El Paso celebrates grand reopening of Fire Station No. 10 after $2.3M renovation

VIDEO/PHOTOS: The City of El Paso held a grand reopening ceremony Wednesday for its newly renovated Fire Station No. 10 in central El Paso. Central El Paso's Fire Station No. 10, the oldest fire station in the El Paso Fire Department, officially reopened with a ceremony Wednesday following the completion of a $2.3 million reconstruction project that was funded through a 2019 voter-approved Public Safety Bond. "Thanks to our community’s support, Fire Station No. 10 underwent a complete renovation to enhance emergency response operations,” said Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino. “The City is investing in El Paso and delivering on its steadfast commitment to safeguarding lives and property thanks to the voter-approved 2019 Public Safety Bond program."
KDBC-TV CBS 4 El Paso

Del Rio one of various US communities experiencing 911 outage

The Del Rio Police Department said Wednesday night that a service outage affecting an unspecified "major cellular carrier" was preventing residents from being able to call 911. Authorities in the South Texas border city emphasized in a Facebook post that the "issue is with the carrier and not the City of Del Rio systems," urging the public to call 911 with a landline or through a functioning carrier if they have an emergency. Various other U.S. communities were reporting similar issues Wednesday night, including Spearfish, Nevada, were police said the entire state was experiencing 911 service outages. Officials in Henderson, Nevada, and Aberdeen, South Dakota, were also reporting the problem, and in Las Vegas – a city of more than 650,000 people – residents were warned of the 911 outage before police said around 9 p.m. that calls were functioning again.
KENS-TV CBS 5 San Antonio

Wichita Falls Fire Department investigating house fire

A house on Avenue H behind Wichita Falls High School suffered damage in a Wednesday morning fire. The Wichita Falls Fire Department responded to the 2100 block of Avenue H around 7:40 a.m. Wednesday, April 17, for a structure fire. Firefighters observed flames and smoke coming from the second story windows of the house. The fire department was able to get the fire under control and confirmed that no people were inside the residence. Assistant Fire Marshal Jody Ashlock said the fire is believed to have started in a room at the top of the stairs on the south side of the house. Lieutenant Ashlock said the vacant house showed signs of inhabitants staying there. Furniture was found upstairs, including mattresses, chairs and sleeping bags, and trash was found all over the inside of the house.
KFDX-TV NBC 3 Wichita Falls

Amarillo Fire Department hosts first-ever citizens academy

VIDEO: Fire Chief Jason Mays first got the idea to create a citizens academy about four years ago when he became fire chief. It was one of his goals. Chief Mays says his goal was to increase EMS and the capabilities of providing emergency medical services and let the community into the AFD world. “So how do you do that? You know, we can have station tours, we can let people do ride alongs, which the citizens academy will get to do that, but rather than tell you what we do, at maybe some public event where we’re giving a presentation, let’s bring you aboard for a few weeks and let you go through it and let you do some of these things,” said Chief Mays. “It’s not just a job, it’s a calling. And it’s a calling where you’re serving your neighbors,” said Chief Mays.
KFDA-TV CBS 10 Amarillo

Fire damages building just north of downtown, San Antonio Fire Department says

PHOTO: San Antonio fire investigators are trying to determine the cause of a structure fire on the city’s North Side early Wednesday morning. The fire was called in just before 1:30 a.m. in the 500 block of West Hildebrand Avenue, not far from San Pedro Avenue and Interstate 10. Firefighters said they arrived to find flames showing on the outside of the building. They were able to quickly put out the fire. Fire officials said the flames did not make their way inside the building, but it did sustain heavy smoke damage. The cause of the fire is not currently known. A fire investigation team will now try to figure out the exact reason for the fire. The San Antonio Fire Department, the San Antonio Police Department and EMS all responded to the call. Damage to the building is estimated at around $5,000. There were no injuries reported.
KSAT-TV ABC 12 San Antonio

Denison firefighters complete annual search-and-rescue training

VIDEO: Denison firefighters added to their skill set Tuesday morning during the department's annual search and rescue training. They conducted a mock ground search-and-rescue at Waterloo Regional Park. The goal was for firefighters to familiarize themselves with the park, and to be better prepared for real world search-and-rescue calls. "The scenario is going to involve a 911 call, and they are going to give us a general location," explained Denison Fire Rescue Capt. Matthew Moody. "Maybe the hiker is calling us and he doesn't know where he is at; so we are going to need a certain amount of supplies and be able to deliver first aid until our rescue equipment gets here and we can carry them out." Denison firefighters do a training like this one once a year.
KTEN-TV NBC/CW+/ABC 10 Ada

City of Waco Recognizes 151 Years of Fire Service

In response to the devastating Bridge Street fire on March 23, 1873, the City of Waco established the Waco Volunteer Fire Department on April 3 just a few days later. The department’s first company was Rescue Hook & Ladder No. 1, followed shortly thereafter by Engine Co. 1. As Waco's population grew throughout the late 19th century, so did its fire service infrastructure. By the end of the century, the department had expanded to five stations strategically located around the city to service a population of over 20,000 residents. For the first 44 years of fire services in Waco, the Waco Fire Department relied on dedicated volunteers to protect the City. However, the need for around-the-clock fire protection eventually required the employment of firefighters to staff stations overnight when some of the worst fires typically occur.
City of Waco