Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition caused by experiencing a traumatic event and effects both military and civilians alike. According to WebMD, nearly eight percent of adults will develop PTSD at some point in their lives. Doctor Sam Fiala, an Associate Professor at Texas A&M University Central Texas, said the last 15 months has been hard on a lot of people. "It's been tough for people who have already been struggling with mental health issues, the added contextual stress that everybody shared was an extra burden," he said. A new program being rolled out by Temple Fire & Rescue called Critical Incident Stress Management is aimed at giving first responders the tools and skills to assist fellow responders cope and recover from traumatic stress.  

Harris County Emergency Services District 48 has a new fire chief after hiring George McAteer to fill the role. The department had been without a permanent chief since the retirement of former Fire Chief Jeff Hevey in October of 2020. "I'm very thankful to the ESD-48 Commissioners for their faith and confidence in me to guide this department forward. The fire service is about serving the community and being there to help during someone's worst day ever," McAteer said in a statement issued by the department. McAteer brings 36 years of experience to the role with his most recent position prior to taking the fire chief's seat as deputy chief of Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting with the Houston Fire Department. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Business Administration.  

PHOTO: Firefighters from San Antonio and Alamo Heights had to join their counterparts Tuesday evening on-base as a massive blaze took down a home garage. The Fort Sam Houston Fire Department was called out to the fire just after 7 p.m. at Staff Post Housing 15, which is where families live. The fire reportedly started in a home garage, crews had water on it within 10 minutes and the fire stopped by 7:30 p.m. No one was injured and officials don't have a damage estimate as of yet. However, our cameras caught video of the garage, which appeared to be completely lost to the fire.  

A man has been arrested after police said he tried to walk into a Flower Mound fire station with a gun and also pointed it at responding officers Saturday morning. Police said they responded to the 3100 block of Skillern Road just before 8:40 a.m. after receiving reports of a man pointing a gun at people at Post Oak Park. Responding officers found the 42-year-old man, who has not yet been identified, as he was trying to enter Flower Mound Fire Station No. 7, police said. The man turned and pointed the gun toward the officers, leading to officers firing at him, according to police. The man was not hit by gunfire. Police said officers then tased the man and took him into custody without further incident. He was transported to a hospital for evaluation. The incident is currently being investigated by Flower Mound police and the Texas Rangers.  

VIDEO: The Northeast Midland County Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting a benefit cook-off to raise funds for a new fire station. Jay Hendricks was joined by Jimmy Evans, the Chief of the department, to discuss the cook-off. The cook-off will be held at the American Legion at 501 Veterans Airpark Lane on Friday starting at 6 p.m. The event is BYOB and the public is encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs. A concert and a raffle will also be held at the cook-off.  

A Deep East Texas fire department performed a high-water rescue early Tuesday morning. According to the Grapeland Fire Department, the rescue occurred along Farm-to-Market Road 28, about two miles east of Grapeland. The GFD tells CBS19 the incident occurred after a vehicle was swept off the road due to flooding in the area.  

A firefighter killed a co-worker and wounded another at their small fire station before setting his own home ablaze and apparently killing himself in California's second deadly workplace shooting in days. The gunman, a firefighter specialist and engineer, was off-duty when he apparently drove the 10 miles (16 kilometers) from his home in Acton, north of Los Angeles, and opened fire Tuesday morning at Los Angeles County Fire Station 81, authorities said. The killer "was not scheduled to work today. He came back and confronted the on-duty personnel," a visibly shaken Fire Chief Daryl Osby told reporters. "I cannot speak to the mindset of the shooter." The chief also said he didn't know about any disciplinary actions involving the gunman, who wasn't immediately identified. A 44-year-old fire specialist, who drove a fire truck, was shot several times in the upper torso and died. He had been with the department for more than 20 years, Osby said.  

VIDEO/PHOTOS: Horry County Fire Rescue responded to a two-alarm fire at an apartment building in the 9000 block of Shore Drive Tuesday night before it turned into a four-alarm fire. Crews were initially dispatched at 11:01 p.m. when a second alarm was sent. Firefighters were pulled from the Ocean Bridge apartment building around 6:30 a.m. out of an abundance of caution for the safety of responders, officials said. Additionally, large construction equipment was requested and will be on the scene to begin dismantling the heavily damaged units. Right before 1:00 a.m., the fire was upgraded to a third alarm fire, and just after 2:00 a.m., it was upgraded to a four-alarm. Around 12:30 a.m. HCFR tweeted the fire was under control, this was before the fire was upgraded.  

Sometimes careers start from the most unusual beginnings. So it was for Aaron Knotts, now chief of the Chillicothe Fire Department. "The summer between my eighth- and ninth-grade years," he began, "I went to South Carolina with a friend and his family for a weeklong vacation. While down there, we had purchased some fireworks that were legal in SC." "We brought some back to Ohio with us where they are illegal to set off," he continued. "We had given some to a couple neighborhood kids who ended up catching a school dumpster on fire with them. About a month later, a fire investigator showed up at my front door and asked if I had given some kids some fireworks and I said, ‘Yes.' I then had to go to the Lancaster Fire Department and give a formal statement and ended up having to do 25 hours of community service as my punishment."  

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition caused by experiencing a traumatic event and effects both military and civilians alike. According to WebMD, nearly eight percent of adults will develop PTSD at some point in their lives. Doctor Sam Fiala, an Associate Professor at Texas A&M University Central Texas, said the last 15 months has been hard on a lot of people. "It's been tough for people who have already been struggling with mental health issues, the added contextual stress that everybody shared was an extra burden," he said. A new program being rolled out by Temple Fire & Rescue called Critical Incident Stress Management is aimed at giving first responders the tools and skills to assist fellow responders cope and recover from traumatic stress.  

FDNY hero Abraham Miller, on a roof six stories above a Manhattan street, heard the screams before spotting something through the flames and billowing smoke: A child's tiny hand, extended from an apartment window. As a colleague lowered Miller down by hand with a rope, with the screams of other residents echoing through the darkness, the five-year veteran tried to put the 5-year-old girl at ease. "I told her, ‘We're coming, we're coming, relax,'" he recalled of the daring Sept. 29, 2020, rescue. "Once I had her in my arms, she was crying and I said, ‘Just put your arms around my neck.' The ride down was the longest ever.'" The FDNY firefighter will be honored Wednesday with the Peter J. Ganci Jr. Memorial Award, the department's highest annual award for bravery, renamed last year for the late chief of department. Ganci became the FDNY's high-ranking uniformed member to die in the line of duty on 9/11.