Ambulance providers in North Texas are rethinking the way they respond to calls, as pandemic-related staffing shortages leave agencies around the United States strapped for paramedics. Arlington Fire Chief Don Crowson said his department is sending fire paramedics to compensate for shortages with American Medical Response, the city’s ambulance provider, where staffing is down two-thirds.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Metered Site

It’s a late-September morning and paramedic Darren Forman steps up to a front door showered with dried corn stalks and fall-themed decor. Forman, holding a bag in one hand and a scale in the other, has arrived for his second appointment of the day. Forman has run Project Swaddle for the Crawfordsville Fire Department since its launch in 2018.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: National Public Radio Indianapolis

New York City has had a sharp increase in e-bike fires during the pandemic, so fire officials are offering some tips to keep the lithium-ion batteries on the bikes from overheating. E-bike ownership has skyrocketed in New York since the pandemic began, and with it, e-bike fires, according to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Consumer Reports

Are you prepared if an earthquake hits Washington state? Today, more than 1 million Washingtonians participated in "The Great ShakeOut," the largest earthquake and tsunami drill in the world. The annual earthquake drill was at 10:21 a.m. State emergency officials encouraged the public to participate as a reminder of what to do in an earthquake: drop, cover and hold on.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

VIDEO: Many Washington fire departments are dealing with the impacts of losing firefighters due to the state's vaccine mandate. Moses Lake Firefighters union will not accept the loss they've experienced. They are fighting to get them back. Moses Lake is a small fire department. Out of 36 firefighter union members, the Moses Lake Fire Department lost three, according to the union representing Moses Lake firefighters.
- PUB DATE: 10/21/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane