Deputy Chief and 24-year SAFD veteran Valerie Frausto is scheduled to assume the department’s top position beginning Nov. 1.

Spriester Sessions: Hood covers a range of topics, from his ousting to the death of SAFD firefighter Scott Deem

The San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association President says his conversations with city staff indicate there's ongoing investigations into the culture inside the San Antonio Fire Department administration.

San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh appointed an interim fire chief Thursday, a little over a week after former Chief Charles Hood retired following an investigation into inappropriate and offensive comments.

San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood is slated to announce his retirement, multiple SAFD sources confirmed to KSAT Wednesday.

The San Antonio Fire Department's Quartermaster program was started in 2019 as a pilot program. It has now become part of the city's annual budget and initiatives to minimize crews' exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.

According to San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood, the fire started around 11:30 a.m. in the back of the two-story home.

Firefighters had to contend with strong wind and dry air across Sunday while putting out fires.

Firefighters responded to a heavy fire at the three-story Sunset Canyon Apartments in the 2100 block of Thousand Oaks around 2:30 a.m., according to SAFD Chief Charles Hood.

A man was found dead Monday afternoon inside a duplex on the Southeast Side, according to San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood.

A “surprise” tornado touched down near downtown San Antonio during morning rush hour on Thursday, causing minor damage.

Hundreds of people took part Wednesday in a training exercise that simulated a plane crash at the San Antonio International Airport.

San Antonio Fire Department is responding to more and more vacant structure fires year after year. As of July 31 this year, 29% of SAFD’s fire calls were for vacant structures.

The San Antonio Fire Department said weak water pressure from nearby fire hydrants complicated firefighting efforts at the Frederick Apartments Sunday night.

Fire destroyed an entire building at the Frederick Apartments, leaving 20 families with nowhere to live.

A three-story apartment building on the Northwest Side was destroyed due to a large fire on Sunday night, according to San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood.

Authorities are searching for the person responsible for setting three fires that damaged five structures on the city’s West Side.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the last two victims of a deadly house fire on the North Side.

Mental health is a top priority for the San Antonio Fire Department as the number of deadly fires in the city has hit double digits this year.

The newest cartoon depicts firefighters changing the batteries in a family’s smoke detector, further stressing the importance of working smoke alarms.

A 6-year-old girl who died after she was pulled from a house fire has been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.

A fire on the city’s North Side killed five family members Saturday morning, prompting warnings and safety reminders from the San Antonio Fire Department.

Two additional children were pronounced dead following a house fire on Saturday on the North Side, bringing the death toll to five in what the fire chief says is the deadliest house fire in more than a decade.

People living in eight units of an apartment complex on the Northeast Side had to be evacuated due to a two-alarm fire late Monday night, according to San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood.

A second-alarm fire completely leveled an abandoned warehouse on the Northeast Side, leaving behind billows of smoke and debris, according to the San Antonio Fire Department.

Thursday marks the six-year anniversary of the death of San Antonio firefighter Scott Deem.

Two people were hospitalized in critical condition, and multiple people were rescued from their balconies during a fire at an apartment complex north of downtown, according to San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood.

A “horrific scene” unfolded on the West Side Friday afternoon after a brutal dog attack claimed an elderly man’s life and left three other people injured, officials said.

Twenty years ago, NASA’s Columbia space shuttle crashed to the Earth, killing all seven astronauts on board and sending debris scattered across 200 miles. San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood was deployed to search for that crucial debris.

San Antonio firefighters rescued a man who was unconscious inside a burning home in the Encino Park area on the far North Side.

The last two victims who died in an explosion on the Southeast Side on Friday night have been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The San Antonio Fire Department command staff held its first media briefing Tuesday about the explosion at a Southeast Side business that killed four people.

SAFD firefighter Kevin Burke recently learned more firefighters die from suicide than fire. He decided it was time to share a poem he wrote with vulnerability, to show his peers it's okay to ask for help. It was used as part of SAFD's mental health week this month.

A huge fire destroyed a building which housed a Denny's restaurant and Flying J truck stop near Interstate 10 and Foster Road.

San Antonio firefighters responded to a massive fire at a Flying J and Denny’s along Interstate 10 on the East Side on Thursday morning.

Generations Federal Credit Union employees delivered Thanksgiving food items to over 50 San Antonio fire stations and their families.

Fire destroyed Midnight Rodeo, a bar that had been shuttered in 2019. The maze-like building created a danger for firefighters.

San Antonio firefighters have responded to a fire at a permanently shut down bar on the city’s Northeast Side early Wednesday morning.

Firefighters from around the world convened in San Antonio Monday to improve safety standards. The organization is dedicated to the families of fallen firefighters – finding ways to prevent deaths in the first place.

A San Antonio Fire Department Program is now the gold standard across the country. It makes whole blood available on ambulances and at trauma scenes.

What could have been a tragic situation is now being called “an absolute miracle” by San Antonio emergency crews after a teen who got swept up in high waters in a drainage ditch was rescued alive.

A tanker truck driver escaped serious injury after an explosion and two-alarm fire at a welding facility Wednesday afternoon on the city’s North Side.

Firefighters were sent scrambling all across the city to put out fires possibly related to fireworks. They believe the holiday celebrations may have been behind a fire that destroyed 2 homes on the far Northwest Side.

Two homes on the city’s Northwest Side were damaged by a 2-alarm fire late Monday night, the San Antonio Fire Department said.

First responders with the San Antonio Fire Department recalled the “horrific scene” they arrived at Monday on the Southwest Side, where dozens of migrants died as they were left inside a sweltering trailer.

Pope Francis asked for people to “pray together” for the migrants who died after they were abandoned in a sweltering trailer in San Antonio on Monday.

More than 50 migrants died after they were left in a tractor-trailer on a Southwest Side road — a “horrific human tragedy” that’s being called the largest mass casualty event in San Antonio history, authorities said.

Three people, including a woman who kicked out a window air conditioning unit, safely escaped a fire that heavily damaged two homes Monday afternoon on the city’s West Side.

McManus said his symptoms are mild and said he’s recovering at home.

Fire at a Northeast side motel forced all 19 guests to evacuate their rooms in the middle of the night. The motel now has damage from fire, smoke and water.

San Antonio firefighters are responding to a blaze at a Northeast Side hotel on Friday morning.

A man is hospitalized with significant burns after catching on fire at his home on West Side.

A sedan crashed into a fire truck sending it into an apartment building and displacing nearly 20 residents late Tuesday night, the San Antonio Fire Department said.

San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said the number of fires in the city is up 26% this fiscal year compared to last, with District 5 reporting the most.

San Antonio firefighters are responding to a blaze at an apartment complex on the Northwest Side on Thursday morning.

A fire that started in one home on the city’s West Side quickly spread to two others that were especially close to it.

The San Antonio Fire Department battled a two-alarm commercial building fire Wednesday morning on the city’s Northeast Side.

Twenty-two storage units on the city’s North Side were destroyed after going up in flames Friday afternoon, according to the San Antonio Fire Department.

At least nine families have been displaced due to a fire in a Northwest side apartment complex. Investigators believe a smoldering cigarette started it.

San Antonio firefighters have responded to a fire at a Northwest Side apartment complex early Tuesday morning.

A fire on the Northwest side of town destroyed eight apartments.

San Antonio firefighters have responded to a two-alarm fire on the city’s Northeast Side early Wednesday morning.

A panel discussion on safety on the city's east side was led by local non-profit SAGE.

On Friday, the medical examiner’s office identified the body as 60-year-old Paul Edward Rose.

San Antonio firefighters are investigating the cause of a fire that made part of the roof of a Southeast Side strip mall collapse on Thursday, according to Fire Chief Charles Hood.

A fire at the Lone Star Brewery late Saturday night seems “suspicious” according to San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood.

A fire caused heavy damage Wednesday morning to an apartment complex on the city’s North Side.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood on Tuesday was captured on camera cursing at an attorney during a virtual arbitration hearing for a fired firefighter. As Samano’s attorney, Ben Sifuentes, asked a series of questions about how the media portrays firefighters, including Hood, Hood appeared to say on video, “What are you talking about with this s***? AdA recording of Hood’s comments, which came around the 14:20 mark of the hearing, remained on the city of San Antonio’s YouTube channel as of 5 p.m. Tuesday. When the state trooper arrested Samano, placing him in a patrol vehicle, Samano told the trooper that “he should pray he never needed (firefighter) Samano’s services because (firefighter) Samano would not help him or his family,” the suspension paperwork states. Prosecutors dismissed the misdemeanor criminal mischief charge against Samano, records show.

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio firefighter was suspended 45 days late last year after a series of incidents that included him failing to respond to a call for service, according to discipline records obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders. McConnaughhay did not respond to a call near the end of his shift in June, leaving his station’s apparatus a man short, records show. The apparatus was unable to respond to the call due to McConnaughhay’s actions, according to his suspension paperwork. Records show McConnaughhay had also failed to respond to a call for service in December 2019 after instead going to use a restroom. He also cut crew names and contact information from a personnel list without permission, according to the same records.

