The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases is training a team of 30 first responders that will be used as emergency back up for any Ebola cases detected within the country.
According to Military Times, the team consists of five people trained in infectious disease protocols, five doctors specializing in infectious diseases and 20 critical care nurses. All of them are servicemembers, and they come from multiple military branches. This group will be sent to any medical facilities that may encounter patients who test positive for the highly contagious virus.
The source reported that the team was assembled after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel received a request from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Topics that the emergency team will learn include how to properly use medical hazard gear and how to safely handle people infected with Ebola. Additionally, a few members will receive thorough training specific to controlling contagious hemorrhagic fevers.
Time magazine noted that these medical professionals are being prepared strictly to help U.S. hospitals in the event that they receive an infected patient. They will not be sent overseas to help anti-Ebola initiatives in West Africa.
The team will begin training at Fort Sam in Houston, Texas. They do not have an immediate assignment, but will be kept in "prepare to deploy" status after their training is complete, noted Military Times.
As a Coast Guard base in Newport, Oregon, is preparing to close on Nov. 30, local residents are fighting to keep it open.
KOIN 6 reported that a district meeting was held in the area on Oct. 20 to discuss the potential risks involved with shutting down the facility. Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard attended, as well as large numbers of concerned citizens hoping to have their voices heard.
The source noted that the central concern is Newport's distance from other Coast Guard locations. If the base in question shuts down, Guard servicemembers would need to come from institutions in either North Bend or Astoria, Oregon – both of which require at least a one-hour helicopter ride. While officials tried to reassure the locals that this arrangement was a suitable option, expressions of concern and worry were overwhelming.
One of the main groups raising questions about safety was the Newport Fishermen's Wives. According to KOIN 6, the organization brought a petition to the meeting that contained over 18,000 signatures in support of keeping the base open.
KGW Portland reported that the planned shutdown is due to budget constraints. As of now, it will still take place despite local concern.
Now that multiple cases of the Ebola virus have been confirmed in the U.S., the nation's first responders are gearing up to deal with the illness. While government officials have clearly stated that the risk of the virus becoming an epidemic within the country is extremely low, these emergency workers will be prepared to handle anything.
New York City
Because of its status as an international city, as well as being a typical point of entry to the U.S. from people all over the world, NYC has started taking preventative measures against Ebola. According to ABC 7 News New York, first responders at area airports have been given "High-Risk Kits," which contain biohazard bags, disinfecting wipes, face and eye masks, gloves and a gown. First responders will be called in to deal with airline passengers displaying symptoms of the contagious virus and will need this protective gear to prevent the spread of the disease. Special training has been given to ambulance workers in the region, with special instructions on how to deal with emergencies involving people who recently traveled to West Africa, where the Ebola outbreak began, noted the source.
Washington, D.C.
First responders in the nation's capital have also been involved in thorough training, with the city's officials regularly issuing memos reminding workers what to do in the event they encounter the disease. According to ABC 7 News, every emergency medical technician in the region has been equipped with hazard-prevention suits including boots, gowns and respirator masks. Nearby Dulles International Airport in Virginia will start Ebola screenings for symptomatic passengers, noted the source.
Chicago
According to NBC Chicago, the city's O'Hare International Airport is a popular destination for people traveling from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the West African nations greatly affected by the Ebola outbreak. Because of this, first responders will screen any passengers arriving from these countries. In addition to asking them questions about their potential interactions with infected people, they will take their temperatures. Anybody showing any evidence of Ebola-like symptoms will immediately be quarantined and taken to an area hospital, reported the source.
The National Marine Corps Museum, located in Triangle, Virginia, has opened a temporary exhibit honoring those lost in 9/11.
According to Military Times, the display, which has been named "9/11 – We Remember," specifically honors the 17 New York City firefighters who were also Marines and were killed in the attacks 13 years ago.
The museum's website noted that the memorial will show actual debris from the attacks, including an I-beam and a piece of the Pentagon. It will also display a Marine Corps flag that was found standing up in the wreckage near the Pentagon after the attacks.
