Fire Chief Josiah Dupuis has disclosed that his men responded to 1,493 COVID-19 call cases between March to November 2020. He said the tally goes up to 7,399 calls when the regular ambulance calls that the Fire and Ambulance Service usually gets is added to the figure – from January to November, 2020.
In order to better serve the needs of people in various health districts, Dupuis said the Fire and Ambulance Service stationed six ambulances to different districts. He added that the service also set up various logistics to enable fire and ambulance officers reach emergency situations faster. According to him, officers also underwent rigorous trainings and reskilling so that they can be better equipped to meet the changing challenges of their profession.
As part of their training, officers were taught how to respond to emergency situations, decontaminate their ambulances, sanitize infected areas, and implement protocols that pertain to health and fire situations. In rare cases where officers were exposed to COVID-19 patients, such officers were quarantined for the required number of days and contact tracing carried out until they test negative for the exposure.
Fire Chief Dupuis said no fire and ambulance officers have tested positive for COVID-19 despite their close brushes with symptomatic people. He said officers were initially afraid for their lives when the coronavirus pandemic just emerged in Dominica, but they learnt to overcome their fears through practical training and actual responses to public calls.
The chief fire officer also revealed that his department has responded to 367 bushfires and 29 house fires within the course of the year. He urged Dominicans to be wary of open fires and to adopt safe burning practices that would not endanger anyone or the natural environment in any way.
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