The families of two Chicago firefighters who died of COVID-19 will receive line-of-duty benefits, the Chicago Fire Department announced Monday. The benefits will provide the families of Mario Araujo and Edward Singleton with one-year's salary and funds for funeral expenses, CFD spokesman Larry Langford said in an emailed statement. "Our current situation is unprecedented in the history of our department and will be addressed accordingly," Fire Commissioner Richard Ford II said in the statement. "These two members made the ultimate sacrifice to protect those whom they swore an oath to serve. We will not forget our obligation to their families in this time of crisis." The department will also assist the families in obtaining other federal, state and local benefits afforded to members who have died in the line of duty, Langford said.  

A Sugar Grove Fire Department firefighter died shortly after being disconnected from a ventilator, even though his condition had seemed to be improving. According to a GoFundMe page made in his honor, Fred Fellella Jr., age 58, battled a Coronavirus infection for three weeks and was hospitalized before passing away. Fred J. Felella Jr. passed away on Sunday, April 19, 2020 at 12:15 p.m. from the coronavirus infection. According to Roy R. Kopstain III, firefighter Fred Felella battled the Coronavirus infection for three weeks and at one point showed some improvement. However, after coming off the ventilator for only 30 minutes Sunday, he crashed fast as his kidneys and liver completely shut down. The doctors put him back on the ventilator at 70% FiO2. Oxygen delivery above 60% can be toxic and damage the lungs.  

Memorial and funeral activities will be held Tuesday and Wednesday for a Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District firefighter who died in an off-duty accident last week. Mark Amore, 46, of McHenry, also worked as a heavy equipment operator at Addison-based PirTano Construction Co. He died Thursday when a construction vehicle he was using at Ben Watts Marina in Fox Lake went into the water and overturned, trapping him. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and statewide stay-at-home order, most memorial activities will be limited to family and a small contingent of uniformed personnel.  

The call came in Monday night for a group of area firefighters drive to Rochelle to set up a portable tent. Peru Fire Chief Jeff King is leading the team from Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Division 25, and was heading to Rochelle this morning to set up one of two large Western Shelter tents. King said he believes the emergency call went out beause a safe location for coronavirus testing is needed in the Rochelle area. As reported by Shaw Media, a Hormel plant closed for sanitization after many workers there tested positive for COVID-19. King said the Western Shelter tents are big, and have a generator for light and all the power that's needed, including heat and air conditioning for their various uses. King said they were used at emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina, and the military uses them.  

A trailer containing frozen chickens was destroyed by a fire Sunday morning on northbound Interstate 57 at the U.S. Route 45 exit in Mattoon. The Mattoon Fire Department reported that its personnel and the Wabash Fire Protection District were dispatched to this fire at 6:50 a.m. Sunday. The department reported there were no injuries and that the fire did not spread to the truck that was hauling the trailer. The truck and trailer were not involved in a collision with any other vehicles and the fire appears to have been started by a mechanical problem on the trailer, the department reported. Firefighters cleared the scene at 7:30 a.m.  

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.