From CentralMaine.com:
Mount Vernon Rescue Director Pat Rawson voiced her concern: The rescue squad, which also handles calls in Vienna, has very few protective gowns to go along with some N95 masks.
Rawson also said that she has applied twice to the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for that equipment, adding that two members of the department have not been successfully fit-tested with N95 masks.
She lastly noted that two department members are in the “high risk” category and will not be responding to calls.
Whitefield Fire Chief Scott Higgins said his department’s rescue team is trying to put more procedures in place to handle the outbreak. He said the department is trying to supply them with the best personal protective equipment as possible while information about coronavirus the virus evolves.
Somerville Fire Chief Michael Dostie said things are stable for his department, although Jefferson fire officials, who handle medical calls for Somerville, relayed that response times will be slower because dispatchers and responders will ask more questions before leaving for calls.
In Augusta, Fire Chief Roger Audette, also the city’s acting emergency management director, said last week the company had more than 2,000 N95 masks in a supply room before the coronavirus crisis. He said paramedics responding to a call in which someone could be infected with the coronavirus follow strict state guidelines for what they wear to the call, including a gown, goggles, a special mask and booties over their shoes.
Winthrop Ambulance Service Chief John Dovinsky said his department was currently set fairly well with safety equipment, but that could change. He also said that communication has been consistent from state and federal CDCs, as well as Maine Emergency Medical Services.
Audette said public safety workers, when cleaning and disinfecting fire stations, were using the same disposable medical gloves they use for emergencies, but for that task, they switched to using ones normally used by food service workers at the Augusta Civic Center.
Although no one seems to know how long the coronavirus pandemic will last, what is clear, Dovinsky said, is for people to keep to themselves, especially if they’re feeling sick.
