Firefighters rescued someone from a burning apartment in southeast Austin Monday morning. According to the Austin Fire Department, crews were dispatched to the Bridge at Asher Apartments, located at 10505 S I-35 Svrd, around 7:49 a.m. The initial 911 caller reported smoke and flames coming from a first-floor apartment balcony. Firefighters arrived and were able to pull the person from the burning building. Austin-Travis County EMS provided life-saving medical interventions. Medics transported the adult patient to Dell Seton Medical Center with critical, life-threatening injuries. A second patient with minor injuries was also evaluated on scene but did not require transport. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

VIDEO/PHOTO: The Georgetown Fire Department is celebrating the release of a children's book, written by a very special team member: Koda, the department's education dog. "To see the book actually in my hands was just so relieving," said deputy fire marshal Jonathan Gilliam. "It was wonderful. I was so excited." After watching a Georgetown ISD elementary class read to a dog, Gilliam decided he wanted to bring a dog to his public outreach jobs. Shortly after, he adopted Koda. "She helps me break down some children that sometimes have difficulties approaching us," said Gilliam. "She helps us educate them, and then we use her for therapy throughout the community." With the help of Gilliam and an illustrator, Koda lays out her adventures as Georgetown's fire dog in her picture book.  

Outward of San Antonio, many neighboring cities and Hill Country towns have continued to see an uphill climb of residents. To keep up, one city is growing its emergency response services with a new fire station and burn tower. The City of Cibolo has set aside $13 million for the new fire station and burn tower. The 12,215-square-foot facility will be the city's fourth fire station, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations. Construction for the Cibolo Fire Station No. 4 is slated to begin this fall and be completed early to mid-year in 2025. An estimated start date for the building is listed as November 1, 2024, with a completion date of May 1, 2025, according to the TDLR filing. Cibolo's fire station will undoubtedly help response time for first responders in the region, but also help train newcoming firefighters.  

Firefighters continued their day-long battle against a "stubborn" fire burning at a vacant commercial building near West Los Angeles on Monday. The blaze, which broke out at a two-story building at a Sawtelle strip mall in the 2000 block of S. Bundy Drive, was first reported at around 6:15 a.m. and was still an issue as the sun began to set Monday evening, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Crews began working in defensive mode to prevent the flames from spreading to surrounding businesses, which included an Ace hardware store and a Staples office supply store. "Well coordinated and methodical efforts continue to fully extinguish deeply entrenched pockets of stubborn flames throughout the vacant and boarded 53,500-square-foot two-story commercial building," LAFD said in a press release.  

VIDEO: Firefighters in Frederick County, Maryland, were offered testing Monday for early signs of esophageal cancer using a new medical device that can be swallowed like a large pill and then recovered from the stomach using an attached tube. The capsule contains a small balloon that is inflated through the tube by a technician as the device is withdrawn from the stomach. Cells captured on the balloon's surface can then be laboratory screened to see if there is any sign of esophageal cancer. "It was mildly invasive, but to find out if I would need to receive treatment early, that mild inconvenience was nothing compared to what I could face," said Frederick County Fire/Rescue Chief Tom Coe, after taking the test. The capsule is provided by Lucid Diagnostics, which developed the device.  

Thomas Olshanski, a widely respected figure in the fire service, has passed away. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Tom had a remarkable 50-year career in the fire service, holding roles at both local and national levels. For over two decades, he served as Director of External Affairs at the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), where he spearheaded public information strategies and supported thousands of Public Information Officers (PIOs). Tom's contributions extended beyond policy; he was instrumental in preparing safety plans for major events such as the 1994 World Cup, the Olympics, and national political conferences. He also played a key role in emergency responses to significant national events, including the September 11th attacks.  

VIDEO: Three teens were taken into custody after a car allegedly fleeing police crashed into a fire station in Kingston, Massachusetts, on Monday, damaging part of the building and its power systems. Police said the three suspects are teenagers and they believe the vehicle was stolen from the driver's family. The driver was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after the crash, but no one else was hurt. Kingston Police said it started with a call around 1 a.m. when they received a call that three people wearing masks were threatening to assault the caller at their home. The caller reported that they may know at least one of the people, who may be armed with knives and guns. The caller told police the suspects had already left, but were heading to another home on Nottingham Drive, allegedly to assault someone else.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: The Georgetown Fire Department is celebrating the release of a children's book, written by a very special team member: Koda, the department's education dog. "To see the book actually in my hands was just so relieving," said deputy fire marshal Jonathan Gilliam. "It was wonderful. I was so excited." After watching a Georgetown ISD elementary class read to a dog, Gilliam decided he wanted to bring a dog to his public outreach jobs. Shortly after, he adopted Koda. "She helps me break down some children that sometimes have difficulties approaching us," said Gilliam. "She helps us educate them, and then we use her for therapy throughout the community." With the help of Gilliam and an illustrator, Koda lays out her adventures as Georgetown's fire dog in her picture book.