VIDEO: The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) has released a new documentary, “COVID: Coast to Coast,” featuring interviews with frontline workers and first responders about the first days of the pandemic and its aftermath.

The film, available to view on YouTube, includes accounts from fire departments in New York City, Boise, Idaho and West Barnstable, Massachusetts. The interviews were conducted in 2024.

The documentary reflects on the uncertainty and fear that marked the early stage of the pandemic. It also looks at how rapidly changing public health guidance affected day-to-day work. The film covers shortages of protective equipment, the spread of misinformation and the emotional strain carried into home life.

The documentary was produced by Cool Water and supported by funding from the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

NFFF CEO Victor Stagnaro said: “The pandemic tested our firefighters in ways we could never have anticipated. “Our bravest were on the ground, every day, witnessing the devastating impact COVID-19 had on their communities.

International Fire & Safety Journal

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VIDEO: The Fort Myers Fire Department participated in a program to learn sign language, aiming to improve communication with deaf people during emergencies.

Audrey Rodriguez, a mentor at the Sally J. Pimentel Deaf & Hard of Hearing Center, grew up hard of hearing and eventually lost all her hearing. She highlighted the importance of clear communication, noting, “Not many deaf people read lips. It doesn’t matter how old they are; people can become deaf at different age.”

Amy Turner, executive director of the Sally J. Pimentel Deaf & Hard of Hearing Center, shared the center’s experiences, saying, “We have had every situation that you can possibly imagine, and each one is more heartbreaking than the next.”

The center’s lunch and learn program teaches first responders how to communicate with the deaf community, providing sign language instruction and materials tailored to their needs. “We bring a sign language instructor, an interpreter, and all the materials that the staff or that agency would need. And we teach basic sign language that pertain to that business,” Turner said.

WBBH-TV NBC 2 Fort Myers

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VIDEO: A powerful windstorm that downed trees and power lines across the Eastside Wednesday night turned into a dramatic night of rescue and relief for an expecting mother in North Bend. As gusts howled through the Snoqualmie Valley, Eastside Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief Cody Ramstad got the call — a woman had gone into active labor at her parents’ home near the Mount Si trailhead, but fallen trees had blocked every road leading in. “It was very, very similar conditions to the bomb cyclone,” Ramstad said. “There were multiple large trees down all over.”

With no other responders available, Ramstad set out in his emergency vehicle but could only get within four blocks of the home before the path was completely blocked. A Tanner Electric Cooperative crew, a North Bend-based utility company, responded to cut power and clear debris so help could reach the family. The woman’s brother, Hyram Morrill, captured parts of the rescue on video as the chief and the couple met halfway on foot — climbing over massive trunks and splintered branches to reach safety.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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PHOTOS: A person was rescued after a vehicle was found dangling over a concrete embankment Saturday in downtown Tacoma, according to officials. Tacoma Fire Department’s technical rescue team responded at 11:56 a.m. to the 2100 block of South C Street, where a vehicle was hanging over a 20-foot concrete embankment above a parking lot. Crews stabilized the car and rescued the occupant. No injuries were reported.

KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

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VIDEO: A local woman was saved by her bulldog, Lolli, and the swift action of firefighting crews after a structure fire broke out at her home early Friday morning. Around 2:48 a.m., crews from the Kennewick Fire Department (KFD), Pasco Fire Department and Benton County Fire District No. 1 were dispatched to a residential fire on South Rainer Street.

KNDO-TV NBC 23 Yakima

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