When a Newtown resident, business, or anyone passing through town is in distress and calls 911, they fully expect an emergency dispatcher to answer, and that there will be an appropriate response, whether it be police, ambulance volunteers, or any combination of the community’s five independent volunteer fire companies to rush to their aid.

But what if an outbreak of COVID-19 affects one or more of these services — or the need for any agency’s members to quarantine significantly reduces the number of available local police officers, fire or ambulance volunteers, or even emergency dispatchers?

Luckily, that scenario has not materialized for any of Newtown’s emergency response services, although a small number of fire company members and police officers have contracted the novel coronavirus, and a larger number have been forced to quarantine due to possible exposure.

When someone dials 911 in town, the call is typically first routed to the local emergency communications center, staffed by trained and paid dispatchers. Maureen Will, who directs that department, told The Newtown Bee that the virus, or the threat of it, has impacted a few of her staff, but has not caused, and will not ever cause, 911 calls to go unanswered.

If somehow the entire emergency dispatch staff was incapacitated by COVID-19 or for any other reason, 911 calls simply roll over to one of a network of other dispatch centers located throughout the region. But Will believes locally, she and her team are well prepared if more widespread virus-related absences strike.

“We have a COOP (Continuity of Operations) plan in place for extended or excessive personnel shortages, which is in effect,” Will said. “For us, we can go to 12-hour shifts which we have not done as of yet, but we also have mandatory overtime that fills the shifts.”

The dispatch supervisor said her agency has had one member who was out for five days until a test could be administered; a second who had traveled and was quarantined until the negative test came back; and currently one staff member is out.

“Again, workaround is the overtime,” she said. “I can cancel leave if need be, but staff is taking every precaution here and outside the agency.”

Will assured Newtown residents that her staff is apprised of all information as it pertains to COVID-19 and restrictions on a state and local level, so they are familiar with the expectations.

Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps Chief Liz Cain previously discussed her company’s acquisition of an ionizing disinfecting unit for local ambulances and paramedic vehicles, which has also been borrowed by at least one fire company. She said utilizing that special equipment, as well as following strict protective protocols when on duty, has been successful in keeping the corps virus-free.

“The only corps members that have had COVID got it when they returned to school, so it did not affect the corps or headquarters,” she said. Most corps members have received both the first and second rounds of vaccines as well.

“We’re very clean and very careful,” Cain said. “And having the ionizer is a big plus, because it helps clean areas of the ambulances that we can’t see or reach.”

‘Doing Pretty Well’

William Halstead, who is the longstanding chief of Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue as well as being Newtown’s emergency management director, said his company has been touched by the virus and related quarantines, but not enough to deter or minimize call response. He and his members have also been getting or scheduling the first round of COVID-19 vaccines — and several have completed their second round.

“At this point, I don’t see COVID as being an issue in response,” said Halstead. “Every fire company except for one has had at least one case, and we all had some quarantines, but nothing near the point where it is putting a company out of service”

Sandy Hook has seen three company members test positive and, at most, a half-dozen members temporarily quarantining due to proximity to someone who was identified as COVID-positive.

“And if we ever had a situation where more members were affected, we would automatically have a second company respond with us to provide adequate manpower,” he said.

Halstead said Sandy Hook, along with several other Newtown companies, has purchased air filters with adapters that snap on to existing air pack apparatus.

“That way you don’t have to wear an N-95 mask, because the air pack mask with the filter covers your entire face,” he said. “Then once the responder gets back, they can wash the filter or just dispose of it if they have definitely been around someone who is positive.”

From an emergency management perspective, Halstead said Newtown is fortunate to have adequate PPE and related supplies. He said some have been shared with other agencies and even the Highway Department in the event they are needed.

“I think we’re doing pretty well from a community perspective,” Halstead said. “Our five companies are doing pretty good. Some are canceling or holding virtual meetings, and we don’t allow anyone but members in our station. At least once a week, the entire fire house gets sanitized, and after every call the first thing that happens is all surfaces, microphones, door handles, and other surfaces are wiped down.

