The City of Canyon has named the new Canyon Fire Chief. The Canyon City Commission named Dennis Gwyn the next City of Canyon Fire Chief on Monday, June 15. "CFD was where I began my Fire Service journey," said Gwyn. "It's very humbling knowing that I began there as someone who knew very little to nothing about the fire service and that my experience and training there, along with other employment has afforded me the opportunity to be asked to lead the department in this position." Gwyn is a Randall County resident with more than 30 years of volunteer experience in the Canyon Fire Department. He has served as the Deputy Fire Chief and District Fire Chief for Randall County over the past eight years. He previously served as the Deputy Fire Marshal in Amarillo for 17 years.  

Engineering assessments of the structural damage to The Woodlands Fire Station No. 5 have not been returned to the township, but are expected back in the next few months. Fire Chief Palmer Buck said once testing results and analysis are complete, he and other fire officials will present the findings to the township board. The station has unknown structural damage that could require extensive renovations or a complete rebuilding of the facility. Fire Chief Palmer Buck said the engineering firm Martinez Architects conducted numerous types of testing, measurements and core sampling at Fire Station No. 5, which is located at 10100 Branch Crossing Drive, in an effort to determine what the recurring problems with the structure are. "(We are) Waiting on the final architect's report and the final results from our soil testing. They were hired to do three stations plus the Emergency Training Center. As far as refurbishing older stations and also dealing with Station No. 5's structural issues," Buck explained.  

The Corpus Christi Fire Department says a firefighter tested positive for COVID-19. In a press release Thursday, the City said the firefighter experienced COVID-19 like symptoms while on duty at his fire station the morning of June 16, 2020. After consulting with the County's Health District, the Fire Department decided to place 19 firefighters in isolation through June 29. The firefighters include those on-duty and those working the oncoming shift where the firefighter who tested positive worked. Firefighters work 24-hour shifts and both shifts had possible exposure. The City says the fire department has implemented additional safety precautions for the entire department to reduce potential exposure of firefighters from both patients and coworkers.  

VIDEO: Arson investigators have released surveillance video related to the explosion that damaged Bar 5015 on Almeda last week with hopes the public may recognize the men who intentionally set the fire. Video shows four unidentified men walk into the bar, each one carrying a 5-gallon container filled with a flammable liquid. The men poured the liquid on chairs and tables inside the bar, causing the liquid to accumulate underneath the deck. One man was seen pouring liquid down a ramp outside the bar and then setting the flammable liquid on fire. During a press conference Thursday morning, investigators pleaded with the public to call the tip line with any information that can help them identify the suspects involved. "We are going to have every resource available here," investigators said.  

The Luling community paid its final respects to two teens who were killed in Caldwell County two weeks ago. Now, the two will be laid to rest. The day started with a long processional of emergency vehicles through the town of Luling. First responders from across Central Texas came to honor 18-year-old Klayton Manning and his 16-year-old cousin, Landin Robinson. Just a few weeks ago Manning, a volunteer firefighter, was in a different kind of parade, one honoring graduating seniors, according to Eric Lugo. "I remember how happy he was that day, excited, blowing the fire truck horn and all that, and now he is gone. It's funny how life can change in that short of time," said Lugo. FOX 7 Austin was told that Manning wanted to be a firefighter in San Marcos. The processional ended at Luling's Eagle Memorial Stadium where Manning once played football.  

Austin-Travis County EMS and Austin Fire Department crews on Thursday rescued a person who got trapped in the waters of the Colorado River after floodgates were opened at Longhorn Dam in East Austin. The person did not require further medical attention after the rescue, EMS medics said. EMS medics responded around 12:43 p.m. to reports of a person being trapped in the water at the dam, which is near Guerrero Colorado River Park on South Pleasant Valley Road. Austin-Travis County EMS Capt. Darren Noak said rescue crews arrived at the scene around 12:50 p.m., and said the patient was out of the water within 10 minutes. "The rescuers from Austin-Travis County EMS and Austin Fire Department were able to access the patient by way of a ‘throw bag,' which is a rescue device we use," Noak said. "Once they provided the patient with the personal flotation device, they were able to assist them through the situation."  

VIDEO: Firefighters battled a massive house fire in Billerica Thursday evening that left the home a total loss. Crews responding to the scene on Riveredge Road found smoke and flames pouring out of the house. "I was sleeping on the farmer's porch and the smoke just came out right around me," homeowner Rob Rawson said. "Panic city." Within minutes, the flames destroyed the years of work Rawson put into his home. SKY 7 HD flew over the scene around 6 p.m. to find it totally engulfed. By about 6:15 the flames had been mostly extinguished. Rawson said that as soon as he began smelling smoke, he ran through banging on doors to make sure he and his two roommates would escape safely. "I'm shocked I got the guy upstairs out. Shocked," he told 7NEWS. "There were lots of sparks the lines were catching on fire. it just moved very quickly." Multiple explosions could be heard within the inferno as nearby vehicles caught on fire — including an Xfinity van parked in the driveway.  

The union representing Baltimore's firefighters is calling on residents living in certain neighborhoods to oppose possible firehouse closures. The two firehouses slated to close are Engine 4 on Cold Spring Lane in north Baltimore and Engine 55 on Bush Street in Pigtown. The city fire union said both companies are responsible for bringing water to fires and have life-saving medical equipment. Baltimore City Councilman Bill Henry, D-District 4, released a statement Thursday calling on Mayor Jack Young to keep the companies open. Henry's statement said, in part: "As far as I know, every member of the City Council is against these closures. We voted for cuts to other parts of the budget which would have provided the mayor with sufficient funds to restore the two fire companies that are being shut down. The mayor has chosen not to use that money and is closing the fire companies anyway.  

After a serious storm, it's not uncommon to see the world come to a standstill. Traffic lights often go out, homes are ruined and businesses stay closed, but one restaurant tends to stay operational and consistent, despite the chaos and damage. In many places, Waffle House has become synonymous with stormy skies; the business is able to make decisions in the face of serious storms that have caught the eye of first responders and federal officials like Craig Fugate. Fugate was the Director for the Emergency Management Division for the state of Florida when he first noticed the trend. "What we had seen was the Waffle House was getting open before anything else did," he said. Fugate was responding to Hurricane Charley in 2004 when he first thought up the "Waffle House Index."  

Every week there are numerous scientific studies published. Here's a look at some of the more interesting ones: Researchers with the Cleveland Clinic developed a first risk prediction model for healthcare providers to predict an individual patient's likelihood of a positive COVID-19 test, in addition to predicting their outcomes from the disease. The model, called a nomogram, evaluates the relevance of age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, vaccination history and current medications in COVID-19 risk. The results were published in the journal CHEST. The actual test can be found here. "The ability to accurately predict whether or not a patient is likely to test positive for COVID-19, as well as potential outcomes including disease severity and hospitalization, will be paramount in effectively managing our resources and triaging care," said Lara Jehi, Cleveland Clinic's Chief Research Information Officer and corresponding author of the study. "As we continue to battle this pandemic and prepare for a potential second wave, understanding a person's risk is the first step in potential care and treatment planning."  

VIDEO: The Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) has become the first fire department in the country to develop an in-house fire gear cleaning system. IFD said "Project Washout" integrates advanced ozone technology with comprehensive gear maintenance, management and repair. On Wednesday, IFD Chief Ernest Malone unveiled the new system which fire officials said "was created for the sole purpose of better protecting our suppression personnel and implementing cancer preventive initiatives, to help fight the unseen enemies our personnel face every day, including COVID19." IFD explained the new process uses ArtiClean Ozone, which provides firefighters with hospital-grade sanitation and cancer carcinogen removal, which was only previously available through outsourcing. "The idea of putting a gear washer in every fire station was quickly identified as too costly and for some stations, not logistically possible," fire officials said.