VIDEO: Sometimes the smallest member of the team can make the biggest impact. One local firehouse has a new member who’s already become part of the family.

It’s now been over a month since Rufus the dog found his new home at Liberty Township Fire Department.

“The girl was like, ‘Do we want to see another dog?’ and I was like, ‘Nope, this is the dog. We’re going to give him a shot,’” said Captain Philip Lucarell.

In that short time, he’s already become an important part of the crew. “He’s an ambassador for the fire department, and he’s our morale officer,” Lucarell said.

Rufus spends his days around the firefighters, becoming part of their routine and bringing a little something extra to the station.

WKBN-TV CBS 27 Youngstown

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PHOTOS: The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) has identified the two people who were killed in a fiery plane crash Thursday morning.

The crash happened around 8:15 a.m. in a wooded area near U.S. 301 near the Southwest Florida Water Management District office, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. Officials said multiple 911 calls came in reporting an aircraft had gone down. When firefighters arrived, they found the small plane fully engulfed in flames and were able to put out the fire in less than 10 minutes.

The pilot, who deputies identified as David Siambanes, 59, as well as the passenger, Dawn Stone, 53, were both killed in the crash.

Both victims worked in the medical and healthcare field. Stone was a nurse practitioner with AdventHealth, specializing in bone health for adults. AdventHealth provided the following statement to 10 Tampa Bay News following the news of her death:

“We are heartbroken by the passing of Dawn Stone, a valued and deeply cared-for member of our AdventHealth family. Dawn dedicated herself to caring for others and her loss is deeply felt by the colleagues and care teams who had the privilege of working alongside her. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dawn’s family, loved ones and colleagues as we mourn her loss.”

WTSP-TV CBS 10 St. Petersburg

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VIDEO: A fire tore through a longtime Auburn floral shop and the home above it, leaving a couple displaced and a family business reduced to ash. The Aug. 22 fire destroyed the property on First Street, about a block from Washington Elementary School. Paxton Reunanen and his girlfriend lived upstairs, while Alice Octavia Floral Shop — a longtime business owned by Reunanen’s grandmother — operated on the main floor.

Firefighters said the fire began in a shed or garage behind the property and quickly spread to the home. The home was a total loss. A neighbor captured video of the fire as it spread across the property. In the days afterward, charred debris and extensive damage remained at the site. Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire, but do not believe it was suspicious.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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VIDEO: Three female firefighters from Mason County deployed last month to battle the Little Giant Fire near Lake Chelan in Eastern Washington, spending 15 days protecting homes as part of a strike team. They say they were welcomed by their male colleagues despite being part of a less common all-women crew in the male-dominated field of firefighting.

The Little Giant Fire started in July, destroyed dozens of homes and cabins, and remains 50% contained. Firefighter-EMT Charlotte Smith, who was part of the strike team, was glad to have a brush truck as she and two volunteers from West Mason County District 16 worked to protect the community.

Women make up less than 10% of fire departments across the country, but Smith said her team faced no resistance because of their gender. “We do the same job as them. We’re expected to pass the same test, do the same work, and they’re all extremely welcoming. I know that may not be the case for every woman in the fire service and hopefully that’ll change in the future, but my team specifically, we had a good experience,” Smith said.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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Laguna Beach [CA] firefighters dedicated a new 2026 Pierce Enforcer fire engine at Fire Station No. 2, retiring a 2005 American LaFrance after 20 years of service.

The post Laguna Beach (CA) FD dedicates new pumper with ‘push-in’ ceremony appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.