'We’re still there for people': Vaughan firefighter vows as coronavirus spreads
#Supportourheroes: From SARS to 9/11 and ice storms, past crises are valued lessons learned in fight against COVID-19
Yorkregion.com
April 2, 2020
John Cudmore
It’s almost business as usual for many first responders.
More accurately, as usual as can be in a global pandemic.
For that, thank experience.
Response from emergency services to COVID-19 has surely been gleaned from previous crisis events. SARS in 2003, 9/11 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil and the 2013 ice storm are obvious contributors.
Invaluable lessons for front-liners.
“It’s not that we are changing so much but adding things along the way,” said Jack Benbihy, a district chief for Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service. “Vaughan is a training department. So we’re reacting for a lot of things that could happen. Right now (COVID-19) is a priority.”
Awareness starts at home base. Daily routine is scrutinized. Sanitary precautions and health checks to start shifts are the new normal.
Coworkers a few weeks ago might linger after shifts to socialize with replacements. Such interaction is swapped for safe distancing and non-contact. Equipment, including trucks, receive extra sanitizing.
“We don’t congregate or stick around,” said 23-year veteran Benbihy. “Even some of our training now is online or by Skype or FaceTime on our phones.”
While protocols have evolved since SARS raged 17 years ago, method and application have improved dramatically.
“Having gone through SARS we learned a lot in the prehospital care setting,” said Andrea Cann, a platoon leader for York Region Paramedic Services, who worked in Toronto in 2003. “Maybe that helps ease anxiety levels a bit.”
Precautions start from the moment call-takers answer the phone, mindful for the safety of paramedics.
“Our screening process is heightened,” said Cann, who has worked five of her 18-year career at YRPS. “A lot of our practices are quite normal now and are adapted to make the community safe.”
Terrorist attacks in 2011 were a game-changer.
“The big one was 9/11 with the unknown,” said platoon chief Brian Culp, a Vaughan firefighter of 23 years. “We locked down stations. Since then we’ve stepped up our game.
“Even during SARS, people were not prepping properly and going from room to room without proper equipment. Now people are better educated.”
Cann urges callers to be honest and forthright with call-takers.
“If you’re in self-isolation, or are experiencing flu-like symptoms, pass that information along to call-takers,” she said. “Keep our front-line workers safe so they can continue to protect and help you.”
Every stage in the process benefits, said Benbihy.
“It’s always the unknown,” he said. “Even after calls are screened you don’t really know where or what you are going into.
“I do notice some unease as the public realizes the numbers.”
Community interaction is curtailed. Locked down halls mean no visits from citizens. School outings and other public events are suspended.
Still, Culp offers assuring words.
“We never say ‘No.’ We’re still there for people,” he said. “They’re not going to not have our service. So, for us, it’s business as usual.”
Cann notices the response in the community.
“There are some really positive things I’ve noticed,” she said, explaining how a group of women brought flowers to her company vehicle outside Markham Stouffville Hospital.
“They said ‘thank you’ and that was really appreciated.
“I’ve seen signs of support in windows obviously drawn by children. That’s really touching.”
