Easter excitement

© Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

Emergency workers welcome Easter by moving a woman to an awaiting ambulance in Plano on Sunday, April 12, 2009. Police arrived first at the scene.

I have no idea what happened, but a Plano police officer ran past my balcony with what appeared to be a drawn weapon. So, I grabbed my camera and waited. Then the firefighters showed up and helped a woman into an awaiting ambulance. No matter the circumstances, it's not the best way for anyone to start Easter.

I wish everyone a happy, healthy and calm Easter.

Colleyville fire safety program

photos © Mark M. Hancock and The Dallas Morning News

Tyler Johnson, 2, of Keller inspects his own reflection on quint fire truck's bell during a children's fire safety program at Borders Books in Colleyville on Saturday, June 14, 2008.


Colleyville firefighter Dustin Wynn (center) reads a fire safety book during a children's program at Borders Books.


Spencer Hickman, 2, of Hurst gets excited as Colleyville firefighters teach a fire safety program at Borders Books.




Guests collect promotional items before Colleyville Fire Department safety program.


Lt. Eddie Moran of the Colleyville Fire Department helps children enter a quint fire truck during a fire safety program in Colleyville.


Colleyville firefighter Dustin Wynn (right) explains parts of an ambulance to children during a safety program.


Lt. Roy Fergason of the Colleyville Fire Department (right) talks with Erik Hogg, 3, of Hurst (left) during a fire safety program.

Fire arbitration

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Beaumont Fire Department district chief Keith Stewart (left) answers questions from assistant city attorney Joe Sanders (right) during arbitration at the Beaumont Civic Center in Beaumont on Tuesday, April 1, 2008. The city would prefer to combine fire and police dispatch and replace departmental employees with trained civilians.

Hardin County dispatchers

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Hardin County dispatcher Dee Ann Durbin answers calls at the Hardin County Dispatch Office in Kountze on Wednesday, April 30, 2008. County commissioners approved a new phone system to allow management additional access to 911 phone recordings at their desks.

Rough morning

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Beaumont firefighter Jeffrey Nesom waits for a wrecker at the site of a two-car injury-collision near the corner of Magazine and North Main streets in Beaumont on Thursday, April 24, 2008.

First Baptist Church fire in Kountze

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Firefighters from several Southeast Texas communities help battle a blaze at the First Baptist Church in Kountze. The historic church was consumed by the fire.

See a larger version of this slideshow.

Please read, "Fire destroys Kountze church" by Fred Davis.

No body found

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Divers search the Lower Neches River Authority canal under Highway 69 near Plant Road in Beaumont on Saturday, March 29, 2008. A woman witnessed a white male jump off the bridge. Fire department officials searched the canal with seven divers because they felt the call was credible. No body was found.

Domestically disturbed fire

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Beaumont firefighters battle a blaze at a home in the 2500 block of South Street in Beaumont on Tuesday, March 25, 2008. Police said the fire began after a man attacked his mother with a machete while she was lying in bed.


Beaumont firefighters battle a blaze at a home in the 2500 block of South Street. The injured 72-year-old woman* forced her son, 49*, from the bedroom and locked the door. Capt. Earl White said fires were set in two locations in the house. White said the man could face arson charges carrying up to a 20-year prison sentence and $10,000 fine.


Beaumont firefighters pull a burned bed from a home in the 2500 block of South Street. The mother needed emergency surgery for defensive cuts on her arms and chest. The son suffered burns over 50 percent of his body and was flown to Galveston, where he was listed in critical condition.

Please read, "Son is accused of arson and machete attack" by Dee Dixon and Paul S. Martinez.

* No names on this story until the police file charges.

Lumberton brush fire

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Lumberton fire marshal Jim Philp investigates following a 24-acre fire in a wooded area of Lumberton off Wheeler Road in Lumberton on Friday, Feb. 8, 2008. Philp said lack of humidity has dried out vegetation and increased the likelihood of fires spreading rapidly.


Smoke drifts down a burned path following a multi-acre fire in a wooded area of Lumberton. High winds allowed the fire to spread rapidly.


A stump continues to burn as Lumberton fire officials investigate the cause of a multi-acre fire in a wooded area of Lumberton. No structures were damaged in the fire.

Please read "Lumberton firefighters believe 3-alarm fire might remain mystery" by Julie Shehane.

Hero to the Max

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Max Jones, 9, (right) sits on the lap of Greg Cogswell, his mother's boyfriend and roommate (left), at the Studio 6 Motel in Winnie on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008. When the family's rental home caught fire on Jan. 31 in Stowell, Max woke up and alerted the family.


Kelli Jones (right) helps Max Jones, 9, (left) with his homework at the Studio 6 Motel in Winnie. Firefighters told the family they only had 45 seconds left before they would have all died when Max had alerted them.


Only a burned-out shell of a rental home remains in Stowell. Now, the family can't find a new place to live in the community.

Please read, "9-year-old saved family..." by Sarah Moore.

China VFD

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Kibodeaux family members (from left to right) Phillip, Joe, Tytus and Katlynn pose for a portrait at the China Volunteer Fire Department station in China on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008. The VFD is mostly staffed by Kibodeaux family members.


Engine 5 remains inside the China Volunteer Fire Department barn in China. The Kibodeaux family started the VFD after losing a house to fire in 1963 because it took too long for firefighters from other communities to arrive.



Engine 1 remains at the China Volunteer Fire Department barn. The department started with one donated oil field truck. All fire engines - some running, some not - have been donated by area municipalities and businesses with fire departments.


