When Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd realized Moderna was doing trials for its coronavirus vaccine in the Dallas area, he said he reached out, and the following week, he was accepted. On Monday, Nov. 16, he said he's pleased by how effective the company's vaccine is in early results so far. "I'm very excited about the news. This is well above my expectations, I think I would have been happy if it made 60% effective rate, so to see 94.5%, that's very exciting. It's very good news," said Chief Boyd. On a conference call Monday morning, Assistant Secretary for Health at U.S. Health and Human Services, Admiral Brett Giroir said like Pfizer's announcement last week, Moderna's vaccine shows a lot of promise. "We're also extremely excited by the new Moderna results announced this morning showing 94.5% effectiveness as well as protection against severe COVID illness. Moderna uses a similar vaccine platform to Pfizer, so we were hopeful for this to occur," said Admiral Giroir.  

Two elderly people are hospitalized after being injured in an early morning fire at a duplex in Fort Worth. Fire crews were called to the home in the 5600 block of Creekside Circle just after 5:00 a.m. on November 17. When firefighters arrived they found heavy fire and smoke pouring from the front room of the single story home. Crews were able to quickly contain the fire, so no other units were damaged. One of the injured was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor burns. The other patient was treated for smoke inhalation. No firefighters were injured. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.  

East Texas paramedic and longtime first responder Steve Finley isn't used to being in the limelight. But after spending 83 days in the hospital, including 50 days in a coma, due to COVID-19, it's something he's humbled by and having to get used to. During his hospitalization, he received a plethora of support from friends, loved ones and strangers across small-town East Texas. After living for months in medical facilities and completing rehabilitation, he has been at home in Mineola for nearly a month now after returning on Oct. 21. "I'm getting stronger and feeling better every day," he said. His recovery is a huge turn of events compared to the lowest point during his illness, when doctors told his wife, Jaime, it might be time to "pull the plug." But after they tried one more steroid, he began to improve within a week and soon woke up from his coma.  

A Downtown Bryan business nearly 100 years old is having to do some upgrades for fire safety. Margie's Bar and Grill was inspected last week by the Fire Marshal's Office and they found some fire code issues. Margie's is still open but they've had to stop using their fryer after a complaint was filed with the fire marshal. They are still serving burgers but right now no French fries, other fried foods, and some stove cooked items. KBTX told them about a city program that could help cover some costs. Monday mornings bring a regular crowd to Margie's Bar and Grill. They've been in Downtown Bryan since 1924. The Original location, called Opersteny, burned down in the early 50's. Now the longtime establishment has some new costs. "It is a very unexpected expense," said Owner Billy Wager Jr.  

Montgomery County fire crews have helped bring a wildfire under control in Liberty County. Additional crews were requested from Texas A&M Forest Service, Liberty and San Jacinto Counties. Earlier on Monday, the Liberty County Sheriff's Office had evacuated some homes that were in harm's way, according to the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office. The Forest Service reported an estimated 100 acres was burning. By 3:30 p.m. Monday, authorities reported the fire was contained. Some smaller spot fires remained in the area. Officials with the Forest Service add that the eastern part of the state can be susceptible to fires like this at this time of year.  

Montgomery County commissioners approved seeking construction bids for a new $11.8 million forensic center during a Sept. 22 meeting. The center will better serve the county after years of burgeoning caseloads and a lack of space in the current facility, which has resulted in bodies being stored in refrigerated shipping containers, officials said. Before the current forensic center was built in 2011 on Hilbig Road in Conroe, Montgomery County used to contract with other counties such as Harris and Dallas to perform autopsies. The process of transporting bodies was tedious and costly, and years later, officials still recall the emotional toll. Entities such as the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, the Conroe Police Department and local fire departments rely on the current forensic center to conduct independent death investigations. For example, during a homicide, the sheriff's department responds to the scene and provides the forensics department with photos and evidence.  

Eight firefighters were swept into Lake Michigan during a dramatic rescue attempt late Sunday, Nov. 15, on the south pier at Pere Marquette Park. Nine firefighters were injured. One suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized. The search resumed Monday morning for the body of Lance Jenkins, 29, of Fruitport Township. He was swept off the pier with two others who got back to the pier. Waves reached 12 feet, with wind gusts over 50 mph. The first rescuers on scene saw the man clinging to rocks on the north side of the pier at the Muskegon channel. Two firefighters approached from the beach while four others got into a rescue boat. Waves pummeled the pier as firefighters on shore made their way out. They made several tries to reach the victim before one of them was swept off the pier into the water. The firefighter was injured but managed to get back to the pier.  

A veteran firefighter in Arlington County, Virginia, is breaking barriers as she rises through the ranks. Tiffanye Wesley is the first African American woman named deputy fire chief in all of Northern Virginia. "You can do anything that you put your mind to. I mean, look at what we're looking at in America today having a African-American female as vice president-elect," Wesley said. Wesley has been with the Arlington County Fire Department for 26 years, and has worked in just about every capacity there is, including on the bomb squad. Two years ago, she became the first African American woman battalion chief in Northern Virginia. "I love to be able to inspire, especially woman, to just know that you can come into a male-dominated profession. It's a very difficult profession, but you can do it," Wesley said. Chief David Povlitz says she was a top choice.  

You don't know what you don't know. Hornell Fire Chief Frank Brzozowski didn't know what to expect a year ago today, when the department was toned out for a fire on Preston Avenue in the city. Each call is treated as a structure fire until proven otherwise, though most don't keep firefighters busy for long — a small oven fire that tripped a smoke detector, perhaps, or maybe leaves burning in a backyard. The latter certainly seemed like a possibility on that sunny fall afternoon, a good day to be outside getting a few final chores done before winter. It was a Sunday, and the Buffalo Bills were in the midst of building a big lead over the Dolphins. Chief Brzozowski was home when the call came in. "My first intuition was it's just another call, and we can usually handle them pretty easily," Brzozowski recalled. "When I came up over the overhead behind the fire station I could see the column of smoke in the air, so I knew we had something that was more significant than just a small fire."  

A group of local firefighters pivoted when the pandemic hit to help in the fight against COVID-19. Their Lake County business is creating custom testing and vaccination trailers for counties across the country. Adapt and overcome: that is a motto firefighters say they live by. When COVID spiked in the U.S. the first time, a northwest suburban small business stopped making fire safety simulators and started building out mobile units for testing and eventually administering vaccines. A UV light system self-sanitizes the units. "We're seeing a collaboration of agencies from the public health agency, to the public safety agency, to emergency management, all working together, because no one had one solution for the problem. So, they're able to work together and pool their resources to have an asset like the health incident trailer that allows them to then be able to do COVID testing and vaccination, use it as a point of distribution for PPE and other equipment, but also use it as an incident command down the road with health safety protocols," said Christopher Gantz, JHB Group CEO.