The Amarillo Fire Department believes it may have found a solution to the problem of finding and hiring new personnel. Filling vacancies is becoming harder despite attractive salary and benefits packages. The department is responding to better meet the needs of a growing community. "This is the most honorable profession," said Jeff Justus, community liaison for AFD. "You get high-fives from little kids. People say thank you all the time for your service." Despite the accolades, the Amarillo Fire Department is struggling to fill vacant positions? It raises the question why are fewer people between the ages of 18 and 35 interested in becoming a firefighter and basic level EMT and joining the department? "This is a very physically demanding job not only that but mentally and emotionally demanding on a person but you will be in the best shape of your life on the first day of your job with the fire department we'll make sure of that," said Justus.  

The city of Round Rock announced Sept. 22 that Assistant Fire Chief Shane Glaiser had been named interim fire chief for the city's fire department. Current Fire Chief Robert Isbell is set to vacate his position at the end of the month, which is when Glaiser will step into the role, according to the city. Glaiser has been with the Round Rock Fire Department since 1995, having risen through the department's ranks. He served as the project lead for the city's Public Safety Training Center, which was completed in 2018. "It's an honor to continue serving the citizens of Round Rock and the members of our fire department in this capacity," Glaiser said in a statement. "I'm excited to lead the amazing men and women of our team during this next chapter as we implement new ways to serve the needs of our growing community."  

With a growing population comes a higher demand for services, especially emergency medical and fire services. The city of Fort Worth has seen around a 12% increase in call frequency and is working to address citizens' needs. This includes constructing a 45th fire station in the Alliance area, recruiting new staff and completing road projects in Northeast Fort Worth to allow for better access. Fort Worth has 44 fire stations—one of which is seasonal, meaning it is not in constant operations—and another one on the way on the north side of town. MedStar, a mobile health care system tasked with providing ambulance services to the city of Fort Worth, has two deployment centers in the city of Fort Worth, one of which is in the Alliance area.  

You expect firefighters to run into burning buildings to save someone, but battling fires is not the only battle Henderson firefighters are taking on. "Everybody has been affected by cancer," said Henderson Fire Department Capt. Lance Ellis. "Whether it's been loved ones that you've had, you know, that's had it or friends or whatever, everybody's pretty close to it. So it means a lot to us to be able to give back to somebody else." This commitment to helping people in the Rusk County community fight cancer began more than a decade ago with a breast cancer initiative. Firefighters sell pink shirts, host cookouts, accept donations from local businesses and partner with restaurants where a portion of the proceeds go to the cancer fund.  

The city of Georgetown is recommending updates to the city's fire code after a pet boarding facility caught fire, killing all 75 dogs that were inside. Recommended updates include requiring smoke alarms and sprinklers systems in kennels and pet boarding facilities, regardless of their size, a city official said Tuesday. According to the Georgetown Fire Chief, John Sullivan, the Ponderosa Pet Resort facility was not required to have smoke alarms or a sprinkler system because of its square feet, the Austin American-Statesman reported. Businesses that are at least 10,000 square feet are required to have a sprinkler system, but the pet resort was 8,125 square feet. The Fire Department was notified about the fire shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday.  

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday released the preliminary findings of an investigation into February's deadly winter storm and blackouts. Texas was, by far, the state hit hardest by the crisis, a fact FERC commissioners squarely blamed on the state's energy policies. The investigation, a joint inquiry by FERC and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, had two major goals. One, to explain what happened to cause widespread power outages. Two, to recommend policies to stop it from happening again. Those policy recommendations include proposals to better winterize power plants to withstand cold weather, and improve planning and communication between electric generators and grid operators. FERC recommended similar reforms after a winter storm caused blackouts 10 years ago.  

A family is without a home following a violent fire in Windsor Mill Thursday evening. Baltimore County fire crews took hours to get the blaze under control. "When Capt. Roy pulled over top, we had fire that was well up into the attic, probably for some time before we arrived. That fire had burned its way up through the actual roof by the time our units had got there." Capt. Len Stewart, of the Baltimore County Fire Department said. SkyTeam 11 was above the fire engulfing a home in Windsor Mill. "The fire did start to the rear of the dwelling, worked its way well up into the attic, and by that time it was too much fire, too much volume for them to control quickly," Stewart said. Officials said the fire started shortly after 5:30 p.m. at a home on Rices Lane. Crews, initially arriving to the scene, with word of at least two people were possibly trapped inside.  

Hallie Pfendler and Denyse Hastwell are 911 dispatchers in Lewis County. The two work hand in hand to get help to people who need it. "We're considered secretaries and we do a lot more than that. We potentially save lives. We do CPR instructions. We get people there that need to be there," said Hastwell. That work is now being recognized by Governor Kathy Hochul, who signed legislation earlier this month giving 911 dispatchers the designation of first responders. "The people that protect you are your firefighters or EMS, but we are watching over them. We are keeping track of them so they keep each other safe, but we keep them safe too," said Pfendler. The new law gives dispatchers a chance for more training opportunities as a first responder in communications.  

A local rescue organization is going to soon be featured on a YouTube channel that spotlights emergency personnel across the country. The Perkiomen Township Fire Department will be highlighted during a segment by Heroes Next Door, which says it works to promote awareness of various police, fire, EMS and healthcare services across the country. The local fire department recently said on its Facebook page that Mike Borrello and Harrison Burch recently came by the station to shoot a video profile for their Heroes Next Door YouTube channel. "They do great work showcasing emergency services, stations and apparatus across the country!" the Perkiomen Township Fire Department said in the Facebook post. The department stated that the completed profile video will be available online in about two months time.  

The Sidney Department of Fire and Emergency Services is gearing up for Fire Prevention Week. "Every year the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) coordinates a Fire Prevention Week with special messaging that draws attention to specific fire safety education and awareness topics. The message this year is, ‘Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety!' This messaging will place emphasis on smoke and carbon monoxide detector education," Sidney Fire Chief Chad Hollinger said. Fire Prevention Week 2021 will take place from Oct. 3 through 9. This year marks the 99th observance of the NFPA sponsored Fire Prevention Week, which first occurred in 1922. Three years later, Fire Prevention Week was federally recognized by President Calvin Coolidge. Fire Prevention Week is observed annually the week of Oct. 9 to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.  

Even with three highly effective vaccines available in abundance throughout the country, the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 continues to cause a large number of new infections, particularly in states where vaccination rates remain low. What's more, as schools and businesses reopen and the holiday season approaches, another rise in infections may be on the way. There is, however, some good news. Numerous medications, including fledgling and repurposed drugs, are accessible. For hospitalized COVID-19 patients, these new treatments, along with supportive care advances – such as placing some patients on their stomachs in a "prone position" – were helping bring down mortality rates before the Delta variant hit and are continuing to improve patient outcomes today.