September 30, 2020 Issue, Page 13 of 24

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PG14 HOMETOWN HEROES | Wednesday, September 30, 2020 personnel will wear N95 respira- to be tested. tors. The whole EMS department has “If they are known COVID, been tested twice for the virus. we wear the gowns, the full face Temperatures and symptoms are shields and all that,” Chervenka checked each morning when em- said. ployees arrive. For medics who have to take “If anyone shows up with any a patient to Oklahoma City, they symptoms, we have them tested at will wear full isolation gear in the that time,” Chervenka said. “They back of the ambulance for mul- don’t return to work until they’re tiple hours. negative.” “After a COVID exposure or a He said as long personnel wear symptomatic patient, we'll take their full gear when dealing with the truck back here, and we’ll COVID-19 patients, their expo- open up all the doors and we’ll sure is minimal. completely sanitize and clean the “And that’s CDC guidelines,” whole unit and let it sit in the air he said. “As long as we do what for around 30 minutes,” Cher- CDC says we should, our expo- EMS personnel from Elk City Fire Department are, from left, Chris venka said. “And then sanitize one sure is minimal and we don’t have more time, wipe everything and to do a lot. We just self-monitor Nidey, Alex Northcott, Andrew Northcott, Javon Collins, Dylan Pol- then we’ll place that truck back in other than that.” lard, Ransom Thompson, Jeff Poole, Brian Pierce and Derrick Ellis. service. And then those crews will In addition to all the cleaning of Staff photo by Don Munsch. shower out. They’ll launder their the vehicles and ensuring clothes clothes and shower out.” are laundered, employees must number has been sporadic, as tacts a week with known COVID ten a bit lately, and he hoped to see Chervenka said emergency per- shower and have to change uni- those numbers have ticked up late- patients,” he said. “That doesn’t that dropoff continue. sonnel try to stay on top of coro- forms before they go home for the ly, Chervenka said. include the symptomatic ones that As far as garb that EMS per- navirus information, as they have day to limit spread. At the station, “Tn a week, we transfer two to we don’t know yet. Seems like sonnel wear, with every patient policies and plans, and through the there have been no coronavirus in- three a week right now to Okla- in the last few weeks, as with the that paramedics see, they wear EMS division, they manage all the fections, Chervenka said. homa City and then we run on state, we’re seeing a spike in CO- facemasks. But with people who city exposures to all city employ- Other aspects of the paramedic probably about the same, and so VID cases.” have respiratory issues or COV- ees and track those cases and rec- job remain the same as before, we probably about six to 10 con- The numbers appeared to flat- ID-19-like symptoms, emergency ommend testing to those who need such as communicating with pa- WE ARE ESSENTIAL BINTZ & ELLIS Thank you to our staff and From your friends at Great Plains Bank other essential >> workers for being Great Plains Bank there when needed. MEMBER FDIC