In response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak currently occurring, we wanted to take a moment to ensure our citizens that we are taking additional precautions to ensure that we can continue to provide uninterrupted service to our community while protecting our staff. Our department leadership has been in contact with local health officials and is closely reviewing guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
You have undoubtedly noticed that many businesses and healthcare facilities across the region have modified their normal processes in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. While these changes may present an inconvenience for you, it is important that we adjust to them without panic. The goal is to slow the spread of the illness as to not overwhelm our healthcare resources. These steps will certainly save lives. Remember, while you and your loved ones may be at a low risk for complications from this virus, others are not so lucky. Our community has many good people with underlying health conditions that put them at extreme risk of dangerous complications from this virus. It should also be noted that people can transmit the virus while they are asymptomatic so it is extremely important to comply with government recommendations.
It is important to ensure that our emergency services have adequate resources to respond to not only to individuals experiencing emergencies related to COVID-19, but also for our routine emergency calls such as fires, accidents, technical rescues and other emergency medical calls. It is no secret that volunteerism has been rapidly declining in recent years and there are less people willing to commit the time necessary to meet the required minimum training, continuing education and increased call volume. First responders across the nation have been dealing with increasing responsibilities for several years while staffing levels continue to decline. We simply can’t risk losing large percentages of our staff to quarantine in the event that they become exposed to the virus. For this reason, with the help of our public safety dispatchers at the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, we are taking additional steps to minimize the risk to our staff.
You may notice some operational changes if you do need to activate emergency services in our community. First of all, when our dispatchers take a call, they will ask a series of screening questions to determine if there is an elevated risk of COVID-19 at the location of the call. Please be patient with the dispatchers. The questions will only take a few seconds and will help us to take the appropriate precautions during our response. The information will be relayed to responding agencies so we can modify our response if necessary. If the responses from the screening questions indicate that there is elevated risk or the dispatch information suggests that we should have an increased index of suspicion, we will take additional infection control precautions as determined by our plan. You might notice a decreased number of responders staffing our units. Our plan is to limit the number of firefighters or EMS providers that respond to certain calls. Additional personnel might stage outside the location of the call to be available if they are needed. Remember, these decisions will be based off of dispatch information and are subject to change. We respond to a large number of calls in a normal year that would fit the criteria that we are implementing for the new infection control guidance. Just because you may see us taking these additional precautions does not mean that we suspect that the patient has COVID-19. There are many other reasons that a person could have a fever or difficulty breathing. We are simply following a protocol.
This is a very fluid situation and as we learn more about the disease, the plan will be modified as needed. Below is what we are asking of the members of our community.
- If you are having minor symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever or cough, self-isolate, contact your doctor and follow their recommendations.
- If you or a loved one are having symptoms of a possible medical emergency such as chest pain, significant shortness of breath, an altered level of consciousness or bluish lips and/or face, call 911 without delay.
- Calmly answer all of the dispatch questions and follow their instructions.
- Ensure that you remain close to the phone that you utilized to call 911 if possible. If you are no longer connected to the 911 dispatcher, responding agencies may attempt to contact you to ask additional screening questions prior to making patient contact.
- If you are calling 911 for a reason unrelated to COVID-19 and anyone in the house has fever, cough or difficulty breathing, ensure that you are passing that information onto the dispatcher so all responding agencies are aware of the potential risk.
- Please use good social distance practices at all times. You may be tempted to approach emergency responders when they arrive on scene. Please maintain at least six feet of distance from our staff and allow our designated emergency provider approach you once we have taken the proper precautions.
- Remember that even though we are a small community and we know many of the patients that we care for, these are extreme times for us. We have an extremely limited supply of personal protective equipment and we have implemented a plan to conserve this equipment as much as possible while the supply chain disruptions exist. You or a bystander might be tempted to approach a responder that you know however, that person might not be the designated caregiver for your call. Please do not approach the other responders.