A former Texas Forest Service truck awaits use at the China Volunteer Fire Department barn. The VFD got the truck after Hurricane Rita.


Two engines rest inside the China Volunteer Fire Department barn in China. The VFD tried to establish an emergency service district. The district would have provided a tax to generate income to support the department. It was defeated by two percent.

The China Volunteer Fire Department will hold a gumbo benefit to support the department at 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 10 at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in China.

Please read "Generations of family..." by Sarah Moore.

Firefighting city hall

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Retired firefighter James Mathews (left) and retired chief Joe Clark (right) carry protest signs as they walk during a picket at Beaumont City Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007. Retired firefighters picketed city hall following Monday's burn injuries of firefighter Cody Schroeder and Capt. Calvin Carrier.

Flamin' Hot Car Show

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Fire Museum of Texas docent James Noble (left) walks toward a 1923 Ford Model-T firetruck during the annual Flamin' Hot Car Show at the museum in Beaumont on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007.


Classic cars of all generations gather near the Fire Museum of Texas during the annual Flamin' Hot Car Show. The brown and tan building behind the museum from this angle is The Beaumont Enterprise.


Jim Pell of Silsbee looks up from his 1960 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe during the annual Flamin' Hot Car Show at the Fire Museum of Texas.


James Eaves of Lumberton closes the hood of his wife's 1957 Thunderbird during the annual Flamin' Hot Car Show at the Fire Museum of Texas in Beaumont.

Port Arthur's explosives canine

Nick, a German shepherd and Port Arthur's new explosives canine, takes a break at Fire Station No. 1 in Port Arthur on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007.

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise



Nick, a German shepherd and Port Arthur's new explosives canine, walks with handler Mark Sastre at Fire Station No. 1 in Port Arthur.




Video by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Orange church fire

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Firefighters from across Orange County work to contain a blaze in the parsonage of the Old First Orange Baptist Church in Orange on Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007. The church was established in 1857 and was rebuilt after Hurricane Rita.

Child in CPS program dies in house fire

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Officials investigate a fatal home fire in Deweyville on Tuesday, March 13, 2007. The fire, which took place on Friday, killed James Montgomery and his girlfriend's 21-month-old girl daughter.


Deweyville fire chief Mark McCall (left) talks with other officials during an investigation a fatal home fire in Deweyville. The child, Trinity Hantz, had been removed from the home and placed with nearby relatives by Child Protective Services. The relatives returned Trinity to her mother against CPS orders the day before the fire.


Deweyville firefighter Justin McCullough removes fire line tape after officials investigated a fatal home fire in Deweyville. CPS is filing a civil action against the relatives for neglectful supervision. The Texas fire marshal's office is expected to release their findings in two weeks.

Please read "Fire victim wasn't supposed to be in home" by Ryan Myers.

Texas-sized hydrant

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Fire Museum of Texas executive director Susan Lanning plants flowers around an antique fire hydrant at the museum in Beaumont on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2007. The large fire hydrant in the background is the centerpiece of the Texas Firefighter Memorial in the C. A. "Pete" Shelton Plaza. The hydrant was originally constructed as the world's largest hydrant to introduce the release of Disney's 101 Dalmations. It is now the second tallest fire hydrant.

I've been trying almost two years to work the hydrant into a shot. It's across the street from our office, so I kept working it. However, because it's centered in a plaza, it's hard to show the scale of this critter. The rockin' light and a person in the right place finally made it work.

Unfortunately, I had to run to an assigned shoot or I would have worked it more.

Fire Quint stolen and wrecked by teen

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise
Snap-on tool vendor John Allardyce inspects damage on the Beaumont Fire Department's Quint No. 9 at the department's service center in Beaumont on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2006. The truck was stolen and damaged while firefighters responded to a call.


Phillip Sims, 17, was arrested for the theft. He told police he took the truck because he was "cold" and "tired of walking." Beaumont Fire Department's $650,000 Quint No. 9 remains damaged beyond use at the department's service center.


Although the photos are boring, the story is too good to miss. The teen will be tried as an adult. There's also a "Welcome to Texas" angle to this story,

The person who apparently fled from the overturned vehicle was found in a resident's garage, and is accused of lunging at an officer who then struck the suspect several times, according to the police report. He was taken by EMS to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital.

Please read "Teen steals, wrecks $650K fire truck," "Stolen, wrecked firetruck was Beaumont FD's most expensive machine" and "Fire truck joyride leaves city with choice: Fix $650K wreck or buy new truck" by Jennifer Avilla.

Fighting fires at city council

Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Firefighters wait to address the city council at the Beaumont Civic Center in Beaumont on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006. Firefighters presented their safety concerns about the number of firefighters assigned for emergency responses.


Firefighter representative John Werner, of Reaud, Morgan & Quinn Lawyers, points out an OSHA safety exclusion during his address to the city council at the Beaumont Civic Center. OSHA's minimum requirement is for two rescuers to enter a hazardous building while two remain outside. There is an exception for emergency situations in OSHA's recommendation.


Firefighter Scott Chamberlain (right) addresses the city council at the Beaumont Civic Center. Beaumont trucks are crewed with three firefighters. The firefighters are upset that every emergency call must either be an exception to the rule or potentially deadly while waiting on additional firefighters.

Please see stories related to the continuing battle between the City of Beaumont and the Beaumont Fire Department.
 

Interstate-10 med-evac

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

Emergency officials move an injured person over a construction barrier to an awaiting helicopter after a serious wreck on westbound Interstate-10 in Orange County on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2006. The wreck and response closed the highway to through traffic.