Jacob Schick's success in battling his own demons, and in creating a platoon of veterans and mental health professionals to fight the epidemic of military suicides, is now taking its next big step: providing the same counseling and life-saving services to first responders and their families. The Marine veteran's usual joke, to help put you at ease, is that it was just a bad day at the office. That's what he often says about that day in Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded under his Humvee. He survived as a lower leg amputee after scores of surgeries and mental health counseling that he said he desperately needed. But that tortured journey led him to create 22Kill, his group of veterans helping other veterans fight the epidemic of military suicides. And if the pandemic has proven anything, it's that veterans aren't on this tortured journey alone.  

The city of Houston on Monday asked the Texas Supreme Court to weigh in on a recent appellate court ruling that rejected Mayor Sylvester Turner's attempt to strike down a key provision of state law governing how firefighters negotiate their wages and benefits. The case stems from a 2017 lawsuit filed by the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, which claims Turner's administration did not negotiate in good faith during failed contract talks between the city and fire union that year. As part of that lawsuit, the firefighters invoked a provision of state law that allows a state district judge to set their pay after Turner declined to enter contract arbitration. The city responded by arguing it was unconstitutional for judges to determine the pay of firefighters and police officers without firmer guidelines for doing so.  

One person was taken to the hospital after a Central Lubbock house fire Tuesday afternoon, Lubbock Fire Rescue confirmed. Units responded to a fire in the 4200 block of Orlando Avenue just after 5:30 p.m. It was reported to LFR that a civilian ran into the house to pull out an occupant. EMS provided medical care, and the victim was transported to UMC. The extent of the victim's injuries was unknown as of 6:20 p.m. Tuesday. LFR said its crews contained the fire to one structure and were still working to extinguish it as of 6:15 p.m. Tuesday.  

In early May, members of the Bayside Volunteer Fire Department were able to see a plan, first conceived in 2017, come to fruition. That is when they were able to put their new brush 1 truck, nicknamed the "Beast" into full operation. Four years ago the department was using a 1977 model truck that was old, worn out and needed to be replaced. In April of 2017 the department purchased a five ton military vehicle from the Texas Facilities Commission at a cost of $6.500. Fire Chief Bob Cramer, Assistant Fire Chief Alan Mayes and Fire Captain James Dyche along with other members came up with a plan to rebuild the truck. The members, themselves, would undertake the project of rebuilding the military vehicle and turning it into a heavy duty brush truck. A fund was established to finance the project and the plan was to begin the project in the summer of 2017.  

The Bexar County Fire Marshal's Office has begun investigating the cause of a fire that got a family out of their beds in the middle of the night. The fire broke out after 2 a.m. in the 8300 block of Greenham in Northeast Bexar County. Three people were sleeping inside the home at the time and all managed to escape. "(They had) no smoke detectors," said Fire Chief Robert Hogan with Bexar County Emergency Services District 10. He said a man who was inside the bedroom where the fire appears to have started for some reason woke up first. "(He) woke up the other residents. They evacuated the house," Hogan said. "(They) tried to use a garden hose to put the fire out." Within about five minutes of receiving a 911 call, Bexar County firefighters had arrived on the scene.  

Theron Jenkins walked into his first bodybuilding competition already accomplishing the goals that meant the most to him. It wasn't to win first place — that never mattered to Jenkins — and it sure wasn't for the attention and recognition he received when he dominated the competition, earning a first-place prize and drawing comparisons to the eight-time Mr. Olympia champion Ronnie Coleman. All the 32-year-old Jenkins, a Jersey City firefighter, wanted was to learn how to live a healthier and more fit lifestyle, one that would help him deal with the one thing that has played on his emotions his entire life. "I only did this so I can learn how to lose weight and be happy and comfortable when I go to the pool, look at myself in pictures, and when I put my clothes on each day," said Jenkins. "Those things are first place to me, that's the real win, not the trophy."  

VIDEO: About four seconds was the difference between life and death on May 31 when an unconscious man awoke to Manatee County medical first responders trying to help him and pulled out a loaded gun. "I had no choice but to go for the gun," said Manatee County Paramedic Carlos Santos. Santos' quick reaction, along with his partner, EMT Joe Savasta, and nearby sheriff's deputies, prevented what could have been a tragic day. Santos and Savasta responded to a call about an unconscious man inside his vehicle at the traffic light at 2600 53rd Ave. W. After several failed attempts to get the man's attention with verbal commands, the two EMS employees got inside the vehicle by breaking the back window and immediately began to check if the man was having a medical emergency.  

VIDEO: Joe Saunier, a school resource officer in Frankfort is restoring old toy fire trucks for children in need. "When you get to see the children's faces. You know, it means a lot right there," Saunier said. For the past few years, Officer Saunier has been restoring old fire trucks for children who undergo difficult situations, with some of those fire trucks being over fifty years old. "And I'll call them and ask how many families you got that just got totally wiped out and do they have kids or do you know of any. I'll get an email back in a day or so, and off I go. I hand-deliver them," Saunier said. Saunier says he's always had a call to serve and understands just how hard life can be. "Everything is at my expense, you know I don't worry about it. Can't take it with you is what my wife says. For years we struggled with our son Ryan with cystic fibrosis. We were just flat broke, it seemed like we were living paycheck to paycheck, sometimes, beg, borrow and steal and you know I have a large family to help that," Saunier said.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: The Waverly Fire Department has a new home for a truck previously used in the department 100 years ago. The American LaFrance was the first "new" truck used by Waverly Fire in 1921. After the truck retired service it was sold to Redfield, Iowa, who then later sold it to Dale Miracle. After that, it stayed with a family in Indianola for sixty years. After three years of negotiations the century-old vehicle finally wheeled its way back home to the Waverly Fire Department. Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Miller says it's about doing what you can to bring history home. "Anytime you can get your history back, you only get one shot at that," Miller said. "There's always another house or another car, but in this case, there isn't another truck. This is documented that this is our first piece of equipment." Miller feels this piece of history gives to the community as well as the fire department's families, as many of them have been involved for generations.  

VIDEO: New warnings from federal regulators have local fire departments rethinking their approach to electric car battery fires. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) has trained about 250,000 first responders, but there are 1.2 million firefighters nationwide. The lithium-ion batteries found in these cars burn differently than combustible engine fires. The fire chief for the Woodlands Fire Department, a suburb outside of Houston, called the batteries a "trick birthday candle." "When you add electricity to the mix, it adds a different dynamic," said T.J. Martin with the Parma Fire Department. "Training in the fire service has always been a challenge because no two fires are the same, and any fire department across the country will tell you the same thing."