PHOTOS: When a man went into cardiac arrest while working at his family's restaurant a few years ago, Fire Station No. 1 responded, resuscitating him on scene. The next day he walked out of the hospital, an uncommon sight for these patients. Soon after, he was back working at his restaurant, said apparatus operator Caleb Hodges. With the restaurant being in the station's district, Hodges and his crew were able to return to the restaurant and catch up with the man and his wife. Situations don't always go well — when they do, the firefighters don't always get the follow-ups. Being able to experience the positive outcome of a situation was a memorable moment for Hodges. He worked at Fire Station No. 9 before being promoted to his current role in 2017, and transferred to No. 1 shortly afterward.  

VIDEO: Hundreds of firefighters sprang into action Wednesday night to extinguish a massive fire at a Westchase-area hotel, according to HFD. According to the Houston Fire Department, they received a call at about 10:04 p.m. of a fire at the Marriott Westchase hotel in the 2900 block of Briarpark Drive. Officials said crews responded within six minutes and reported heavy fire and smoke coming from the north side of the hotel - with smoke covering floors seven through 10. About 39 crews and 140 firefighters responded and evacuated everyone from the hotel. Officials said it took about an hour to get everyone out since some residents needed assistance. No injuries were reported in the fire. It's still unclear what sparked the fire, but authorities said an investigation is underway.  

The Corpus Christi Fire Department announced Wednesday that its annual 'Fill the Boot' campaign is set to begin next month. The fundraising event takes place in partnership with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and raises money each year to help fund their mission of empowering people who live with neuromuscular disease to live longer, more independent lives. In years past, the department raised more than $128,000-- the 4th largest amount collected in the nation by a fire department at the time. "Fill the Boot is a special program that we get to be involved with," said Fire Chief Brandon Wade in a video posted to the department's social media. "We're proud to be partners with this great event, raise money for the kids, not only to help find a cure for muscular dystrophy but also to help these kids go to camp where they can enjoy a time together and just be out and have fun."  

The most famous number 41 helped re-open fire station 41 in North Dallas Thursday morning. Dallas Maverick legend Dirk Nowitzki was all smiles as he joined city and community leaders for a re-opening dedication of the fire station that was destroyed by an EF-3 tornado in 2019. The new thoroughly modern facility accommodates ten firefighters and is designed to support their physical and emotional health. It also includes a decontamination transition zone to help minimize their exposure to carcinogens. The new station is also larger than its predecessor, which opened in 1958. "This was a smaller lot, we had to get very creative making sure that we continue to meet the needs with this particular building," Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Dominique Artis said. Station 41 also comes with a tornado safe room.  

PHOTOS: Nine firefighters are injured, including two who are in critical condition, following an explosion in Los Angeles, according to the LA Fire Department. The blast occurred six minutes after 10 firefighters arrived on scene responding to a semi-truck on fire early Thursday, the department said. The semi-truck does "not run on diesel or on gasoline, but it is actually propelled ... with compressed natural gas," Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said at a news conference. Two 100-gallon tanks were on the truck, one of which exploded while firefighters were putting out the blaze, Scott said. The flames were as high as telephone poles and exploded a transformer nearby, he said. Two firefighters were critically hurt, four suffered moderate injuries and three had minor injuries, Scott said.  

PHOTOS: The nation's first 911 emergency call was placed by an Alabama state politician on this day in history, Feb. 16, 1968. The landmark moment came four years after the shocking unreported murder of a New York City woman proved to many Americans the need for a standard and easy-to-use system to call for emergency assistance. "Senator Rankin Fite completed the first 911 call made in the United States in Haleyville, Alabama," writes NENA the 9-1-1 Association. "The serving telephone company was then Alabama Telephone Company. This Haleyville 911 system is still in operation today." Before the advent of 911, people had to make a direct call to local emergency services, a nearby police station or a firehouse, most likely after sifting through the pages of the phone book — a large tome in major metropolitan areas.  

VIDEO: Watch the AutoPulse NXT at work. It's a real story of man versus machine. Particularly when it comes to saving a life. The advanced CPR machine once attached to the chest, delivers compressions to a patient in cardiac arrest. "The device is completely in charge for this human," says Jill Andersen, a Firefighter and Paramedic with North Tahoe Fire Protection District as she demonstrates the device on a plastic model of a human head and chest. "We can sit someone up, take them in an elevator." The machine allows the chest compressions to occur in tough spots like an elevator, up a hill, or coming downstairs--places where a firefighter may have to wait or even pause those compressions until the patient is in a more stable location. North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District is the first to obtain these machines in the state with the help of a FEMA grant.  

VIDEO: Should volunteer firefighters and EMTs be able to miss work to respond to an emergency? Lawmakers from across Vermont support legislation offering protection to employees after some reported they were not allowed to leave their jobs for a 911 call. Dorieann Chesbrough is a career firefighter with the Vermont Air National Guard. She's also an EMT and volunteers at three different fire departments. She says it's a big job and she can't always leave when she's called upon. "If I had an emergency call on another department or another volunteer department, I would stay at my full-time job, as with many people who work their regular full-time jobs. When you get off of work, you would respond to calls when you can," Chesbrough said. Lawmakers are trying to create a solution to get more volunteers for more emergencies.  

PHOTOS: When a man went into cardiac arrest while working at his family's restaurant a few years ago, Fire Station No. 1 responded, resuscitating him on scene. The next day he walked out of the hospital, an uncommon sight for these patients. Soon after, he was back working at his restaurant, said apparatus operator Caleb Hodges. With the restaurant being in the station's district, Hodges and his crew were able to return to the restaurant and catch up with the man and his wife. Situations don't always go well — when they do, the firefighters don't always get the follow-ups. Being able to experience the positive outcome of a situation was a memorable moment for Hodges. He worked at Fire Station No. 9 before being promoted to his current role in 2017, and transferred to No. 1 shortly afterward.