Military Times noted that The Fire Department of New York branch of the Marine Corps Association will hold an event on Sunday outside of the museum to honor the new memorial.
Currently, the museum has another temporary exhibit entitled "War and Peace Tintypes Show." The exhibit features Civil War-style tintype photographs of modern-day soldiers. It displays nine women and 15 men of various racial backgrounds, ages and military positions and was shot by photographer Melissa Cacciola. This exhibit will be open until December 2014.
Northern California's King fire, which started on Sept. 13, has grown to be roughly the size of Atlanta, according to The Weather Channel.
The blaze is estimated to be 18 percent contained. Cooler temperatures and light rain over the weekend helped officials make progress, but an anticipated heat wave has them hoping they can keep up, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
There are currently 5,000 firefighters working around the clock to contain the flames. According to CBS Sacramento, every firefighter is doing 12-hour shifts using carefully mapped out Incident Action Plans. They are committed to keeping the fire from spreading as well as keeping residents safe.
The Weather Channel reported that 87,000 acres have already been burned. While most of this damage has taken place in remote locations like Eldorado National Forest and Tahoe National Forest, 10 houses have been destroyed and 12,000 are considered threatened reported the Chronicle.
While the King fire may seem insurmountable, firefighters and officials remain optimistic. Firefighter spokesman Mike McMillan told CBS Sacramento that they have been successful in pushing flames away from residential areas and further into the wilderness, where they are easier to deal with.
"In this area we feel pretty good about the progress we're making. We've got some water going right to this," he said.
El Dorado County, California, has been struggling to stop the King Fire since Saturday afternoon.
The forest fire, which now measures 18 square miles, is only 5 percent contained, reported USA Today. Local firefighters have enlisted the help of a Type 1 incident management team to help them face the out-of-control flames. According to source, around 1,555 firefighters are currently working hard to contain and eradicate the disaster.
Fox40 reported that many homes in the area have been forced to evacuate. El Dorado County also canceled school due to the fire's potential displacement of people in the area. The source noted that schools are also being used by firefighters to store equipment and by the Red Cross as emergency shelter.
While the magnitude and severity of the fire is definitely cause for concern, the situation is in the best hands possible. USA Today noted that the Type 1 team is made up of the most qualified and seasoned fire control specialists in the nation. According to The Yakima Herald, they will use their expertise to minimize the flames to a level manageable for local teams.
Kittitas Valley fire chief John Sinclair told The Yakima Herald, "The team typically buttons these things up pretty good. When they hand it back to the locals, they have done significant work."
Sept. 16 marks the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. The attack was performed by Aaron Alexis, a Navy contractor and former sailor who was speculated to be mentally ill, reported The Washington Post.
The random shooting was eventually stopped by Carl Hiott, a U.S. Park Police Officer, and Dorian DeSantis, a member of the D.C. tactical police team, according to The Washington Post.
Twelve people were killed during the rampage. Their names were read by Vice Adm. William Hilarides during a ceremony at the site of the attack and they were symbolically awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal for Valor, according to Military Times.
Additionally, eight servicemembers were honored for their actions during the shooting. They were awarded the highest non-combat honor, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, for acting quickly, evacuating colleagues and offering emergency medical care to those wounded during the attack.
The shooting took place in the former headquarters of Naval Sea Systems Command, building 197. The building hasn't been used in a year due to the damage it sustained. Since 197's offices were moved to different offices in the area, many of the Naval employees hadn't seen one another since the attacks. Military Times described the ceremony as a bittersweet reunion.
All over the nation, memorials were held on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 11, remembering the thousands of victims who were killed in the terrorist attacks 13 years ago, including a number of first responders who died trying to save the lives of civilians.
In San Diego, 900 people climbed the stairs of the Hilton San Diego Bay Front Hotel, holding photos of victims. The hotel was chosen because it has 110 floors – the same number of floors as the World Trade Center, noted ABC 10 News. To honor first responders, many participants wore SWAT and firefighter apparel. Similar tributes were organized in Ohio, Florida and Texas and all over the country.
