QUINCY, MASS. (WHDH) - As concern regarding the novel coronavirus continues to escalate, first responders in Quincy say they are prepared to face the new challenge.
Kevin Mont, Emergency Services Director at Fallon Ambulance in Quincy, showed 7’s Byron Barnett the protective clothing paramedics and EMTs wear when responding to suspected coronavirus patients.
Though there have not been any cases of the virus in New England, first responders say they are training up on protocol released from federal health officials on how to treat potential patients.
In addition to wearing masks over the nose and mouth, one of the new guidelines issued by the CDC after the coronavirus outbreak is the addition of clear face shields.
The new procedures put out by the Centers For Disease Control begins in the dispatch room — where the calls for help first come in.
The dispatchers screen the calls by asking specific questions when coronavirus is suspected.
They’ll ask questions like, “have you traveled to China, or the affected area in China, or have you been in contact with someone who has been in that area,” EMS director for Fall Ambulance Kevin Mot explained.
That information is then relayed to the ambulance so the crews can prepare with protective gear.
The first responders then re-interview the patient on scene and if coronavirus is still suspected, the paramedics and EMTs load the patient into the ambulance and then radio ahead to the hospital.
“So that they can prepare any isolation room in the hospital that they might want,” Mot said. “At times hospitals want you to come in a different way and things like that to minimize the risk of contamination.”
Mot said that first responders are already on high alert due to flu season.
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