The Friday Report
  January 10, 2025
 
MEMBER NEWS
Voting for the Valor, Fire Chief of the Year, Fire Safety, and Lone Star Achievement Awards is now open through Friday, January 31. Click the link below to to learn more about the nominees and cast your department’s vote.

 

In May 2024, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), along with its research partners, conducted a series of tests to determine the contamination produced by lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries and its impact on first responders and their personal protective equipment (PPE).

Easy procurement. It’s possible.
Sourcewell ®
Recruitment, retention, safety, and wellness. These are things you’re probably worrying about as a fire chief. What shouldn’t keep you up at night? Procurement. With Sourcewell as your partner, easy procurement is possible. Their cooperative purchasing contracts give you access to the best suppliers to get the gear and technology your team needs. Your municipality may already be using Sourcewell contracts. If not, it’s easy to get started.
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UPCOMING EVENTS

The Texas Department of Public Safety cordially invites you to attend the Texas Targeted Violence Prevention and Behavioral Threat Assessment Conference, taking place from January 13 to 15, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas.

The conference is dedicated to mitigating the risk of targeted violence and terrorism by enhancing awareness of pre-attack indicators, promoting best practices in threat assessment and management, and highlighting the critical role of community engagement in redirecting individuals from the pathway to violence.

We encourage you to share this invitation with relevant multidisciplinary stakeholders within your state, including mental health professionals, law enforcement agencies, representatives from schools, colleges, and universities, judicial authorities, and community service organizations at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels.

For further information and registration, please visit, https://cvent.me/ql83nV

Download the report HERE.

Inspired by the Texas Fire Chief’s Annual Workshop, this gathering is designed specifically for the Second in Command. Attendees will tackle common challenges encountered in their position and will discuss innovations and strategies used in departments throughout Texas. Past history shows that these formal and informal conversations provide dynamic networking opportunities made possible by the diverse and talented professionals of the Texas Fire Service.

Fire Department administrative staff carry a heavy burden. Without a strong administrative staff, organizations cannot achieve their full potential and operate efficiently. The goal of this conference is to provide position-specific training and development opportunities and to help connect FIRE/EMS administrative staff members enabling them to provide the highest level of support possible.

Martinez Architects, LP
WinStar Insurance Group
INDUSTRY NEWS
NFPA (1/7/2025)
In the debate surrounding single staircase buildings, proponents on both sides of the discussion are missing critical information to form consensus-based standards.

FireRescue1 (1/6/2025)
According to a survey, female firefighters want their leadership to implement structured support, inclusivity and fairness in their departments.

Wildfire Today (1/2/2025)
The Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act is included in both the House Interior Appropriations bill and Senate Interior Appropriations bill for 2025 with bipartisan support.

Converting Airports to Fluorine Free Foam with Avio Green Mil 3%
National Foam, Inc.®
National Foam's Avio Green Mil 3% Fluorine Free Foam (F3) Concentrate is approved by NAVSEA and listed on the Mil-Spec MIL-PRF-32725 Qualified Product List (QPL). The concentrate is designed for Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting vehicles (ARFF), Rapid Intervention Vehicles (RIV), airport crash trucks, and manual handlines during crash rescue operations at military land-based and civilian aviation facilities. Find resources and contact info on our website!
Click for Product Webpage
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TEXAS STATE NEWS
KHOU 11 (1/7/2025)
Three firefighters from Houston Station 46 were severly burned when responding to a two-alarm apartment fire in southeast Houston.

Beaumont Enterprise (1/7/2025)
After Southeast Texas was hit with a cold snap in the first half of the week, Beaumont Fire Chief Earl White advised residents on how to run heart sources safely.

KLTV (1/6/2025)
Longview Fire Station 7 will soon be demolished and replaced with a new $5.5 million station that is slated to open in 2026.

