New Jersey earmarks Covid fund for fire departments

by Americas - Featured NewsFeatured News

New Jersey is set to use $10 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to help provide fire departments with more safety and sanitary equipment, officials announced Monday.

The state’s Firefighter Grant Program will allow local and regional fire departments to apply for the taxpayer money from the American Rescue Plan, which Congress passed to provide stimulus funds in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know how hard the pandemic was on our firefighting community,” said Governor Phil Murphy during an event championing the program at the Hackensack Fire Department. “We know the stress that all of you are under each and every day, not knowing what you may up against while on call … while simultaneously worried about the health of your families.”

Murphy said the money would be used not just for helmets, gloves, and boots but for chemical-free protective clothing and cleaning equipment and products to help prevent the spread of illness, noting that firefighters faced many health and safety risks during the pandemic.

“Firefighters have been working on the front lines with our health care and law enforcement professionals throughout this pandemic, and Governor Murphy and I are grateful for the heroic work they do every day to save lives,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs.

“The Firefighter Grant Program is going to help provide them with the essential resources they need to ensure their safety and well-being so they can continue to do their jobs.” 

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus said “We’re now clawing back even more federal dollars to support our local fire departments and first responders, particularly for our smaller ones where resources are even more stretched. This critical investment will not only keep our communities, families, and brave first responders safe, but it will also help lower our property taxes and make life more affordable for Jersey families.

“The new American Rescue Plan Firefighter Grant program claws critical federal resources back from Washington for Jersey fire departments – to protect our communities, our families, firefighters, and EMTs. We must always get the backs of our first responders.”

Kyle Hughes, a Paterson firefighter and president of the New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association Local 2 union, welcomed the funds as firefighters across the state deal have dealt with the pandemic in addition to fires, floods, chemical spills, and downed wires the last two years.

“Despite this even greater risk, our members never wavered to their duties,” Hughes said. “They put others before themselves time and time again. … Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Public encouraged to honour emergency service workers on ‘999 Day’

by Active

Emergency Services Day, also referred to as 999 Day, begins with a two minutes’ silence at 9am on September 9, to represent the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month.

The public are being encouraged to fly the flag of 999 Day and to share and promote an emergency services charity on social media.

Organisers said the event is an opportunity to pay tribute to the two million people who work and volunteer across the NHS and emergency services, including more than 250,000 first responders.

It also aims to educate the public on using the services responsibly, as well as raising money for charities and to highlight the different career and volunteer roles in the emergency services.

Now in its third year, Emergency Services Day is backed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the First Ministers of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – and has been promoted by members of the royal family.

Mr Johnson said: “It takes a very special kind of person to put your life on the line for a complete stranger, yet that is what we see day in, day out from the remarkable men and women of our emergency services.

“You protect us from harm, deliver us from danger, and tend to us in our hours of need. And you do so without hesitation or complaint – if we dial 999, we know you will be there for us.

“I know the dedicated men and women of the emergency services did not get into this line of work for the accolades or applause.

“You are heroes of British life, doing what you do not for the plaudits but out of a sheer sense of duty and a determination to serve the public.

“All of us in this country owe each of you a debt of gratitude.

“So, it is only right that, on Emergency Services Day, we celebrate your work and, as a nation, say a huge thank you for doing so much for so many.”

Organisers said a main national “open day” style event is held on the nearest Sunday, but this year’s event, which was scheduled in Belfast, was cancelled due to coronavirus.

Last year, the Duke of Cambridge visited the Fire Fighters Charity’s centre at Harcombe House in Chudleigh, South Devon, to mark the event.

Tom Scholes-Fogg, founder and chief executive of Emergency Services Day, said: “As we saw earlier this year with people clapping at their doors, the UK is united in its support for those who put others before themselves.

“I encourage everybody to support our emergency services personnel all year round, not just on 999 Day.”

Midas Safety Sri Lanka donates dry rations to affected families

by Passive

Midas Safety Sri Lanka has donated dry ration packs to vulnerable families affected by the economic impact of the novel coronavirus, with the motive of helping them cope with the loss of their daily income.

The 1,200 dry ration packs comprising of basic essentials such as rice, tea, salmon, dhal and other nutritional food were given to pregnant and feeding mothers, who cannot afford to buy them due to the haltering of their livelihoods.

