The Bainbridge Island Fire Department has canceled all ride-alongs, station tours and community room use to curb the spread of COVID-19. The department has also closed facilities to walk-in assistance. General assistance and information can still be obtained via the fire department’s main office line and website.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 2:17:41 AM - SOURCE: Bainbridge Island Review

New York City could soon be placed under a “shelter-in-place” order to contain the coronavirus — here’s what it would mean for the Big Apple’s 8.6 million residents. Under the strict public health measure, all non-essential businesses would be shut down. That means only police and fire departments, hospitals, grocery stores, pharmacies and perhaps gas stations, banks and laundromats would remain open.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Post

The head of a local union is concerned that not enough is being done to protect firefighters and the public during the coronavirus outbreak. Ralph Sicuro, president of the International Association of Firefighters Pittsburgh Local 1, says they are already seeing how fast the virus can spread. Sicuro tells KDKA additional protective gear was given out like masks and gowns, but the firefighters do not feel it is enough protection.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KDKA-TV CBS 2 Pittsburgh

VIDEO: The novel coronavirus is changing the way first responders with the Orange County Fire Authority respond to calls. Crews demonstrated what it will look like in a mock call Tuesday. If it doesn't put a life at risk, dispatchers will screen callers. For patients showing symptoms of novel coronavirus, crews will wear their personal protective equipment.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KABC-TV ABC 7 Los Angeles

The death of Cowlitz 2 battalion chief Mickel Zainfeld has prompted local agencies and grassroots groups to boost efforts to help firefighters, police and other first responders cope with the emotional trauma of their jobs. And one way may be for both them and the public to tone down the superhero image they bear.
- PUB DATE: 3/18/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Daily News