St. Louis County has nearly $175 million in federal grant money to spend in response to the coronavirus, but the county has been charging local first responders for masks. As some St. Louis County police departments and fire districts have found themselves shorthanded on masks and other personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 outbreak, the County Council approved $1.
- PUB DATE: 5/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Call Newspapers

The nationwide public safety wireless network that Congress created in 2012 because of failures seen during and after the 9/11 attacks is helping connect first-responders and public safety experts across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. The law created an independent authority called FirstNet, provided $7 billion for it, and allocated 20 megahertz of bandwidth within the 700 MHz spectrum to create a nationwide interoperable broadband network.
- PUB DATE: 5/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Roll Call

Following House Democrats’ proposal of the HEROES Act (H.R. 6800) on Tuesday, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) outlined possible impacts of the latest coronavirus aid package, and called upon fire and EMS professionals to contact their congressional representatives to support the legislation.
- PUB DATE: 5/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: EMS1

There might be no year where it is more vital to recognize the work of emergency medical services and paramedics, those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. National EMS Week is May 17-23. Whether they work at a hospital, with a fire department, for a private service or a med-flight operation, these brave men and women put their lives on the line with every call they respond to, never knowing if the person they help might be infected with a virus they might catch and take home to their own families.
- PUB DATE: 5/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Seacoast Online

For the first time in over two months, King County recorded no new deaths from COVID-19 in its daily update. Public health officials said 86 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed over the past 24 hours in King County - but not a single death. It was the first time that King County had recorded no new coronavirus deaths in a 24-hour period since March 7.
- PUB DATE: 5/15/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000