The Little River Academy Volunteer Fire Department has been embroiled in controversy for over year following a string of high profile embarrassing incidences that, ultimately, led to the department dissolving itself June 27 of last year. "It was told to me that the fire department had their weekly meeting and they dissolved the department themselves," Mayor Drew Lanham said the morning after the Department dissolved. "When I got the phone call the department dissolved, I was also made aware that volunteer fire fighters were gutting the city of all of the fire equipment, trucks and all." Mayor Lanham said he had hoped to have the fire department back up and running in a few weeks but that didn't happen. In the weeks that followed, a court battle ensued over who owned the fire trucks Little River Academy was using. During that time, and since, the city relied heavily on four other agencies to cover for them.  

The Houston Fire Department was forced to park trucks again on Monday for the third time due to an ongoing staffing shortage. In a news conference on Monday, HFD Chief Sam Pena emphasized, "No fire stations are closed." It's true, but according to the fire union, ladder trucks at stations 68 in southwest Houston and 45 in northeast Houston were parked all day. There just weren't enough firefighters on duty to staff them. The department said they were nearly 100 firefighters short, even after pleading for workers to come in on overtime. The department worked to fill the shifts with forced overtime, keeping some firefighters over for a second and sometimes a third 24-hour shift in a row. The department could not provide a number of how many firefighters were working into their 72nd hour. The union said it was "many." Chief Pena says ambulances and engines are the first priority, then ladder trucks. HFD was short 218 firefighters Saturday, nearly 100 on Sunday and 98 Monday morning.  

VIDEO: A fire destroyed a southwest-side home and an auto business, the San Antonio Fire Department said. The incident happened around 10:19 p.m. Sunday in the 1100 block of Quintana Road. SAFD said no one was hurt, but there was severe damage to both the home and auto repair shop. The fire burned through a large garage with antique cars inside. Fire crews told KENS 5 that a man said he was having a party, went to someone's house and when he got back, he saw the large fire. Authorities were able to stop the flames from spreading to another home, but SAFD says there is at least $200,000 in damage. Arson was called to the scene to investigate, but no further details were reported.  

Dallas is receiving a $846,260.87 federal grant to enhance operations and safety for Dallas Fire-Rescue in response to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) announced last week. The funding was appropriated by the CARES Act, which Cornyn supported in March, and comes through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which aims to strengthen the nation's overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and related hazards. "Firefighters are on the front lines of keeping our communities safe, and they deserve every resource possible at their disposal," said Cornyn. "I applaud area leaders for their work to obtain this grant, and I'm grateful to the Trump Administration for supporting the City of Dallas." Through July 4, Dallas Fire-Rescue said a total of 55 firefighters and civilian employees have tested positive for COVID-19.  

Firefighters in Pinehurst created a petition to fight what the city calls a "cost-saving measure." The city wants firefighters to stop responding to calls like shooting, stabbings and most medical calls. The City of Pinehurst has a contract with Bridge City to dispatch for the fire department. The city said fewer calls would keep costs down. However, residents in the area are siding with the firefighters and said they need their help throughout the community. "I don't understand what purpose that would serve in trying to limit them, when there have been many times that they're the first to respond," resident Thomas Conway said. Conway said he feels the firefighters should be allowed to report to all incidents when they are qualified, not just fires.  

Local firefighters saved a crash victim from bleeding out after police say he walked from the crash site to their station and punched out a window. Emergency crews were called out to Nogalitos near Taft Road around 10:30 p.m. Monday for a crash. At the scene, units found a truck that was crashed into a pole and a downed pole, but no crash victims. According to an official with SAPD, a man in his early 20s crashed into a carwash bay then walked approximately a quarter-mile to a nearby fire station. At the fire station, police say he was pounding on a glass window and eventually broke the window, cutting a major artery in his arm. Fire department personnel rendered aid to the man and applied a tourniquet to keep him from bleeding out.  

VIDEO: Twenty-six years ago, 14 firefighters were killed on Storm King Mountain, near Glenwood Springs. To honor the memory of those heroes, about a dozen members of the Craig hotshots crew hiked up the Storm King Memorial Trail on Monday. The Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center shared photos of the hotshots at the memorial. A smoke jumper J-55 aircraft also performed a flyby of Storm King Mountain to pay tribute to the fallen firefighters. On July 6, 1994, the lightning-caused South Canyon Fire raced up a steep hillside. Twelve firefighters were trapped on a fire line. Two others were found dead on top of a ridge. Nine of the dead were members of the Prineville Hotshots firefighting team from Oregon. The South Canyon Fire was the deadliest wildfire in Colorado's recorded history.  

PHOTOS: Extreme midday heat made work very difficult for Indianapolis firefighters as they battled a house fire on the city's southeast side. One firefighter was seriously injured. According to Indianapolis Fire Department Public Information Officer Rita Reith, thick black smoke from the fire at the house on Timberfield Lane could be seen one mile away. The location is off Shelbyville Road near Stop 11 Road. 20-units from Indianapolis, Beech Grove and Greenwood responded to the fire, which took more than 30-minutes to bring under control. One firefighter was seriously injured with heat stroke, three others suffered heat exhaustion. Three of the four went to IU Methodist Hospital, while one was treated at the scene. According to Reith, a family of six lived at the house. A mother and son were home when the fire broke out.  

VIDEO: Fire crews responded to an intense vehicle fire located in a building in Tappahannock. At 6:38 p.m., the Tappahannock-Essex Volunteer Fire Department responded to the report of a vehicle fire inside the old Tappahannock Ford building located on Church Lane near Hoskins Creek. During the attack, crews say several large explosions occurred, sending debris hundreds of feet away and was heard over five miles away. According to Chief Paul Richardson, nearly 100,000 gallons of water were used to extinguish the fire. Over 30 firefighters were on the scene. No injuries were reported.  

Each year, NFPA collects data on all the firefighter fatalities in the US that resulted from injuries or illnesses that occurred while the victims were on-duty. The term on duty refers to: Being at the scene of an alarm, whether it is a fire or non-fire incident (including EMS calls). Responding to or returning from an alarm. Participating in other fire department duties, such as training, maintenance, public education, inspection, investigation, court testimony, or fundraising. Being on call or standby for assignment at a location other than at the firefighter's home or place of business. On-duty fatalities include any injury sustained in the line of duty that proves fatal, any illness that was incurred as a result of actions while on duty that proves fatal, and fatal mishaps involving nonemergency occupational hazards that occur while on duty.