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National Fire News

Robots have demonstrated their crucial role in pandemics - and how they can help for years to come

Due to the highly infectious nature of the coronavirus, robots can provide contact-free alternatives. From decontaminating hospitals and public spaces to delivery services, robots are a game-changer in pandemics. A cylindrical robot rolls into a treatment room to allow health care workers to remotely take temperatures and measure blood pressure and oxygen saturation from patients hooked up to a ventilator.
- PUB DATE: 5/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: World Economic Forum

Summon the Heroes: Boston Pops pay tribute to health care workers, first responders

VIDEO: The Boston Pops is summoning the heroes to honor health care workers and first responders for how they’ve responded to the coronavirus pandemic. Conductor Keith Lockhart and nearly 80 members of the Pops performed John Williams’ “Summon the Heroes” from their homes. Williams wrote the song for the 1996 Olympics, and it premiered at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
- PUB DATE: 5/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCVB-TV ABC 5 Boston

Nursing college in Pennsylvania launches national COVID-19 study of health care, first responders, service workers

The M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University has launched the national COVID-19 Caring About Health for All Study (CHAMPS) of health care, first responder and service workers for the health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Managing the health care needs of COVID-19 patients has had a tremendous impact not only on the lives of those delivering health care directly but on those who support that effort, from ambulance drivers to maintenance and housekeeping staff whose service has been essential to maintain the health care enterprise.
- PUB DATE: 5/6/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Eureka Alert

T-Mobile Loses GAO Appeal

On April 8, 2020 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that T-Mobile could not meet the public safety requirements that were established in a Request for Qualification (RFQ) that was issued by Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency which is an independent Federal entity. This RFQ for cellular services had as a requirement “enhanced priority-type features” which the agency identified as “AT&T FirstNet or equal”.
- PUB DATE: 5/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: All Things FirstNet

An inside look into Alabama’s Unified Command for COVID-19 Response team

Information about the coronavirus is changing day by day, and that is why the state of Alabama has a team of state agencies working side by side to gather information and compile data about COVID-19 as the worldwide pandemic continues to unfold. Located in the RSA Tower in downtown Montgomery, Alabama’s Unified Command for COVID-19 Response is a team comprised of four state agencies - the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA), Alabama National Guard, and Alabama Forestry Commission.
- PUB DATE: 5/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WSFA-TV CBS 12 News Montgomery

As new firefighters join fight against COVID-19, Maryland academy takes steps to protect recruits

When Chase Sherrard completed field training ride-alongs for the Frederick County fire academy in February, the novel coronavirus was far from the major global threat it has become when his class graduated last week. “Things are a lot different now than when we were doing ride-alongs, especially on [medical/sick person] calls,” the probationary firefighter said.
- PUB DATE: 5/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Frederick News Post - Metered Site

Study: EMS may be spreading COVID-19 due to lack of consistent protocols

Recently published results of a survey of EMS providers from across the U.S. revealed inconsistent protocols, policies and training related to COVID-19 response could be contributing to the spread of the virus. Cody Vaugh Gibson and Dr. George Donald Collier of the Calhoun Community College Biological Sciences Research Group; and Christian Ventura, a researcher at the Center for Mind and Brain Studies at Bard College, published preliminary results of their study this week, with the goal to “investigate available resources, PPE availability, sanitation practices, institutional policies and opinions” of EMS providers through a self-reported survey.
- PUB DATE: 5/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: EMS1

New Hampshire Governor Announces Raise for Cops, Firefighters, EMS Workers

Police officers, firefighters and emergency medical services workers will be given an additional $300 weekly stipend to acknowledge their key role during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Chris Sununu said in a news conference on Monday. Part-time employees in these categories will receive $150 stipends. Eligibility for this extra pay began Monday and will continue through June 30.
- PUB DATE: 5/5/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Lacoina Daily Sun

Seven northeast states join in PPE purchasing partnership

New York has formed a partnership with six other northeast states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, to purchase personal protective equipment, tests, ventilators and other medical equipment, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday. The Governor said the agreement between New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, will increase the state's market power.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 7 New York