The list of these families was obtained with the courtesy from Ministry of Health (MOH), Public Health Inspectors (PHI) and Grama Sevakas in and around Katunayake, Biyagama and Avissawella Export Processing Zones where the three manufacturing plants of Midas Safety Sri Lanka operate. These packs were directly handed over to individuals by the company staff along with the officials from MOHs and PHIs.

Midas Safety Sri Lanka, just like many other organizations, join hands for this noble cause which can bring in much needed relief to such families till they are able to get back on their feet. ‘My husband and I work as laborers and with many difficulties we somehow manage to put food on the table. With no work at all these days we barely get by. We are very thankful for everyone involved in this kind gesture. I am at peace knowing that I’ll be able to feed my children,’ Rathna, a recipient from Kannimahara stated.

The Doctors from various MOH Offices where the donations have been done, have commended Midas Safety for initiating this project as having a nutritious diet during pregnancy is linked to good fetal brain development, a healthy birth weight, reduces the risk of many birth defects whilst the same is vital for feeding mothers since the energy, protein, nutrient and vitamin content of the breast milk is essential for the newborns and infants.

Midas Safety Sri Lanka also donated 1.25 million gloves in support of the country’s tremendous efforts to curb the Covid-19 outbreak, in addition to several safety glove cartons donated to the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, the hospitals, police and armed forces, PHIs, and Ministry of Health.

lk.midas-safety.com/

Seven coronavirus patients die in Alexandria hospital fire, Egypt

by Middle East - Featured News Archives

At least seven people have died after a fire broke out in an intensive care unit in an Egyptian hospital. The fire was in the coronavirus ward of a private hospital in Alexandria.

The source of the fire is thought to be an electric short-circuit in the air conditioning unit on the ward. Nurses heard the unit explode and tried to put out the flames but the ward was engulfed in thick smoke, according to AP.

It’s the second such fire over the course of the pandemic after a fire broke out last month at a coronavirus isolation centre in Cairo. Medics have been warning since the start of Egypt’s pandemic that the healthcare system is about to collapse partly because of chronic underfunding and outdated equipment after years of government neglect.

Already entire hospitals and departments across the country have had to shut their doors after becoming overwhelmed with Covid cases and large numbers of infections among the medical staff.

Doctors have complained that there is not enough space in ICU centres whilst Egyptians have resorted to social media to try and find beds.

In one widely shared case, a video was posted of a woman asleep on the pavement outside a hospital after being rejected from several health care centres due to lack of beds and sufficient medication.

Despite this, the government is restarting its economy with restaurants, cafes, churches and mosques opening their doors.

The country’s medical union has warned that this could overwhelm the healthcare system.

Egypt officially has 66,754 total cases and 2,872 deaths though experts have warned the real figure is likely to be far higher due to lack of testing and government attempts to control the narrative in a bid to appear as though they are in control.

US fire departments anticipate busy 4th July as fireworks sales skyrocket

by Americas - Featured News

Fireworks sales are skyrocketing across the US as most public displays are canceled due to the coronavirus, prompting concerns among fire departments that this year’s Fourth of July weekend could lead to record numbers of injuries and blazes.

“Despite the warnings against at-home displays, firefighters across the country will be ready to respond as more people turn to do-it-yourself shows,” said Doug Stern, a spokesman for the International Association of Fire Fighters. “A firework-less Fourth of July may be a disappointment, but it doesn’t make firecrackers and bottle rockets any safer at home, and a severe traumatic injury or burn—or starting a house or vehicle fire—is a lot worse way to spend the holiday.”

This year’s scarcity of professional pyrotechnic displays—which many local leaders have declared a no-go in the age of social distancing—presents a unique challenge for fire safety officials, who usually centre their Independence Day outreach campaigns on encouraging people to attend public fireworks shows instead of attempting to create them at home.

“While fireworks are an emblem of July 4 celebrations, in the absence of public displays this year, we strongly encourage people to find safe and creative alternatives for celebrating the holiday,” Lorraine Carli, vice president of outreach and advocacy at the National Fire Protection Association, said in a statement. “Fireworks are simply too dangerous and unpredictable to be used safely by consumers.”