SAN ANTONIO – A firefighter who bared his buttock and “mooned” a San Antonio Police Department Eagle helicopter earlier this year has been suspended 20 days, city discipline records show. Pictures were taken and later distributed to other people, suspension records show. Williams was cited for violating SAFD rules pertaining to conduct and behavior, negative public image and inappropriate behavior. Williams began serving the suspension Nov. 7, but forfeited some leave time instead of serving the entire suspension, records show. Complaint: SAFD district chief asked about woman’s breast size, likened room of women to ‘lesbian softball team’

Jesus Ceuvas was given a 90-day sentence after a release and settlement agreement signed in November. Both criminal cases, reckless driving and unlawful carry of a weapon, remain pending, according to Hays County court records. SAFD officials first handed Cuevas an indefinite suspension, which was subsequently reduced to a 90-day suspension after Cuevas met with San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood. Bexar County court records indicate Cuevas was not criminally charged for unlawful carry of a weapon following the 2018 incident. Court records previously showed Cuevas was admitted to Bexar County’s Veterans Treatment Court in the DWI case.

SAN ANTONIO – Emergency Medical Service workers with the San Antonio Fire Department started receiving their COVID-19 vaccinations Monday. SAFD officials said the vaccine will be available to roughly 400 EMS workers before it’s made available to more than 1,300 San Antonio firefighters. “Our personnel have been battling stress and fatigue as they continue the lifesaving work caring for the residents of San Antonio,” said SAFD Chief Charles Hood. The vaccine is given in two doses, with the second dose administered approximately 21 days after the initial dose. SAFD officials thanked UT Health, University Hospital, and Christus Hospital System for the first allotment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in a press release.

SAN ANTONIO – A weeks-long investigation has determined that San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood violated SAFD rules and regulations when he was photographed eating sushi off of a nude women during a private party earlier this year, records released Tuesday confirm. Records show Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez was not forwarded a copy of the complaint from Hood’s command staff for well over a month. SAFD Chief Charles Hood poses for a photo while eating sushi off a nude woman's body during a private party in January 2020. The photo was first published by the San Antonio Express-News. Serving sushi on a naked woman, otherwise known as “body sushi” or “naked sushi,” is part of the Japanese practice of nyotaimori, according to a report from The Associated Press.

District Chief Douglas Berry was suspended for the 2018 comments in September, SAFD suspension records released last week confirm. Lopez is also accused of not giving the female firefighter an opportunity to be a field training officer, even though she had the proper experience. The complaint states that in September 2019 Berry then declined to let the female firefighter attend tryouts for an executive protection detail. “It bothered me that all he cared about in his hiring process was the size of a women’s breasts,” the female firefighter wrote. “In the past, when someone bucks Chief Berry, they are retaliated against.

SAFD firefighter suspended 90 days after writing ‘F--- the police’ on FacebookCity officials declined to describe exactly what Berry said, but some of the inappropriate comments were made in August 2018 after Berry was asked to make a job recommendation for a female firefighter, records show. A month later, in September 2018, Berry again made inappropriate comments after returning from a Battle of the Badges boxing event. On both occasions, Berry’s comments were made in front of subordinates and while on duty, his suspension records stated. SAFD Chief Charles Hood became aware of the corroborated comments in April, records show. During a discipline meeting with Hood, Berry apologized and said there had been a major adjustment moving from the field to a desk job.

SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s note: Johnson’s Facebook post included the expletive. A San Antonio firefighter who wrote ‘F--- the police’ multiple times in a lengthy Facebook post in late August has been suspended 90 days without pay, SAFD suspension records show. Engineer Christopher Johnson was originally handed an indefinite suspension in early October, but it was later shortened to 90 days after Johnson met with Chief Charles Hood. Bienek was fired for commenting on a Facebook post “concerning using a vehicle to ‘plow’ through protesters,” according to previously released suspension records. Johnson’s Facebook post came two days after the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

SAN ANTONIO – A woman and her dog have died as a result of a fire that broke out in their North Side apartment Thursday morning. They quickly found out that the fire in a ground floor unit already had a head-start. When firefighters were able to get inside, they found the woman down on the floor in a hallway. He said they also found her dog, dead inside the apartment. Members of the American Red Cross arrived at the apartment complex to assist them in finding other accommodations.