Back in New York, blue rays of light emerged from the former location of the Twin Towers on Wednesday night. In the morning, Lower Manhattan observed a moment of silence for the fallen at 8:46 and 9:03, the times when the planes hit the towers, according to The New York Times. Family members of victims read the names of their loved ones out loud in a memorial ceremony.
In Washington D.C., the Pentagon, another building that was attacked, unveiled an American flag on its side as the sun rose. This was followed by a remembrance ceremony hosted by President Obama for families who lost loved ones in the attacks, according to NBC Washington. The president gave a speech commending the strength of these families and the nation as a whole.
According to Newsweek, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is observing the 13th anniversary of the attacks by unveiling new exhibits. On Sept. 7 the museum opened its display documenting the search and capture of Osama bin Laden.
The exhibit features artifacts and photographs from the 2011 mission, including a shirt worn by a member of the U.S. Navy Seal Team 6, the servicemembers active in completing the assignment. The New York Times noted that the museum will also release a new video, featuring narration by Whoopi Goldberg. The video sheds light on the story of the 9/11 "survivor tree," a pear tree badly damaged during the attacks that was excavated from the rubble and later replanted in the Bronx. Today, the tree has blossomed back to full health with the help of the New York City Parks Department.
Newsweek noted that the 9/11 Memorial has hosted upward of 15 million visitors since it opened its doors in 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. The museum, which opened in May 2013, has been visited over 900,000 times.
A government program to transfer unneeded military hardware to police stations has recently come under fire since violent protests broke out in Ferguson, Missouri, according to CNN. Police using high-powered rifles, stun grenades and armored vehicles have entered the media spotlight after hours of coverage on riots in Ferguson, and many people are asking how police forces got their hands on such powerful equipment.
The law enforcement support program
Two years after a heavily armed duo of gunmen committed a bank robbery in North Hollywood in 1997, the Defense Department Defense Logistics Agency started a program to give law enforcement officials military hardware that was not being used by the military, CNN reported. However, since the program's establishment, some citizens are asking whether weaponry designed for military purpose and servicemembers belongs in the hands of police forces. Government officials contend that the actions in Ferguson do not speak for the entire program in general, though.
"My hunch is that many of these [law enforcement] agencies out there would tell you that some of this equipment saves lives and protects citizens," Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters. "And so while we're all focused on what's going on in Ferguson … let's be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water here."
Moreover, the government official stated that police stations must go through a particular registration process before obtaining any hardware made for military benefits.
"We don't push equipment on anybody … It is made available to law enforcement agencies if they want it and if they qualify for it," Kirby said. "There's a lot of due diligence here. This isn't some program run amok."
Supplying police with regulated equipment
Program 1033 – the official designation of the military hardware repurposing effort – is a congressionally mandated and funded initiative, according to Stars and Stripes. CNN reported that $450 million of military hardware had been given to law enforcement agencies in 2013 alone. Ferguson specifically has received two Humvees, one generator and one cargo trailer since 2007. However, the St. Louis County Police Department has received six pistols, 12 rifles, 15 weapon sites, an explosives disposal robot, three helicopters, seven Humvees and two night-vision devices, according to Kirby.
Some worry about how police forces use military equipment when they receive it. The military and Congress do not designate how the hardware must be used, according to Kirby.
"It's still up to local law enforcement to determine how and when and where and under what circumstances they use excess military equipment," Kirby told reporters.
Since the controversy in Ferguson has increased focus on police militarization, President Barack Obama has called for a review of the program, saying that looking at how funds are spent by police stations and how equipment is used may help to reinforce boundaries between the police and military, according to a press release.
"There is a big difference between our military and our local law enforcement and we don't want those lines blurred, that would be contrary to our traditions and I think that there will be some bipartisan interest in reexamining some of those programs," Obama said.