The 40th annual conference for the East Texas Arson Investigators Association will take place Nov. 7-9 in Longview, Texas. Conference topics will include LODD investigations, fireworks investigations, lithium ion batteries, report writing, and TCOLE legal updates. 

TFCA's Company Officer Symposium will be held Nov. 13–15 in San Marcos, Texas.  This high-energy program will address the hottest issues and challenges facing company officers in today’s Fire Service, addressing topics such as Communication, Trust, Ethics, Diversity, Generational challenges, CISM, Accountability, and Social Media. 

This is NOT a “top-down” lecture on how to be a company officer. Recall the passion you owned when you entered the Fire Service? You will, when you rekindle the knowledge and experience you bring to the Company Officer rank. Are you a brand-new officer (or about to be), searching for a spark for preparedness? This program is for all company officers and will enhance your "Love of The Game!”

Elevate your fire department's capabilities at the IAFC Technology Summit International. Discover the latest tech innovations, network with industry leaders, and ensure your team is prepared for the future of firefighting. Don't miss out! Join us Dec. 5-7 at the Irving Convention Center. Texas Chiefs get $100 off with discount code TX100.

VFIS of Texas and Texas Mutual Insurance Company are once again pleased to sponsor a need-based Health & Wellness Grant program for fire departments and non-profit EMS organizations in Texas. Grants up to $5,000 will be awarded based on financial need and are intended to assist emergency service organizations in developing a health & wellness program to prevent emergency responder deaths and injuries and for cancer prevention. Departments will need to apply for the grant, expend the funds and then send in copies of receipts in order to receive the grant funds. The Grant application deadline is Dec. 31, 2023.

SOURCE: Wildfire Today
A recent study from UCLA found that a projected 2° Celsius increase in global temperatures by 2060 would reduce the number of days when a prescribed burn could be safely set by 17%. 

SOURCE: North Texas eNews
Last month, the Bonham Fire Department and the Fannin County Museum of History welcomed many visitors to the Museum to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Fire Department and the 150th anniversary of the first train to arrive in Bonham.

SOURCE: Texas A&M Forest Service
The Texas A&M Forest Service has awarded 260 rural volunteer fire departments with more than $15.7 million in assistance grants last week through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Grant Program.

SOURCE: Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM)
The work by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to provide hazard mitigation funding for tornado shelters is highlighted in the latest episode of Around Texas with Chancellor John Sharp.

This update covers the following:
  • Special Session Update
  • Comptroller Proposes Local Sales Tax Sourcing Rule Governing Order Receipt and Fulfillment; Public Hearing on Nov. 8
  • AG Issues Advisory Letter on Compliance with Certain Governmental Contract Restrictions
  • U.S. Access Board Releases New Federal ADA Public Right-of-Way Design Criteria and Standards
  • TWDB Opens Flood Mitigation Assistant Grant Applications
  • NLC Releases Fiscal Conditions Report

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup, hosts Brad and Curt discuss disciplinary action against three officers in the Casper Fire EMS Department, an Ohio firefighter charged with vehicular homicide following a fatal apparatus accident, a Florida Court of Appeals ruling granting workers comp benefits to the widow of a firefighter who died from brain cancer, a suit against the US Forest Service over three deaths due to flooding in an area of New Mexico ravaged by wildland fire, and a ruling by the Indiana Court of Appeals allowing a suit by an injured fire captain against a property owner despite the firefighter’s rule.

SOURCE: WIBR NBC 10
The Tellico Village fire department has one of the fastest response times in Tennessee state, and they are all over 50 years old. "There hasn't been a single 911 call in the last five years that trained personnel have not shown up at the door to help," says Assistant Chief Bill Ballinger.

SOURCE: KFOX14/CBS4
As night falls over El Paso on a spine-chilling Halloween, there sits El Paso Fire Station No. 9. “It's over 100 years old, and we are haunted," said Jesse Esterline, EPFD Firefighter at station No. 9.

Image credit: Captain Woodard Bloxom Fire Station No. 9. / El Paso Fire Department