Hillsborough County Fire Rescue take steps to prevent possible spread of COVID-19

article

Courtesy: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue

TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough County fire rescue personnel has instituted protocols to identify potential COVID-19 patients and to train crews to use an AeroClave machine, which thoroughly decontaminates the ambulances after delivering a patient.

Several cases of the potentially fatal disease have been identified in Florida, including one in Hillsborough County.

HCFR has one AeroClave apparatus and has ordered a second one. The machines are about the size of a suitcase or portable cooler, emit a disinfecting fog that covers all surfaces within an ambulance with a safe chemical. It's more thorough and efficient at disinfecting hard-to-reach surfaces than wipes generally used to decontaminate the vehicles. The process also is faster. It takes 30 to 45 minutes, compared to about two hours to disinfect an ambulance with wipes.

According to HCRF, it would be too expensive and too time-consuming to treat every patient as though they had CODI-19, so HCFR developed a two-tier screening to determine when to implement this procedure.

First Screening: If a caller requesting help offers details indicating the ill person might have been exposed to COVID-19, a 911 operator asks a series of questions seeking details about the person's symptoms and whether they recently have visited certain foreign countries.

Second Screening: Upon arriving, Fire Rescue crews assess the patient and ask questions to corroborate the 911 operator's report. For example, did the ill person actually go to China recently, as initially stated? Also, fewer rescuers might respond to a call, reducing their possible exposure.

Fire Rescue has had its AeroClave for a few years. It acquired the machine when the Ebola virus threatened. Personnel have trained with the machine, but never used it on a live call.

If you feel sick

The Florida Department of Health has opened a COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Agents will answer questions Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours.

LINK: Florida's COVID-19 website

CORONAVIRUS IN FLORIDA: What you need to know