By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Personal Protective Equipment resources are still at a premium in Reno County.
"It's on a weekly basis, really," said Hutchinson Fire Chief Steven Beer. "It's what we're waiting on every week, is additional equipment to come in and to keep us afloat on the front lines of things out there on a daily basis. Right now, we're sitting pretty good. We got some gowns that just came in and some new N95 masks and stuff like that. We're pretty good right now, but that stuff goes real fast. We continue to run our daily calls, working with Reno County EMS."
The procedure for those calls has changed a bit due to COVID-19.
"There is actually a protocol in the dispatch center, it starts there," Beer said. "When a person calls in, the dispatcher is going to ask them some key questions. They can put them into a response for a COVID response for us, so we're aware of that. Also, if somebody has respiratory problems, known medical conditions, difficulty breathing, stuff like that, which are higher risk calls for us right now, we're definitely putting on an N95, a gown, gloves and glasses on all those types of calls."
They also use PPE on any calls where they would need to use CPR, but some PPE is getting used on almost any call where they have to go in to a home.
"Right away, we're sending one person in the house in PPE," Beer said. "They're going to do an assessment, ask some quick questions of the patient. If the other people are needed in the house, they'll go in. If they're not, they're going to stay out. We're going to try to get that victim to come outside right away."
The goal is to do the work outside in the fresh air in an effort to reduce possible infection risk.