Prevention Steps In Place At Lake County E911 For Covid-19 Threat
Today RNS inquired about the safety protocols occurring at Lake County E911 dispatch center and their plan to combat the COVID-19 Outbreak while ensuring the citizens someone will be there to answer their call.
Ryan Cusack, Administrative Coordinator / PIO for the Lake County E911 Center addressed our questions immediately. “The professional telecommunicators of Lake County 911 are essential to emergency response in Lake County and we are lucky to have their dedication to our community as they report to work each and every day,“ Cusack said. “To protect them, and our support staff, we have taken many precautions while also ensuring the continuity of 911 services for Lake County,” Cusack said.
“Since January 29th, we have been providing updates to our staff pertaining to the coronavirus (since renamed COVID-19) threat. These updates have included information ranging from personal hygiene recommendations to operational changes and concerns.”
“We have distributed disease prevention materials to staff members at all levels and worked continuously with the Lake County Commissioners and Lake County Human Resources Department to ensure we were consistent with County policies, while also doing our best to protect our telecommunicators and support staff,” Cusack told RNS.
Some of the steps taken include:
- Restricting visitor access to the dispatch center.
- Telework for non-essential personnel.
- Disinfecting wipes and medical gloves provided to dispatch staff.
- Enhanced cleaning and disinfection by housekeeping staff, especially of high-touch surfaces.
- Modified schedule for housekeeping staff to extend cleaning frequency throughout the day.
- Consultation with mechanical systems (HVAC) contractor to ensure proper air-quality for the 911 center.
- Maximized physical spacing between assigned work positions.
- Developed a continuity of operations policy specifically related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
- Communication with staff about the signs and symptoms of contagious illness and to not report for work if they are affected.
- Required staff to report exposures, or potential exposures, to other ill people and family members.
“Our management team remains in constant contact with operational staff, other Lake County Officials, and respective community leaders,” Cusack said. “It’s a team effort to prevent spread of illness in our dispatch center and we will continue these efforts until the threat has passed.“
I posted about problems at the E911 center about 10 days ago, along with calling into WJOB with my concerns. The salaries being paid to the dispatchers aren’t high enough to attract qualified employees. Several experienced dispatchers have quit because of the mismanagement at the agency and the ones that remain are being asked to work 60 to 70 hour work weeks. Overworked, exhausted dispatchers are much more vulnerable to illness and dispatchers are still being forced to share keyboards. It is impossible to sanitize the keyboards.