Spokane Valley fire cancels March events over coronavirus

The Spokane Valley Fire Department is canceling all March events due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, and the city of Spokane Fire Department will evaluate public activities on a case-by-case basis.

Both fire departments have already asked crews to increase their vigilance when responding to 911 calls involving flu-like symptoms and are sending personnel equipped with personal protective gear, such as goggles, masks and gloves.

For the Spokane Valley department, the event cancellations are a further precaution in case COVID-19 spreads in the Spokane area, according to a news release. The cancellations include CPR training, station tours, smoke alarm installations and other public events.

The department has spent the last few weeks working on emergency management contingency plans, according to a news release. The department also asked people not to visit fire district stations throughout the county unless necessary.

“We are limiting our risk in a proactive approach so that we are healthy and available should a regional health need arise,” Spokane Valley Fire Chief Bryan Collins said in a statement.

Spokane fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said the Spokane Fire Department will assess the risk of individual public events and nonemergency responses to determine if they are necessary or can be postponed.

“For us, every activity that we have is going to be evaluated,” Schaeffer said. “There are always ways you can mitigate that risk.”

That includes inspection of health care facilities and nursing homes, where influenza outbreaks have occurred but not COVID-19 cases, Schaeffer said. The department would consider factors such as personal protective equipment and the risk of disease transmission before deciding to move forward.

So far no events have been canceled, according to Schaeffer.

He likened the city fire department’s response to COVID-19 to how it handled a norovirus outbreak in 2016.

“All of those mitigation efforts is what allowed us to contain that disease,” Schaeffer said.

For 911 calls, dispatchers are asking people about medical symptoms and travel related to potential COVID-19 transmission, Schaeffer said. If the dispatcher identifies risks related to COVID-19, they activate a special set of pandemic protocols.

Those protocols involve sending only one first responder in full protective gear into a location with a patient who potentially has a serious infectious disease, Schaeffer said. If the person has to be transported to a hospital, protocols come into effect that involve preparation of the ambulance, distance from the driver and notification of the hospital .

“There are some things we simply have to take the risk,” Schaeffer said.