Including limiting public access to fire station
— from Kim Kimple for Orcas Island Fire & Rescue —
Over the past month Orcas Island Fire and Rescue has been busy working to implement procedures for COVID-19 response, as well as do our part to limit the potential of community spread. With public and first responder safety being our first priority there are a number of precautions we will be taking throughout the course of COVID-19.
Beginning Monday, March 16, the department will be limiting public access to the fire station, including closure of the meeting room and reduction of non-emergency community services. At this time the business office will remain open during regular hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., though you are strongly encouraged to call 376-2331 instead of stopping in.
Those wanting to purchase burn permits are being asked to complete
the process online.
If you or someone you have been in proximity to are experiencing cold- or flu-like symptoms, or have a fever and cough, please do not come to the fire station – stay home and contact your primary care provider. If you are experiencing a medical emergency stay where you are and dial 9-1-1.
As we continue emergency response, you may see responders in personal protective equipment including gloves, safety glasses, masks and gowns. Please know that responders are following safety protocols put in place to protect patients and personnel and wearing this equipment does not necessarily indicate the patient has COVID-19.
Orcas Island Fire and Rescue is in communication with local healthcare providers for coordinated response and care for any future suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, should the situation arise.
Thank you for doing your part in keeping our community healthy by washing your hands well and often, keeping them away from your face, and remaining home if you or your loved ones are sick. More information is available on our website at www.orcasfire.org.
Well done and none too soon. Our EMTS/
Firefighters/ and paramedics must be protected—y’all
are our Maginot Line. Much appreciated, and
overly used perhaps overused.
y’all out there:
If you go off island and have ANY contact with mainlanders, or attend a crowded event OR
even more importantly,
FLY IN OR OUT OR THROUGH anywhere-shelter at home til you know you’re clear.
We don’t want to be another hot spot.
An idea: Rather than just curtail use/access to many of the public gathering places here on Orcas, should these places get proactive and follow the practices the Senior Center has adopted: that of disinfecting and sanitize/ spritzing the meeting places and food preparing areas. The WSF practice is to disinfect-wipe-down in between each run of the ferry. There are approved disinfectants and hand sanitizers.
Stay healthy, Orcas….
Has a travel ban, restriction or some type of warning been discussed? On an island so vulnerable, preventing infections from visiting outsiders or even mainland commuters is a challenging but critical part of the equation. Has the Chamber, WA Ferry System addressed this at all?
I think, following the press releases, that all this is being done, Robert.
The present strategy is being called a “blended” mix of contact tracing and containment, plus general mitigation.
..As of this minute, 1230PM Thursday12, there are apparently no known cases here so general mitigation measures are indicated. It would be a major step to stop ferry travel, it would be like putting a barrier across I-5.
..But other general mitigation measures we are hearing are in effect. The reality of this new bug is that community spread can be undetectable at first, until those that are most vulnerable are made ill, as happened in Kirkland. So the best approach is to protect those most vulnerable while slowing the spread with general mitigation measures.
..Shutting down transportation systems is not one of those measures, but “social distancing,” and wise hygiene is, as this press release by OIFR indicates. It’s the best we can do. It is sortof a natural disaster where we have only partial control: we cannot stop the high winds, but we can protect plan and outlast.
-Is the long and short of it IMHO.