FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Fond du Lac County has the third highest count of COVID-19 cases in the state.
Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue is making sure its team stays healthy and gives the best care it can during this pandemic.
“If we suspect somebody that is ill, maybe with flu-like symptoms, we have certain precautions we’ll take and extreme caution if we get information that somebody may be subjected to the coronavirus,” Fire Chief Peter O’Leary said.
O’Leary tells FOX his team practices body substance isolation on calls.
“His eyes are protected, his mouth so he’s not going to have any mucus membrane that would go into contact. Then if he gets any bodily fluids on him in this area and this is the area he could be worried about that he’d work on.”
When they’re done treating the patient, O’Leary says the first responder’s clothes are washed and the ambulance is decontaminated.
“He’d take everything off everything but his shoes, he’d clean his shoes, but he’d take off everything he’s got clothing wise. We’d wash it all in our extractor washer, and he’d put on clean clothes. Then they would decontaminate the ambulance. They might do that before they leave the hospital because often times they might end up on another call.”
O’Leary says there’s always a risk involved with their work, but they’re staying as safe as they can.
“We live in these quarters, we know it would spread fast. We can’t afford to lose a third of our workforce because that would put us at a deficit.”
Fond Du Lac County with at least 11 cases of coronavirus.
