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Humboldt Fire Department changes operating procedures

HUMBOLDT — Several Humboldt Fire Department operating procedures have changed during the pandemic including a temporary halt to training nights. “We normally meet every two weeks to do a practice night,” said Mike Kwasnica, Humboldt’s fire chief.
Humboldt Fire Department

HUMBOLDT — Several Humboldt Fire Department operating procedures have changed during the pandemic including a temporary halt to training nights.

“We normally meet every two weeks to do a practice night,” said Mike Kwasnica, Humboldt’s fire chief.

“We’ve cancelled all our practice nights up until after this is over. This just basically eliminates any chances if one of us that is sick, they come into contact with the rest of the group and end up with a problem of not enough firefighters.”

Kwasnica said the department does not have an emergency plan currently in place should available healthy membership drop below a certain number to respond to calls.

The department has 28 firefighters.

He said an average call can be responded to with a minimum of eight members.

“This leaves us a very big resource of 20 members.”

He said that the department is keeping in regular contact with its members to ensure none of them knowingly came in contact with the virus in their recent history, or travelled. If so, the member is asked to stay at home and avoid answering calls for the time being.

“A full-time fire department – where you see in the cities like Saskatoon and Regina, they spend their shift at the hall,” Kwasnica said.

“We still have our firefighters respond like normal, but they all have their own workplaces, they all have their own homes that they live in. So, really the only times we will come together is when we do have a call.”

For protection between members, the department has decreased the number of firefighters per truck from six to four.

Should the team encounter a member of the public on one of the calls, the firefighters are instructed to stay into the truck until an assessment of the job has been completed, which should reduce the number of people that can be exposed to someone who potentially tested positive for COVID-19.

“We’re trying to do some things to just limit the contact among ourselves, as well as the contacts that we have amongst each other.”

The type of equipment used on the job will be, like usual, used on a case-by-case basis with the same considerations.

“If we are doing any vehicle extrication and we are in direct contact with a patient, we would be asking a lot of questions. We would possibly be wearing a surgical mask as a precaution, eyewear.”

N95 masks are being reserved for situations where the department comes in contact with someone who has tested positive and are showing signs and symptoms.

Kwasnica said January and February were two of the busiest months the department has faced in years, but everything slowed down by March.

“We did a couple of small calls in March, but our call volume has basically dropped to almost nothing, which is awesome. I would like to see it continue, and I think it has a lot to do with people just at home and not moving anywhere.”