More than 500 firefighters and EMTs in the Pacific Northwest have been temporarily quarantined after suspected exposure to the coronavirus over the past two months. The Washington State Council of Fire Fighters and the Oregon Fire Service Coronavirus Response Team have been monitoring the number of first responders taken out of service.
- PUB DATE: 4/23/2020 7:35:27 PM - SOURCE: KUOW 94.9FM - Puget Sound Public Radio

As first responders nationwide cope with scarce supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), Snohomish County fire agencies are finding innovative ways to preserve PPE and protect firefighters. Agencies across the county have now added ultraviolet (UV) light units and electrostatic cleaners to their arsenal of tools used to fight COVID-19.
- PUB DATE: 4/23/2020 4:44:53 PM - SOURCE: Lynnwood Today

An Okanogan County electric company will pay $1.1 million to the United States as part of a settlement reached for fire suppression efforts during the Twisp River Fire back in 2015. The United States claimed the fire sparked when a tree branch came in contact with Okanogan County Electric Cooperative’s (OCEC) distribution line.
- PUB DATE: 4/23/2020 4:52:27 AM - SOURCE: KXLY-TV ABC 4 Spokane

As they deal with a pandemic, the city’s fire rescue crews are trying out a new technique. From the scene of the rescue call, the Providence firefighters make contact with a doctor, via Zoom, on an iPad. The doctor’s input, based in part on vital signs and other information that firefighters provide electronically, can head off an unnecessary emergency visit to the hospital.
- PUB DATE: 4/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Providence Journal

The IAFC needs your help in measuring the effects of state and local government social distancing orders on local fire and EMS department budgets, including the long-term implications on resources and staffing. IAFC President and Chairman of the Board, Chief Gary Ludwig, created an Economic Crisis Task Force to help fire and EMS chiefs plan and prepare for the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- PUB DATE: 4/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org