In the first round of Houston's budget workshops for fiscal year 2020-21, both Houston fire and police chiefs proposed slight increases to department budgets despite an oncoming economic downturn. "This was put together prior to COVID-19, and we know there are going to be tough times ahead," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said. As department heads propose budgets, additional changes to each will be made before the mayor proposes a final budget for City Council consideration in June. The police department recommended a 3.6% percent increase from the fiscal year 2019-20 approved current budget for a total $944 million FY 2020-21 budget. Of that, about half of the increase is allocated for personnel pay raises. Meanwhile the fire department anticipates at 1.9% percent increase for a total proposed $517 million budget.  

Houston firefighters are pulling for one of their own Tuesday night in the Intensive Care Unit with coronavirus. On Tuesday afternoon, Houston firefighters arrived outside of the hospital room window where Captain Al Capistran is hospitalized. Capistran was moved to the ICU Tuesday, but he is not on a ventilator. "It has been difficult not to be able to have family present in the hospital," his wife, Kristen, told ABC13 through the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association. "The firefighters' presence today help to lift his spirits. Please take this virus seriously. If this can put my husband in the ICU, it can affect anyone." Al is the only hospitalized Houston firefighter. "My family and I are so grateful for the outpouring of support from the Houston firefighters, the doctors, the nurses, the staff at Herman Memorial hospital and our friends," said Kristen. "My husband is in great physical shape with no underlying health problems. Social distancing is key."  

A fire at Raintree Apartments on Barnett Road caused damage to several apartments. Several units were affected. Two suffered fire damage, one suffered water damage caused by the fire and several others suffered smoke damage. The extent of the damage is unknown at this time. The Wichita Falls Fire Department reports no injuries to firefighters or occupants. American Red Cross was called in to assist the occupants. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.  

The Austin Fire Department said Tuesday one of its employees has tested positive for the coronavirus. The department confirmed the diagnosis Tuesday, Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker said in a memo to employees. Medical staff have determined that people working in the same location as the person who tested positive are at low risk of exposure, the memo said. The memo did not mention the employee's age, position at the department or how the person contracted the virus. To protect themselves from exposure, Austin firefighters are now wearing additional protective clothing, including a mask, a gown and goggles, when they respond to medical calls. At the Austin Police Department, two employees have tested positive for the virus. One employee is a police officer, and the other is a civilian, police said.  

Several first responder agencies responded Tuesday afternoon to a mobile home fire on the north side of Brazos County near Lake Bryan. It happened around 12:30 p.m. on Magnolia Drive near Mumford Road. News 3's Clay Falls says one of the residents suffered a minor injury and was treated by medics on the scene. It's unclear what started the fire, firefighters said. "First units got on scene and found heavy fire on the north end of the trailer house. And we commenced attacking with a couple lines and then got the fire locked down and of course we ran into water supply issues. Had to call in District 2 to bring their tenders and extra personnel," said Chief Joe Warren of the Brazos County Precinct 4 Volunteer Fire Department.  

VIDEO: For first responders, one of the greatest fears during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis is bringing the virus home to their families. A Metro Detroit company is building decontamination units to place in the middle of fire stations to ease those concerns. Patrick and Zoe Kintz, from Great Lakes Remediation first offered to build decontamination tents for a friend -- Southfield firefighter Jamie Rakestraw and his wife, Andrea. The Rakestraws were afraid of COVID-19 getting into their home from the front lines. After that, the tents started popping up at more fire stations. They have a simple design -- a wooden frame, plastic sheeting, completely sealed doors and chemicals to kill the virus from the gear and clothes before firefighters head home. "The last thing we want to do is bring it home to someone we love," Rakestraw said.  

Anderson County Commissioner Tim Isbel from Rocky Top has reportedly designed and is working on constructing and distributing new full face covering helmets for first responders in the county. Isbel explained these helmets are a way to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. He said they've been approved by Anderson County Emergency Medical Services (EMS), as well the Anderson County Sheriff's Office. He also said Anderson County Commissioner Catherine Denenberg of Oak Ridge has been reaching out to various local fire departments and police departments about the helmets. "This is really a critical thing," he said regarding his new helmets. The helmets feature a transparent face guard that completely covers a person's face. Isbel said they are to protect first responders' eyes from "droplets" of water that circulate when someone coughs or sneezes.  

As more than 1,300 New York City first responders return to work after recovering from the novel coronavirus or calling out sick with symptoms of the virus, they're responding to a rapid increase in 911 calls for cardiac arrest, the FDNY said on Tuesday. The city's firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMT) are responding to "a record numbers of calls, and they continue to meet this unprecedented challenge head on," said Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro. "I am incredibly proud of the men and women of this department who are demonstrating every single day throughout this pandemic why they are known as the best and the bravest." Nearly 500 members of the FDNY have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak was detected in New York State on March 1.  

Cash-strapped and empty hotels across the country are finding ways to keep the lights on by converting themselves into coronavirus wards or temporary housing for the National Guard or exhausted doctors and nurses. It provides some much needed revenue for an industry that's been brought to its knees by the COVID-19 outbreak that's spread to more than 1.4 million people in nearly every country across the globe. World, national, state and local leaders have imposed various travel restrictions, shuttered tourist attractions, issued broad shelter-in-place orders and even authorized hefty fines for people who don't adhere to social distancing rules. The financial toll for hotels is worse than during the 2008 financial crisis, according to industry executives and analysts.  

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage populations around the world, with more than 1.3 million cases confirmed, millions more people are self-quarantining at home in a global effort to check the virus' spread. And still, a rare breed of people selflessly go about their daily lives, offering aid to those infected and helping maintain a sense of order while the rest of us shelter in place. Google is honoring those heroes this week with a series of appreciation Doodles. The tech giant frequently livens up its bare-bones search page with artwork that draws attention to notable people, events, holidays and anniversaries. Google often turns its spotlight on heroes of the medical community, including Dr. Virginia Apgar, who developed a quick method for evaluating the health of newborns, as well as Dr. Rene Favalor, a heart surgeon who pioneered coronary artery bypass surgery.