Fireworks sparked roughly 19,500 fires in 2018, causing five deaths, 46 injuries to civilians and $105 million in direct property damage, according to data from the association. More than 7,000 people reported injuries related to fireworks around the 4th of July holiday last year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. More than half of those injuries were burns.

But that hasn’t dampened amateur enthusiasm for sparklers and cherry bombs. Sales of consumer fireworks for some retailers have doubled or tripled in the past month compared to last year, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association, which expects record-breaking sales numbers over the holiday weekend.

“The APA predicts an all-time high in backyard consumer fireworks sales and use as families prepare to celebrate Independence Day at home due to the pandemic and cancellation of large public celebrations,” Julie L. Heckman, the association’s executive director, said in a statement. The group recommends that firework users follow safety guidelines, such as reading the directions, not allowing children to handle fireworks and setting them off from a “hard, level surface.”

Cities across the country are already reporting higher-than-normal numbers of calls about illegal fireworks, including noise complaints. Police in Raleigh, N.C. received 105 reports of fireworks between June 12 and June 25, up from just 16 in the same time period last year. Officials in New York City fielded more than 13,000 complaints about fireworks between June 1 and June 22, compared to 32 calls in the same time period in 2019. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told reporters in early June that calls to police about illegal fireworks in May increased by 2,300% compared to last year.

“This is a serious issue,” he said. “People are frightened. People are losing sleep. Babies and kids are woken up. Pets are terrified. Our veterans and others with PTSD are experiencing real harm, and it’s a real fire hazard in our city.”

In addition to the nuisance, Carli said, an increase in at-home fireworks mishaps could overwhelm a public health system that’s already taxed from responding to Covid-19. Emergency rooms treated an estimated 9,100 fireworks injuries last year, according to federal data.

“Fireworks cause thousands of needless fires and injuries each year,” Carli said. “By simply choosing not to use consumer fireworks, these types of incidents can be easily prevented, lessening the strain on already overtaxed first responders and emergency room workers.”

Fire Fighters Charity launches urgent appeal after coronavirus fundraising downturn

by Projects

The Fire Fighters Charity has launched an urgent appeal for new donors after its usual fundraising income fell by around £200,000 per month during the lockdown period.

The charity, which offers specialist mental health, physical health and social well-being support to members of the UK’s fire services community, receives no Government funding and relies on its fundraising income to raise the £10 million it needs each year to operate its national services in support of over 55,000 members of the UK’s Fire and Rescue Services and their dependants, as well as the retired fire services community.

However, the cancellation of all face-to-face fundraising and mass participation events over the past few months and, it would seem, for much of the rest of 2020, means that the organisation’s income is falling short by hundreds of thousands of pounds each month.

CEO Dr Jill Tolfrey has explained why the charity decided to launch an urgent appeal aimed at all those across the fire services community, as well as those who admire and support it. “This is an unprecedented time for the Fire Fighters Charity. We’ve never before faced such an extended period of time without any traditional fundraising activity and, for an organisation that’s almost entirely funded through the generosity of its supporters, we need to find a way to turn this around.”

Tolfrey continued: “I’m therefore hoping that this urgent appeal will strike a chord with those generous individuals and every member of our incredible fire service family. From front line firefighters to support and control staff, retired personnel and everyone for whom we provide our services, we will always be there for you when you need us, but right now we need you. Please start donating today and let’s navigate this tough time together.”

www.firefighterscharity.org.uk/

Seven Anaheim firefighters have tested positive for coronavirus

by Americas - Featured News

Seven Anaheim firefighters have now been tested positive for coronavirus with the most recent case facing complications and put on a ventilator. The first case among the firefighters is believed to have originated on May 27, but the source of their infections is still unclear.

Officials did not reveal the names of the two stations that were impacted to protect the privacy of those impacted. Four firefighters have recovered and are expected to return to work in a few days, one is isolating at home and doing well and two are hospitalised.

“We believe the first original case was related to exposure on a call serving our community,” said Anaheim City Spokesperson Mike Lyster. “That is just the nature of coronavirus and risk of exposure that we might all encounter in our daily lives.”

“Our stations are regularly disinfected. We go through health screening checks for our firefighters and paramedics up to three times a day,” Lyster said.

The Anaheim Fire and Rescue department strongly encourages the community to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing.