A two-year-old girl is dead after falling into a septic tank Wednesday evening around 5:30 p.m. at the Paradise Lagoons RV Resort off of Highway 35 and Highway 188. The body of the girl was recovered after she fell about 15-20 feet into the tank that had about 2-3 feet of water in it. Bystanders first tried to get into that tank but were hindered by small openings. When fire crews arrived the small child was visible in the water approximately 15 feet below ground. Fire and rescue crews with Rockport, Fulton, Aransas Pass, and Ingleside all worked together to try and save the child, but by the time rescuers reached, the 2-year-old was unresponsive.  

Montgomery County Hospital District EMS Chief James Campbell recently made it onto a select national list of mobile health care professionals. Campbell, 35, has been in his current role at MCHD for a year. He was recognized by industry trade group the American Ambulance Association (AAA) as a Mobile Healthcare 40 Under 40. The distinction is awarded to individuals under 40 years of age in a leadership position and considered as contributing to the future of EMS. "It's not about me. It's about us and our team," Campbell said. "Working for such a supportive organization is rewarding as we all collectively remain focused on our mission." The selection process looked at the nominees' contributions to AAA and relevant professional affiliations. Campbell is the only honoree from the Houston area.  

An ordinance passed a couple weeks ago caused many in Denison to worry they could be charged money if they need the fire department's help. The city council hopes what they voted on Tuesday night will put people's fears at ease. City Manager Jud Rex said the resolution passed tonight will guide how they enforce that ordinance. The biggest message he wants to get out: fire department service fees are waived for anyone who lives in Denison city limits. "Denison residents can rest at ease knowing that we're not coming after them for fees, we never were," Rex said. An ordinance passed two weeks ago at Denison City Council allowed for the city to bill people's insurance companies when the fire department responds to emergencies, like crashes or fires. But it was this one line in the original ordinance that had some worried. It states "in some circumstances, the responsible party(s) will be billed directly."  

Two people were injured after a fire at a homeless camp early Thursday morning. The fire happened just before 3:30 a.m. on East Stassney Lane near Interstate Highway 35 in southeast Austin. According to the Austin Fire Department, the fire was at a homeless camp. Austin-Travis County EMS said the two victims suffered from serious, potentially life-threatening fire-related injuries. Investigators believe the fire started because someone was either cooking or because someone wanted to stay warm and the fire spread.  

A travel trailer caught fire and exploded in Fort Worth early Tuesday morning, killing one person. Fort Worth firefighters were called to Alamo Boat and RV Storage, on Bolt Street near Granbury Road, around 1:00 a.m. The body was discovered after crews put out flames that had fully engulfed the trailer. A fire spokesperson did not know if the victim was inside or outside of the trailer when they were killed. CBS 11 News video shows investigators going through the charred remains of the trailer, that appears to be on its side. Officials have not identified the victim of the blast — not even confirming if it is a man or woman. No word on what sparked the fire and subsequent explosion.  

VIDEO: After months of devastation, all the fires burning in the Australian state of New South Wales were declared contained for the first time last week. And who else to thank but the thousands of firefighters who have put their life on the line to extinguish them? Knowing that a simple "thank you" wouldn't suffice, the NSW Rural Fire Service took out a 70-foot billboard in New York's Times Square to thank all the firefighters who helped battle the blazes. The size was intentional. "Imagine fighting a bushfire higher than this billboard," the video in the billboard reads. "Thank you to the brave Australian and US firefighters defending Australia. And to the world for all your support."  

Despite putting a seventh city ambulance in service in mid-2018, Lincoln Fire and Rescue's paramedics remain swamped responding to emergency medical calls in the growing city, retiring Fire Chief Micheal Despain said. Call volumes in Lincoln continue climbing at three times the rate of population growth, mainly because of the medical needs of the city's aging population, Despain said. Medical calls comprise about three-quarters of the nearly 27,000 incidents fire and rescue crews respond to each year, according to department statistics. "That is a trend that is going to continue on, and it's a little scary," Despain said in an interview last week. Despain, who was appointed fire chief in 2016 after 32 years in fire service in California, will retire at the end of the month and sees staffing challenges as one of the continuing pressures on the department in the coming years.  

A Pennsylvania House committee is weighing a measure that seeks to make changes in how fire and emergency services are administered in the state. The House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee took up House Bill 1819, which would create a state Fire Commission. State Rep. Austin Davis, D-McKeesport, the bill's sponsor, said his district includes professional and volunteer-led fire departments that face issues regarding the ability to provide essential services and the ability to recruit and retain members. "The communities I serve in southeast Allegheny County are facing many of the same challenges in the delivery of fire and emergency medical services that we're witnessing across this commonwealth," Davis said. He told the committee he's watched as it passed more than 20 bills that have origins from the Senate Resolution 6 Report recommendations from 2018.  

Every day firefighters put their lives on the line to protect others, and when their shift ends, some of the risks they face still linger. That's because of the potentially toxic contaminants they encounter while on the job. "We want to make sure that the firefighters are aware that the chemicals, and the soot, and the smoke, and the particulates that get on their clothing during a structure fire, during training, is dangerous. It can cause, probably can cause, cancer," said Chris Couell, the Erie County Fire Safety Deputy Commissioner. According to a release from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, two studies by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health show firefighters are being diagnosed with cancer at a 9 percent higher rate than the general public and are experiencing cancer-related deaths at a 14 percent higher rate.  

Bed bugs can be hard to spot and even tougher to get rid of. The City of Waukesha Fire Department has a new tool to fight the problem -- and make sure every ambulance is clean. Kira Benkert is getting an ambulance ready for the day's first patient -- including making sure there aren't any unwanted passengers: bed bugs. "It certainly is a growing problem, not only in Waukesha but in the whole metro area," said Joseph Hoffman, City of Waukesha Fire Department Assistant Chief. During the end of 2019, the department had multiple incidents where bed bugs were found on an ambulance. A deep clean would take the ambulance out of service for several days and would require the use of chemicals. "We're trying to get away from chemicals, so we're trying to keep our citizens safe, us safe," said Kira Benkert, EMS shift coordinator. So the department looked into a new option "The Cube Bed Bug Killer." It was donated by Safeway Pest Management. It heats up the ambulance -- killing any bed bugs or eggs inside.