Group training sessions will be cancelled until the CDC group gathering restrictions are relaxed from their current state. While training is important, at this time I feel it is necessary to keep us as isolated as possible to ensure the best availability for our citizens. While many of us are in a demographic that is not threatened significantly by this virus, all of us, in our duties, are regularly in contact with those that are a threat. Additionally, if this grows like it did in Italy, which current trends suggest it might, there may be a heavy demand on anyone with a medical license or background, including our EMTs. It is my feeling that the risk/reward at this time is tilted heavily towards risk, which is why I am calling off group training.
If you would like any one-on-one training for any specific task or apparatus, this would be a good time. We can set up a time that works outside of the normal hours if necessary. If you still feel the need to contribute in other ways, first of all, thank you! I will offer training credit to anyone that proceeds to do truck readiness checks including med bag reviews this week. Either go by yourself, or with someone you can learn from or teach, and send me a picture of something you worked on or familiarized yourself with.
Actual hand soap has been restocked at each station in order to enable proper hand washing. Hand sanitizer is acceptable in the field, but it would be best to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water whenever possible. At stations 1 and 3, this is available by the bay doors with improvised water supplies. In station 4, each bathroom and the kitchen have hand soap available.
There is a shipment of PPE relevant for COVID-19 on the way from SEMA. I will send an announcement with details once it arrives. There is ongoing discussion within the county about our future dispatching protocols, which may result in a lighter call volume. I will update this page and send out further notifications as things change.
I know many people feel we are overreacting as a nation, but we are not virologists or infectious disease experts, so we should listen to the advice of those that are. Remember, we will never know if we over react, but we will definitely know if we under react.
Stay home, stay isolated, and flatten the curve!