Waco's investments in fire safety over the last decade are paying off in a designation that could lower homeowners' insurance bills. The Insurance Services Office, or ISO, has recommended the city for its top rating of Class 1 under the Public Protection Classification that insurers use to set fire insurance rates. The city has had an ISO rating of Class 2 since 2009 and was previously a Class 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. Representatives from the ISO rating agency will recognize the city for its efforts at the Waco City Council, slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Waco Convention Center's Bosque Theatre. The new rating will take effect March 1, pending approval by the State Fire Marshal's Office. Assistant City Manager Bradley Ford said the rating is the result of 10 years of work, and a steady climb toward better response times and good water pressure.  

Austin Fire Department Chief Joel Baker says the Department is at fault for the foamy water as many as 300 South Austin neighbors had come through their sinks more than a week ago, citing issues with one engine's foam eductor pump as the culprit. On January 22, crews put out a fire at a church, but needed to use Class A foam because of how intense the fire got. Shortly after, neighbors at a nearby apartment complex complained of foamy water that had an odor. "I just want to take a minute to apologize," Baker said to begin Monday's press conference. While fighting the fire, the fire truck closest to the building did not have an operational machine to dispense the foam needed. At that point, crews pumped foam from one truck to that truck, while both were still hooked up to the fire hydrant.  

The Kilgore City Council has approved a $150-per-month pay increase for Kilgore firefighters who live within the city limits. Fire Chief Johnny Bellows proposed raising the incentive pay from $150 to $300 to improve employee retention and attract new firefighters to live within the community. The council voted unanimously at its meeting Jan. 28 to approve the hike. "The Kilgore Fire Department is one of the lowest-paid in the state," Bellows said. "What we would hope this would do is help to bring the firefighter salary of the Kilgore firefighters close to the level of our average around this area." Bellows said firefighters in Henderson start out between $42,000 and $43,000, while those in Kilgore start out at $39,000.  

More than 50 people attended the OFR badge pinning ceremony for eight new firefighters Monday at 1:30 p.m. in the Central Fire Station truck room. Fire Chief John Alvarez stood in front of a fire truck thanking the friends and family of the firefighters and talked about the history and hazards of the job before the badge pinning of the new members. Alvarez said that the new firefighters will be joining a bigger family at OFR, "We could simply not be here if it wasn't for those who came before us," he said. The eight new firefighters lined up to get their badges pinned by friends and family. After the badges were pinned, Alvarez shook hands with them and handed them their id badges and helmets. The majority of the helmets had the word, "rookie" across the top.  

A HAZMAT team responded to Creekside Park Junior High School Monday afternoon after the district said an unknown liquid substance was on campus. The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office confirmed the liquid substance was a "syringe of mercury." The district said there was no spill on campus and there's no reason to be concerned or alarmed. The Woodlands Fire Department also responded to the scene.  

For Gabriel Negrete, his brother, Jose, has always been a fighter. "It's inspiring to see somebody where they keep giving you bad news and you just take it and keep moving forward," he said. Jose is now in the biggest fight of his life. The firefighter and paramedic was just diagnosed with lymphoma. It was news that shocked those closest to him. "I don't want to have to lose another friend," said fellow firefighter Patrick Pitts. Negrete has been a firefighter in Copperas Cove for the past four years and a paramedic for the past two. "He knows we would run through any kind of walls to help him," his brother Gabriel said. "It's nice to see the community reaching out and giving the same kind of affection we are." Pitts says that like a true hero, Jose doesn't want the recognition. He's just ready to get back to work.  

New city firefighters make less than $15 an hour, a lower starting pay rate than city parks laborers earn. The issue came up at last week's Marion City Council meeting when a city resident questioned the existing pay rates for city parks employees, rates that went before city council for approval. "I'm not trying to say that's not an important job, but in the grand scheme of things, if I need my park to look pretty or my house not to burn down, I'm going to choose house not burning down," said Christian Dunston, an East Fairground Street resident. "It just seems that we as a city for some reason are backwards on what we pay who." The hourly rate for entry-level firefighters without EMT certification is currently $13.84, a rate that, according to city firefighters' union president Ryan Redmon, is much lower than other comparable fire departments in the state. Most new firefighters are hired at the next rate up, at $14.48 an hour, as most new hires are certified EMTs.  

Lt. Reece Chambers of East Jefferson Fire Rescue has a lot of heart. He's now on his second one. Chambers, 42, is believed to be the first firefighter in Washington state to return to front-line duty after receiving a heart transplant. He went back on Jan. 2. "New heart, new start," Chambers said Friday while working at the Chimacum fire station. "I get a new start at life." Chambers received the heart of Kevin Irby, 42, in 2018, after he was diagnosed first with cardiomyopathy — an enlarged heart — and six months later with heart failure. Since then, Chambers has established a relationship with the Irby family, who live in Washington and California — Kevin's parents, three older sisters and two sons — and is immensely grateful for Kevin's heart. Before receiving the heart, Chambers worked as much as his body would let him, until even light duty managing paperwork was too much.  

The Phoenix Fire Department responded to more than 250 mountain rescue calls in 2019, more than one every other day. Working with numbers provided by the Phoenix Fire Department, 12 News broke that number down by mountain and focused on the four busiest mountains in the area: Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, South Mountain, and Papago Park. Papago Park had the fewest number of rescue calls, with 14. Piestewa Peak had 43 rescue calls that year. South Mountain had the second-highest number of rescue calls, 63. The highest number of rescue calls came from Camelback Mountain, with 90 in 2019 alone. Why are there so many rescues? And how much is that costing taxpayers? The Phoenix Fire Department does not keep track of what each individual rescue costs.  

VIDEO: From blazes, to crashes and medical emergencies, firefighters risk life and limb everyday to serve their communities, and Great Falls Fire Rescue is no different, tackling all sorts of emergencies since the late 1800s. In its 136 years of service, the Electric City's fire department is no stranger to the history books, scoring statewide firsts in firefighting over the decades, as they tackle both minor and major situations. It all started with humble beginnings in 1886 as a volunteer fire department. Despite the lack of a readily available water supply in the 19th century, the Pioneer Hook & Ladder Company, named after its climbing devices, made the best with what they had working with water wagon businesses and townsfolk to tackle blazes in the city. "You're basically relying on somebody to run or somebody seeing smoke, and calling the fire department from there," said Megan Sanford, an archives administrator at the History Museum in Great Falls.  

VIDEO: Austin Fire Department Chief Joel Baker says the Department is at fault for the foamy water as many as 300 South Austin neighbors had come through their sinks more than a week ago, citing issues with one engine's foam eductor pump as the culprit. On January 22, crews put out a fire at a church, but needed to use Class A foam because of how intense the fire got. Shortly after, neighbors at a nearby apartment complex complained of foamy water that had an odor. "I just want to take a minute to apologize," Baker said to begin Monday's press conference. While fighting the fire, the fire truck closest to the building did not have an operational machine to dispense the foam needed. At that point, crews pumped foam from one truck to that truck, while both were still hooked up to the fire hydrant.