Alaska is leading the nation for the number of Omicron cases on a per capita basis. That was the word from the state's chief medical officer, Dr. Anne Zink, during a Department of Health and Social Services' forum Thursday. While the overall rate in the United States has come down following the large Omicron surge, she said Alaska is trailing behind. "Alaska continues to have a lot of cases and, in fact, has moved up to having the most cases per capita." Dr. Zink added that the statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that greater than 99 percent of cases detected are thought to be Omicron. On another note, Dr. Zink said at this time the BA.2 variant has not been detected in Alaska.  

VIDEO: The Asheville Fire Department (AFD) has a new tool to help with investigations. Through FEMA's Fire Safety and Prevention grant, AFD received a Matterport 3D imaging camera. "It allows us to essentially paint a picture of the entire incident," Bill States, senior deputy fire marshal, said. The technology lets AFD go inside a fire scene long after the initial investigation has ended. States said the technology has been a gamechanger, creating a new tool to document fire scenes. "Normally a 360 camera, that's all you'd be able to see, but this technology splices together all of our scans," he said. States used the 3D capture of the Sly Grog Lounge fire late last year as an example to show the power of this technology. It shows the extensive damage of the fire and also how investigators determined the origin.  

The Northwest Fire District put out nearly 100 car fires in 2021, but it's often unclear whether those fires are mechanical malfunctions or arson. This week, the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) held the first training of its kind in Southern Arizona, drawing fire investigators from several states and throughout Arizona. The training took place at Northwest Fire's Training Center just outside of Tucson. On Thursday, the course's students viewed live car burns and investigated previously burned cars for clues. Fires not only destroy evidence; they also create it. "You think of this as a puzzle and you're putting pieces of the puzzle together working back to that original location where the fire originated," IAAI Training and Education Chair Trace Lawless said.  

PHOTOS: It was a seemingly inconsequential homework assignment that saved Charles Lyman III's life on a frigid night in January 1922. Then a 14-year-old prep school student, Lyman was visiting family in Washington, D.C. when a major storm buried the city under almost two and a half feet of snow. On Saturday, January 28—the second day of the blizzard—Lyman's cousin David suggested spending a cozy evening watching a movie at the Knickerbocker Theatre in nearby Lanier Heights (now known as Adams Morgan). Lyman told him to go ahead with a friend, Kirkland Duke, and promised to join the pair after finishing his schoolwork. Trudging through the snow about a half block away from the theater, Lyman heard a sudden boom followed by a chorus of terrified screams. The Knickerbocker's roof had come crashing down, overwhelmed by the weight of the record-breaking snowfall.  

Interfering with a fire or medical first responder could soon become illegal if a bill being considered in the Washington State Legislature passes this session. A proposed House bill would create a gross misdemeanor for anyone who knowingly interferes with the actions of a firefighter or emergency medical services provider. Individuals convicted would face up to 364 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000. Washington has laws against driving over unprotected fire hoses, disobeying traffic orders from first responders and obstructing a law enforcement officer. But there is nothing explicitly against interfering in fire and medical personnel attempting to do their jobs. Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said assaults on firefighters and paramedics can be prosecuted, but there is no recourse for preventing access to a patient, verbally threatening a first responder or otherwise getting in the way.  

VIDEO: The Arlington, Virginia, fire department is turning to telehealth to help ease the strain on ambulance crews and hospitals. Starting this month, if paramedics or EMTs in Arlington find that a patient meets certain criteria, the emergency workers will ask whether the patient would like to bring in a medical provider via an iPad. On the other end is a doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner. "I can say to them, ‘Can you show me this wound? Move the ankle this way. Push on their belly'," said Dr. E. Reed Smith, the operational medical director for Arlington County's fire and police departments. The telehealth visits are an alternative to a costly and time-consuming ambulance ride to the emergency room.