Chicago Fire Department sources told CBS 2 Wednesday night that a second member of the department has tested positive for coronavirus. We are told the Assistant Deputy Chief Paramedic for Field Division North tested positive. The Fire Department has not confirmed the information. The source said the wife of the CFD Member who tested positive holds high position within the department. She was sent home. A CFD paramedic has already tested positive. The city doesn't believe the paramedic who tested positive contracted COVID-19 while responding to a call, but he is now quarantined along with his partner.  

Three City of Highland Park Fire Department personnel are confirmed to have been exposed to COVID-19, following the positive test of a patient they treated on March 16, 2020. The paramedics will remain in quarantine for the next fourteen days, per guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health. On Monday, March 16, the paramedics treated a patient they later learned was at risk for COVID-19 exposure due to recent international travel. They were quarantined immediately while awaiting the results of the patient's COVID-19 test. The paramedics did not respond to any calls or have contact with others during their initial 3-day quarantine, and the ambulance that responded to the call was thoroughly disinfected and deep-cleaned. According to the City of Highland Park, all emergency responders have access to protective equipment, and determine what equipment is necessary based on the nature of the call and the information provided to dispatchers.  

Smokey, a Jacksonville Fire Department dog who had received national recognition, has died. The department said Smokey began serving with the department in the fall of 2009. She passed peacefully Tuesday. Smokey was named "Top Firehouse Dog" nationally in 2013 and made appearances on NBC Today in New York before heading to Chicago for an appearance on NBC's Chicago Fire. Former Illinois governor Pat Quinn proclaimed Oct. 11, 2013 as "Smokey the Dog Day". Smokey received Senate recognition for her support of Illinois fire safety and prevention. Smokey taught thousands of children how to "Stop, Drop and Roll" in a fire emergency. Firefighters shared their sorrow in Smokey's passing Wednesday, remembering when they worked with police to resuscitate her before she joined the department.  

Despite a growing call volume, Antioch fire officials will have to make do with existing revenues, as voters Tuesday rejected a tax increase to generate another $1.57 million per year for personnel and building repairs. With all 16 precincts reporting, unofficial totals -- including early and mail ballots -- showed 1,905 votes, about 52% of the total, against the measure, and 1,738 in favor. "It was encouraging. We had a lot of support but we fell a little short," said Fire Chief Jon Cokefair. The hope was to get the message out during what was expected to be high interest primary election, he said. But turnout well below the expected level may have had a hand in derailing the tax hike question. "We were disappointed but we trudge on," he added.  

The pressure to respond to the coronavirus pandemic falls not just on hospital workers, but also on our first responders – and ensuring they are protected when answering the call. Oak Park Fire Department Deputy Chief J.T. Terry showed CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli what it's like to wear a surgical mask with an eye shield. "The recommendations of the CDC and the IDPH says that we need to protect all our mucosal membranes – your mouth, your nose, your eyes – at all times," Terry said. Terry said every one of his department's rigs is carrying personal protective equipment kits that firefighters use to protect themselves from the pandemic. They come with gloves, wipes, two different types of masks, and disposable gowns which will be put on anytime any of the 63 members of the fire department attempt to help a potential COVID-19 patient.  

A house took heavy damage to the interior in a fire that caused a firefighter to be injured. Crews said they arrived before 11 a.m. Wednesday to a house near in the intersection of Maple and Sawyer in Decatur. The fire later became a second-alarm fire. The majority of the house is burned on the inside, firefighters said, and damage was extensive. According to a WAND crew at the scene, heavy smoke and flames were seen coming from the home's top level. The firefighter who was hurt had a cut on the chin and was transported to a hospital. One person was at home at the time of the fire. They were able to make it out uninjured.  

Legislation that would prevent the T-Band spectrum – a public safety radio network intended to ease communication among first responders in 11 metropolitan areas – from being auctioned to other users has garnered support from International Association of Fire Chiefs President and Board Chair Gary Ludwig and International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold Schaitberger. Reintroduced in the Senate on Oct. 30 by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), the Don't Break Up the T-Band Act of 2019 (S. 2748) and its bipartisan House companion bill (H.R. 451) would repeal a provision of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 directing the Federal Communications Commission to auction T-Band airwaves by Feb. 22, 2021.  

The ambulances at the West Metro Fire Department have been turned into isolation rooms on wheels. The countertops have been cleared, the EKG machines have been bagged, and the back of each ambulance has been sealed off from the cab. This is just part of the fire department's plan to battle COVID-19. Fire departments across the state, including Denver, Aurora, Arvada and Fort Lupton, changed the way they do business as the coronavirus spreads. The changes come after 13 Arvada firefighters returned to work Thursday after being in quarantine after potential exposure to the new virus. All tested negative for COVID-19, Deanna Harrington, public information officer for the Arvada Fire Protection District, said. Fire departments are screening for symptoms of COVID-19, and they are preparing firefighters and medical staff to enter homes where they may come into contact with a COVID-19 patient.  

Several boxes and hand sanitizers have been delivered to a fire department in Tennessee after two brothers who tried to capitalize on the coronavirus outbreak by stockpiling nearly 18,000 bottles with the intent to resell the goods had their stash cleaned out. The Chattanooga Fire Department said on Facebook it received a donation of sanitizing products after a "viral story" about individuals who "purchased thousands of those items." "A portion went to first responders," the fire department said. "We are grateful to have these supplies on hand right now in an effort to keep our crews healthy." Video posted to Facebook shows the boxes of hand sanitizer being loaded by firefighters. Matt and Noah Colvin drew widespread fury over the weekend after their effort was profiled by The New York Times, in which they were revealed to have cleared out hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes from stores around Chattanooga, Tenn., and parts of Kentucky.  

Kentucky firefighters, police and other public safety workers say the Friday closure of most child care centers could hurt staffing, hamper public safety and impede the state's response to the coronavirus outbreak. To stop the spread of the respiratory illness, Gov. Andy Beshear ordered Kentucky child care centers closed by Friday. Centers that serve health care workers have been exempted from the closure. Police, fire, corrections officers and 911 dispatchers want the Beshear administration to add child care for first responders to the exemption. Officials with Beshear's administration were not immediately available for comment. Lexington Enhanced 911 Director Robert Stack said his 911 call takers and dispatchers have scrambled over the last few days to find friends, co-workers and family members to watch their children.