The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for fire and EMS agencies, from PPE shortages to questions of firefighter quarantine. In the webinar recording “Coronavirus & the Fire Service: 7 Key Legal Considerations,” fire service legal expert and Deputy Chief Curt Varone talks with Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder about some of the most common legal issues arising out of the COVID-19 crisis. Listen here.
Updated April 1, 2020
The United States has now confirmed more than 190,000 cases of COVID-19, 4,127 of which have resulted in death. And as the days, weeks and months progress, public health experts only expect these numbers to rise.
While governments across the country are closing non-essential businesses and ordering citizens to shelter in place, first responders, healthcare workers, corrections officers and local officials are on the frontlines, serving their communities.
What follows is a compilation of the reports of public safety personnel diagnosed with COVID-19. For cities with multiple diagnoses, the links are ordered chronologically, with the top being the most recent.
First Responder COVID-19 Diagnoses
Following is a list of first responders diagnosed with COVID-19.
alabama
Arizona
California
- Alameda — Calif. firefighter tests positive for coronavirus
- Berkeley — Berkeley firefighter tests positive for coronavirus
- Contra Costa County — Three Contra Costa firefighters test positive for COVID-19
- Milpitas — Milpitas firefighters test positive for coronavirus
- Long Beach — City of Long Beach announces first LBPD officer, additional firefighters test positive for COVID-19
- Long Beach — Eight Long Beach firefighters test positive for the coronavirus
- Los Angeles — 26 members of LAPD have tested positive for coronavirus, pre-shift temperature checks implemented for all active duty officers
- Los Angeles — Number of coronavirus infected LAPD officers grows to 15
- Los Angeles — LAX, LAPD officers test positive for coronavirus
- Manteca — Manteca Fire has two test positive for COVID-19
- Oakland — Third Oakland police officer tests positive for COVID-19
- Orange County — 3 more Orange County Fire Authority employees contract coronavirus
- Sacramento — Sacramento Metro Fire firefighter tests positive for coronavirus
- Sacramento — Workers at 2 California prisons have coronavirus
- San Bernadino County — San Bernadino County sheriff’s deputies, firefighters test postive for coronavirus
- San Jose — What the San Jose Fire Department outbreak means for first responders
- San Jose — Reserve San Jose police officer tests positive for COVID-19
- San Jose — 8 San Jose, Calif., FFs test positive for COVID-19
- Santa Barbara — Civilian sheriff’s office employee, attorney test postive for COVID-19; 12 employees now self-isolating
- Santa Barbara County — SB County Sheriff’s deputy, custody deputy test positive for COVID-19; family of custody deputy also diagnosed
- Santa Barbara County — Santa Barbara Co. Jail contract employee tests positive for COVID-19
- Santa Barbara County — Two Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies test positive for COVID-19, officials say
- Santa Clara — Santa Clara police officer diagnosed with COVID-19
- Santa Clara County — Sixth member of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office has tested positive for coronavirus
- Santa Clara County — Fourth Santa Clara County deputy contracts COVID-19
- Santa Cruz — 36-year-old firefighter and emergency medical technician in Santa Cruz, Calif., tests positive for coronavirus
- Santa Rosa — 2 additional Santa Rosa police officers tests positive For COVID-19
- Vista — Firefighter paramedic at Vista Fire diagnosed with coronavirus
Colorado
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Arapahoe County — Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office deputy has tested positive for COVID-19
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Brighton — Brighton Chief of Police in ICU after COVID-19 diagnosis
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Denver — Ten Denver firefighters test positive for coronavirus
Connecticut
- 4 cases of COVID-19 within Connecticut State Police
- Hartford — Hartford police officers test positive for COVID-19 as confirmed coronavirus cases spike
- New Haven — Four New Haven employees test positive for coronavirus
- Westport — Westport police officer tests positive for COVID-19
florida
- Broward County — 4 Broward Sheriff’s Office employees have COVID-19 and 100 others self-isolated, BSO says
- Coral Gables — 2 Coral Gables police officers test positive for new coronavirus
- Fort Lauderdale — Fort Lauderdale Police announce three new cases in their department
- Hollywood — Employee at Hollywood Police Department tests positive for COVID-19
- Miami — 2 Miami police officers test positive for coronavirus
- Miami — 3 Miami-Dade COs from 3 different jails test positive for COVID-19
- Miami — A case for social distancing: Miami mayor with COVID-19 shows virtually no symptoms
