The City of El Paso on Wednesday hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new fire station that will bring three formerly separate stations under one roof, thus improving fire and emergency services throughout the Borderland. The new station -- known as the El Paso Fire Department Special Operations Division Station -- will be located at 222 S. Campbell Street, and include personnel from Fire Stations 1, 9 and 11. According to the city, the new station will cost roughly $23 million and will be built using funds from the voter-approved 2019 Public Safety Bond. Calling the station a "state-of-the-art public safety facility," the city said it will "better service the Downtown area through additional fire protection and enhanced emergency response times."  

VIDEO: 94-year-old Weldon Jean Hill was a Waco firefighter from 1953 to 1993 — that's 39 years of service to a city he holds dear to his heart. "Every time you go somewhere, you're helping somebody — my greatest joy in life is helping people," Hill said. This is a joy he says was inspired by his father-in-law. Hill had plans to take on a completely different job in South Carolina with his wife, but his family convinced him to stay in Waco — a decision affecting not only him, but the lives of some Central Texas neighbors. "Firefighting is a very fulfilling job — every time you go somewhere, you save somebody else," he said. One of his most prized possessions — "I'm very proud to wear this." His helmet. "It was a wonderful occupation," Hill said. It's a piece of his uniform that reminds him of the hundreds of calls he's responded to, and the lives he's saved.  

VIDEO: The Leander Fire Department's K9, Dixie, will soon receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a donation from the nonprofit Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. Dixie is a four-year-old bloodhound. K9 handler and Fire Inspector Carroll Cubit says the K9 program started four years ago. They had some missing persons calls and asked volunteer K9 groups to help. Cubit got the idea of getting a K9, and after doing some research, they got Dixie. She's been on about 40 calls since the program started. Dixie can track missing persons or suspects in cases from the police department. Cubit says bloodhounds are good at tracking. "She helps assist when their dog is not available or if they don't want their dog to track a suspect that's not aggressive. Then they call me out, and we come out and track them," he said.  

PHOTOS: More than 50 personnel responded to a massive fire in the early hours of Thursday morning that resulted in explosions at a Salt Lake City recycling plant. Just after 12:30 a.m., firefighters were alerted to the area of 3040 W. 900 S. Upon arrival, the blaze was quickly upgraded to a three-alarm fire, sending 70 firefighters, seven engines and five trucks rushing to the scene. Large propane tanks, piles of recycling materials, wooden pallets and semi-trucks fueled the flames as firefighters worked to get things under control. Luckily, nobody was inside the building when the fire sparked and officials said no injuries were reported. Officials said gusts of wind were an extra challenge in fighting the flames and crews used a cooling apparatus to try and contain explosions.  

VIDEO: The Staunton Fire and Rescue Department is meeting the deaf community halfway. The department invited the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind (VSDB) to help the fire and rescue squads better communicate with the deaf community in Staunton. "Having to write back and forth with pen and paper isn't doing them justice," said Savannah Snider, Staunton firefighter and organizer of the new inclusion and equity addition. "They deserve the basic communication skills from us. No one calls 911 when they are having a good day." Virginia Beach, the course instructor, has been with the VSDB for five years. She said she was delighted Staunton Fire and Rescue reached out. "They asked me if I could teach this class, and I was thrilled with that task," Beach said. "I was like, ‘Wow, Staunton firefighters value communication access.'"  

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is excited to announce the release of our new resource for fire service families. What to Expect: A Guide for New Firefighter Families (Second Edition) is designed to help new fire and EMS recruits along with their spouses/significant others, children, parents, siblings, and other family members make the adjustment to the volunteer fire service lifestyle. Joining the volunteer fire service affects the entire family, and it is important for the responder's wellbeing and their retention that the family is on board to support their loved one throughout their emergency service journey. The guide introduces family members to the basics of the volunteer fire service life and provides guidance for keeping family relationships strong, being part of the fire department family, and more.  

VIDEO: For John Sego it's a job he never thought he'd get into. "Honestly the younger me would be surprised, but I am sure he would be proud," Sego said. It was a passion for giving back to burn victims that started it all. "I was burned in a garage fire when I was a kid, I was 8," Sego said. It's remarkable to see the man Sego has become. He says he wouldn't change any of it. "I truly believe it was meant to happen. Honestly, I look at it as a blessing. I feel like I was put here for a reason, and this was the reason," Sego said. It's a stark change to the 8-year-old boy who was scared of fire after his injury. "I was doing things I shouldn't be doing and that's how the fire started," Sego said. Sego says he didn't come from the best place, and if the fire never happened he isn't sure where he would have ended up.  

VIDEO: Very slowly, then all at once, a house overlooking the Blue Earth River and Rapidan Dam in Minnesota plunged into the waters below on Wednesday, as surging floodwaters continued to cause devastation across the Midwest. A day earlier, homeowner Jenny Barnes spoke to NBC News on a bench near the property — a spot that has now also washed away. The Barnes' nearby cafe, the Rapidan Dam Store, popular for its pies and ice cream, has survived. "We don't know what will happen. Minute by minute has been playing out right in front of our eyes and it's hard to experience," a post on the store's Facebook page said on Wednesday, adding that the family-run establishment "has not sold its last burger or sold its last slice of pie." It's just one story among many of homes and businesses being lost in the region.