PALM BAY POLICE COVID-19 UPDATE: First Responders Must Take Preventative Measures When Responding to Calls

Citizens should continue to call 911 when faced with an emergency

 

Do your best to practice social distancing with the responding crews and don’t be alarmed if they are geared in full Personal Protective Equipment

BREVARD COUNTY • PALM BAY, FLORIDA – Citizens should continue to call 911 when faced with an emergency situation. Emergency response services from the Palm Bay Police Department and Palm Bay Fire Rescue have not changed due to COVID-19; however, first responders must take preventative measures to protect themselves while responding to calls.

If you believe that you or someone in your household may have COVID-19 and you need to call 911, it’s critical that you advise the dispatcher handling your call.

Be honest when answering questions regarding recent travel, exposure to anyone who has traveled, or flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

If you have been placed in mandatory or self-imposed quarantine, please disclose that information to the dispatcher so that first responders know how to best prepare themselves to stay safe while responding to your emergency.

If possible, meet responding crews outside your home or near the front door. This measure will help to limit potential COVID-19 exposure to the crews.

Let’s protect those who protect us. If protective measures are not observed by citizens calling in an emergency, first responders could unknowingly expose themselves to the virus and pass that onto the entire station.

In such an event, the entire crew will need to be quarantined and levels of service for responding to emergencies cannot be maintained to the optimal standard.

Do your best to practice social distancing with the responding crews and don’t be alarmed if they are geared in full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), or if crew members request patients to wear surgical grade masks.

This is a necessary precaution to help minimize exposure. Safeguarding the health of first responders is essential so that they can continue to provide service and meet the needs of our community.

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