“I think everyone is doing fine right now, but if we see a personnel problem, the community can rest assured that responders from other companies — and even mutual response from other communities — will be there to answer the call,” Halstead added. “Hopefully that won’t happen, but we are now past that holiday infection window and many more people are getting shots.”

Halstead said that is no reason to stop being safe, wearing masks, disinfecting, and distancing, “but we’re looking forward to the day when we can get back together like we did before the virus.”

‘Very Fortunate’

Newtown Police spokesperson Lt Aaron Bahamonde said the local force has also endured some quarantining, but officers have continued employing “progressive CDC guidelines to keep as well protected from the virus as possible.

“Knock on wood, we have had some officers who were directly exposed,” he said, “but nobody has gotten COVID from responding to a call.”

Bahamonde said that for the filing of routine complaints, officers have been meeting most individuals outside, or have been completing non-emergency contacts by phone. Officers have phone-equipped terminals in their cars, so they can make initial outreach to those calling them, sometimes from right outside the caller’s house or business.

“Inside the building we are being safe as well, holding roll calls outside or, if weather is bad, in our sally port. Now that we’re learning more about COVID, we’re seeing how well masks and PPE are working,” he said.

Bahamonde said Newtown has a compact with numerous other neighboring police departments to provide mutual aid if staffing is ever significantly compromised, “but we have never even come close to that,” he added.

“We’ve been very fortunate,” he said. “And when an officer may experience contact with someone positive at home, we remove that officer from patrol until they test negative so as not to bring it back to [headquarters].”

Officers are also provided disinfectant spray and wipes, but Bahamonde said the top-of-the-line respirators the department acquired are doing the job protecting Newtown’s officers.

‘Business As Usual’

Steve Murphy, a local deputy fire marshal and chief of Dodgingtown Volunteer Fire Company, No. 1. Inc, said his company has also had to deal with some virus exposures.

“We have responded with Newtown Ambulance to many COVID-positive patients, but have minimized the risk by wearing our personal protective equipment,” Murphy said. “Several of our members have had to quarantine due to travel and other exposures. Thankfully, at no time did this have an impact on our ability to respond to calls.”

Even if it did, Murphy assured residents in his company’s district that there are already policies in place that activate other local or neighboring community firefighters to respond to each other’s calls as needed.

Botsford Fire Rescue Chief Andrew White said his company has only seen one member contract COVID-19, and thankfully the symptoms were relatively mild. The Botsford volunteers have not responded to any medical calls involving a confirmed COVID-19 patient “since the first wave of the virus last spring,” he added.

“And we had the necessary amount of PPE on board at that time to further mitigate any possibility of transmission,” he said. Since then his company has had “minimal” risk of exposure.

“If we get notified of a call with a possible exposure, we have trained on getting all the PPE on, and we have filters that snap on to our air packs so as we are handling someone with COVID, being fully protected is as easy as strapping on an air pack with a filter,” White said. Otherwise, whenever two or more members are meeting at the South Main Street fire station, they practice physical distancing and wear masks to minimize possible virus transmission.

“Everything is business as usual except for practicing all the required COVID prevention,” he said, adding that company members have received their first round of vaccines and are awaiting appointments for round two.

Newtown Hook & Ladder Chief Chris ‘Tug’ Ward said his company has experienced a couple of members needing to quarantine, and a similar number of exposures, but those members eventually tested negative for the virus.

“We’re going to try and keep up what we’re doing and hope for the best,” Ward said. “If more members were affected, we would just rely on mutual aid. So if a daytime call comes in, instead of sending two companies, they would send three companies. But the same goes for other situations, like during vacations.”

Ward said his company responded to several calls where members encountered COVID-positive callers in distress. It is his company’s protocol for responders to completely suit up in protective turnout gear, and, like Sandy Hook, his members have attachable air filters that plug into their air pack systems.

“Then when we get back, we throw all that gear into industrial washing machine and wash it, and we get rid of any filters used,” he said.

The Hook & Ladder chief said his volunteer company, along with the other four serving the town, has had to curtail or cancel all fundraising activities, so any support that residents and local businesses could provide would be greatly appreciated and immediately put to good use.

Hawleyville Volunteer Fire Company Chief John Basso was not immediately available to respond to questions for this report.