It's hard to maintain morale in a Texas summer, let alone this summer in the face of an unprecedented pandemic. It's harder when, on top of all that, you're working outside in 110-degree heat indices, wearing two protective gowns, three facial coverings, carrying heavy gear and transporting patients to a hospital packed with COVID-19 patients. That scenario is the day-to-day for Austin-Travis County EMS first responders, who are calling on the city to allocate more resources to the beleaguered department as the city's budget season ramps up and as more money comes in from state and federal coffers. Selena Xie, president of the Austin-Travis County EMS Association, says the consternation has been rooted in a disconnect on the part of City Manager Spencer Cronk, the city's top executive who crafts the budget.  

In contract talks Wednesday, city negotiators said any wage increases for firefighters would hinge on the local union's acceptance of a hiring advantage for applicants from underrepresented demographics. Union representatives rejected the city's proposal, which would give a 10-point bonus on the Texarkana, Texas, Fire Department entrance exam to minority applicants who score 70 or above. The union is all for more diversity in TTFD, but the real hindrance to more minority recruitment is low pay, and the measure likely would result in the city being sued, they said. Leading the city team, attorney Bettye Lynn said City Manager Shirley Jaster and members of the City Council considered the diversity clause important enough to make it non-negotiable.  

The City of Bryan is responding to a story KAGS News first brought you last week regarding COVID-19 exposure and the Bryan Firefighter's Association. The city released the following statement through email: The City of Bryan is committed to the health, safety, and well-being of our first responders, as well as to all of our employees, while remaining fiscally responsible to the citizens of Bryan. The City follows all laws relating to protection of its employees. It is important to note that the Bryan Fire Department has successfully operated with full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safety measures and has had no COVID-19 exposures to date.  

A San Antonio woman was taken into custody Tuesday morning after investigators said she stole an ambulance from a downtown hospital and then ditched it nearby. Ashley Moreno, 28, was arrested just before noon in the 500 block of W. Russell Place. She was charged Tuesday afternoon with theft of vehicle, records show. Moreno jumped into the San Antonio Fire Department ambulance, while it was parked and running outside the emergency room of Methodist Hospital Metropolitan, in the 1300 block of McCullough Avenue, according to preliminary information released by the San Antonio Police Department. Moreno then ditched the emergency vehicle near Ashby and Lewis and was detained by fire personnel at a station nearby, according to SAPD. No one was injured, but the ambulance and a pole at the hospital were slightly damaged, according to an SAFD statement released Tuesday afternoon.  

Round Rock's first responders got treated lunch and gift cards Wednesday, thanks to two local businesses. Rudy's "Country Store" & Bar-B-Q and State Farm agents in the area teamed up to give $6,000 worth of the restaurant's gift cards to Round Rock EMS personnel, firefighters and police officers. They also got goody bags as a sign of appreciation for all of their hard work. "I am so grateful for the support that local State Farm Agents and Rudy's have given to our local police department and fire department. We are blessed in Round Rock because of what these women and men do each day to protect and serve us," said Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan. First responders were given their gifts drive-through style in order to cut down on contact. The event started at 11 a.m. at the Rudy's location off Interstate 35 in Round Rock.  

VIDEO: Crews responded to a large fire burning at a tire recycling facility in rural Weld County on Wednesday evening. According to the Platteville Gilcrest Fire Protection District, the fire started shortly before 5:30 p.m. near County Roads 26 and 41. The location is northeast of Fort Lupton and southeast of Platteville. The incident started as an equipment fire and spread to nearby tires. Seven piles of tires spread across two acres are burning. "Fire crews are using heavy equipment to move dirt around to build berms for containment and using surrounding dirt to help fight the fire," PGFPD said in a press release. "Onscene command staff are using strategies that proved successful in the 1987 fire at this same location for containment." PGFPD requested the assistance of an air tanker. At 10:15 p.m., the fire was contained, PGFPD said. Fort Lupton Fire Protection District Crews are also at the scene. "This will be a prolonged incident," FLFPD said. In all, 12 agencies have responded to the fire.  

City leaders announced this month that noncriminal and nonviolent calls will be handled by social workers, not uniformed officers. The proposed program is a response to the demands for police reform from Black Lives Matter protesters. "Our citizens are asking for change," St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway told the media during the July 9 announcement. "The city of St. Petersburg and our police department are ready for change." But one constituency is not ready: the city's firefighters and paramedics. St. Petersburg Fire Rescue firefighter Richard Pauley Jr., president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 747, said the union had "no forewarning" of the city's plans. When an emergency is reported to 911, police officers usually arrive at the scene first. They make sure the area is safe for firefighters and paramedics to do their jobs.  

One of the scariest parts of the coronavirus pandemic is the idea that anyone could get infected at any time. With the virus circulating as widely as it is, anyone could be unlucky. But while we are all at risk of COVID-19 infection, we are not all at equal risk. You're clearly more likely to get sick if you live in an area currently experiencing a surge in cases, like Florida, Arizona and Texas. But even within the same city, your risk of getting infected is deeply tied to where you live. New data from the City Health Dashboard, a project run by New York University Langone Health, shows how drastically the risk of COVID-19 infection can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood within the same city—a reflection of how strongly socioeconomic factors affect who gets sick and who stays healthy. Race, for example, has been a powerful predictor of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths across the country, with people of color bearing a disproportionate burden in all three categories.  

Traditionally, chaplains' roles have been ceremonial; they are called upon for banquets, funerals, blessings, and weddings. They are well-meaning and primarily volunteer people of faith, having a heart and hand in assisting first responders and their local agencies. But the days of the ceremonial chaplain are over if we genuinely want operational effectiveness. First responders need support in very specific ways. The unique and habitual stressors placed on them, along with critical incidents like officer-involved shootings, must be approached by properly trained chaplains because most first responders are hesitant about discussing personal concerns with so-called "outsiders." With the significant and ever-changing environment facing first responders, a new model of chaplaincy is essential. First responders need and deserve properly trained chaplains embedded in their departments, going beyond merely enthusiastic or sympathetic clergy occasionally appearing here and there.  

When Asheville Fireman Mark Jameson returned to the fire station after responding to a particularly difficult call, the only thing that lifted his spirits was seeing Denali wagging her tail with excitement upon his return. "We had a call that was DOA, dead on arrival," Jameson said. "It was an older woman, lived by herself, no one had seen her for a while, and she passed. It's a fact of life. But inside her house there were multiple dogs in crates, and they had passed away too because of lack of food and water. That's a sucky call, no one wants to see that." Responding to these kinds of emergencies can be draining and leave first responders in a dark place, but having a service dog like Denali can make all the difference for frontline workers. Service dog organization called Paws and Effect based in Asheville placed Denali with the Asheville Fire Department in January.