Delta Junction-area first responders and health-care providers have formed an organization to oversee the community's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Delta COVID-19 Incident Management Team helps emergency services and local governments coordinate efforts to keep the coronavirus from spreading in the area – and to help control the local rumor mill. Michael Paschall says he and other Delta-area first-responders had been talking in recent weeks about the need to bring together an organization of the players that would be called on when the novel coronavirus showed up. He says they soon realized the organization could serve another important purpose by tamping down rumors, like those that were flying around town in the run-up to the April 2nd announcement that a Delta resident had tested positive for COVID-19.  

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allow emergency responders and utilities to continue to have priority usage of the 6 Gigahertz (GHz) spectrum band. Murkowski's plea comes after FCC officials published a draft rule April 1, allowing unlicensed devices to utilize the 6 GHz band. It is currently occupied by only electric and natural gas utilities, along with other licensed users like first responders. Murkowski, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, wrote a letter to FCC Chair Ajit Pai asking him to delay the draft rule until the nation has recovered from the coronavirus pandemic. "Our water, electricity, and natural gas utilities cannot spare the resources to deal with a complex proposal from the FCC that could dramatically change the reliability of their essential communications during an emergency, nor can police and fire departments," Murkowski wrote to the FCC chair.  

New York City will throw the "biggest, best" ticker-tape parade for its health care workers and first responders once the city reopens from the coronavirus pandemic, the mayor announced Tuesday. "We will honor those who saved us," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "The first thing we will do, before we think about anything else, is we will take a time, as only New York City can do, to throw the biggest, best parade to honor these heroes." "This parade will mark the beginning of our renaissance," he added. "But it will also be, most importantly, a chance to say thank you to so many good and noble people, so many tough, strong people." De Blasio also said the city will assemble its own strategic reserve. "We have learned the hard way that we cannot depend on the federal government in the future – I hate saying that, but it's quite evident – we certainly cannot depend on the global market," he said.  

Pickaway County first responders now can have peace of mind about preventing the spread of COVID-19, thanks to the county's new decontamination station. The makeshift, multiroom station is set up at the Circleville Police Department. The whole setup cost a few hundred dollars to make from items at a hardware store. The decontamination station is available for use by all Pickaway County first responders, including those at the sheriff's office and volunteer fire departments, said Circleville Police Sgt. Phil Roar. "Our focus has been to stop the spread, and on the safety of our families," Roar said. First responders who are exposed to someone who is suspected of or confirmed as having the novel coronavirus may come as soon as possible to the police department, Roar said. Officers trained in decontamination will clean their vehicle twice with medical-grade disinfectant.  

Precautions to protect vulnerable volunteer firefighters from COVID-19 could lessen some retirement benefits for those going on fewer calls during the pandemic, according to fire officials. Some fire departments are asking older volunteers or those with underlying health conditions — those most likely to suffer serious medical problems or death from the coronavirus — to stay home. Volunteers are required under state law to go on a minimum number of calls to earn retirement benefits in a given year. "We don't want anyone to be penalized because we have a virus that's attacking our elderly," said Commack Fire District chairman Patrick Fazio. Fazio said the Commack fire department chief and the board of commissioners have put firehouses on standby to limit the number of volunteers on duty at any given time as part of social distancing.  

With a nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), Roanoke Fire-EMS has come up with creative ways to provide the same protection to their personnel with reusable materials. They say this including the use of new Frogg Togg coats in place of disposable medical gowns. This new personal protective equipment uses a specific material that is impervious to bloodborne pathogens and other bodily fluids, giving their crew the same protection of a disposable medical gown, according to the department, They say the coat is easy to decontaminate, gives their providers a better range of motion and is reusable, alleviating our need for disposable medical gowns.  

The COVID-19, a global pandemic that caused more than 164,000 deaths and infected more than 2 million people worldwide, make us rethink how governments, organizations, and societies around the world can work with minimum or without physical contact. Today, the frontline warriors and heroes of the nation are doctors, medical staff, local police, and private security guards and refuse collectors. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, GIS and Mapping, Location Technology and autonomous machines are playing a growing role in responding to COVID-19 pandemic. However, in this war against this invisible enemy, drones play a key role by helping authorities and people in different ways to prevent further spread of the coronavirus outbreak. Let's look at how drones are being used effectively to combat COVID-19.