For decades the medical community has told us that masks do not help prevent the spread of illness. We were even ridiculed with, “all a mask does is make you look silly like the Asians walking through airports” etc. This week I have heard nursing supervisors frantically in tears over the need for masks” in order to protect our workers and our patients”.
That tune sure did change. Wonder why?
Looking for sense in any of the messaging around this thing is a fool's errand. Total sh*tshow all around.It was definitely a bit odd when a few weeks ago they were urging people not to buy them because they do not help stop the spread of the virus unless you have it and are protecting others. They went on to say don’t buy them because it could cause a shortage and we need to keep this supply for our medical providers. I’m not saying we don’t need to protect those guys. But that messaging just seemed to make no sense.
So at the risk of over simplifying what we as first responders have been told by NFPA Infection controls as well as our dept of health:
Regular dust masks are helpful in infected persons wearing one to reduce coughs or sneezes introducing airborne droplets.
N95 masks are to be worn by the non infected healthcare workers to filter any small diameter airborne droplets from being inhaled.
As I said before in another post we have been advised to either N95 mask or wear our SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus ) designed to filter smoke and noxious vapors through our mask and we have 45 minute or 1 hour bottled air supply into homes, car accidents, or other cases.
Several changes have been made in the last week regarding our response to 911 calls as well...
1) "Normally" the fire dept is dispatched anytime there might be a need to provide lifting assistance to Paramedic personnel that need to transport a patient. That is stopped... The only EMS calls we are being dispatched to are Cardiac Arrest.
2) EMS/ PMs are no longer going in 3 deep to a call, 1 goes to the patient, and 2 stay in the apparatus.
3) We have been told all training, classes, and certifications have been cancelled as of last week through July. We have been preparing for a certification to reduce fire insurance rates in our district for over a year that was scheduled for April 28 and it has been postponed until August.
I am waiting to hear if my brother and his family will be quarantined. He is a Captain LEO and the mother of the other Captain in his dept has been hospitalized with Covid. It has now hit close to home...Family friends of ours are living out those changes to firemen and EMS. My wife’s friend’s husband is among the Houston firefighters who are now quarantined after being exposed and he is experiencing some potential symptoms. Waiting on tests.
Oh I’m sure there will be. These plants and factories are still running with thousands of people working and the infections will keep spreading easily. We have to do a complete shutdown to contain this thing but we all know that’s not going to happen.It’s happening in Oak Ridge. One worker confirmed with it was around other people and they’re continuing to work. Probably won’t be long before there’s a big outbreak there.
Yeah, they said if he shows symptoms within a week, then we'll likely close down. If he doesn't by next week, then he can come back to work. Waiting game at this point, but everybody running around here with Lysol and Clorox.They sent him home? Any idea how long ago he was exposed? I’m assuming the protocol is wait to see if he has any symptoms?
Oh I’m sure there will be. These plants and factories are still running with thousands of people working and the infections will keep spreading easily. We have to do a complete shutdown to contain this thing but we all know that’s not going to happen.
Do you believe in the herd mentality approach to this ?Still spouting this lunacy I see. This virus is never going away and a vaccine is months/years if ever away. So you shut it down now for 3 months what do you do when it pops back up after we come out of our holes trying to get back to work? Shut it down again?