- Please understand that this is not an ideal situation for any of us. We are doing our best to adapt to the changes which are coming almost daily. Please do not take it personally if we do not appear as approachable as we normally are. We are simply using the minimal amount of resources that we have to keep our staff and their families safe. We have a limited number of trained emergency responders in the area and a widespread quarantine of our staff would be crippling to our operation.
- Most importantly, follow the guidance of your government officials. Americans have a long history of persevering during times of crisis. We will make it through this challenging time just as we have during past disasters. The most important thing right now is to remain calm and slow the spread of the virus so our healthcare system is not overwhelmed. This is best accomplished by limiting exposure to other people. In our mobile society, this is a lot to ask but please think about the safety of essential services personnel and the vulnerable populations that you are putting at risk if you ignore the guidance.
Below are some links with additional resources.
Iowa Department of Public Health - https://idph.iowa.gov/
Louisa County Public Health - http://www.louisacountypublichealth.com/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - https://www.cdc.gov/
World Health Organization - https://www.who.int/
120 entries in the News
Wapello Fire and Rescue recognized two of our members for their outstanding achievements during our annual Christmas dinner and training Tuesday evening. Every year the Fire Chief, First Assistant and Second Assistant choose two members that have made significant contributions to our organization. These members are selected from our roster of active full-time members for their contributions to our firefighting and emergency medical operations. These selections are always difficult beca...
In response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak currently occurring, we wanted to take a moment to ensure our citizens that we are taking additional precautions to ensure that we can continue to provide uninterrupted service to our community while protecting our staff. Our department leadership has been in contact with local health officials and is closely reviewing guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.You have undoubtedly...
Wapello Fire and Rescue celebrated two service milestones and recognized two of our members for their outstanding achievements during our annual Christmas dinner and training Monday evening. Every year the Fire Chief, First Assistant and Second Assistant choose two members that have made significant contributions to our organization. These members are selected from our roster of active full-time members and the categories are Firefighter of the Year and Emergency Medical Provider of th...
In June 2018, an onsite audit of Wapello Fire Department was conducted by Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. ISO is a company that collects and evaluates information from communities in the United States on their fire suppression capabilities. The data is analyzed using their Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) and then a Public Protection Classification (PPCTM) grade is assigned to the community.ISO is an independent company that serves insurance companies, com...
Wapello Fire and Rescue recognized two of our members for their outstanding service. Every year the Fire Chief, First Assistant and Second Assistant choose two members that have made significant contributions to our organization. These members are selected from our roster of active full-time members and the categories are Firefighter of the Year and Emergency Medical Provider of the Year. These selections are not easy ones to make for our chief officers as we have many members that mak...
Wapello Fire and Rescue and Wapello Community Ambulance have been awarded a Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant for the purchase of new cardiac monitor/defibrillators for each agency. The agencies filed a joint regional grant application this January during the fiscal year 2015 grant application period.The total grant amount is $65,150 with a federal share of $62,048 and a local match of $3,102. The grant will fund the purchase of two Physio Control Lifepak 15 cardia...
Wapello Fire and Rescue welcomed one new member and the newly elected department officers assumed their roles on April 12th. Shane Hemphill was voted onto probationary membership at the department's regular meeting on Tuesday. Shane resides in rural Wapello with his wife Michelle and three children. He brings several years of prior firefighting and EMS experience having formerly volunteered in Morning Sun. Also at the meeting Tuesday, our department officers which were elected in M...
Wapello Fire & Rescue 2015 Incident Summary Calls By LocationTotal City Calls26266.7%Total Rural Calls13133.3%Total Calls393 Calls By GroupEMS Calls29875.8%Fire Dept. Calls9524.2% Mutual Aid SummaryMutual Aid Given235.9%Mutual Aid Received143.6% Responses By Location/GroupCity EMS Calls23058.5%City Fire Dept. Calls328.1%Rural EMS Calls6817.3%Rural Fire Dept. Calls6316.0% Responses By Incide...
