Monroe County Emergency Services has shifted personnel around to account for the short-term unavailability of three staffers who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Among the departmental changes is the temporary removal of the full-time staffer at Station 3 (Juliette), who will be called upon to assist at other stations. Other part-time employees or staffers housed at outlying stations could also be called upon to take on larger short-term roles. Another key change is that Monroe County’s 13 fire stations will be closed again to the public as they were for several months earlier this year in order to keep firefighters and citizens safe from Coronavirus spread.
Monroe County Emergency Services’ high quality and rapid response time will not be affected as a result of the staff shortage. Fire/EMS staffers will continue to wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) when responding to calls and are continuing to take all measures possible to prevent additional staffers from contracting the virus.
When ranking Monroe County Emergency Services’ officials discovered that the affected staffers may have been exposed to the virus early last week, the three employees were sent home to self-quarantine even before learning the positive results of their Coronavirus tests later in the week. Due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) privacy law, Monroe County will not reveal the identity of the staffers who have tested positive for the virus. The affected staffers are currently going through the contact tracing process to determine any other persons who may have been exposed to the virus.
Monroe County Emergency Services Chief Deputy Jason Lott urged members of the public to wear masks and continue to abide by the state’s social distancing guidelines.
Lott said, “Please limit your outside exposure and help us be protected by protecting yourself.”
Monroe County Emergency Services has no further information on the matter at this time. We will continue to notify the public should any additional pertinent COVID-19-related information becomes available.