Delta Fire & Safety
HED Architects
TCFP UPDATES
The Texas Commission on Fire Protection respectfully submits for consideration its FY2026-27 Legislative Appropriations Request and seven exceptional items, which total $1,651,577.61 in increased appropriations. The commission is fully committed to careful and prudent stewardship of the funds provided for its operations and adheres to the statewide philosophy that all agencies are to be efficient and accountable. The commission has prepared its LAR in accordance with the instructions issued by the Governor’s Office and Legislative Budget Board. 

TCFP offers “regional meetings” throughout the year in a variety of locations around the state. These meetings are opportunities for members of nearby fire departments and other regulated entities to meet some of our staff in person. We want to answer your questions, listen to your concerns, and give timely updates related to commission news. In addition, through a partnership with TEEX, CE will be awarded for your attendance at these meetings. 

For a list of all upcoming meeting dates, visit the Regional Meetings webpage.

TML NEWS

Rick Randall Upcoming Training

February 25-26
Texarkana
Resilience Strategies for First Responders (8 a.m. - 4 p.m.)
Moving Right of Bang: Critical Incident Early Intervention Strategies (8 a.m. - 12 p.m.)

Rapid Response, Reliable Supply: Husky Folding Frame Tanks
Husky Portable Containment®
Husky Folding Frame Tanks deliver reliable water supply when it matters most. Featuring a quick setup and durable construction, these tanks are ideal for firefighting and emergency applications. Our patented "Easy Lift Handles" (US Patent No. 8,746,478 and US Patent 10,518,967 ) make setup quick and easy. Trust Husky—where innovation meets reliability.
Discover How Husky Keep You Ready for Any Emergency
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TEEX NEWS

Please join us for the Lifetime Achievement Award Dinner Ceremony, Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 5 PM at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center in Frisco, TX. Learn more about the 2025 Hall of Honor inductees and purchase tickets for the award dinner ceremony at https://www.txhallofhonor.org.

 Fire Officer III

 Feb. 3-7 | Sugar Land

 Fire Officer IV

 Feb. 10-14 | Cibolo

 Fire Service Chief
 Executive Officer

 June 2-6 | College Station


For course descriptions and current schedule, location, and registration information, see the individual course pages on the TEEX website.

On Duty Health
Komatsu Architecture
FIRE LAW BLOG
  
In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for January 6, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss the arrest of a New York volunteer for calling in false alarms; an FLSA overtime lawsuit filed against a North Carolina fire department; the enactment of a law referred to as a Halo Law to protect first responders in Florida; a lawsuit filed against several parties including a New York fire district alleging a conspiracy to push through a cell tower; and a appellate decision reinstating an age discrimination lawsuit.

HONORING OUR CRAFT

Each January, we honor Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a time to recognize the impact of occupational cancer in the fire service, including supporting firefighters diagnosed with cancer and advancing efforts to prevent firefighter cancer.

During this month, we ask you to share the NFR as one thing firefighters can do to help understand and prevent cancer in the fire service. It only takes 5 minutes to get started.

Our digital toolkit for Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month provides materials to help you share the NFR, including:

  • social media posts and images
  • web banners
  • an email or newsletter template
  • a QR code

We’ve also created videos you can download to share on social media, emphasizing how quickly firefighters can get started with their NFR registration. These videos are attached in a zip file.

We can also send you professionally printed materials (e.g., posters, fact sheets, palm cards) if you are interested. Just let us know how many and where to send them.

Thousands of firefighters from all 50 U.S. states have joined the NFR – and we still need more to join to reach our goal of 200,000+ U.S. firefighters enrolled.

We appreciate your continued support and the work you’ve done to help firefighters join. By sharing the NFR with your communities, you can make a lasting impact on the fire service.

Project Leadership, Planning and Management
FDCS®
Helping North Texas Municipalities with ground up construction, remodels and additions of Fire Stations, Police Sub-Stations, Libraries and City Government Centers.
 
If your community is experiencing rapid growth, has limited resources, looking for a better way, or stuck in the mindset of “we’ve always done it that way”, let FDCS help take your project to the next level of success.
For more information, please visit our website
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