The Houston area said goodbye to Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Johnny Tunches on Thursday who died after a month long battle with COVID-19. Tunches is the third deputy to die from coronavirus so far. Sergeant Raymond Scholwinski died in May, and Deputy Juan Menchaca died in June. "Public servants must defend against the evil we've been seeing. Those that can't defend themselves still need our service," said Tunches' brother at the funeral for the deputy. The rising number of COVID-19 cases in Houston and in the U.S. continues to impact not just law enforcement, but other first responders too. The Houston Fire Department reported 85 firefighters were in quarantine as of Nov. 12. The department has seen 306 positive cases and three deaths. Cy-Fair Fire Department has had 79 workers test positive for the virus.  

An RV fire at the Lake Breeze Trailer Park in Abilene claimed the life of a man early Wednesday morning. According to the Abilene Fire Department, firefighters responded to a structure fire around 4:50 p.m. At the scene, firefighters found heavy smoke and flames coming from the windows and roof. "An interior fire attack was made when crews found a victim inside the RV," said AFD in a statement. The man was removed from the RV and even though firefighters provided life-saving measures he passed away at the scene. The victim's identity has not been released at this time. The RV was a total loss and the cause of the fire has been ruled as accidental.  

McKinney marked the beginning of work on the city's new Fire Station No. 11 with a groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 12. The 15,000-square-foot facility will house 10 firefighters and officers to serve the Craig Ranch community. It will be located at 6260 Rundell Way, which is on the west side of Alma Road near the McKinney Soccer Complex at Craig Ranch. City officials previously said construction is slated to be finished around the beginning of 2022. McKinney Fire Chief Danny Kistner said the station will add to the public safety in the Craig Ranch area of town. "What makes this station unique [is that] it's got several different features in it," Kistner said. "It's going to have a [McKinney] Police Department store front. That's very exciting for us. It's [also] going to have the standard features we find with all McKinney fire stations, including a mini training facility."  

One man has died after an industrial accident in Channelview on Thursday afternoon. The accident occurred around 3:30 p.m. around the 16100 block of East Freeway, near Sheldon Road at Flash Tank Services. Authorities said a man was inside one of the tankers cleaning when he became unconscious. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said the man was later pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities from the Channelview Fire Department and Harris County Fire Marshal's HAZMAT Team are on the scene.  

What started five years ago as a need for a new motor for Richland Chambers Lake's only rescue boat, has evolved into a non-profit organization with a mission to "Fuel the Firefighters." RE/MAX Lakeside Dreams donated a check Thursday for $38,000 to be split between 287 R/C Fire & Rescue, Kerens Volunteer Fire Department, Mustang VFD, Eureka VFD, Mildred VFD and Southern Oaks VFD. Due to COVID-19 precautions, the real estate office hosted its fifth annual "Fuel the Firefighters" fundraiser as a series of virtual events which included Zoom parties, a silent auction and T-shirt sponsorships. The fundraiser continues to pick up steam year after year. "We ended up raising about $3,000 more than last year," said Julie Teel of RE/MAX. "We were surprised, to be honest, but I think it was due to a longer fundraising period this year." "It's all to benefit the Richland-Chambers Lake community," said John Teel of RE/MAX.  

"I've got a lot of thoughts about Billy Wright and could ramble on all day about that good man," Cleburne Fire Chief Scott Lail said of his longtime friend and former co-worker. Lail and other colleagues commended Wright's professionalism, dedication and intelligence. All said Wright's gruff at times demeanor was more facade than reality. "Billy liked to promote that gruff guy persona," Lail said. "But once you got to know him you knew he was just a big teddy bear. He was a solid guy underneath who loved animals, kids and people. He just didn't want you to know that he did." Wright, 55, passed away on Nov. 4. Among other duties, Wright served as the Cleburne Fire Department's longest serving paramedic and was instrumental in the creation of the department's EMT program in the 1980s.  

VIDEO: A Civil Air Patrol pilot was killed when a small plane slammed into multiple vehicles that were parked on a residential street in Pacoima on Thursday morning, igniting a fire near several homes, officials said. No other injuries were reported in the crash, which occurred shortly after 11:30 a.m. in 10000 block of North Sutter Avenue, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The deceased pilot, the only person onboard the aircraft, was not immediately identified. The Civil Air Patrol's California Wing later identified the pilot as a member of that organization, but did not release the pilot's name. The plane was identified as a Cessna 182T. "Our hearts go out to the family of the member involved, and to all of the volunteer Civil Air Patrol members in California Wing who diligently serve their state and country with pride and professionalism," said Col. Ross Veta, Commander of the California Wing, Civil Air Patrol.  

While Emergency Medical Service workers and firefighters were 15 times more likely to contract the coronavirus than members of the public during the early weeks of the pandemic, the Fire Department's decision to exempt firefighters from responding to calls involving COVID symptoms made them five times less likely to develop infections than their EMS counterparts, according to a study led by Dr. David Prezant, the FDNY's Chief Medical Officer. The exemption of firefighters from responding to those cases was designed to minimize the possibility that entire firehouses—where members eat and sometimes sleep—would come down with the virus. During the time period studied beginning in March, 62 department responders contracted severe COVID-19 infections, and four EMS members died.  

As COVID-19 cases across Connecticut continue to climb, first responders in eastern Connecticut are asking for more regular access to COVID-19 testing. Members of the Region 4 EMS Council, covering New London County and parts of Windham County, are working to secure weekly, in-station testing for their members. "If a responder has an exposure at work and they become sick we can get testing pretty ready available, but the testing that I am trying to get established for us is surveillance screening to test providers weekly," said Maria Wilson, who serves as the president of Region 4 EMS Council. "Catch those asymptomatic carriers before they have the chance to potentially infect the rest of their stations." Wilson, with the support of other organizations in Region 4, wrote a letter to state leaders last week asking for help establishing a program for first responders to have easier access to free asymptomatic testing in their stations.  

"Grey's Anatomy" is kicking off its 17th season on ABC. The celebration includes a crossover with their firehouse friends at "Station 19." The blended families of both series allow fans to see the doctors and the firefighters combine their TV worlds; it's even more fun for the actors on both shows. "What I love is the writers treat it like one big world," said "Station 19's" Jason George. On the COVID front, the actors say, given the settings for both shows, there was never a doubt they'd address the coronavirus - especially as an homage to the real-life first responders out there. "It's really about this new world we're living in, and the human consequences,' said "Grey's Anatomy's" Chandra Wilson. "Bringing the humanity to stories of front line workers and first responders." "For us to be able to shine a light on that, create conversations and awareness is the least we can do, and we're honored to be a part of that," said "Station 19's" Boris Kodjoe.  

A marina fire in Scottsboro, Alabama, earlier this year illustrated how such a situation can turn tragic in just minutes. At 12:35 a.m. on January 27, 2020, a man living aboard a houseboat at Jackson County Park Marina awoke to a "popping" sound and smoke filled the cabin. According to the report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the owner told investigators he saw flames coming from the forward bulkhead near the vessel's electrical panel. He emptied his fire extinguisher on the flames then went to the neighbor's boat to get another extinguisher. When he returned to his boat the fire had grown and using the second extinguisher had little effect on the fire. The boat owner called 911 at 12:38 a.m. When Scottsboro police officers arrived seven minutes later, they reported the whole dock was on fire. The fire department arrived four minutes later. "Within 10-12 minutes every boat under the dock was somehow involved," said Scottsboro Fire Department Chief Gene Necklaus.