Time is precious and information vital when it comes to those trained to respond to 911 calls.
The COVID-19 pandemic, while new compared to generations-old emergencies such as automobile accidents, fires, cardiac arrests and domestic disputes, continues to generate its share of calls in Johnson County.
Each call is screened so emergency personnel can gather pertinent information and prepare for the environment they’re responding to. That’s not new. But there is a new list of questions including: whether the patient has a fever and, if so, how high; a cough; shortness of breath; or other new respiratory symptoms.
“We’re asking questions based off of flu-like symptoms. Are you or does anybody there have a fever, chills, persistent cough or anything like that,” said Heath Brant, the county’s 911 director. “It allows us to inform the men and women in the field that the individual they’re going to come into contact with is experiencing these symptoms.
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“What we’re doing gives them a starting point, and they make their own assessment when they get to the scene.”
Emergency workers can put on the equipment necessary to protect themselves from possible exposure to the virus, which has already taken the lives of eight Johnson County residents.
The process hasn’t slowed response times, said Mike Pruitt, spokesperson for the Bargersville Community Fire Department and the county’s Joint Incident Management Team.
“It’s definitely not hurting response times,” Pruitt said. “We have the ability to dispatch the fire department before we’re completed with the actual phone call.
“In this case—with the coronavirus—we received permission to put that information in, and it’s basically for our first responders to use. We may take a little bit more time when we arrive on the scene to ask questions.”
Pruitt, who started his new role in February, is one of 14 local leaders who make up the county’s incident management team, which has daily briefings.
It is the team’s responsibility to gather and share as much valuable information as possible in an effort to keep everyone informed and those on the front lines safe. That includes folks at home. Social media plays a significant role in that.
“People are learning as we go about preparedness and how to live without,” Pruitt said. “We’ve been doing everything we can to educate our folks on how to stay healthy. We check our personnel twice a day, and if anyone is showing any signs (of illness), we will send them home.
“We do everything we can to keep our people healthy because the one thing we can’t afford to lose is public safety.”
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Here is a look at the questions 911 dispatchers are asking callers:
Have you/patient experienced any of the following:
• Fever? (If so, how high of a temperature)
• Chills?
• Persistent cough?
• Symptoms of lower respiratory illness such as difficulty breathing or shortness of breath?
• Any other new respiratory problems such as sneezing, coughing, wheezing, etc.?
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