The Centers for Disease Control has urged governors to be prepared for the distribution of a coronavirus vaccine by November 1, which is two days before Election Day. CDC Director Robert Redfield sent the letter dated August 27 to governors, informing them that the government is contracting with the company McKesson to distribute the vaccine to local health departments and doctors' offices and asked them to expedite any applications for distribution facilities requested by the company.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CBS News

VIDEO: The everyday trauma experienced by first responders across the country and in Northeast Ohio continues to lead to growing levels of post-traumatic stress and the oftentimes life-altering side effects that come with it. In an effort to curb this trend, a coalition of researchers, experts and state officials developed a new science-based mobile app, making Ohio one of the first states with such an offering.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WEWS-TV ABC 5 Cleveland

A Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter who has been missing for nearly two weeks is likely the victim of a "violent kidnapping," according to the head prosecutor of Baja California, Mexico. Frank Aguilar, 48, was last heard from on the night of Aug. 20, when he went down to check on the condo the family rents out through Airbnb, according to his two daughters.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KTLA-TV 5 CW Los Angeles

Alabama is the worst state in the nation to work in during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey out that rates the states based on their policies to protect working families. Oxfam America, a nonprofit agency dedicated to ending poverty, used 27 different data points in three areas of state assistance - worker protections, healthcare protections and unemployment support.
- PUB DATE: 9/3/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: AL.com

VIDEO: The FDNY put a rarely used maneuver into action to save a woman who was hanging from a 16th-floor window during a high-rise fire in Manhattan. The fire was reported Tuesday near Lenox Avenue and West 135th Street just before 1:30 p.m. Firefighters found a woman panicking at a window on the 16th floor of the Lenox Terrace Apartments and decided to do something they rarely do -- a roof rope rescue from the 17th floor.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WABC-TV ABC 11 New York

Several firefighters battled a fire at a wrecking yard in Kent Tuesday morning. The fire was reported around 4 a.m. in the 26100 block of 78th Avenue South, according to officials with Puget Sound Fire. Firefighters arrived to find about 30-40 junked cars on fire. "(It was a) deep-seeded fire in a stack of cars," said Capt.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

Three months after one of the biggest ship fires in decades in Jacksonville, 10 firefighters injured in a related blast are suing for their injuries. The law firm Pajcic & Pajcic filed a lawsuit on behalf of 10 Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department employees on Tuesday, 90 days after an explosion that severely injured some of them.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WJXT-TV 4 Jacksonville

Members of the Harmonville Fire Company are excited to announce the kickoff of their campaign to recruit volunteers featuring a new website JoinHarmonvilleFire.org that highlights the company’s strengths and vision and will receive queries from potential volunteers. With the key values of honor, family and community, Harmonville Fire Company hopes to find like-minded people to volunteer in various roles at the historic company, which began in 1924.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Times Herald

More deaths associated with Hurricane Laura were caused by the improper use of portable generators than the storm itself. And officials warn that the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning persists, as thousands of households in Louisiana remain without power. Eight of the 15 hurricane-related deaths confirmed by the Louisiana Department of Health are attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators, which can provide life-saving power in emergency situations but also pose a deadly threat if used incorrectly.
- PUB DATE: 9/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKSU.org

When Tommy McDonough learned to talk, one of his first words was “fire truck.” His father, a longtime St. Paul firefighter, never doubted he would follow in his footsteps. For Mike Paidar, his path to the St. Paul Fire Department came after a successful career as a TV photojournalist. He joined the department when he was 44.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Twin Cities Pioneer Press

More than a dozen Milwaukee firefighters recently rode their bicycles 183 miles. It was all for a fellow firefighter who gave her life to save others. It was the first-ever Pedal for the Brave. "We have people joining us that never cycled before two months ago, but then to do a 100-mile ride one day is just a testament to the kind of grit and will that they have," said Milwaukee firefighter and Ignite the Spirit president, Joe Flick.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WTMJ-TV NBC 4 Milwaukee

VIDEO: More than two dozen people are homeless after a 3-alarm fire at an apartment complex in New Orleans’ Central City area Monday night. The New Orleans Fire Department said the fire was reported around 8:38 p.m. at a two-story U shaped apartment complex in the 1600 block of Washington Avenue. Firefighters arriving at the scene found the building heavily involved in flames.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WWL-TV CBS 4 New Orleans

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 847,000 people worldwide. Over 25.3 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

The Rochester Fire Department is expecting to welcome the largest minority group of new firefighters to its ranks during a graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. Sept. 2. Of the 30 recruits on schedule to graduate, 13 are Black, 9 are Latino and one is Asian. Two are female, including one Latina. The minority candidates comprise about 80 percent of the class.
- PUB DATE: 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Rochester La Voz

VIDEO: On Saturday morning, the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association tweeted a photo of a collapsed ceiling on ambulance at Fire Station 49. The post accused the City of Houston of years of neglect of the department's fleet and facilities. No one was hurt during the collapse. "Now is the time that this city needs to prioritize not only the fleet [and] facilities, but the health and wellness of the men and women that we are asking to continue to go out there and put themselves on the frontline, not only during this pandemic but on a daily basis," said Marty Lanction, HPFFA President.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KRIV-TV FOX 26 Houston

VIDEO: Firefighters battled an extra-alarm fire early Sunday morning at a chemical plant in the Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side, Chicago fire officials said. According to CFD, around 12:33 a.m. crews were dispatched to a building fire at the Imperial Zinc Corporation in the 1000-block of E.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WLS-TV ABC 7 Chicago

A Seminole County employee was killed and three firefighters were injured in a sidewalk collapse in Lake Mary Friday, according to the Seminole County Fire Department. The county environmental services employee was identified as Tomasz Sajkowski, a utilities operations distribution mechanic, by Seminole County spokeswoman Ashley Moore Friday afternoon.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel - Metered Site

Following two shootings in a little more than two months, an Elizabeth City fire station is on track to get bulletproof walls. Shots were most recently fired July 15 near the station on Harney Street, which is manned 24-hours a day. At least one round went through a wall, into its sleeping and eating areas.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Virginian-Pilot

The Hilton Fire Department is now training to take its rescue efforts to the clouds, with the help of drone technology. Department heads say it’s among the first in the area to bring use the drones for certain calls. The idea was the brainchild of fifth-year firefighter David Olney, who is a trained drone pilot himself, he says it was a no-brainer, as the drones could be a real boost for the department, and the community.
- PUB DATE: 8/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WHEC-TV NBC 10 Rochester

VIDEOS: A fire has broken out in the Westlake, Louisiana, area, causing gases and smoke to plume over I-10. The Louisiana State Police Emergency Services Unit confirmed the fire involved a chlorine leak at the BioLab plant in Westlake. They are coordinating with plant managers to contain the leak, officials said.
- PUB DATE: 8/28/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Daily Advertiser