Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner presented the proposed budget for the 2022 fiscal year, which begins July 1. Turner announced the proposed budget for all funds is a total of $5.1 billion, which is an increase of $227 million from the 2021 budget. The spending plan also outlined funding for police, fire and other city departments and city services. This outline included a pay increase for Houston firefighters. According to Turner, the money was made available by the Biden Administration, and "based on the advisory that we received yesterday, we'll be in a position to provide a pay raise that the city can afford." Turner said the budget took a major hit because of the pandemic, and that, combined with a property tax revenue cap put the city at a $201 million budget shortfall. However, Turner said his proposed budget will close the gap.  

Dallas firefighters battled a 3-alarm fire at the Terrace House, a high rise at 3131 Maple Avenue near the Katy Trail on Tuesday, May 11. When firefighters arrived, heavy fire could be seen coming from the balcony of a unit on the 14th floor. As a third alarm was dispatched, attack teams made their way up to the fire floor, quickly accessed the unit and extinguish the fire. When Chopper 11 arrived on the scene around 5:45 p.m., the fire was out at the 15-story high rise was extinguished. The quick actions of fire crews were able to limit the fire damage to the unit of origin, a DFR spokesperson said in a news release. The unit directly below was left uninhabitable from water damage, but the property had vacant units to accommodate the displaced. There was no one in the unit of origin when the fire began, and investigators are still in the process of looking through debris to determine exactly how it began.  

Sheldon has a nose for solving arson cases, and he proved it on his very first day at work. The dog — part golden retriever, part black labrador — was trained by State Farm Insurance to use his incredibly sensitive snout to detect fuels and other accelerants, when authorities suspect that a fire was set on purpose and need evidence to support their case. Sheldon's handler, Saginaw fire battalion chief John Tadlock, remembers the eager pooch's very first case, in the spring of 2018. The human-canine duo, having just completed a month of training on the east coast, had returned to Tarrant County and was called to a car dealership where several vehicles had mysteriously burned three days earlier. Local and federal authorities had video of a suspect leaving the dealership minutes before the fire, but didn't have evidence of what caused the fire itself. They were baffled.  

A Temple family was forced out of their home by a fire that left their home damaged, Temple Fire and Rescue said in a release. Temple Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a structure fire at 1311 Iron Glen Drive shortly before 4 p.m., officials said. The first crews that arrived on scene found heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof and attic of a single story home, according to the release. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames, but the home was left damaged. The family of three and their pets are being helped by the Red Cross. No injuries were reported from the fire, officials said. An investigation into the incident led officials to conclude the fire was likely storm related, according to the release. Temple Fire & Rescue responded with seven fire fighting apparatus and 24 personnel. The Temple Police Department and Temple EMS were also on scene.  

There was plenty of lightning and thunder in Wichita Falls Tuesday morning and it even ended up causing some problems. The Wichita Falls Fire Department said lightning was likely the cause behind a fire they responded to on N. 7th Street around 10:20 a.m. A homeowner said they heard a loud boom coming from their kitchen and then smoke started filling the house. WFFD said it took firefighters about 45 minutes to put the fire out. No injuries to residents nor firefighters were reported. The American Red Cross was called to support the occupants.  

The Texas Department of Transportation is reporting a spike in deaths of Texans not wearing their seat belt in 2020. TxDOT says that despite a drop in the number of traffic crashes last year, 2020 saw a 16 percent increase in deaths of unbuckled motorists. There were 1,073 fatalities in 2020 and 926 fatalities in 2019 due to people not wearing seat belts. "This past year we have all been reminded of the simple acts we can take to protect our lives and those of our loved ones," said TxDOT executive director James Bass. "Wearing a seat belt is the most important step we can take to protect ourselves from serious injury or even death in a traffic crash. Instead of putting yourself and others in danger, remember: buckle up day and night, every rider, every ride." Putting on a seat belt reduces the risk of dying by up to 45 percent for people in the front seat of passenger cars and up to 60 percent for people in pickup trucks, says TxDOT.  

VIDEO: A multi-business plaza went up in flames in South Fargo. "At 1:20, we had a report of a fire here at 3242 20th Street South. When crews arrived, they found smoke showing and fire in the attic of the building. They struck a second alarm to bring in additional crews and as you see here, there's an extensive fire involved of the attic, so they were working to get that stopped. We did bring in a third alarm, which brought in all of our on-coming shifts. The off-duty crews," Fargo Fire Marshal Ryan Erickson said. Fire tore through both Bodyworks Physical Therapy and GiGi's Playhouse. Fire Marshal Erickson says, "We did confirm that both of those units were vacated prior to our arrival." Erickson says there were no injuries. He says he is not sure where the fire first started.  

When firefighter Teresa Mauldin was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2013, she attributed it to the dangers of the job. But Mauldin and more than four dozen San Jose firefighters now attribute the danger to the equipment they used and wore every day. "I feel betrayed," she said. A group of 49 current and former San Jose firefighters, along with three of their spouses, filed two lawsuits in December and March against 27 manufacturing companies including 3M and DuPont. The firefighters allege the suppressing foam they used and their protective equipment—otherwise known as turnout gear—contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, known to cause cancer according to the Environmental Protection Agency. PFAS is nearly indestructible and can linger on clothing for decades, where it can be absorbed into the skin.  

Sheldon has a nose for solving arson cases, and he proved it on his very first day at work. The dog — part golden retriever, part black Labrador — was trained by State Farm Insurance to use his incredibly sensitive snout to detect fuels and other accelerants, when authorities suspect that a fire was set on purpose and need evidence to support their case. Sheldon's handler, Saginaw fire battalion chief John Tadlock, remembers the eager pooch's very first case, in the spring of 2018. The human-canine duo, having just completed a month of training on the east coast, had returned to Tarrant County and was called to a car dealership where several vehicles had mysteriously burned three days earlier. Local and federal authorities had video of a suspect leaving the dealership minutes before the fire, but didn't have evidence of what caused the fire itself. They were baffled.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Both the West Bend and Town of Sheboygan fire departments recently added new vintage fire trucks to their fleets. The West Bend Fire Department recently refurbished a 1929 Model Ford A fire truck. According to the fire department, they believe it was originally owned by the Germantown Fire Department and then purchased by the West Bend FD in the 1940s. "The records were bad back in the day, so this could have been an actual working engine for the West Bend Fire Department sometime in the 1940s," said Captain Kenny Asselin, the fire prevention captain, said. He added that it hasn't been used in a firefighting capacity in at least 50 years. It went to the West Bend Firefighters Club, but when the club was disbanded, the truck changed hands to the city. It was used in various parades, but it became too expensive to continue with scheduled maintenance.  

Scott Martin, a 12-year veteran with the Buffalo Fire Department, was fired from his job earlier this year because he tested positive for marijuana. Martin doesn't deny using marijuana. The 37-year-old firefighter who served with the Air Force in Iraq and Afghanistan said he is a certified medical marijuana patient who uses cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and back pain and that cannabis has greatly improved his health and well-being. Now he's fighting to get his job back. On May 5, he filed a lawsuit against the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Fire Department be reinstated to his position, rank and seniority, receive back pay but most importantly to him, to be reassigned to Truck 14, 1st Platoon. "He's been terminated wrongfully because the collective bargaining agreement hasn't been updated," said Martin's New York City-based attorney, David C. Holland, who specializes in laws related to cannabis.