The Sherman Fire-Rescue team started active shooter training and received bulletproof vests. While it may sound more like a police drill, Chris Olson, Sherman's Assistant Fire Chief, said they are gearing up because gun violence is all too common. "It's always in the news, and you hear about it, and you think about it, and you say well, ‘it's Sherman, it'll never happen here,' but it could," said Olson. The Gun Violence Archive reported that the U.S. saw 350 mass shootings this year alone. That's four or more people injured or killed by gunfire 350 times in the last seven months. Olson said he hopes Sherman Fire never gets that call, but they'll be prepared if they do. "This would have a catastrophic effect on people, so we'll put the resources and the time into it and try to be ready for it if and when it happens," said Olson.  

After the condo collapse in Surfside, Fla., that left nearly 100 people dead, local firefighters reflect on how they are preparing for the worst, but are hoping for the best, within the community. In today's world, first responders deal with a plethora of circumstances they sometimes have not prepared for. With eight fire stations spread across San Angelo, San Angelo Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Johnny Fisher said if more help is needed in a certain situation, the department will outsource as far as needed in order to help save lives. "If a situation like the building collapsing in Florida just so happened to take place here, we would initially do our response and activate the EOC (Emergency Operation Center) to get the emergency manager involved.  

A battery pack is being blamed for a fire at an East Texas nail salon. just before 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, crews with the Lufkin Fire Department were called to Happy Nail and Spa in the 1000 block of South John Reddit Drive. Once on arrival, Lufkin Fire Marshal Ozzie Jarman said crews found light smoke coming from the building and a flame inside but extinguished it quickly. "The nail UV lamp where you dry your nails with, the battery pack in it exploded, which caused it," he said. "Not suspicious. Just the battery pack for whatever reason exploded." No injuries were reported. A nail table and some chairs were damaged by the fire, and there was heavy smoke damage throughout the building. The business is closed for the time being.  

Two firefighters from the City of Ranger received a Life Saving Award after saving a woman and five dogs from a structure fire. Chief Fox, and Captain Wells were hailed heroes by the City of Ranger on Monday after saving a woman and five dogs from a fully involved structure fire reported in June. They also received recognition from the Texas State Representative's office, Glenn Rogers gave the firefighters flags and certificates for their heroic efforts. According to the Ranger Volunteer Fire Department, on the morning of June 22nd, the Ranger Fire Department was dispatched to a residential structure fire on Alice St. Responding units were advised that there was an occupant trapped by the flames in a camper trailer that was next to the structure.  

After operating out of a former equine center for the last two decades, Cypress Lakes Volunteer Fire Department will soon be breaking ground on a new fire station. The new $300,000 station will be located at the same site as the current station on Wood Fern Street in the southern section of The Preserve of Texas, formerly known as Cypress Lakes between Moss Hill and Tarkington along SH 105. The new 60 x 80-foot steel building will be constructed on a heavy-duty concrete pad and have 16-foot eaves that will allow for future expansion. The design calls for three large front-facing bay doors for quick access to fire-fighting apparatus and a fourth bay door to the rear of the building that potentially could be used by an ambulance service. Fire Chief Nat Holcomb, who also is an assistant fire marshal for Liberty County, says the new fire station has been in the works for a while.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A major fire consumed multiple businesses along the 700 block of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant early Thursday morning. Multiple fire crews responded to Lafayette Village sometime around midnight. Flames were seen shooting through the roof of Jean's of Mount Pleasant Bridal Shop. The fire also involved Auto Money Title Loans which is located next door. A third business was also damaged. ABC News 4's Eli Brand was one of the first people on the scene and called 911. Dispatchers said his call was one of the first that they received regarding the fire. The fire was large enough to produce a glow in surrounding neighborhoods. Officials say area apartments were evacuated as a precaution. Power lines and trees in the area caught fire, officials said.  

The Peoria Fire-Medical Department has purchased a hazmat robot to avoid tragedies like the 2019 explosion at the APS McMicken energy storage facility that injured four Peoria firefighters. The first of its kind in the United States, the robot was purchased with grant funds from the Tohono O'odham Nation. "Literally, it doesn't exist anywhere else," said Peoria Fire Capt. Mark Barbee. "We had four firefighters who were injured at a battery facility. This came about from that. "It was a lot of work with the people involved in the incident and fire administration. We determined we needed to take less risks when we have something like that that is unknown." The NED Hazmat 193 robot boasts four cameras and can read labels. The robot allows the operating firefighter to remotely see inside potentially dangerous spaces before crews enter.  

Buildings are burning in Barstow at an unusually high rate. A chief city firefighter sees decades of economic deterioration and social despair — accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic — as the root cause. Battalion Chief Nick DiNapoli joined the Barstow Fire Protection District nearly 40 years ago and says his team has been stretched thin for much of that time. In 2021, the agency is facing added pressure from an uptick in structure fires: Incidents of residential or commercial buildings burning — a class separate from wildfires, which are also on the rise across the High Desert. Barstow's fire department has responded to 79 structure fires in the last six months, Acting Fire Chief Sid Hultquist said, "with 14 of them being significant fires that required an extended commitment time."  

General Motors is telling owners of some older Chevrolet Bolts to park them outdoors and not to charge them overnight because two of the electric cars caught fire after recall repairs were made. The company said Wednesday that the request covers 2017 through 2019 Bolts that were part of a group that was recalled earlier due to fires in the batteries. The latest request comes after two Bolts that had gotten recall repairs caught fire, one in Vermont and the other in New Jersey, GM spokesman Kevin Kelly said. Owners should take the steps "out of an abundance of caution," he said. The steps should be continued until GM engineers investigate and develop a repair, he said. The cars should be parked outdoors after charging is complete, GM said in a statement. "We are moving as quickly as we can to investigate this issue," the company said.  

The FDNY‘s boxing club is getting ready for its first Fight Night since the start of the pandemic. FDNY firefighter Niko Negron is taking on Brooklyn EMT Javier Rosario in an old-fashioned grudge match. "True grudge matches, guys that maybe didn't get along on the job, maybe had a little score to settle and have decided to settle it like gentlemen in the ring," said Bobby McGuire, president of the FDNY Boxing Club. The club has been around nearly four decades. This week, they're training at the Hit Factory gym in Bay Ridge for Friday's annual "Thrilla in Camilla" charity fundraiser at Rockaway Beach. "We have three fights versus the Massachusetts State Police, then we have several FDNY versus EMS grudge matches," McGuire told CBS2's Ali Bauman. One of the most anticipated fights of the night will feature decorated amateur champ Manhattan firefighter Nicole Malpeso.