VIDEO: The wildfire season in Alaska is only one month old, but there have already been nearly two dozen blazes across the state. Alaska's season typically runs from April 1 till Aug. 31 and is preparing for a summer in which the state is suspending all burn permits. Even so, 19 of this year's fires were human-caused. The vast majority of those fires have burned over 50 acres in Southcentral, with the most recent being in the Point Mackenzie area. According to AK Fire Info, the Alaska Division of Forestry is also monitoring hot spots left over from last year's Deshka Landing Fire. Smoke was first reported in January by trail groomers and, despite the heavy snow melt, the hot spots continue to smolder, with thermal readings approaching 200 degrees. Fire officials say the hot spots, which number nearly a dozen, were being monitored by snowmachine.  

Officials at Unalaska's fire department are continuing to monitor Mt. Ballyhoo, where a large fire broke out Wednesday evening. Patrick Shipp, fire chief at the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, said the department was notified around 5 p.m. about a fire that was likely started by a loose ember from a pallet fire near Dutch Harbor's Spit. When fire crews arrived, it had already grown "pretty big," according to Shipp. And because of the terrain, fire personnel were unable to access the blaze. Crews continued to monitor the fire overnight from the bottom of the hill to protect Pacific Stevedoring (Pac Steve) bunk-housing and the Icicle Seafoods processing plant, and from the top of Ballyhoo to monitor communications towers.  

First responders have now been added to a list of those eligible for high priority COVID-19 testing. This means first responders who are showing symptoms of the virus are now eligible for high-priority testing, joining hospitalized patients, healthcare workers, and residents and employees in congregated or long-term care facilities. Fire chiefs in Colorado championed for the change since they saw the domino effect of not being able to easily access testing. "The safety and health of our communities is a top priority for us all," said Jefferson County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper. "We must to do everything possible to ensure our first responders can protect our communities. Priority testing for first responders is crucial." In Jefferson County, a wildland fire crew was in self-isolation for two weeks after a member started feeling sick in March. Testing at that point, according to Elk Creek Fire Protection District Chief Jacob Ware, was difficult to access so the team ended up in quarantine.  

Over the last few months, Massachusetts has received and purchased tens of thousands of masks for first responders and health care professionals amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to a test performed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, some of those masks, like the KN95s from China, have proven to be defective. The state's website advises paramedics not to use those KN95s when performing certain procedures on COVID-19-positive patients. "We've been at a deficit and been behind on things as far as PPE from the start," Rich MacKinnon, president of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts organization, said. Massachusetts firefighters and police officers were relieved to be getting respirator masks as quickly as the state has been able to acquire them.  

Medical providers were recently abuzz about a new treatment for respiratory distress that includes a high flow of oxygen entering through a patient's nose, said Braden Frame, a seven-year firefighter and paramedic with Lake Travis Fire Rescue. The action stems from COVID-19 complications encountered in the field by first responders. However, that procedure requires a lot of oxygen and equipment to heat and humidify the air—items that aren't feasible, reasonable or available in pre-hospital medicine but rather employed on the wall of an emergency room or in an intensive care unit, Frame said. So Frame, who serves on the organization's COVID-19 Task Force science division that develops plans and procedures to keep patients and firefighters safe, sought a better way.  

It's a mission to get 5,000 Valley first responders coronavirus antibody tests. The United Phoenix Firefighters Association and the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association are helping their members get those tests. This week, the focus was on testing firefighters. Next week, they'll transition to testing police officers. "You never know what you're showing up to. Every shift is different." Especially during a pandemic. Phoenix Firefighter Mike Johnson has been with the department for 14 years and says they're doing everything they can to minimize their risk of contracting the coronavirus, like wearing masks on calls and deep-cleaning their equipment.  

For those of us who are stuck at home, the least we can do is show our appreciation for the people keeping us safe right now. And that's why so many of us have taken up clapping or singing to give thanks to healthcare workers, first responders and others. Some American cities, too, have found really creative ways to let their appreciation be known. From chalk art and balloon installations to lit-up attractions and buildings and hearts made out of patrol cars, cities and residents are going out of their way to show a little love.