The unions representing cops, firefighters and EMS officers are urging Mayor Bill de Blasio to make them a higher priority for access to coronavirus testing given their front-line duties interacting with the public amid the pandemic. Ninety-eight NYPD officers and other employees and 17 Fire Department/Emergency Medical Service personnel have tested positive for COVID-19.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

North Branford Fire Chief William Seward was alarmed when he got the news: his department, which runs the town’s ambulance service, would only receive one box of 35 respirators from the strategic national stockpile. What’s more, all of those masks — which Seward picked up today in Essex — are expired.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New Haven Register

VIDEO: In Duvall, one man is making it his business to stop the spread of panic during the coronavirus pandemic by putting a smile on as many faces as possible. “What’s a grown man doing in a costume, pink flamingo inflatable costume on the side of the road?” said Greg Garat, as he stood on Main Street in Duvall in a flamingo costume holding a sign that describes what he's offering: free smiles.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak: A Firefighter’s Perspective by EFD Captain Jeff Pegrum. I would like to help our community understand the steps first responders are taking to respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. There are many steps we are taking at the fire station to protect ourselves.
- PUB DATE: 3/23/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: MyEverettNews.com

Cowlitz 2 Fire Chief Dave LaFave had his own poignant social distancing story Friday: Juggling management of the county’s emergency response group with the birth of his granddaughter. “Right now, as we’re sitting here, my daughter is giving birth to my first granddaughter,” LaFave said Friday morning.
- PUB DATE: 3/21/2020 5:15:36 AM - SOURCE: Longview Daily News