The quarantining of three firefighters who responded to Alaska’s first confirmed case of the coronavirus came out of caution, not because of a lapse, Anchorage’s fire chief said Monday. The firefighters, who responded to a 911 call about the case last week, took standard measures to protect against infectious disease, said Chief Jodie Hettrick.
- PUB DATE: 3/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Alaska Public Media News

Even in cities with big hospitals, the novel coronavirus is testing the limits of the modern health care system. But fighting the virus in rural Alaska presents additional challenges: Some of Alaska’s remote villages can be 100 miles from the nearest hospital, and many are disconnected from the road system and only reachable by plane.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Alaska Public Media News

A South Florida elected official is facing some backlash from emergency workers after he appeared to propose exposing firefighters to the new coronavirus as a way of ensuring there are more people with immunity to help fight the spread of the disease. Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola on Friday at an emergency city meeting asked if there were doctors in the audience.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: South Florida Sun Sentinel - Metered Site

The IAFC is continuing to monitor the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) inside the United States. As your agency likely is preparing to care for potential patients and protect firefighters and EMS personnel from exposures, please know that the IAFC stands with you and is ready to help. In addition to continuously updating the Coronavirus resources page, the IAFC Coronavirus Task Force held their first meeting last week.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org

When the call came across the pagers, there was something in the dispatcher’s voice that signaled it was serious. “Her voice sounded distressed.” “I knew I had to put on real clothes for this one.” “You could tell the panic in the page.” “We could hear it, the seriousness, but the average person probably wouldn’t.
- PUB DATE: 3/16/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Alexandria Echo Press

Concerned about the effects of coming into contact with the coronavirus, unions representing firefighters, paramedics, nurses and hospital workers are asking lawmakers to act on their behalf. As workers on the front lines of the epidemic, the unions said they want assurances — perhaps requiring additional legislation — that their benefits won’t be exhausted if they contract COVID-19 or miss work because they’re under quarantine after coming into contact with people with coronavirus.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Twin Cities Pioneer Press

Fighting fires is no easy task. The work is often intense and physical. But that's not stopping about 10,000 women from joining their male counterparts on the front lines. Except, there is one big difference: their gear. With every zip, pull of a boot, and tug of a coat, the volunteer firefighters of Chaires and Capitola prepare themselves for the toughest of fires.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WCTV CBS 6 Thomasville

Ed Parkinson today was named by the FirstNet Authority Board as executive director—operationally, the chief executive officer (CEO)—for the FirstNet Authority, becoming the organization’s third full-time staff leader and its first in more than 17 months. FirstNet Authority Board Chair Ed Horowitz said that Parkinson was selected at the conclusion of a “comprehensive and thorough search” to lead the FirstNet Authority staff.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Urgent Communications

With Engine Company 11 set to be decommissioned on March 22, some residents and city councilors are still fighting to keep it running. At Thursday night’s City Council meeting, Councilor-at-large Brian Gomes submitted a petition to the council with 1,164 signatures in support of keeping Station 11 open.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Standard-TImes

The Department of Public Safety of Newark, N.J., is warning residents they could be prosecuted for falsely reporting coronavirus cases in the city. The city’s public safety director, Anthony Ambrose, cautioned Newark residents against posting false information about cases on social media, saying it can cause “unnecessary public alarm.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Hill

VIDEO: Dr. Christopher Bosche was 44 when he died on Sept. 12th, 2017. His 3-year battle with cancer was linked to exposure while responding to Ground Zero following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. State Rep. Brenda Shields (R-St. Joseph) said Bosche is one of three first responders from Missouri who died from illnesses linked to their response to 9/11.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTVI-TV FOX 2 St. Louis

PHOTOS: “Stress is the body’s reaction to harmful situations,” according to WebMd. “Stress can affect all aspects of your life, including your emotions, behaviors, thinking ability, and physical health. No part of the body is immune.” Working in stressful and intense situations can take their toll on police officers, firefighters and paramedics.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Hometown Source - Metered Site

Texas A&M University researchers have developed a flood prediction tool that can improve emergency response during hurricanes. The almost real-time device uses an algorithm to determine the flow of water with the help of information about a city’s architecture, drainage systems and flood gauges, according to a Texas A&M Engineering website news release.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Eagle

The Eugene Springfield Fire Department received Tuesday the first in a new line of locally built electric trikes the vehicle manufacturer hopes will change the way first responders reach people in need of emergency help. Arcimoto, which last year launched its three-wheel Fun Utility Vehicle after a dozen years of redesign and development, now has delivered the first Rapid Responder model to the local fire department.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Firehouse

Kolby Adams is a tenacious 7-year-old with a lot of big ideas, and he’s not letting his tender age stand in his way of shaking things up. The Swartz Creek youngster’s latest venture is his vlog, the theme of which might come as a surprise to some people. “When he first said he wanted to be a vlogger, I thought that the last thing I wanted to do was a vlog about worms and G.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Swartz Creek View

PHOTOS:Four Arkansas firefighters were hospitalized after an accident on Interstate 55 near Marion on Monday. The Marion Fire Department was clearing the scene of an unrelated accident at the 24-mile marker of Interstate 55 when the department was “involved in an accident with a semi truck.” According to a Facebook post, four fire department personnel were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNWA-TV NBC 51 Rogers

The Chicago Fire Department is swapping out coloring books for virtual reality headsets as its preferred educational tool to instill fire safety basics in the minds of elementary and middle schoolers. Fire Commissioner Richard Ford unveiled the technology Tuesday during a demonstration at St. Sabina Academy with a group of 5th and 6th graders who strapped on the headsets to find themselves getting out of bed to the sound of a beeping smoke detector.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Sun Times

PHOTOS: San Bernardino County Fire Department search teams staged a daring and complex rescue of a man trapped in a remote mine over the weekend, authorities say. Early Sunday morning, County Fire officials received a call from an unidentified explorer in a rural, unincorporated area of Twentynine Palms who had recently left a mine and reported that a partner was still inside and unable to get out.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Press

A bill is being discussed in a Kansas Senate committee Tuesday that would give fire investigators law enforcement powers in the state. This means, if an investigator encounters a crime in progress, they would have the legal right to pull-over, detain, and even arrest someone. The Kansas Fire Marshal, Doug Jorgensen, made clear during his testimony in favor of the bill that investigators would not be conducting traffic stops.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KSNT-TV NBC 27 Topeka

A few Upstate ambulances are now carrying a cooler that can save lives. The No. 1 cause of preventable deaths that ambulances deal with is loss of blood, said Aaron Dix, Prisma Health's executive director of emergency medical services. If someone has a severe gunshot wound or hemorrhaging or has been in a severe accident, they could lose blood faster than an ambulance can get them to a hospital, Dix said.
- PUB DATE: 3/11/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Greenville News