In their fight against the coronavirus, Milwaukee County first responders are also battling limited resources. “Our personal protective gear is in short supply, talking about gloves and masks and gowns, and it’s difficult to replace because there is a national shortage," Milwaukee Fire Chief Mark Rohlfing said.
- PUB DATE: 3/20/2020 8:40:16 PM - SOURCE: WDJT-TV CBS 58 Milwaukee

Knowing that firefighters have to protect themselves to help others, Worthington officials worried about having their 36 full-time staff working together in its single fire station. “We were hearing about these other stations being forced to shut down elsewhere. That would decimate our fire and EMS protection if we had to close our firehouse,” said Mark Zambito, assistant fire chief.
- PUB DATE: 3/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Columbus Dispatch

“If you see this message — this means your files are now encrypted and are in a non-working state!” That note was discovered on the Bluffton Township Fire District’s computer servers on Sunday, which were rendered inoperable by a hacker, according to a report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
- PUB DATE: 3/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Island Packet

Fox's "The Resident" is doing its part to protect the residents -- and other health care workers -- at an Atlanta-area hospital amid the spread coronavirus. Dr. Karen L. Law, who is the program director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Emory University, posted a photo to Instagram on Wednesday showing off a donation of masks, gowns and other supplies made by the team behind the medical drama.
- PUB DATE: 3/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: CNN

More than 30 members of the Spokane Fire Department are in self-quarantine in an attempt to stop the spread of sickness amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The firefighters – representing about 10% of the department –were exposed to patients who had symptoms similar to COVID-19. As of Thursday morning, none of them had received a positive test for the novel coronavirus – though one firefighter is in the hospital.
- PUB DATE: 3/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Spokesman-Review

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and other public safety and related industry organizations wrote to congressional leaders urging action on repealing the T-Band auction mandate on the nation’s largest municipalities as part of any coronavirus emergency stimulus spending package. Read letter (PDF) “We write to strongly urge you to include language that would repeal Section 6103 in Title VI of P.
- PUB DATE: 3/20/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org

With events cancelled, schools closed, and families being told to hunker down and isolate, interaction with others is minimal. The Grand Chute Fire Department, which regularly invites people into its station, is bringing the station to the people. It started with a Facebook post on Tuesday, inviting people to join the Grand Chute Fire Department for a little story time, since the department's community outreach has stopped due to the coronavirus.
- PUB DATE: 3/19/2020 2:31:36 PM - SOURCE: WBAY-TV ABC 2 Green Bay

Firefighters on Thursday, March 19 responded to the scene of a duplex fire on Military Road near Arndt Street in Fond du Lac. The call came in shortly before 3 a.m. Upon arrival, crews encountered heavy fire conditions. The fire caused extensive damage to the two-story wood-frame duplex. The owner of the duplex told officials that no one is currently residing at the property.
- PUB DATE: 3/19/2020 4:49:58 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

Legislation that would prevent the T-Band spectrum – a public safety radio network intended to ease communication among first responders in 11 metropolitan areas – from being auctioned to other users has garnered support from International Association of Fire Chiefs President and Board Chair Gary Ludwig and International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold Schaitberger.
- PUB DATE: 3/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Safety+Health Magazine

The ambulances at the West Metro Fire Department have been turned into isolation rooms on wheels. The countertops have been cleared, the EKG machines have been bagged, and the back of each ambulance has been sealed off from the cab. This is just part of the fire department’s plan to battle COVID-19. Fire departments across the state, including Denver, Aurora, Arvada and Fort Lupton, changed the way they do business as the coronavirus spreads.
- PUB DATE: 3/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Denver Post

Several boxes and hand sanitizers have been delivered to a fire department in Tennessee after two brothers who tried to capitalize on the coronavirus outbreak by stockpiling nearly 18,000 bottles with the intent to resell the goods had their stash cleaned out. The Chattanooga Fire Department said on Facebook it received a donation of sanitizing products after a "viral story" about individuals who "purchased thousands of those items.
- PUB DATE: 3/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: FOX News

Kentucky firefighters, police and other public safety workers say the Friday closure of most child care centers could hurt staffing, hamper public safety and impede the state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. To stop the spread of the respiratory illness, Gov. Andy Beshear ordered Kentucky child care centers closed by Friday.
- PUB DATE: 3/19/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Lexington Herald Leader

A Mount Horeb man was found dead after a house fire Wednesday morning. The Mount Horeb Fire Department said the fire happened on the 500 block of Linda Road at about 11:40 a.m. Officials said the call came in as a structure fire, and firefighters later received a report of a man who was possibly trapped inside.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 5:51:10 PM - SOURCE: WMSN-TV FOX 47 Madison

Local fire departments in central and southern Wisconsin are planning to pool resources and assist each other in the event of a serious shortage of protective personal equipment, or PPE. Wausau Fire Department EMS Division Chief Jared Thompson told NewsChannel 7 that purchasing PPE amid the nationwide shortage brought on by the spread of the novel coronavirus has become one of the department’s top concerns.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 5:26:30 PM - SOURCE: WSAW-TV CBS 7 Wausau

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hand sanitizer has become a hot commodity in stores and across the country and online. While supplies rarely stay on the shelf for long, many — including people at higher risk — are left to go without it. That includes first responders. In a pair of Facebook posts, the Jackson Police Department and the Jackson Fire Department have asked for help tracking down hand sanitizer.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 11:43:12 AM - SOURCE: WITI-TV FOX 6 Milwaukee

Green Bay hospitals are 97 percent capacity, according to Green Bay Metro Fire Chief David Litton during a Common Council Special Meeting on Tuesday, March 17. During the meeting, Chief Litton explained that on Saturday, March 14, the City of Green Bay activated the Emergency Operations Center to Level 4.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 4:53:53 AM - SOURCE: WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV Green Bay

Fourteen first responders with the Green Bay Fire Department are under quarantine as city officials brace for the new coronavirus to make its way to Brown County. Fire Chief David Litton said during a City Council meeting Tuesday that the employees are quarantined after they either traveled near high-risk areas using commercial airlines or came home sick.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 4:44:14 AM - SOURCE: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

New York City could soon be placed under a “shelter-in-place” order to contain the coronavirus — here’s what it would mean for the Big Apple’s 8.6 million residents. Under the strict public health measure, all non-essential businesses would be shut down. That means only police and fire departments, hospitals, grocery stores, pharmacies and perhaps gas stations, banks and laundromats would remain open.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

The head of a local union is concerned that not enough is being done to protect firefighters and the public during the coronavirus outbreak. Ralph Sicuro, president of the International Association of Firefighters Pittsburgh Local 1, says they are already seeing how fast the virus can spread. Sicuro tells KDKA additional protective gear was given out like masks and gowns, but the firefighters do not feel it is enough protection.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

VIDEO: The novel coronavirus is changing the way first responders with the Orange County Fire Authority respond to calls. Crews demonstrated what it will look like in a mock call Tuesday. If it doesn't put a life at risk, dispatchers will screen callers. For patients showing symptoms of novel coronavirus, crews will wear their personal protective equipment.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles