By Graciela Cortez Firefighters from HFD station 49 conduct rescue operations using a highwater vehicle in the Memorial area. Nathan Lilley stands in the front with Brandon Hernandez peeking out from behind him. On the truck standing left to right are Brian Dea, Dustin Davis, and Michael de Leon. Photo courtesy of HFD Station 49. In […]
By Syed Shahzeb Ayaz Using social media to locate those in need and dispatch volunteers to assist them, Mrs. Gitty Francis (far right), along with her volunteer staff, ran the Hurricane Harvey relief operations of Chabad-Lubavitch, a worldwide Jewish movement with a focus on outreach activities. Photo courtesy of Chabad of Texas Archive. During catastrophes, […]
By Andrew Davis The scale of Hurricane Harvey was unfathomable. Between the nationwide volunteer efforts, the overtaxed first responders, the drone footage of I-10 looking like the Mighty Mississippi, and the sense that it affected everyone, the storm’s vast impact remains incomprehensible. Reflecting on those heady days, one of the best ways to understand what […]
By Christina Shibu Houston Fire Department EMTs administer aid to a Hurricane Harvey evacuee in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center shelter. Emergency medical personnel and doctors treated patients for many different issues from dehydration to mental health issues and chronic illnesses. Photo courtesy of Diana J. Rodriguez. One week in the latter […]
Houston EMS personnel recall stories of an auto accident on a Houston roadway, most likely on Westheimer near its current intersection with Loop 610. Two ambulances arrived at the scene to find one person dead and another badly injured. The two men who worked for separate private companies, believed to be funeral homes, fought over […]
When someone calls 9-1-1 in Houston, Houston Fire Department EMTs and paramedics respond quickly – and there is hope. This photo essay depicts just a small portion of the reunions that occur each years with emergency patients, their family, and HFD members.
For 178 years, organized groups of firefighters have battled Houston fires, with the first volunteer bucket brigade established less than two years after the city’s founding in 1836. This photo essay offers a visual chronicle of the department’s history.
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