New Yorkers can now download a free app to their smartphones that will alert them if they come near people who test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday the launch of the state's new COVID Alert NY app. New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware will offer their own versions of the app as well.
- PUB DATE: 10/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Nyack-Piermont Patch

Officers with the Riverside Police Department had a woman in a pink dress stand up outside their patrol car for witnesses to identify after she allegedly stole a fire truck and took it on a joy ride Thursday night. The 31-year-old woman is suspected of stealing a Riverside Fire Department truck and taking it on a joyride while first responders were handling a life-threatening medical emergency.
- PUB DATE: 10/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCAL-TV CBS 9 Los Angeles

The City of Glendale has a new peer support program they hope will help end suicide growing rates among firefighters. The program is one of the first of its kind in the state, addressing nationwide statistics that firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than on the job. One hundred twenty times a day, that’s the amount firefighters here in Glendale are called to duty.
- PUB DATE: 10/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KASW-CW6 & KTVK-3TV (azfamily.com)

Springfield firefighters have released a series of videos in honor of Fire Prevention Month. According to the City of Springfield, the videos will be released throughout October on the Springfield Fire Department’s social media pages. Here is a list of all seven of the educational videos: Cooking Safety (by Firefighter Justine, for fourth and fifth graders); Firefighters Are Our Friends (by Firefighter Tanner, for PreK-K); Stay Away From Dangerous Things (by Firefighter Geoff, for PreK-K); Recognizing Home Hazards (by Firefighter Tanner, for first-graders); Escape Drills in the Home (by Firefighter Mark, for second-graders); How and When to Call 911 (by Firefighter Mark, for third-graders); and The Fire Triangle (by Firefighter Geoff, for fifth-graders).
- PUB DATE: 10/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOLR-TV CBS 10 Springfield

A very cool historical look at the volunteer fire service in Maryland from WMAR-TV in Baltimore. The half-hour documentary is from October 10, 1969 and has film from fire companies in a number of counties throughout the state. There is also a section on University of Maryland’s Fire Service Extension, the forerunner to Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute.
- PUB DATE: 10/2/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: STATer 911