SEATTLE - The 13th Coast Guard District has implemented a groundbreaking technology to assist mariners in distress on the waters of the Pacific Northwest.

Across Washington and Oregon, mariners can provide vital location information to Coast Guard rescue crews from their smartphones without having to download an application. In addition to common life-saving devices known to mariners, such as Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB's) and VHF radios, the Coast Guard now has the i911 application as an additional tool to provide lifesaving information from a mariner's cell phone.

Members of the local law enforcement community especially the Hoquiam Police Department remembered Hoquiam Officer Donald Burke who was killed in the line of duty on April 16th 1980 at 5:20 pm 

He did not know it at the time, but the station wagon Officer Donald Burke was chasing was carrying career criminals Robert DeAngelis and Rodney Hagedorn. The two men had robbed a bank in Kirkland six days earlier and just the day before, had kidnapped a man and robbed a store in Port Orchard.

Copalis Crossing, Fire District 16 is saying that after many years of struggling to recruit and retain volunteers to staff Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for the residents of Grays Harbor County Fire Protection District No. 16, the Board of Fire Commissioners have made the decision to merge their Fire District with the neighboring District to the west. Grays Harbor County Fire Protection District No. 7 currently serves the areas of Copalis Beach, Ocean City, and North Bay. Fire District No. 7 has agreed to expand their primary response area to encompass that currently covered by Fire District No. 16

Grays Harbor Public Health recruiting volunteers for a variety of roles related to COVID-19 Local health, safety, and preparedness begins with you.

In the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19, it is important to be ready to respond to a variety of community needs. Grays Harbor Public Health is recruiting potential volunteers who may be asked to serve in a variety of functions during their response to COVID-19. Volunteer health practitioners are especially critical to help meet emerging demands for health practitioners in areas impacted by COVID-19.

You've worked hard in your career to master a variety of skills – in medicine, public health, safety, logistics, communications or a number of other areas. Volunteering with entities like Public Health is a simple and effective way to use and improve those skills, while helping to keep your family, friends and neighbors safe and healthy.

Grays Harbor Public Health has information and a form available for interested volunteers on their website at www.healthygh.org/covid19volunteer. Information and resources related to COVID-19 are available at www.healthygh.org/covid19 and are updated regularly as the situation evolves.

Volunteers should also consider registering with other community-based volunteer organizations that do critical work to serve family, friends, and neighbors such as the American Red Cross at https://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer.html.

About Grays Harbor County Public Health & Social Services Department

Grays Harbor County Public Health & Social Services Department works to improve the health and well-being of the people of Grays Harbor.

Visit our website at http://www.healthyGH.org. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/healthyghc.