to hold the NFPA liable for not removing the dangerous test from its Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting (Standard 1971).  

VIDEO: Typically, to be hired at Lubbock Fire Rescue, you had to be both firefighter and EMT certified. Now applicants don't have to be certified in either to apply. LFR Captain Phillip Grandon says the traditional model worked for a while but times are changing. LFR used to receive up to 400 applications in a given hiring season but lately, it has been getting under 100. He says every industry is dealing with labor shortages, so the department had to try something different. "Fire service is not immune to that either," Grandon said. "So, we have to basically go out and get people and say, ‘Hey, come work for us, and we're going to train you' instead of you having to go out and seek that training yourself." Firefighter Grandon says anyone from any background who wants to give public safety a chance, should. The requirement now is an applicant needs a high school diploma or GED and be between the ages of 18 and 35. Grandon explains the applicant must be 35 or younger by January 2024.  

Before he was a "Joker," Brian "Q" Quinn was an FDNY firefighter. The internationally known comedian, 47, spent nearly a decade at Ladder Co. 86 on Richmond Avenue in Graniteville. It's a chapter the "Impractical Jokers" star looks back on fondly, both for the work he did keeping Staten Islanders safe and for the local causes he joined that still remain important to him. Among those causes: Friends of Firefighters. Founded by Nancy Carbone following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center, the 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization provides independent, confidential and free mental health counseling and wellness services to active and retired FDNY firefighters and their family members. The Brooklyn-born, Staten Island-raised prankster had his sights set on a career with the FDNY from a young age.  

Lawmakers should view America's staggering opioid crisis, including the rise of illicit fentanyl, through an "ecosystems" approach, argues a massive RAND Corporation report published Thursday. That means they should examine the gaps and interconnections among emergency response, data collection, education, treatment, housing and law enforcement, the report advises. The 600-page volume — which the authors describe as "arguably the most comprehensive analysis of opioids in 21st century America" — encourages federal, state and local lawmakers to think "beyond traditional silos" and innovate ways to stem adverse effects of addiction and increasing drug overdose deaths among Americans.