VIDEO: First responders in the Rio Grande Valley are receiving some new training priorities this year.
The first responders participated in the first day of the South Texas All Hazards Conference in McAllen on Wednesday.
As part of the conference, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service develops trainings and continuing education programs for first responders around the state.
Among the things first responders learned was how to properly respond to battery fires. Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Director David Coatney says battery fires are a growing problem, and they want to make sure firefighters are trained.
“People are bringing them inside their houses or their apartments, they're going into thermal runaway, they heat up, and they catch on fire,” Coatney said.