Evanston Fire Department Captain Mike McDonnell will retire after serving the department for 36 years, according to a Wednesday news release. During his time at EFD, McDonnell worked for 18 years as a fire captain, 18 years on the EFD dive team and 15 years as a trustee for Evanston Firefighters Union. Fire chief Brian Scott called McDonnell an exemplary member of EFD, saying that McDonnell's years with the department, which mark him as one of the department's longest-serving members, are a "testament to his toughness and dedication." "Captain McDonnell's knowledge, experience and calm demeanor, even in the toughest of situations, will be missed," he said.  

The Danville Fire Department has spent about $2,400 so far on coronavirus personal protective equipment in response to COVID-19 calls. The Danville City Council gave its support Tuesday night for the fire department to submit a grant application for more supplies worth $43,864. Fire Chief Don McMasters said the city's match would be $3,987, 10 percent, of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant, of which about $1,500 more would be needed due to what has been spent already. McMasters needed council concurrence to apply for the grant prior to the May 15 grant application deadline. Fire departments nationwide can apply for a share of the $100 million in grant funds to fight COVID-19. The funding is part of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act through the Federal Emergency Management Agency AFG Program.  

At the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year next spring, the budget for the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District projects a surplus of $455,000. And with any luck, the $600,000 line-of-credit loan the WFRD Board of Trustees approved this spring will be the last time the district has to borrow money to meet the payroll. "That's the first sign we're on the way to financial health," Chief Mike Hill said last week. For that, the district can thank voters who last year passed a referendum, with nearly 65 percent approval, to increase the WFRD tax rate by 20 percent. While that seems like a lot, Hill is eager to point out that the WFRD rate is only a small part – about 1.5 percent – of the property tax bill for local homeowners and businesses.  

Multiple state agencies have banded together to reduce the risk of cancer among Illinois firefighters. The "Illinois Preliminary Exposure Reduction Project" was developed to bring health research, education, and equipment to fire departments across the state. In a release Tuesday, project organizers cited a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that shows firefighters face a 9 percent increase in cancer diagnoses and a 14 percent increase in cancer-related deaths compared to the general population. The group has a grant to purchase products for "decontamination buckets" so crews can clean up immediately after fighting a fire. Carbondale Assistant Fire Chief Jay Crippen says cleaning up is essential. "The greatest reduction in your risk is getting it off as fast as possible at the onset of the post incident," said Crippen.  

St. Charles police officers and firefighters are no longer able to participate in social distancing parades after receiving an "overwhelming response" from the community, officials said. The parades have become increasingly popular methods of celebrating a resident's birthday or other occasion during the coronavirus pandemic and stay-at-home order. The police and fire departments initially offered to attend those events as time permits, but the commitment became too challenging due to time restraints. The city received 62 parade requests since April 3, said Cmdr. Rich Clark, who was coordinating the requests. Parades already scheduled with the fire department will be honored based on personnel availability.  

If the federal government does not come to the rescue with financial assistance, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says that the city may be forced to lay off city employees like police officers, firefighters, and healthcare workers. "They found $58B effortlessly for the airline industry, why are they not helping America's cities and states get back on their feet," de Blasio asked. The mayor's announcement ignited a firestorm of criticism from various unions in the city, representing various groups of city employees. "First responders are not political pawns, firefighters are not political pawns, we are the people who protect this city," said Gerald Fitzgerald of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. "Our entire social fabric is under tremendous strain and police officers are already stretched thin trying to maintain order," said PBA President Patrick Lynch. "If we cut cops, there will be chaos instead of recovery."  

On a cold Sunday night in March, Long Beach firefighter and paramedic James Dolas began to feel the first tingle of illness. The next day, as the 34-year-old came down with a fever, sore throat and muscle pain, his supervisor delivered the bad news: He feared that Dolas and other firefighters at Station 11 had been exposed to the novel coronavirus. One day later, Dolas and eight other firefighters were confirmed as positive for COVID-19. Soon, that number doubled to 16. Dolas self-isolated in a guestroom at home. He barricaded the door, which didn't lock, with a chair to keep his 3-year-old daughter at bay. But he wondered whether he had already passed the virus on to her, as well as his 1-year-old daughter and his wife. For the Long Beach Fire Department, the outbreak spurred a race to contain the spread of the virus — and led to changes likely to remain mainstays of how their first responders handle emergency calls related to the coronavirus.  

As the United States enters its third month fighting the coronavirus pandemic, between 20,000 and 30,000 new cases have been diagnosed every day since the start of May. Even as data` remains highly limited, trends are beginning to emerge about which groups and parts of the United States are being hit the hardest — by the disease as well as economically. Testing rates vary considerably between states and counties, making it difficult to assess the impact of the coronavirus on certain communities. In order to attempt to identify at-risk communities, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the counties and county equivalent geographies that rank as the most vulnerable in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index. The index uses data from 2018 to measure the ability of communities to prevent human suffering and financial loss when confronted with disasters or disease outbreaks.  

Researchers at Ivy League schools are looking into a theory that dogs can detect the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, with their noses. Man's best friend has a sense of smell that is tens of thousands of times more sensitive than humans and CBS's Chip Reid reports that it's a tool that could be helpful to monitor the spread of the virus. Reid reports that Miss M and Pancho are two of eight Labrador Retrievers working with the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary School of Medicine, where researchers hope to show that dogs can sniff out COVID-19. As you can see in the video above, when a dog detects a particular scent, they press a machine which beeps and they are then rewarded with treat. Dr. Cynthia Otto, the Director of Penn Vet's Working Dog Center tells Reid that dogs have been used to sniff out diseases in the past.  

VIDEO: Bailee Bonick isn't crafty, but she is creative. When the 9-year-old Palm Beach Gardens resident saw her friends creating masks, cards and posters to support others during the coronavirus crisis, she decided to assist in her own, unique way. A longtime singer and theater veteran, Bailee created a YouTube video that pays tribute to first responders around the country. The 5-minute video, which has racked up more than 1,400 views since it was posted last week, features the All Saints Catholic School fourth-grader singing "Heal the World" while photos of doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers and other first responders are shown in the background. Many of the photos feature first responders from Palm Beach County, but there are others from around the country.