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| Due to COVID-19 response, Rockford Fire Department more than $500,000 over budget in overtime When the city of Rockford ironed out its 2020 budget, it wasn't anticipating a global pandemic that would bring the economy to a halt. "Tentatively we're projecting a$17.7 million revenue shortfall in the general fund," city finance director Carrie Hagerty told 13 News on Tuesday. For the Rockford Fire Department a side effect of the virus on its budget is the more than $500,000 of overtime that it's gone over budget with. Chief Derek Bergsten says that's due to an extra ambulance the department put into service to handle the crisis, and what's necessary when it transports a suspected COVID-19 patients. "Because of the decontamination for our crews when they transport someone that is suspected positive or confirmed," says Bergsten. WREX-TV NBC 13 ROCKFORD 1,111 new COVID-19 cases, 160 deaths reported in Illinois The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced 1,111 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 160 additional deaths. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 114,306 cases, including 5,083 deaths, in 100 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 17,179 specimens for a total of 803,973. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity from May 20-26 is 8.6%. Gov. Pritzker announced Friday all of the 5,500 childcare providers who are not currently operating are being asked to reopen when the state enters Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois Plan. For the first four weeks that they are open, providers will be able to serve no more than ten children per classroom. WAND TV NBC 17 DECATUR Butch McGuire's feeds first responders while fighting to keep family legacy alive Bobby McGuire is on a mission to feed first responders during the coronavirus pandemic while trying to keep the beloved Chicago staple Butch McGuire's in business. In its nearly 60-year history at 20 West Division Street, Butch McGuire's has never looked as empty as it does now. Their kitchen is still open for takeout and delivery orders, but alcohol has always been their bread and butter. "Our liquor sales are at zero," McGuire said. "We have high margins in this industry, 5 and 10% makes it to the bottom line. So it's a struggle for anyone in this industry." While McGuire's owns their portion of the building in the high-rent Gold Coast neighborhood, their losses during the pandemic are not sustainable for the long term. WGN-TV CHICAGO 9 Peoria firefighters battle garage fire Peoria firefighters were called just before 2:45 a.m. Thursday to the 200 block of NE Rock Island Avenue on reports of a garage fire. Crews found a two-stall detached garage fully engulfed in flames. Battalion Chief Clint Kuhlman said the fire was spreading to another garage just two feet away. "Crews were able to save the contents of the neighboring garage. But, the initial garage was a total loss." The cause of the fire remained under investigation. WMBD-AM 1470 PREVIOUS STATE NEWS |
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| Ohio paramedic files temporary restraining order over wage reductions A temporary restraining order was filed against the city of Maumee to prevent Mayor Richard Carr from imposing a 5 percent pay decrease for all city employees to offset millions in financial loss because of the pandemic. A complaint was filed Friday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. The plaintiff, Dawn Sniadecki, is the former president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4536 and a paramedic employed by the city, but Andrew Mayle, Ms. Sniadecki's attorney, said his client filed the complaint as a private taxpayer. In the complaint, Ms. Sniadecki and her attorney argue that per city law, emergency powers do not allow the mayor to order wage decreases. Additionally, the mayor ordered paramedics to take a wage decrease for 32 pay periods, while other personnel were ordered to take a wage reduction for 26 pay periods. THE BLADE Tennessee to halt sharing COVID-19 patient data Tennessee will soon stop providing the names and addresses of COVID-19 patients to first responders, after initially arguing that doing so would protect those on the front line. Gov. Bill Lee's administration decided on the change this week, conceding that the data may have created a false sense of security to those responding to emergency calls. The data sharing will stop at the end of the month. The announcement follows an Associated Press review that found public officials in at least two-thirds of states are sharing the addresses of people who tested positive with first responders. A small handful of those states, including Tennessee at the time, also shared the patients' names. Supporters argue that the information is vital to helping them take extra precautions to avoid contracting and spreading the coronavirus. ABC NEWS In pandemic, agencies using drones to drop medical supplies from sky With a loud whir and a whoosh, a fixed-wing drone slingshots out of a medical warehouse, zips through hazy skies at 80 mph, pops open a belly hatch and drops a box of medical supplies. Slowed by a little parachute, the box drifts downward and lands with a plop, less than 8 minutes after launch. For North Carolina Department of Transportation's Basil Yap, it is a eureka moment. