After a COVID-19 infection scare last month left 10 members of his team in quarantine, White River Township Fire Chief Jeremy Pell wanted to take every step possible to keep all 70 of the department’s firefighters and emergency medical personnel healthy during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
So, Pell divided up his team, reopening its former firehouse off State Road 37.
He relocated half the staff from the department’s Ladder Company, Station 51, to the former Station 53 to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation of limiting gatherings of 10 or more people, he said.
Although the former station was turned over to the Indiana Department of Transportation to make way for the I-69 extension, the fire department has a hold over agreement to use the building during this time, Pell said.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
“INDOT has been a great partner with us by allowing our crew members access to the building,” Pell said. “It would be difficult to find a suitable space to house our crews (without their help).”
The old station was already set up for habitation after 10 White River Township firefighters were quarantined last month after possible COVID-19 exposure. They sheltered there while they waited for results, he said.
With four members per shift at the former Station 53, and six or seven per shift at the department’s three other stations, the move will limit the number of staff at each station to a maximum of seven, Pell said.
Although public safety agencies are generally exempt from this requirement, Pell wanted to go above and beyond and set a good example for the people of Greenwood and the surrounding areas, he said.
“My reasoning behind this is our community obviously needs care now more than they ever have,” Pell said. “This fire department will stay intact. When they call us, they will get the same care they always did.”
Additional social distancing steps include limiting staff to one station for the duration of the pandemic, frequent cleaning, and being cognizant when cooking and conducting meetings, Pell said.
The department is also actively monitoring employee health, including pre-shift temperature checks, screening for symptoms and inquiries about recent potential exposure to the virus, he said.
The guidelines being used by the department were set by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), a union for firefighters in the United States and Canada, Pell said. Departments all over the country are following the same guidelines, he said.
Many of IAFF’s guidelines are similar to those set by the CDC for all Americans. But, firefighters are also asked to:
- avoid contact with any sick person without wearing personal protective equipment;
- avoid bringing work clothes home and bringing things from home that could be contaminated;
- maintain social distancing on and off duty;
- wear a surgical or cloth mask at the station and at home.
To help the department and community slow the spread, Pell asks residents to stay home, socially distance and be wary of the “hidden enemy” of the virus, he said.
“We can see a fire or a tree that has fallen in the road, but we can’t see this,” Pell said. “An enemy who can’t find us can’t hurt us, so stay inside and stay apart.”
