Andrew Throne

Firefighter/Paramedic

[Rusty Surette @RustySuretteTV]

🚒 The College Station Professional Firefighters Association is hosting a petition drive Saturday (tomorrow) in the parking lot of the old Academy store on Highway 6 from 9 to 1pm.

A response from the city of College Station is shared below, but the organization president, Brian Johnson, told me this today:

��We are asking voters to add three critical public safety propositions to the ballot this November which citizens of College Station will then get to vote on:

* Civil Service to maintain high standards and fair practices for hiring, promotions and discipline.

* Collective Bargaining to ensure we maintain enough firefighters to protect our community, with a benefits package that keeps us competitive to retain those firefighters.

* Binding Arbitration to bring in third-party mediators to quickly resolve disputes when they arise with reasonable compromises.

These efforts promote accountability and transparency for firefighters and taxpayers. They are frameworks to protect what we have WITHOUT raising taxes. We appreciate the collaborative work that’s been done in recent years — though that collaboration has never been guaranteed, and there’s no assurance it will continue in the future.

City leaders come and go, but College Station firefighters will always be the voice of public safety. That’s why these measures are so important - they ensure our firefighters always have a seat at the table.”

On the flip side, here’s what the city shared with me in response:

“Thanks to the strong support of our residents, City Council, and administration, the Fire Department’s budget has increased by 65% over the last six years. This critical funding has allowed us to hire more personnel, raise base pay by 19.5%, add a 7.5% step increase, boost paramedic incentive pay, upgrade our fleet, expand training, and open a brand-new station this fall. As a result, the personnel turnover rate in the Fire Department is the lowest it's been in many years and remains among the lowest of any City department. We achieved these milestones collaboratively by adhering to a disciplined financial strategy and finding efficient ways to maximize resources.

The City has concerns about the negative impacts that a civil service system and collective bargaining could have on our community and its taxpayers, as well as on the competitive compensation, benefits, and overall safety of our firefighters. In the overwhelming majority of Texas cities with civil service and collective bargaining, citizens pay significantly higher tax rates for fire departments that lack College Station’s ISO 1 rating or national accreditation.

If the petition qualifies for the ballot, College Station taxpayers will ultimately decide whether to adopt civil service or collective bargaining through a public referendum in the November election.”

📌 My sharing the isn’t an endorsement one way or the other. I’m sharing to inform citizens of College Station.

[EmergencyStream @EmergencyStream]

🚨VA | FAIRFAX CTY🚨
Garbage Truck upside down into house. WATCH LIVE STREAMING VIDEO on https://t.co/Tzy32ofgdu

[🇺🇦 Gary Oldham (now garytx.bsky.social) @garytx]

Want to know the truth about Round Rock Proposition B? Watch our interview with a Round Rock Firefighter here: https://t.co/aL553aNeHc

[Alertpage, Inc @alertpage]

ZEBULON,NC **ROAD RAGE SHOOTING** VICTIM WITH GSW ON THE HIGHWAY - EMS REPORTED UNCONSCIOUS ON ARRIVAL #BREAKING

[Rusty Surette @RustySuretteTV]

❗️❗️18 WHEELER ON FIRE on Highway 6 at Southwest Parkway. I believe this is northbound. Expect major delays in College Station!!

I’ll add photo credits later! About to go on air for the 5pm show.

[Rusty Surette @RustySuretteTV]

🔥 LARGE GRASS FIRE on Rock Prairie Road between William D Fitch and Olden Lane! Avoid the area. If you live in this area, be ready to leave just in case!! Multiple fire units now on scene!!
1:12pm / Saturday

[Andrew Throne @csfd77]

@MaxVelocityWX https://t.co/lcUFa0JL6D

[Gavin Newsom @GavinNewsom]

Turns out, chasing hard working people through ranches and farms and snatching women and children off the streets is not good policy.

[Siddons-Martin Emergency Group @SiddonsMartin]

Two more Pierce Velocity PUC Pumpers headed home to Aggieland! 👍👍 Thank you College Station Fire Department for again trusting Pierce and Siddons-Martin for your frontline fleet demands. #WHOOP!

[Senator Chris Van Hollen @ChrisVanHollen]

I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.

[Tim Walz @Tim_Walz]

Wisconsin beat the billionaire.

[Democrats @TheDemocrats]

loser

[Rusty Surette @RustySuretteTV]

🚨 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐄𝐖𝐒: 𝐌𝐀𝐉𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

🚨 This was reported around 5:30 a.m. Major damage already reported with a roof collapse confirmed. This is a laundromat and restaurant business. It opens at 8 am so it’s unclear if any workers were already there when the fire started. No word yet on the cause.

📌SOUTHBOUND TEXAS AVENUE IS CLOSED TO TRAFFIC

[Alejandro Alvarez @aletweetsnews]

Webcam at the Kennedy Center caught an explosion mid-air across the Potomac.

[Rusty Surette @RustySuretteTV]

🔥PICKUP TRUCK FIRE: This happened on George Bush Drive near Bizzell St and the Texas A&M campus. No injuries were reported. Cause unknown. Watch for emergency vehicles in the area.

📸: Julie Prusak, Javier Teran, Stephanny Vargas, and Jonathan Canfield

[KBTX News @KBTXNews]

Navasota police officer killed in head-on collision with wrong-way driver https://t.co/HRkAIpzVSg

[Rusty Surette @RustySuretteTV]

🔥BREAKING NEWS🔥 Firefighters are on scene of an apartment fire near the intersection of Wellborn Rd and Deacon Drive in College Station. Evacuations underway. No word on cause of fire. Watch for fire units in the area!

[WTAW 1620 AM & 94.5 FM @WTAW1620]

Thanks to the College Station fire department for the photo of an apartment building fire in the area of Wellborn & Deacon @Candy95 @lajefa1027fm @willy977fm @MyMaverickRadio @Zone1150 @Peace107fm

[564FIRE @564FIREPhoto]

Eaton 2 https://t.co/vjWlXUFaFM