Today is International Firefighters’ Day

On May 4, 2020, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) will be joining in the celebration of International Firefighters’ Day which began on May 4, 1999, after the deaths of five Australian firefighters in a wildland fire. New this year, the NFFF is asking members of the public to light their homes in “red” on May 4-5 to celebrate International Firefighters’ Day.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WGNO-TV ABC 26 New Orleans

Texas firefighters producing disinfectant solution to protect first responders from COVID-19

A mixture of salt and water with a splash of vinegar and a jolt of electrochemical activation is supplying Waco firefighters with a safe but powerful disinfectant as they work to keep their equipment and quarters free of COVID-19. Crews at Waco Fire Station No. 11, where the department’s hazardous materials unit is housed, have also developed a new spray system for the disinfectant using their air tanks and other common firehouse equipment.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Waco Tribune-Herald

First responders recovered from COVID-19 return to frontlines with a new grasp of the enemy

The first wave of emergency medical technicians who contracted COVID-19 and survived are now returning to the job, armed with a first-hand understanding of the disease and a new empathy for the patients. "I was able to be more in touch with my patients who called, because I knew exactly how they were feeling," said firefighter/EMT Shantice Samuels, who has just returned to work in Washington, DC, after recovering from a case herself.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

Utah fire department unravels nearly 70-year-old mystery in line of duty death

A fire captain who died in the line of duty in 1953 is no longer forgotten, thanks to some fellow firefighters who became a team of detectives, solving the nearly 70-year-old mystery of his death. Being a firefighter is about a lot more than just hooking up hoses and spraying water. They’re also the ones who show up in ambulances, help out at car crashes, and wear a number of other hats many of us never even think of.
- PUB DATE: 5/4/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSL-TV NBC 5 Salt Lake City

First responders added to the CDC's high priority list for COVID-19 testing - change championed by Colorado fire chiefs

First responders have now been added to a list of those eligible for high priority COVID-19 testing. This means first responders who are showing symptoms of the virus are now eligible for high-priority testing, joining hospitalized patients, healthcare workers, and residents and employees in congregated or long-term care facilities.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KUSA-TV NBC 9 Denver

First responders in Massachusetts at risk after state-issued masks found to be defective

Over the last few months, Massachusetts has received and purchased tens of thousands of masks for first responders and health care professionals amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to a test performed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, some of those masks, like the KN95s from China, have proven to be defective.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHDH-TV 7 Boston

New tool in COVID-19 battle - Texas firefighter uses infant face mask to treat respiratory distress

Medical providers were recently abuzz about a new treatment for respiratory distress that includes a high flow of oxygen entering through a patient’s nose, said Braden Frame, a seven-year firefighter and paramedic with Lake Travis Fire Rescue. The action stems from COVID-19 complications encountered in the field by first responders.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Austin American-Statesman

Mission to get antibody tests for 5,000 first responders in Arizona

It's a mission to get 5,000 Valley first responders coronavirus antibody tests. The United Phoenix Firefighters Association and the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association are helping their members get those tests. This week, the focus was on testing firefighters. Next week, they'll transition to testing police officers.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNXV-TV ABC 15 Phoenix

See how U.S. cities are thanking healthcare workers and first responders

For those of us who are stuck at home, the least we can do is show our appreciation for the people keeping us safe right now. And that's why so many of us have taken up clapping or singing to give thanks to healthcare workers, first responders and others. Some American cities, too, have found really creative ways to let their appreciation be known.
- PUB DATE: 5/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Time Out

Dozen fire trucks mothballed amid drop in Las Vegas Strip emergency calls

The Clark County Fire Department is parking a dozen trucks because of a drastic reduction in emergency calls on the Strip, which was closed last month in response to the coronavirus pandemic, officials said. The crews of those units are being reassigned to other areas, and nobody is being laid off, officials said.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Las Vegas Sun

New York: Antibody testing hints at coronavirus’ hellish toll on FDNY/EMS, NYPD

Nearly 20 percent of FDNY/EMS members and over 10 percent of NYPD cops screened for coronavirus antibodies tested positive, Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed Wednesday, as the state death toll crept towards 18,000. The results came in days after Cuomo announced that 1,000 members from each department would be tested for antibodies, which would indicate that their immune systems battled the bug at some point.
- PUB DATE: 4/30/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

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