Wapello Fire and Rescue recognized two of our members at our annual Christmas Party last night. Every year the Fire Chief, First Assistant and Second Assistant choose two members that have made outstanding contributions to our organization. These members are selected from our roster of active full-time members and the categories are Firefighter of the Year and Emergency Medical Provider of the Year. These selections are not easy ones to make for our chief officers as we have many membe...
The October Calendar Raffle winner has been drawn. The winning calendar is calendar 339 that belongs to Robert Van Houten of Wilton, IA. Robert selected the Ruger SR1911 as his prize. Be sure to pick up your 2016 Raffle Calendar. For $25 you get 24 chances in 2016 as compared to 12 in 2015 for an extra $5! You can even purchase the calendars online in our online store. Click here to purchase yours today and mailed to your home.
Wapello Police Department Press Release:On October 16, 2015 the Wapello Police Department arrested Amber Dawn Carr, 39, Wapello, for Arson 1st Degree (Class B Felony), Insurance Fraud (Class D Felony), and two counts of Child Endangerment (Aggravated Misdemeanor). These charges stem from a garage fire that occurred at 510 S Main Street, Wapello on July 29, 2015. This was the second fire at this location in four days. This case was investigated by the Wapello Police Department, Special...
The September Calendar Raffle winner is calendar 692 that belongs to Lyle Cook of Wapello. Lyle chose the Ruger American Rifle as his prize. Congratulations to Lyle and watch for the 2016 calendars to be on sale very soon.
The August Calendar Winner is Calendar 445 that belongs to John Kramer from Muscatine, Ia. John chose the Harrington Shotgun as his prize. Watch for details on the 2016 edition to be on sale soon!
Wapello Fire and Rescue welcomed four new faces to the department at its regular business meeting tonight. Brad Quigley, Adam Parsons,Justin Chesmore, and Cobi Cline are welcome new additions to our dedicated group of volunteers. Brad Quigley is a local businessman and former member of the department, Adam Parsons is the Louisa County Attorney,Justin Chesmore will be entering his senior year at Wapello High School this fall, and Cobi Cline will be entering his junior year at Wapello High Sc...
DES MOINES, Iowa—Recent crash data shows that motorists are buckling up more during the day than at night. The Click It or Ticket campaign across Iowa and the United States is focusing on heightened seat belt enforcement 24-7, and a more defined focus of seat belt enforcement will take place between the evening/overnight hours of 6 p.m. and 5:59 a.m., due to the significant number of violators and fatal crashes during this time period.Over the last ten years, Iowa has averaged 5.3 traffic ...
Calendar 918 held by Nate Hayes was drawn as the winner for March. Nate selected the Henry Survival AR7 as his prize. Congratulations to Nate on his win.
The February Calendar Raffle winner was calendar 340 that belongs to Tom Gall of Burlington, IA. Tom selected the Remington Versamax Sportsmand 12g 3.5" Shotgun. Congratulations to Tom!
Wapello Fire and Rescue held its annual Christmas Party on Tuesday December 23, 2014. The Christmas party was held in conjunction with the normal monthly training meeting. The firefighters were provided with a nice meal which is a very small token of appreciation for the thousands of hours of training, call time, fundraising and behind the scenes work that the members contribute each year. As in previous years, select members were recognized for distinguished service to the departm...
The winner of the December Calendar Raffle drawing was Brett Nagle of Wapello. Brett chose the Christmas cash. Congratulations to Brett and the other 2014 winners. Calendars for 2015 are still available. Please email guns@wapellofireandrescue.com if you are interested.
The October Calendar Raffle Winner is Calendar 672 which belongs to Mindy Newsom of Atalissa, Ia. Mindy chose the $400 credit with Servpro Cleaning. Congratulations to Mindy and good luck on the remaining two drawings this year. 2015 calendars are available now! Cost is $20 again which puts the buyer in for 12 chances at the 2015 prizes. Calendars can be purchased from any Wapello Fire and Rescue member or by emailing us at guns@wapellofireandrescue.com Get yo...
120 entries in the News
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