PPE and Masks

As Minnesota’s EMS, fire, and police departments respond to an increasing number of emergency medical calls related to the COVID-19 pandemic, their primary protection is their personal protective equipment (PPE). This is one time when the basics really matter. 

In the blink of an eye, these calls have gone from being high risk/low probability calls to high risk/high probability calls. Be sure your department has reviewed their procedures and recently trained with their PPE for everyone’s safety.

Some reminders:

• Gloves need to be on before you leave the rig. Don’t wait to find out if you will need them or not. Review the procedure for putting them on — and particularly for taking them off.
• Review how to put on and safely remove protective clothing. Unpacking gowns or face shields and masks from the bottom of a medical bag at 3 a.m. can be confusing and time consuming if it has not been practiced.
• Be sure the PPE — particularly the face masks — fits correctly and your responders know what type of protection the mask they are using provides. As with the firefighters’ self-contained breathing apparatus, each responder should have a fit test for the mask they will wear on these calls. That test helps ensure the mask is making the correct seal with their face. Mustaches and beards will need to be shaved off or trimmed to maximize their protection.
• Your responders need to know how to do a “user seal check” once their mask is on. This involves a positive pressure test and a negative pressure test. They should also know the signs of a mask not sealing and the steps they can take to correct a problem. Here is a very short video that demonstrates the process.
• Finally, be sure your process for removing and discarding PPE is reviewed and the hazardous waste storage areas are in place. It is very easy to let down your diligence after a stressful call and not follow the protocols all the way through. 

The CDC has excellent guidance for EMS and fire first responders here.

The League of Minnesota Cities has consolidated its COVOD 19 information on our website here. This page contains a variety of resources and is continually updated.

Up next: More COVID-19 Updates

Stay safe,
Rob

Updates from the State Emergency Operations Center

The Minnesota State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) has been activated for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The center is part of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, (DPS) and the activation brings what I refer to as “all the players” together to manage and support the work going on around the state.

The staffing of the center partially depends on the type of incident or emergency. This is the incident management system in full operation.

As part of the process, the SEOC release updates periodically. This is coordinated through the DPS Office of Communication and is available to the public. Update #4 was just released yesterday. This is a source of vetted information that can assist public officials and decisionmakers at the local level in their planning and operations.

You can access the updates here via the SEOC website — find them all by clicking on the "News and Information" link in the box on the left-hand sidebar of this webpage.

Up next: More Updates

Stay safe,
Rob

Answers to COVID-19 Coverage Questions

As I write this, the League of Minnesota Cities and the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) offices are closed due to impacts of the coronavirus, or COVID-19. However, our staff is working and we are answering your questions!

LMCIT staff has been receiving questions about how workers’ compensation applies to full-time staff, paid on-call staff, and volunteer staff who are responding to emergency medical calls and may be exposed to the virus. We also know some of you are making plans to use volunteers if your call loads surge and exceed your capacity.

To help you get the answers you need, we compiled the questions we're hearing the most and gathered the answers together on our website.

As always, don’t hesitate to call us or send us an email with your questions on either the LMC or LMCIT side of the organization.

Up next: Updates From the State Emergency Operations Center

Stay safe (now more than ever),
Rob

“If You Don’t Feel Well”

Last fall when Gary Ludwig, the new president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), spoke at the Minnesota Firefighter Memorial Service, he mentioned a new initiative to reduce fatal heart attacks in the fire service. The program is called “If You Don’t Feel Well, Don’t Make it Your Farewell.”

Many of you get the national death notifications of firefighters, and it seems almost weekly we see firefighters suffering a heart attack on a call, shortly after responding to a call, or after training. Those notifications vary in the amount of detail they provide, but many note the firefighter told someone they were not feeling well prior to having the heart attack. Too often the firefighters were allowed to return home or lie down at the fire station, and the result was fatal.

The new initiative to reduce fatal heart attacks promotes an awareness of this issue and calls for an immediate EMS response. In a recent article on the program, Chief Ludwig said, “If you’re a first responder and your body is signaling to you a feeling that you have never experienced before with extreme fatigue and other symptoms, you need to act and those around you need to act.” The action must include an EMS response and evaluation.

I encourage you to bring this program into your department. Introduce the program and make it part of your culture. At the League, we are promoting the program in our Training Safety Officer classes and have added it to the safety briefings and emergency medical plans.

The IAFC has a promotional video that is a good introduction and will get your responders’ attention.

Up next: Answers to COVID-19 Coverage Questions

Stay safe,
Rob