A South Side home has significant damage following a house fire early Wednesday morning, San Antonio firefighters said. Firefighters were called just after 2 a.m. to a home in the 1700 block of Ann Arbor Drive, not far from South Zarzamora Street and Loop 410, after receiving word of fire going through a roof. Fire officials said they were able to put the fire out quickly and without incident. A battalion chief did say that one firefighter did have a medical issue and will be evaluated at an area hospital. A total of five people were inside the home when the fire started including one child. They managed to all get out safely, firefighters said. Authorities said the fire likely started in a gas fed dryer that then spread to the rest of the home.  

Civic leaders, first responders, family and acquaintances of Jerry Lee David gathered Friday to remember his contributions both as fire chief of Graham Fire Rescue and as a person who upheld the values of his faith. David was born in Benkelman, Nebraska, and started his career as a volunteer firefighter with the Tipton, Oklahoma fire department out of high school, according to GFD firefighter Pedro Ramirez who spoke at the memorial service. According to a post from the city of Graham on Sept. 5, David suffered a heart attack a few weeks prior, but out of respect to the family the city had not announced his condition. David served the Graham community almost 30 years with the last five as the chief of GFR and an EMT. "Jerry lived a life of service. Helping his friends and neighbors was one of his greatest joys," Ramirez said Friday.  

Responding to COVID calls as a firefighter is one thing, but battling it yourself is another. One Zapata firefighter posted updates to his social media out about his experience. "Unfortunately this morning I got my results, and I tested positive for COVID-19," he said on July 31. "I spiked a fever of 105.5," he said on Aug. 1. And on Aug. 2: "I slept the whole night with no fever. First night in days." Lieutenant Daniel Arriaga has been with the Zapata County Fire Department for 15 years. He's also a constable and arson investigator. Often times, he works seven days a week with some of those shifts lasting 24 hours. In late July, he was forced to take some days off after testing positive for COVID-19. "I was in my bed, couldn't get up for a good three or four days," Arriaga said.  

A Dallas Fire-Rescue firefighter died in a vehicle crash while off duty in Nebraska, the department said Monday. "Hearts are heavy today, as Dallas Fire-Rescue mourns the untimely, off-duty, passing of our Brother, Driver Engineer, Ceasar Rios," Dallas Fire-Rescue said on its Facebook page. The crash that led to Rios' death is under investigation, but the department provided no further details. Rios had been with the department for nearly 10 years. "This is a tragic loss for our department, especially for those who worked closest with him; but we can all rest assured that during his young life he blessed countless others while serving the citizen of Dallas. Let us keep his family, and each other, in our thoughts and prayers. And may we all find solace in knowing that Ceasar left this world while living out his life-long dream of providing service to others," the department said.  

More than a dozen Beaumont firefighters were on the scene of an early morning fire at the Glen Oaks Apartments in Beaumont. People who live at the complex told 12News that they were woken up around 3 a.m. by firefighters telling them to get out because there was a fire in one of the buildings. "I was sound asleep," Elizabeth Buntyn said. "(A neighbor) said I had to get out because there was a fire somewhere in the building. I didn't grab anything. I got out with just my dog." Buntyn says she wasn't able to grab her cellphone or any other personal items. She was, however, able to get her dog's collar. The fire, just across the street from Jason's Deli on Dowlen and directly behind the Westmont Shopping Center, is still under investigation. While there were no visible flames, the 12News crew on the scene said you could easily smell smoke.  

Ongoing staffing shortages at the York County 911 Center have caused the center's director to reduce the frequency and kinds of nonemergency services that dispatchers have been providing to police, fire and EMS agencies. The York Dispatch has obtained a copy of a two-page letter dated Sept. 18 that was sent to all York County police chiefs, fire chiefs and EMS officials by 911 Director Matthew Hobson. "As you are aware, York County 911 is under considerable strain with regard to the limited number of staff that are available," he wrote. "(I)t has become necessary for the 911 center to reduce the demands placed on the current staff by reducing the volume of non-emergency communications it has traditionally provided to public safety agencies." The goal, Hobson wrote, is to "reduce the frequency and amount of time that our staff spends on the phone or doing tasks other than answering 911 calls and dispatching the appropriate agencies."  

Yesterday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to provide critical resources to local fire and EMS personnel. The Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act (H.R. 1646) will develop peer mental health training programs and resources to educate mental health professionals about active and retired firefighters' needs. The bill will also create a national data system to collect information about first responder suicides to better treat those in need of assistance. The bill was sponsored by Representative Ami Bera (D-California) and cosponsored by 89 House members. "I thank the House for addressing this important issue for America's first responders," said Chief Richard Carrizzo, the President and Chairman of the Board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.  

The Tennessee State Fire Marshal's Office (SFMO) proudly announces a new fire safety awareness campaign highlighted by new public service announcements (PSAs) starring country music artist Tracy Lawrence. These PSAs are designed to educate Tennesseans and help reduce fire fatalities across Tennessee. Lawrence, who has notched eight No. 1 hits and released 14 albums across his platinum-selling recording career, donated his time to team up with the SFMO and the Mt. Juliet Fire Department in order to improve home fire safety awareness among Tennessee residents. The PSAs were written, produced and edited by the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) staff. "I have the highest admiration for firefighters and first responders everywhere, especially in Tennessee where the majority of our firefighters are volunteers," said Lawrence. "These brave men and women willingly put their lives on the line every day for their neighbors with little consideration for themselves and their own safety. It is my sincere hope that these videos might reduce the risk of fire to homeowners and firefighters by helping save Tennesseans' lives from a home fire."  

VIDEO: A tractor that backfired Tuesday afternoon in Maryland Line may be to blame for a large barn fire, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department. Chopper 13 was over the scene of the fire along the 3500 block of Baker School House Road. "We looked up and it was big billowing smoke, and I said, ‘Oh my God. I hope it's not my home,'" neighbor Anthony Atkins told WJZ. When Baltimore County Fire Department crews arrived on the scene, they found the barn engulfed in flames. According to the Baltimore County Fire Department, the owner went to start his tractor and it backfired. Sparks hit the hay which caused the fire. "After mowing the lawn he tried to put the tractor back in the barn. The tractor backfired and caught a bale of hay on fire and the fire rapidly grew out of control," Nicholas Tyson, a Baltimore County Fire Department Spokesperson, said.  

Ogdensburg City Hall and public safety officials say a new fire dispatch policy won't endanger the public. Firefighters beg to differ. It's just a line. On one side is Ogdensburg fire territory and on the other is Heuvelton's. It runs near the intersection of Routes 68 and 37. Until this week, Ogdensburg firefighters never hesitated to cross over the line when needed. Public safety officials say that's still the case. "Everybody will respond to every incident just like they normally have and ask for help from the neighboring department just like they always have in the past," said Matthew Denner, St. Lawrence County director of emergency services. But that's not what a veteran Ogdensburg fire captain said on Facebook Monday. Gerald Mack's post read in part, "Unfortunately we have been ordered to delay response which in the past has proven to make a difference."