- Miami Beach — Miami Beach officer tests positive for coronavirus; Fort Lauderdale chief talks of police challenges
- Orange County — 1 Orange County firefighter tests positive for coronavirus, 15 quarantined
- Palm Beach County — Third PBSO deputy tests positive for coronavirus
- Palm Beach County — PBSO deputies test positive for coronavirus
- Tampa — 45 Fla. officers monitored after 1 tests positive for COVID-19
georgia
- DOC employee contracts COVID-19 amid calls for prison depopulation
- Atlanta — A second Atlanta police officer is diagnosed with COVID-19; others being tested
- Brunswick — Brunswick firefighter among new coronavirus cases
Illinois
- Aurora — Aurora mayor, chief of police both test positive for COVID-19
- Aurora — Aurora Police Department employee tests positive for COVID-19
- Elmhurst — Civilian employee of Elmhurst Police Department tests positive for COVID-19
- Chicago — 10 more Chicago police officers test positive for COVID-19
- Chicago — 4 members of CFD test positive for COVID-19
- Chicago — 3 more CPD officers diagnosed with COVID-19
- Chicago — Chicago police department confirms case of COVID-19
- Chicago — Source says second member Of Chicago Fire Department tests positive for coronavirus
- Chicago — Concerns grow among firefighters after CFD paramedic tests positive for coronavirus
Kansas
Kentucky
- Louisville — Louisville firefighter tests positive for COVID-19
louisiana
- New Orleans — New Orleans first responders struggle as personnel exposed to COVID-19, some test positive
Maine
Maryland
- Baltimore — Baltimore police officer and two EMS workers test positive for coronavirus
- Baltimore County — 2 Baltimore County officers test positive for coronavirus, 32 ordered to self-quarantine
- Baltimore County — Baltimore County announces two first responders tested positive for COVID-19
- Montgomery County — 4 Montgomery Co. first responders test positive for COVID-19
Massachusetts
- 5 Mass. DOC employees, 10 inmates test positive for COVID-19
- Billerica — Paramedic fifth to test positive for corona virus in Billerica
- Boston — Boston police officer tests positive for COVID-19; officer will remain home until medically cleared
- Springfield — Springfield police officer tests positive for COVID-19
- Worcester — Firefighter, fire recruit test positive for COVID-19; 7 others in department will be tested
Michigan
- Michigan DOC: 3 employees, 1 inmate test positive for COVID-19
- Battle Creek — Battle Creek police officer tests positive for COVID-19
- Detroit — Detroit Police Chief James Craig, 39 police officers have tested positive for COVID-19
- Detroit — Detroit police chief: 8 officers diagnosed with COVID-19, 233 quarantined
- River Rouge — Contract EMS worker for River Rouge tests positive for COVID-19
Minnesota
- St. Paul — St. Paul police officer tests positive for COVID-19
- Woodbury — First person: I am a COVID-19 positive paramedic
Mississippi
- Hernando — DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office responds to dispatcher’s positive COVID-19 test result
- Jackson — Jackson police officer tests positive for COVID-19, chief says
Missouri
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Kansas City — Kansas City firefighter tests positive for coronavirus
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St. Louis — St. Louis County reports 70 new COVID-19 cases, one of them a police officer
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St. Louis — St. Louis traffic division quarantined after sergeant tests positive for COVID-19
Nebraska
New Jersey
- 163 NJ police offivers have tested positive for coronavirus, State Police leader says
- Hackensack — Corrections officer at NJ jail tests positive for COVID-19
- Fanwood — NJ officer tests positive for coronavirus
- Jersey City — 2 Jersey City police officers in serious condition with coronavirus, 16 others in quarantine
- Newark — 9 Newark cops, firefighters test positive for coronavirus
New York
- Albany — 3 Albany firefighters test positive for coronavirus, stations decontaminated
- Albany — NYSP: Two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the State Police
- Buffalo — 16 Buffalo firefighters test positive for Covid-19, 50+ more showing symptoms
- Buffalo — Buffalo police officer in critical condition from Covid-19 as 3 others test positive
- Long Island — Nassau County police officer tests COVID-19 positive
- North Country — NY prison guard tests positive for COVID-19
- New York City — More than 1,000 uniformed NYPD members positive for COVID-19
- New York City — NYPD: 730 uniformed members test positive for COVID-19, up 300 from last week
- New York City — Over 500 NYPD members test positive for coronavirus
- New York City — FDNY COVID-19 cases spike to 170
- New York City — Number of DOC employees with confirmed COVID-19 cases reaches 80
- New York City — Over 300 NYPD officers test positive for COVID-19
- New York City — FDNY COVID-19 count nearly doubles in one day; 84 now tested positive
