by Lissa Blake
When emergency personnel respond to a 911 call, their primary concern is always to take care of the needs of the patients or victims who are the focus of the emergency call.
But during a pandemic such as what the entire world is currently facing with the COVID-19 outbreak, those responding now need to coordinate even greater measures to take care of themselves as well.
STAYING HEALTHY
Allamakee County Sheriff Clark Mellick explained how important it is to keep people who are first on the scene of an emergency response healthy.
“COVID-19 has really changed how we respond. We need to get the people the services they need, but we also don’t want to deplete our resources (by exposing emergency personnel),” said Mellick.
Mellick said when law enforcement is called to the scene of an incident, they are donning PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), including an N-95 mask and safety glasses.