A 26-year veteran of Polk County Fire Rescue became the first woman to be promoted to the rank of deputy chief, the county announced this week. Jennifer Huff will serve in the planning division, according to a release. “Deputy Chief Huff’s promotion is a huge milestone for Polk County Fire Rescue,” Fire Chief Robert Weech said in a statement.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTSP-TV CBS News 10 Tampa

Honoring EMS workers during the month of May, FOX23 learned how the Tulsa fire chief helped launch the first paramedic firetrucks in Tulsa more than 20 years ago. Tulsa Fire Chief Michael Baker has had a career full of helping people. He worked in the military, then as a paramedic, and then a firefighter, before taking on the role of chief about a year ago.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOKI-TV Fox 23 Tulsa

A fire authority allows communities to share resources to provide emergency services and react nimbly to areas that have little or no emergency response capabilities on their own, fire authority leaders around Michigan say. One authority — essentially a new government entity created to manage a service in multiple communities — already exists in Northeast Michigan, in the Rogers City area.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Alpena News - Metered Site

VIDEO: In March 2019, a massive chemical fire broke out after a leak at a chemical tank farm in Deer Park spread to almost a dozen other tanks. A plume of smoke soon loomed over the Houston skyline and lingered there for three days. Residents of Deer Park were forced to shelter in place due to air pollution hazards, the Houston Ship Channel closed for three days, and millions of gallons of hazardous waste spilled on the ground and leaked into the water.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KHOU-TV CBS 11 Houston

Fire crews in Longview, Washington battled an apartment fire late Sunday night that displaced 16 people. Firefighters were called to 3858 Pennsylvania Street just before 11:30 p.m. Sunday. People living in nearby apartment units and others living in the complex came out to the parking lot, causing a “chaotic” scene, according to Longview Police & Fire.
- PUB DATE: 5/24/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle