VIDEO: The San Antonio Fire Department is mourning one of its own. On Sunday morning, the department said Fire Engineer Samuel Hudson had passed in a social media post. Hudson was 42. The post said Hudson was assigned to Medic 22 on the C shift and has served the department since 2009. In another post by the San Antonio Professional Fire Fighters Association, the union group said he left behind a loving family including his two young children. According to information in an internal memo dated March 9, Hudson was bike riding off duty with fellow firefighters in McAllister Park when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest. Seven SAFD units responded to the scene, and both on and off duty personnel performed uninterrupted CPR for over an hour.  

The Abilene Fire Department's Deputy Chief John Brunett is retiring after more than 27 years of service to Abilene. The Department thanked Chief Brunett for his attention to detail, leadership and sense of humor in an announcement on Facebook. Last Friday, City Manager Robert Hanna announced that Abilene Police Departments Chief Marcus Dudley, Jr. resigned after two years of being on the force. Chief Brunett leaves a legacy behind, including Ladder 8, Ladder 1 and the new DC Musick Fire Training Building, places that will be in service for generations to come. AFD and the City of Abilene thanked Chief Brunett for his service, wishing him a healthy and happy retirement.  

Over 600 high school students who feel they were called to be emergency responders competed in the Texas Public Service Teacher Association's annual competition at Del Mar College's Windward campus Saturday. Mike Tokarski, Vice President of TPSTA, feels confident that the next generation of first responders are ready to serve the community. "The next generation of law enforcement, firefighters or EMTs are well trained and ready to take on the challenge." Tokarski has been in law enforcement for 19 years. He founded the Texas Public Service Teacher's Association six years ago. He wants to see the next generation of first responders take over. This annual competition had 683 students participate this year.  

The Hidalgo County Fire Marshal ruled a warehouse fire in Alton accidental. The fire occurred Friday afternoon at the Cuevas Wholesale. Pharr and La Joya Fire Departments were called to assist. Alton Fire Chief John Salinas told ValleyCentral it took firefighters six hours to put out the fire. Hidalgo County Fire Marshal Homero Garza said an employee was burning wood, which started a grass fire and got out of control. No injuries were reported.  

Since 1965, Denison Fire Rescue has been partnered with Texoma Medical Center. On Friday, the fire department received the American College of Cardiology Partnership Award, recognizing response times that have saved many lives. "We need their help to take care of the patient when they first call for help, so without them we could not do our job well," said Texoma Medical Center quality manager Sandy Chancellor. Since the establishment of Texoma Medical Center, the Denison Fire Rescue team has been an ally as medical professionals and firefighters work together to help save lives. "They understand excellent care for our patients and the need to do things right all the time," Chancellor said. The department has changed its training practices over the last two years, a beneficial move for both the hospital and the fire department.  

First responders battled a 2-2-2 alarm fire early Monday morning at a vacant building in Cleveland. Officials with the Cleveland Fire Department said the fire started at 12:26 a.m. in the area of Miles Avenue and East 135th Street. Officials said 9 trucks and 40 firefighters responded to the blaze. Officials said nobody was hurt in the blaze. Officials confirmed the fire caused $50,000 in damages. Officials said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Thousands of people came together on March 12 at the world's largest on-air stair climb competition for one mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Held at the Columbia Center in Seattle, the LLS Firefighter Stairclimb hosted more than 2,000 volunteer and professional firefighters from more than 330 departments and 8 countries. According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Columbia Center is the tallest building in Seattle and the second tallest building west of Mississippi. This year's competition marked the 32nd year it has been held. Over the years the competition has raised over $24 million for LLS.  

VIDEO: Fighting fires is an already dangerous job but the Duncan Fire Department said something that can be just as dangerous is drivers. "This is becoming a more frequent thing for us so we would like to get that message out there to slow down, pay attention, get off the cellphone," said Captain Josh Hannigan, Duncan Fire Department. Early Sunday morning, around 1 a.m. the Duncan Fire Department's engine 81 was hit on Interstate 85 while they were responding to an accident. While all first responders on scene were safe, the driver of the vehicle was transported to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. Captain Josh Hannigan said now more than ever people need to be aware of a South Carolina law. "In 2002 the state passed a law that's actually the ‘slow down move over' law so it is mandated for fire personnel, law enforcement, tow truck drivers, EMS, anyone that has to put themselves in the roadway to operate to help the well-being and safety of others, they ask you move over and slow down," said Captain Hannigan.  

New York is leading the nation for residential fire deaths with 45 fatalities in the first three months of this year — a staggering statistic that highlights the need for legislative action, according to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York. John D'Alessandro, the association's secretary and a volunteer firefighter, said the fatalities have underscored the urgency of legislation that the organization has been pushing for years, including a measure to provide funding to local building departments to conduct routine inspections and ensure multi-family residential and commercial buildings are meeting fire safety codes. Another would suspend the sales tax on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors during the month of October — fire prevention month — in a bid to encourage residents to purchase and maintain the potentially life-saving devices.  

It's a bond that has truly been tested by fire. "No words can describe the bond," Lt. Kathleen Hancock said. "I'm super thankful for them." Hancock, Danielle Allen and Brooke Simms are the only Black women working at Aurora Fire Rescue. Their journey together came through different routes. Hancock, a native of Pueblo, lived in Tuscon, Arizona, where she was a physical therapist and athletic trainer. But her life would change after her mom died from a brain aneurysm. "After my mother died unexpectedly, was treating a couple of chiefs and other officers at the physical therapy unit. And they started talking to me, 'hey, come out and we need people like you to come out, work out with us, we really need women like you. And I thought to myself, 'why?'" Hancock said.