The new facility brings together the county’s fire department, emergency medical services, law enforcement and emergency management agency under one roof.

County leaders hosted an open house to give residents a look inside the new complex, which cost about $800,000 to complete.

For many residents, the opening marks the realization of a goal years in the making.

“We are proud for it to be here because of the distance from one point to another,” Barbara Davenport, a resident, said. “We need this one to take care of a certain area.”

The facility also represents a major milestone for Telfair County Fire Chief and Emergency Management Agency Director James Atkins, who recently became the county’s first fire chief.

“It just feels good,” Atkins said. “I’ve been in this business for 35 years, and this is the highlight of my career.”

WMAZ-TV CBS 13 Macon

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WANF’s First Alert Chopper captured footage of the Rockdale County Fire Rescue truck on its side along Sigman Road and Eastview Road, and an ambulance responding.

According to Georgia State Patrol, the fire truck was headed to a reported blaze when the driver took a hard left, causing the truck to overturn onto its passenger side.

A firefighter in the back of the truck, later identified as 26-year-old Juan Antonia Smith II, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene.

Smith had been with the department for two and a half years. In a Saturday statement, the fire department described him as “a dedicated public servant who answered the call to protect and serve others.”

“His service, sacrifice, and commitment to our community will never be forgotten,” the department added.

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Director Johnny Sabo told committee members the Brantley County wildfire resulted in the worst home loss from a single fire in Georgia history, with 110 homes destroyed and 27 homes damaged.

The fire burned 22,419 acres, 10,000 fewer acres than the Pineland Road Fire, which happened simultaneously. The Highway 82 Fire is now 100% contained.

Sabo said the fire produced 150-foot flame lengths during a significant run toward Browntown Road. He described the blaze as a plume-dominated wildfire, a rare occurrence that happened on multiple days during the fire.

Director Sabo noted that within the fire footprint, 350 homes were saved and only one minor injury occurred among more than 600 personnel.

When fighting a fire like the Highway 82 Fire, the director said, responders could only protect people and animals and wait for a change in conditions.

WTOC-TV CBS 11 Savannah

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The camp began Monday and will continue until June 19.

Augusta Regional Airport is in partnership with Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State Patrol and AGS Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Department.

During the camp, students work in teams to design, build and fly drones that support emergency response needs. The camp is using Georgia Tech’s curriculum to teach students from around the CSRA.

“They’re coming in and bringing in various backgrounds and coming together and learning how to build a drone, how to fly a drone,” said Sgt. Christopher Valentine. “And the best part of this camp is it’s a first responder drone, so that’s why it’s important to me is when they plan their missions and how they’re going to use their drones. It is based around what first responders would use and how they would do them in the field.”

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When first responders arrived at the scene, they found a barn fully involved in flames.

The roaring blaze threatened several adjacent buildings, creating an immediate danger of the fire spreading further.

Firefighters from South Jackson, Commerce, and JCCI Fire quickly joined Nicholson personnel to battle the flames, while JC Med6 provided medical support.

Teams successfully contained and extinguished the fire, preventing the destruction of the surrounding properties. Officials reported that no one was hurt in the incident.

Authorities have not yet confirmed what sparked the blaze inside the barn.

Officials have not released a damage estimate or detailed how badly the main structure was destroyed.

It remains unclear if any animals or heavy equipment were trapped inside the barn when the fire erupted.

WAGA-TV FOX 5 Atlanta

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Competitions run from June 8-13 and include everything from powerlifting to bass fishing to cornhole.

Sgt. Mary Turner with the Canton Police Department competed in the weightlifting competition on Monday afternoon.

“The back squat, deadlift and bench press,” Turner said when asked about her events.

Sgt. Garrett Williams with the Columbus Police Department also competed. Williams holds the Police and Fire world record for bench pressing at 650 pounds. He said his back squat is in the mid-800s.

Williams said his closest competition in Cherokee County is himself.

“I’m trying to beat what I did yesterday,” Williams said.

