Leaders of several Cleveland suburbs are making plans that could see them share police officers and firefighters in the event of a coronavirus outbreak in their departments. Officials from Lyndhurst, Richmond Heights, Highland Heights, Mayfield Heights and Mayfield Village met Friday in Lyndhurst for a preliminary discussion about sharing resources if a coronavirus outbreak impacts them.
- PUB DATE: 3/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Cleveland.com

After the first case of covid-19, the disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus, was announced in the United States, reports of further infections trickled in slowly. Two months later, that trickle has turned into a steady current. This so-called exponential curve has experts worried. If the number of cases were to continue to double every three days, there would be about a hundred million cases in the United States by May.
- PUB DATE: 3/17/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Washington Post - Metered Site

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

A wildland fire at Memorial Park was brought under control on Sunday afternoon by the Red Wing Fire Department and other agencies. The department sent a news release Sunday evening stating, the agencies responded within six minutes to the fire and extinguished it within an hour. Approximately five acres of wildland burned as a result.
- PUB DATE: 3/15/2020 6:02:43 PM - SOURCE: Rivertowns

Residents of a home were displaced after a fire early Sunday morning. The Sheboygan Fire Department received a report of a structure fire around 4:30 a.m. in the 3300 block of North 13th Street. Firefighters found heavy fire coming from the front porch when they arrived. They extinguished the fire outside before going into the building, according to the fire department.
- PUB DATE: 3/15/2020 3:44:16 PM - SOURCE: Sheboygan Press

VIDEO: The Madison Fire Dept. is turning to music to encourage proper hygiene. They posted a clip on social media showing members of the dept. having fun and grooving to a popular Lizzo song while getting those hands clean. They also included a link to some important tips about stopping the spread of COVID-19.
- PUB DATE: 3/14/2020 8:39:51 PM - SOURCE: WMTV-TV NBC 15 Madison

The City of Janesville is prepared to operate under an emergency operations plan, city leaders say. This week, city leaders practiced running an emergency operations center – a room in which essential city staff can make decisions on how to allocate public resources during a crisis. “A lot of our everyday regular stuff gets pushed to the side if it’s not essential”, said Janesville’s Management Information Specialist Molly Nolte.
- PUB DATE: 3/14/2020 3:02:22 PM - SOURCE: WISC-TV Channel 3000.com Madison

Members of the Merrill community are applauding some fast acting employees at the Weinbrenner Shoe Company. After one of their coworkers went into cardiac arrest this past Tuesday, a few brave men and women stepped up to save his life. In a ceremony on the Weinbrenner factory floor Friday, Cory Eisner and several of her teammates were honored for their quick thinking.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 7:52:46 PM - SOURCE: WJFW-TV NBC 12 Rhinelander-Wausau

Fontana Elementary School was evacuated and classes were canceled today after a natural gas leak caused by two faulty boilers in the building. The leak was first detected at about 8:15 a.m. by custodian Scott Linhart shortly after students had filled the school, which serves about 200 children in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 1:51:10 AM - SOURCE: Lake Geneva News

A Merrill man is expected to make a full recovery after his coworkers performed the first aid that saved his life. Local firefighters who responded to the incident Tuesday and provided the first aid training used that day have now been recognized for their efforts. On March 10, an employee at Weinbrenner Shoe Company went into "full cardiac arrest" according to Safety Director Robert Watry.
- PUB DATE: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WFJW-TV NBC 12 Rhinelander

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

Stateline Area fire departments are prepared for outbreaks of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Rock County in Wisconsin and Winnebago County in Illinois. No confirmed cases have been reported in either county as of Thursday afternoon. The Beloit Fire Department is one of multiple Rock County agencies coordinating a response plan with the Rock County Health Department in the event of any outbreak.
- PUB DATE: 3/12/2020 8:02:30 PM - SOURCE: Beloit Daily News