SAN ANTONIO – A longtime local sushi chef says city leaders should’ve done their homework before criticizing the San Antonio fire chief for appearing in a photo depicting a Japanese tradition that dates back centuries. “Nothing derogatory about it,” said longtime local sushi chef Goro Pitchford. He said he was appalled to hear city leaders like manager Erik Walsh and Mayor Ron Nirenberg criticize Chief Hood for taking part in the Japanese practice. SAFD Chief Charles Hood poses for a photo while eating sushi off a nude woman's body during a private party in January 2020. RELATED: City attorney: Photo of SAFD chief eating sushi off nude woman is a ‘serious issue’ under review

It shows Chief Hood at the private party, not in uniform, holding sushi while kneeling next to the model. SAFD Chief Charles Hood poses for a photo while eating sushi off a nude woman's body during a private party in January 2020. The incident happened while Chief Hood was attending a firefighter’s birthday party in January, he said. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said during Friday’s coronavirus briefing that he is in support of Walsh’s directive for the city attorney to conduct the review involving the photograph. “The scene in that photo is counter to the standards and values that we expect from the city of San Antonio organization.

SAN ANTONIO – Standing on a podium after accepting an award for Fire Chief of the Year, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood admitted he felt pressure to be successful when he earned his post in 2007. As the first African-American fire chief in San Antonio’s history, he carried it on his back and has “been silent” about it over the years. Earlier this week, the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association, made up of fire chiefs from large metropolitan areas, voted Hood as Fire Chief of the Year. “I suffered and experienced racism throughout my career,” he said to media members, city officials and SAFD staff, getting emotional at times. Hood said he was named chief because he was the best candidate and has a “stellar career."

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood received a huge honor on Tuesday morning. The Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association named Hood as Fire Chief of the Year during a ceremony at Public Safety Headquarters. “I’m happy to share this award with the City of San Antonio,” he said during the ceremony. Mayor Ron Nirenberg, City Manager Erik Walsh, Deputy City Manager María Villagómez and SAFD command staff attended the ceremony. Metro members belong to the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Fire Protection Association.

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio fire station where six firefighters tested positive for COVID-19 will remain closed until the quarantine period is over for 41 personnel, SAFD Chief Charles Hood said Tuesday during a special City Council meeting. 14 has been cleaned professionally, and work is pending on air conditioning ducts and other station maintenance issues, Hood said. You can view Hood’s Power Point presentation below:Metro Health Director, Dr. City Attorney, Andy Segovia, also presented a Power Point presentation to the city council. The first case confirmed in the U.S. was in mid-January and the first case confirmed in San Antonio was in mid-February.

SAN ANTONIO – The city of San Antonio has 840 hotel rooms available for people who test positive for COVID-19 and have to quarantine themselves, said Chief Charles Hood of the San Antonio Fire Department. During a special virtual City Council meeting Tuesday, Hood told Mayor Ron Nirenberg and council members that 62 rooms, known as isolation care facilities, have been secured and ready for occupancy. The rooms are available for people who test positive for the virus but don’t require hospitalization, officials said. Security will be provided by the San Antonio Police Department. San Antonio firefighter tests positive for COVID-19, officials sayHood also talked about how the department is protecting firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

Eight of the 60 staff members at Southeast Nursing & Rehabilitation have tested positive and are in self-isolation away from the facility, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said. “Of the eight staff members who are COVID positive, we know that two of them worked in other facilities," Hood said. “And the staff members who have not been tested, we know they worked in at least 7 facilities in the city. Metro Health will test 17 other staff members at the nursing home today, and health officials are still trying to contact 28 of the staff members for testing. "Finally, there should not be any sick personnel at nursing facilities.

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Fire Department and San Antonio Metropolitan Health District announced a COVID-19 outbreak at a local nursing home on Wednesday. A San Antonio Metropolitan Health District spokeswoman confirmed the new positive cases, but said they would not be included in the city’s tally until numbers are updated on Thursday. Hood said one of the deaths that was reported yesterday in San Antonio was a resident at the nursing home. All we can do is just pray and hope things get better.”Hood said there are 68 nursing home facilities in San Antonio. The city of San Antonio health officials have been extremely helpful to our facility and we cannot thank them enough.

SAN ANTONIO – The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the third victim of a deadly plane crash that occurred Sunday in San Antonio. On Wednesday, the 71-year-old woman who died in the crash was identified as Maureen McFarren Garrow, who died of multiple blunt force injuries. What we know about the deadly plane crash in San AntonioThe flight took off Sunday from Sugar Land and headed toward Boerne, Fire Chief Charles Hood previously said. The pilot, who is believed to be Womble, activated an alert and notified San Antonio International Airport traffic controllers that he had an engine failure. Three killed in plane crash near San Antonio International AirportAccording to the flight path provided by FlightAware, the plane reached the airport, but looped around before landing.