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the deadly consequences of fractured medical supply chains. Drones, said Yap, may be part of the solution. Proponents say they eliminate the need for delivery trucks and avoid human contact. For more than a year, North Carolina — where modern aviation was born, at Kitty Hawk — has been the site of tests of drone deliveries, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA usually requires that drones operate within sight of their operators, which limits the distance they can fly; for these flights, an exception has been made. NORTH STATE JOURNAL Coronavirus questions: 10 things we still urgently want to know about COVID-19 in the next 100 days Doctors, scientists and epidemiologists have made strides in their research to learn what they can about SARS-CoV-2 and the illness it causes, COVID-19. Multiple vaccines are in different stages of development as institutions scrutinize the effectiveness of existing drugs to treat coronavirus patients in clinical trials. Social distancing restrictions and lockdown measures have flattened the curve in parts of the country, and states have begun reopening in phases. These are the top 10 questions we hope to have answers to in the next 100 days. But experts say that there's more to learn about the virus, and as the United States surpasses 100,000 deaths, many wonder if that learning curve is just too steep. Let's take a moment to honor the lives of those we have lost, and begin to comprehend the wound they leave behind. USA TODAY New York City fire fund has enough assets to pay out 10.1 years of pension benefits, study finds The New York City Fire Department Pension Fund, with an assets-to-liabilities ratio of 63 percent, has enough money on hand to pay beneficiaries for 10.1 years, according to a new ranking of public retirement funds from the Wirepoints website. The retirement system ranked 32nd on a list of 148 state and local retirement funds nationwide with at least $2 billion in assets, the website reported. The list, which includes pension systems in every state except Vermont, lists pension funds from fiscally weakest to strongest. The New York City Fire Department Pension Fund has plan assets of $13.27 billion and yearly payouts to beneficiaries of $1.31 billion. The numbers are based on 2018 data, the most recent year for available data, according to Wirepoints, a website that focuses on economic commentary and Illinois government research. THE CENTER SQUARE PREVIOUS NATIONAL NEWS |
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| | | FireRescue GPO - is now partnering with Sourcewell, one of the largest cooperative purchasing organizations in North America. Sourcewell (formerly NJPA) - is a government organization providing cooperative purchasing solutions across the United States and Canada to over 50,000 public-agency members. Membership is free with no obligation to purchase. With over 400 competitively awarded vendors - members have access to contracts for fire apparatus, ambulances, fleet vehicles and products, facilities (MRO), furniture, office supplies, leasing services, and more. Learn more about the new partnership. AT&T - Featured Vendor - Wireless voice and data services including Smartphones, Tablets, 4G LTE, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT) Hackney - Featured Vendor - Specialty operations response vehicles and custom body solutions for fire, rescue, and law enforcement agencies |
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| International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference - IAFC - Baltimore, MD - June 4-7, 2020 Canceled: NFPA Conference & Expo - Orlando, FL - June 15-18, 2020 Water Rescue Instructor Academy - Lifesaving Resources, LLC - Portland, ME - June 25-28, 2020 Canceled: TEEX Municipal Fire School - College Station, TX - July 25-30, 2020 Canceled: FFABCs Diversity Workshop - 50th Convention IABPFF - Hartford, CT - August 2-7, 2020 Fire-Rescue Med Conference - IAFC - Phoenix, AZ - August 17-18, 2020 Fire-Rescue International Conference and Expo - IAFC - Phoenix, AZ - August 19-21, 2020 American Fire Sprinkler Association to host AFSA39 - Orlando, FL - September 13-16, 2020 Wildland-Urban Interface - IAFC - Reno, NV - November 2-6, 2020 VCOS Symposium in the Sun - IAFC - Clearwater, FL - November 12-15, 2020 POST EVENT MORE EVENTS |
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