In a joint letter, members of Staten Island’s political delegation today called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to work with relevant pension boards to ensure that first responders and other essential employees who die as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) be guaranteed contractual line-of-duty death benefit and payments.
- PUB DATE: 3/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: SILive.com

After the recent signing of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act by President Donald J. Trump, International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) President, Fire Chief Gary Ludwig, expressed mixed emotions about the stimulus package. “While I am pleased that Congress and the President took action to help those who are suffering economically by allocating federal money for hospitals, law enforcement, educational institutions, airlines, and drug companies, I am extremely disappointed that federal funding desperately needed by the American fire and emergency medical services was largely overlooked,” Chief Ludwig said.
- PUB DATE: 3/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: IAFC.org

VIDEO: COVID-19 has hit Seattle’s fire and police departments. As of Monday, there have been at least a dozen COVID-19 cases among Seattle's police and fire departments. Dozens of the city's first responders have been exposed to the deadly virus, a spokesperson for the Seattle mayor's office said. According to the spokesperson, 200 of Seattle first responders have been exposed to COVID-19, making it a challenging time and fluid situation for city leaders like Fire Chief Harold Scoggins.
- PUB DATE: 3/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

There are no flames to spray water on. There is no criminal to handcuff. In an unassuming, out-of-the-way building near Spokane Community College, scores of elected leaders, emergency responders and public health officials coordinate their response to the crisis facing Spokane County. But in the Emergency Coordination Center, the current challenge is unlike any its leaders have ever taken on before.
- PUB DATE: 3/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Spokesman-Review

PHOTO: Five fire trucks and three water tankers were called out to a fire in Battle Ground, Washington Monday evening. Crews got the call for help around 7 p.m. and arrived at NE 239th Street to find the building fully engulfed in flames. The structure on fire was an 18,000-square-foot outbuilding/shop, according to Clark County Fire and Rescue.
- PUB DATE: 3/31/2020 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KOIN-TV CBS 6 Portland