Alaska reported 284 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and three new deaths, according to the state Department of Health and Social Services. State data showed all three deaths involved Anchorage residents. In total, 178 Alaskans and one nonresident with COVID-19 have died since the pandemic began here in March. Alaska's overall death rate per capita is among the lowest in the country, but officials say it's difficult to compare Alaska to other states because of its vast geography and vulnerable health care system. By Tuesday, there were 133 people with COVID-19 hospitalized statewide and another seven people in hospitals who were suspected to have the virus. In total, 14.6% of people hospitalized in Alaska had COVID-19.  

The Canton Fire Department shared a video on Facebook of their crews responding to a fire at a warehouse Tuesday. The fire broke out at 2206 12th St. NE around 4:30 p.m. A plume of smoke could be seen hundreds of feet in the air. According to the Canton Fire Department, people could see the smoke from miles away. The defensive attack included an unmanned drone to help firefighters find hotspots when visibility was limited. No one was hurt. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

As the COVID-19 vaccine begins to be available in the United States, the federal government largely has left distribution up to the states. One of the biggest challenges facing states is to decide who should receive the vaccine first. The IAFC has developed a chart which lists the priority tier to which firefighters and EMS personnel have been assigned in each state. It is important to note that the priority level for firefighters and EMS personnel is extremely fluid and likely will change as states continue to develop their plans. IAFC members are also encouraged to contact the IAFC if they learn any of changes to the priority classification for firefighters in their respective state. All fire chiefs are encouraging to review their state's plan and see how firefighters and EMS personnel in their state have been prioritized for access to the COVID-19 vaccine.  

An 18-year effort to get Flagler County to recognize former county firefighter John R. Keppler's line-of-duty death in 2002 finally ended Monday evening with the county commission's decision to rename the fire rescue training facility on Justice Lane after Keppler. Until then, Keppler had been honored on two state memorials, including the the Florida Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Ocala, the Florida's Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the grounds of the state Capitol, and the national firefighters' memorial in Emmitsburg, Md., but Flagler recognize what had been–and remains–the county's only line-of-duty death. But Flagler has never recognized it as such. On March 21, 2002, Keppler responded to an attempted suicide call in the Mondex, started feeling chest pains, asked his wife to drive him to the hospital, and died within sight of the emergency room door.  

The Muskegon County "Yellow Dot" program started small in 2019 with money from Mercy Health and took a big step forward in 2020 with additional funding from the Muskegon County Senior Millage. But due to COVID-19, police and fire departments around Muskegon County weren't able to hold open houses and community safety events to introduce community members to Yellow Dot. So the 10 police and 14 fire agencies in Muskegon County participating in Yellow Dot are using social media to let drivers know about the program. Yellow Dot is explained by members of Norton Shores Police and Fire in a video recently posted to YouTube. "The information can mean the difference between life and death," said Norton Shores Police Sergeant Dan Hibler in the video.  

VIDEO: A mother and her two young daughters rescued two weeks ago from a two-alarm fire at their home in Boston's South End were reunited with their heroes Tuesday. "Thank you so much Boston fire for your help and bringing my family to safety," Alicia Soto told her rescuers. On the morning of Dec. 2, thirty-one-year Soto and her two children, Annabelle and Amelia, were trapped in their third-floor apartment on West Newton Street when a fire broke out. "I thought for a minute that we might die. I really did. Before we got out. I was very scared," Soto said. Soto, who is deaf, speaks through a translator and said that she woke to a special alarm that alerts her when her 6-month-old baby cries but realized something was very wrong when her dog Candy kept barking. "All I could see was the smoke. It was very black and dark," she recalled. "I couldn't see much far in front of me at all. We started going down the stairs and I couldn't see so we had to turn back."