- New York City — FDNY paramedic with COVID-19 now on ventilator, family says
- New York City — 17 correctional employees have tested positive for coronavirus in NYC jails
- New York City — 129 members of NYPD test positive for COVID-19
- New York City — Nearly 4 dozen FDNY members test positive for COVID-19
- New York City — CO working on Rikers Island tests positive for COVID-19
- New York City — NYPD and FDNY report spikes in coronarvirus cases
- New York City — Fourth FDNY member, a firefighter assigned to Harlem, tests positive for coronavirus
- New York City — 31 NYPD cops call out sick after officer tests positive for COVID-19
- New York City — 3rd FDNY member tests positive for COVID-19, 30 waiting for test
- New York City — FDNY firefighter tests positive for COVID-19; 31 quarantined
- New York City — FDNY EMS provider tests positive for COVID-19
north carolina
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Mecklenburg County — Mecklenburg ambulance worker tests positive for COVID-19, MEDIC confirms
Ohio
- 3 Ohio public safety agencies no longer revealing number of personnel tested positive for COVID-19
- Akron — Two first responders diagnosed with COVID-19 in Akron, officials say
- Avon Lake — Second Avon Lake Police Officer tests postive for COVID-19
- Berea — 3 more paramedics test positive for virus
- Berea — 2 Berea paramedics test positive for COVID-19
- Cincinnati — Cincinnati police officer tests positive for COVID-19
- Cleveland — Cleveland police officer tests positive for coronavirus, sources says
- Cleveland — Fairview Park firefighter tests positive for coronavirus; city says no other staff exposed
- Cleveland Heights — Cleveland Heights police officer tests positive for coronavirus; ‘several’ more officers quarantined
- Columbus — Columbus firefighter tests positive for COVID-19
- Kent — Kent firefighter and paramedic tests positive for COVID-19 coronavirus, city says
- Lorain — Ohio officer tests positive for COVID-19
oklahoma
oregon
Pennsylvania
- Ambridge — Ambridge police officer diagnosed with COVID-19
- Middletown Township — Bucks County police officer opens up about coronavirus diagnosis
- Montgomery County — Pa. officer’s tests presumed positive for COVID-19
Rhode Island
- Portsmouth — Portsmouth firefighter tests positive for coronavirus
- Providence — RI correctional officer tests positive for COVID-19
- Providence — Providence police officer tests positive for COVID-19
Tennessee
- Memphis — Mayor Jim Strickland confirms MPD employee tests positive for COVID-19 after declaring civil emergency
- White Bluff — White Bluff mayor tests positive for COVID-19
Texas
- Austin — Austin-Travis County EMS medic tests positive for COVID-19, officials say
- Dallas — Dallas police officer tests positive for COVID-19 coronavirus
- Dallas County — 2 Texas Department of Public Safety employees test positive for COVID-19
- El Paso — Las Palmas doctor, El Paso firefighter test positive for COVID-19, officials say
- Galveston — Galveston Fire Department first responder tests positive for COVID-19
- Harris County — 3 deputies, 1 Harris County Sheriff’s Office employee test positive for coronavirus
- Houston — 11 HPD officers test positive for COVID-19
- Houston — HPD officer who tested positive for COVID-19 now hospitalized
- Patton Village — As Patton Village officer fights coronavirus, it’s ‘pray and wait’
- Plano — Plano police officer tests positive for COVID-19
- Tyler — Smith County flight paramedic diagnosed with COVID-19
virginia
- Albemarle County — Albemarle County Police Dept. employee tests positive for COVID-19
Washington
- Kirkland — Washington virus deaths hit 23, Kirkland firefighter tests positive
- Port Orchard — Kitsap County Jail officer diagnosed with COVID-19, second case connected to county campus
- Seattle — 12 Seattle police, firefighters test positive for COVID-19 so far
Washington D.C.
Wisconsin
COVID-19 Public Safety Deaths
Following is a list of public safety providers who have died after contracting COVID-19.
California
- Santa Rosa — Calif. police officer dies of COVID-19
michigan
- Detroit — Mich. DOC officer dies of COVID-19
- Detroit — Michigan lawmaker killed by virus hailed as cheerful battler
- Detroit — Detroit chief who died of COVID-19 remembered as ‘extraordinary leader’
- Detroit — Detroit police 911 dispatcher dies of COVID-19
- Wayne County — Mich. sheriff’s commander dies of COVID-19
new jersey
New York
- New York City — Amid surge of coronavirus-sickened police officers, deaths of two members of NYPD announced
- New York City — FDNY ambulance mechanic dies from COVID-19
- New York City — NYPD: First active-duty officer dies of coronavirus
- New York City — Custodian is 1st NYPD member to die from COVID-19; Deputy commissioner hospitalized
- New York City — NYC corrections investigator dies of coronavirus
- New York City — Retired FDNY fire marshal dies from COVID-19
north carolina
- Montgomery County — NC deputy dies from COVID-19
tennessee