The competitors adamantly stated they are not competing against each other, but rather for each other. Police, Fire and EMS personnel usually interact in tense, emotional situations, but the games provide a different kind of emotion.

WGCL-TV CBS 46 Atlanta

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The drop-by informational session is on Wednesday, June 17, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Redeemer, 5185 Peachtree Dunwoody Road.

City officials say construction on the new fire station is scheduled to begin this fall, with an estimated completion in December 2027.

Fire Station 4, relocating from just inside the city of Atlanta, will consist of a new two-story, about 22,000-square-foot station and a separate 11,561-square-foot logistics building.

As currently designed, the station has three drive-through apparatus bays, support spaces for equipment and gear, decontamination areas, and living quarters for 24-hour staffing.

The logistics building will provide centralized storage and support functions for the department. Site work includes landscaping, parking, and training space.

WSB-TV ABC 2 Atlanta

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No residents or firefighters were hurt, but both homes are a total loss.

Witnesses reported an explosion and saw flames shooting from the house, said Mayor Brian West.

Smoke blanketed parts of Tybee Island. Patrick Myett was at the beach when the fire broke out and came home to find the scene across the street from where he is staying.

“Big black clouds of smoke, you could see it for miles, and it went on for, you know, thirty minutes to an hour,” Myett said.

The fire started in the right unit of the two-family home just after 1 p.m. Sunday. Flames quickly spread to the left side.

West described the flames as aggressive.

“Especially on the right side, I’m pretty sure most of that is gone. Anything that might be left on the left side is going to be extremely smoke damaged, so I doubt there’s much left,” West said.

WTOC-TV CBS 11 Savannah

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Campers work directly with Chatham County firefighters and EMS. They learn fire prevention tips, how to quickly stop the spread of flames and how to rescue victims from a scene.

Saturday, teens practiced with a real fire hose, aiming the stream at a traffic cone to work on precision.

“These past couple days have been really fun, very you know, interactive and informative, very hands-on,” said Kamoiia Roberts, a camper.

Fire service is a heavily male-dominated field. Women make up just nine percent of firefighters across the country.

Training Chief Joshua Anderson said he wants girls to know fire service is an option and give them the chance to see that for themselves.

“Going ahead and jumping in at an early age, you can build quite a career for yourself as a female in the fire service today,” Anderson said.

WTOC-TV CBS 11 Savannah

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Ossoff is co-sponsoring the bipartisan “Wildfire Response and Preparedness Act” to help ensure quick response times to wildfires in Georgia and across the nation.

The bill, first introduced by Sens. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.), would establish a 30-minute national standard response time for wildfires on federal land.

This new standard includes federal forest land across Georgia.

“In recent years, the state of Georgia has seen unprecedented wildfire activity threatening lives and property,” Ossoff said. “This bipartisan bill will ensure that firefighters and first responders are able to quickly respond to these emergencies and keep our communities safe.”

After breaking out in April, the Pineland Road Fire in Clinch County and Highway 82 Fire in Morgan County drew firefighting assistance from across the country.

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The Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs and the Georgia Association of Fire Chiefs jointly hosted the 98th annual leadership conference.

Brian Marcos, the state director with the Southeastern Association of Fire Chiefs, said the goal of this conference is to help chiefs improve their leadership skills.

“You’ll hear things from performance evaluation appraisals to innovation around technology and the fire service to just leadership development in general,” he said.

The conference features high-tech equipment to help keep firefighters safe, including ways to protect against cancer.

“Cancer is a real risk to our firefighters, and so we want to take that seriously. So these vendors bring a lot of that technology or opportunity for us to evaluate things like how we set up our rooms, how we wash our gear, how we wash our firetrucks,” said Marcos.

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Chief Leslie Sewell is wrapping up 29 years in the leadership role, along with additional years of service in other capacities.

In a post, county leaders touched on his dedication to public safety and his impact on the fire and emergency management community.

A reception was held in his honor with well-wishes for a happy and blessed retirement.

WMAZ-TV CBS 13 Macon

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