The Victoria Fire Department is partnering with the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center to promote a life-saving program for victims of trauma. The Brothers in Arms campaign seeks to encourage men with blood type O-positive to make a quarterly donation of blood. Type O-positive blood is usable for patients with any blood type in emergency situations. Beginning October 15, the Victoria Fire Department emergency medical responders will be able to transfuse whole blood in the field, and the life-saving step dramatically will improve survival rates for victims of trauma. The Victoria Fire Department is one of the first cities in the nation to implement the system, said Fire Chief Robert "Tracy" Fox. "One of our sayings in the Victoria Fire Department is ‘Lead the Way'," he said. "In order for first responders to save lives with the whole blood transfusions, they have to have a reliable supply of blood.  

Corpus Christi City Council members approved a proposed change that will now allow the fire department to offer discounts to residents. The discount applies to residents who need to get an ambulance ride to the hospital. According to Assistant Fire Chief Kenneth Erben, about 27 percent of their patients do not have insurance or the ability to pay their ambulance bills. With the newly approved Charitable Care policy that could get rid of bills completely. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services now requires EMS providers to create a Charitable Care policy to get certain reimbursements from the state. The Charitable Care policy sets criteria for receiving financial assistance for patients who meet an individual socioeconomic status. "If you make less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. You do not have any type of insurance like Medicare or Medicaid or commercial insurance.  

A fire broke out inside of a house just before noon on Tuesday. The McAllen Fire Department responded to a call at approximately 11:41 for a house on fire in the Legacy gated community located at the 5600 block of Cynthia Street. "Upon our arrival, it looks like it was in the garage area," said MFD assistant fire chief and public information officer Jim Schultz. "Our crews pulled down their line and started attacking the fire." Schultz said that there was one person home when the fire started, but he was able to make it out of the home unscathed. At the time of the fire, the family's pet dog was unaccounted for. Fortunately, Schults reported that the dog was found safe. "The dog was saved and returned to the owners," Schultz said. "The dog was really happy to see them."  

Two upcoming events by first responder groups offer a helping hand to heroes fighting some tough battles. One takes aim at PTSD and suicide rates among first responders; the other offers resources to burn survivors. Silverhorn Golf Course is ready for the wave of golfers who will be putting for a purpose. Saturday, the Pars and Bars tournament raises money for first responder and military burn survivors in San Antonio. "If we have a first responder, firefighter, or military veteran, that is a burn survivor, we can send them to one of the best burn facilities in the nation with some of the best burn specialists," explained Robert Mitchell with Sons of the Flag. "They get to have surgeries, mental health [resources] and it doesn't cost the person that dime, doesn't cost his employer dime, doesn't cost the military a dime. Sons of the Flag covers at all."  

A fire that destroyed Gibbs Memorial Library in Mexia on Saturday morning may have been started on purpose, investigators said. Library officials said the fire broke out around 4:15 a.m. Days after the fire, investigators said they found evidence at the library that indicated the fire was deliberately set. An Emergency Joint Meeting of the Mexia City Council and the Gibbs Memorial Library Board will be held on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Mexia Civic Center. During the meeting, there will be updates on multiple issues about the fire and the on-going recovery operations at Gibbs Memorial Library. It is unknown if investigators have any suspects.  

Odessa residents gathered for this year's National Night Out to fellowship with first responders and reconnect with their neighbors. The kickoff for the community-building event took place Tuesday evening in the south parking lot of Music City Mall before breaking out into about 20 block parties throughout Odessa. Nearly 500 cities across the United States joined Odessa in hosting the annual event on Tuesday. National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, increase participation in local anticrime partnerships and encourage communities to work together. The memory of a turbulent mass shooting remained in the minds of many in the Odessa community during the event.  

Governor Gavin Newsom signed two bills on Tuesday that aim to improve the reporting and treatment of mental health for firefighters and peace officers. Citing the high-stress and traumatic nature of first responder jobs, Newsom said California needs to ensure they receive adequate care. The bills focus on improving resources and protections for firefighters who want to report mental health issues by creating a peer support program as well as including post-traumatic stress as an injury when dealing with workers' compensation. "They can experience high-stress situations and traumatic incidents that can push them to the limit both physically and mentally, and we need to recognize and take those challenges head on," Governor Newsom said. Assembly Bill 1116 establishes statewide standards for local and regional peer support and crisis referral programs for firefighters.  

VIDEO: Small fire departments across Maine are revamping propane protocols, following last month's deadly explosion in Farmington. Last month's deadly explosion in Farmington sent a shockwave through Maine's firefighting community. "Why there weren't more people hurt? It's a miracle, really," Livermore Fire Chief Donald Castonguay said. Firefighters say they never could have imagined a simple call for a propane leak could have ended like this. Livermore's fire chief says he believes his department, and many others across the state, have become complacent when it came to propane calls, but after what happened in Farmington, they now realize anything can happen. That why's Chief Donald Castonguay is re-writing that book. He's adding new protocols to keep his firefighters safe, and opening them up to new trainings.  

VIDEO: Multiple people have been injured in a vintage plane crash Wednesday morning at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. State police said troopers and firefighters responded to the airport in Windsor Locks for the crash around 10 a.m. The Federal Aviation Administration said a vintage B-17 aircraft that is registered out of Massachusetts crashed at the end of Runway 6 while attempting to land. Officials tell us the plane slid off the runway during landing. The plane involved is a Collings Foundation World War II aircraft, according to the airport. It's unclear how many people were on board the plane. The plane is a civilian registered aircraft and is not flown by the military, the FAA added.  

One day in 2014, Dr. Jeffery Burgess was contacted by a Tucson firefighter about something that would set him on a research course for the next five years. The firefighter, John Gulotta, works for the Tucson Fire Department and he had a friend whom had been diagnosed with leukemia. Tom Quesnel was a fire investigator, one of the people who, after everyone else has packed up and left the scene, goes back in and tries to determine the exact cause and origin of the blaze. One of the dogs he trained for fire investigations was even sent to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombings to assist in the investigation. Quesnel had been a fire investigator for 20 years, and had been exposed to a litany of dangerous chemicals known to be carcinogens. Gulotta sought Burgess's expert opinion on the matter because there was a bit of a snag: Quesnel's workers compensation claim to treat his cancer had been denied.  

City firefighters are above average when it comes to job satisfaction and below average for employee burnout, according to a report released by the department last week. City firefighters were one of a dozen departments across the U.S. to participate in the Fire Service Organizational Culture of Safety Report, or FOCUS, seminar in Chicago last month, according to a news release from fire Chief Daniel Speigel. The organization puts out a survey that, to date, more than 400 fire departments have used to obtain objective data to reduce injuries. "Because of this survey, its report and subsequent training, I believe it will enable our department to enhance its safety climate and safety behavior, making for a healthier, safer and more productive workforce," Speigel said.