COVID-19 — One Year Later: Emergency service providers change procedures in response to coronavirus

Over the past year, the rise of COVID-19 has required people to make changes in aspects of their everyday lives. These changes extended to emergency service providers and their ability to safely and effectively perform their jobs.

Locally, the Cape Girardeau Police Department, Cape Girardeau Fire Department and Cape County Private Ambulance have all been affected in some way by the pandemic.

According to Sgt. Joey Hann, the police department was impacted by having to adapt to community changes in response to COVID, while still providing the same level of service to the citizens of Cape Girardeau.

"Many victims did not want to travel to the police department or have contact with an officer at their homes due to their own health concerns," Hann said. "For this reason, we created a system for filing police reports over the phone or online, if the crime was not in progress, non-violent in nature and required no physical evidence processing. Follow-up investigations were still conducted on these crimes but the initial report could be made without physical contact."

Officers still had to regularly enter homes and businesses during their shifts, potentially exposing themselves to the virus at a higher rate than the general public.

"These same officers had to return home after their shift and methodically attempt to decontaminate themselves and all their gear and equipment before interacting with their own families to mitigate their family's exposure," Hann said. "Regardless of the increased risk, our officers still did a commendable job of staying on task and staying motivated to perform their duties without repeated or lengthy absences from duty."

Despite some crime rates increasing on a national scale, Hann said the Cape Girardeau Police Department hasn't experience any major fluctuations.

"Our reports of domestic assaults were actually lower within the city at a time when this same crime spiked in major cities," Hann said.

Cape Girardeau police made use of CARES Act funds to purchase ultraviolet lights -- used to disinfect vehicles, equipment and interior workspaces -- something the fire department and ambulance service also utilize.

According to interim chief Randy Morris, the fire department has placed a major emphasis on cleaning since the start of the pandemic.

"We have cleaned more than we ever have before," Morris said. "We sanitize items used after every call. We also use ultraviolet lights to sanitize our apparatus cabs and living areas throughout the stations."

The fire department has placed more of an emphasis on personal protective equipment for responders during medical emergencies that are respiratory in nature.

"Masks have become the new norm similar to how gloves became the new norm during the AIDS pandemic," Morris said. "Over this past year, we have shut down the stations for visitors and minimized our outreach into the community. We did not like that, but felt that keeping our personnel well to respond to emergencies in our community was worth it."

During the pandemic, the fire department received automatic compression devices, which assist with performing CPR.

"This allows for the device to give compressions at a steady rate with minimal contact with the patient," Morris said. "They have been used numerous times last year, some on confirmed COVID patients, and have even proved to attribute to a successful patient outcome."

Morris suspects in 30% of the fire department's total EMS calls COVID was suspected, meaning the caller answered "yes" to screening questions or were confirmed positive for the virus.

Paramedic Fred Gross said Cape County Private Ambulance received an increase in calls reporting respiratory symptoms, as well as an increase in calls from younger patients.

"Our call volume increases each year and we face that challenge head on," Gross said. "The pandemic is no different, though it meant we took extra precautions."

The ambulance service added an additional ventilator to its resources in 2020 -- in the event of multiple respiratory patients in need of long-distance transport -- and has increased safety training to prepare EMS crews for possible changes in patient care because of the virus.

"We have refocused on crew safety and infection prevention protocols for the benefit of both our staff and patients," Gross said.

Despite the many changes caused by COVID-19, Gross found one positive from the pandemic.

"Like other businesses, we have had our staffing struggles," Gross said. "But the pandemic also brought us new team members that were inspired to pursue a career in emergency services."