Nine Concord firefighters are self-quarantined at home after potential exposure to the coronavirus during two separate medical calls to the same address in the city.
Interim Concord Fire Chief Guy Newbury said Tuesday morning that the nine members will be quarantined for up to 14 days, but could be back to work sooner if they receive word of negative test results.
Two different firefighting units in the city responded to the same residence on different days for medical calls unrelated to the coronavirus, Newbury said. A patient from the home was transported to Concord Hospital twice.
“We have since become aware that another individual in the same household was exhibiting signs of COVID exposure,” Newbury said. “We are now awaiting test results for that person, which could take seven to 10 days.”
None of the nine firefighters are symptomatic at this time and don’t meet the criteria for testing, Newbury said. As a result, the crew must simply wait for the results of that lone test and, in the interim, stay in their homes, he explained.
“That’s the most difficult part – waiting,” Newbury said.
The nine firefighters were notified Monday about the potential exposure. At the time, each member was off-duty and already at home, so that is where they must stay, Newbury said.
Because the medical calls to the residence were unrelated to the coronavirus, Newbury said the firefighters did not put on personal protective gear or PPE. The scare, however, quickly resulted in a change of department policy.
“At the time, we were being mindful of our limited PPE and not using it on every call,” Newbury said. “We have changed our protocol so our members are now using PPE for any patient contact, even when COVID is not suspected.
“We know there is community spread of this virus, so any patient contact could potentially put our members at risk if they don’t have proper PPE,” he continued.
The Concord Fire Department employees 80 firefighters and emergency medical technicians. Despite the temporary loss of nine of its members, Newbury said the department remains at full strength, with all stations and units fully staffed.
Over the past few weeks, city residents have really rallied behind first responders by donating protective gear and supplies, Newbury said. He said those donations have made a big difference to the fire department.
“The city has been very supportive from the get-go and we can’t thank them enough,” Newbury said.
On Monday night, the Concord firefighters union, Professional Firefighters of Concord NH IAFF Local 1045, announced on its Facebook page that nine members had entered quarantine due to “presumptive exposure” to the new virus. In its post, the union offered its support to the members and their families.
Concord Police have no officers under quarantine as a result of possible exposure to the virus, Police Chief Bradley Osgood said.
Still, supervisors and officers talk about the need for social distancing every day, Osgood said. In addition, he said officers are taking additional steps to disinfect their clothing, equipment and shared cruisers, both in between calls and at shift changes.
“We remain very concerned for our police officers’ safety and wellness while working in the field these days,” he said in an email Tuesday.
The department has closed its lobby to the public and hung up posters encouraging residents to call the station for assistance. Overall, Concord Police, as well as other departments around the state, are trying to conduct as much routine business as possible by phone or online but have pledged to still respond in emergencies.