Monroe Fire resumed responding to EMS calls prior to the July 4th holiday weekend after temporarily halting the surface when the first wave of COVID-19 spread throughout the state of Louisiana.
The decision to stop EMS response was announced on March 23, and services resumed on Thursday.
In March, Chief Terry Williams said inadequate levels of personal protective equipment helped inform the decision to limit EMS response. On Thursday, Williams said MFD feels the department has ample supplies to start EMS runs again and to sustain operations for a time period.
Williams said there is nothing MFD likes more than serving the public, but it was necessary to halt EMS runs to be part of the solution and not the problem.
“We learned really quick here at the Monroe Fire Department that we are not exempt from COVID. Nobody is,” Williams said.
EMS Coordinator Megan Talton said MFD was able to purchase supplies and also wrote a grant to obtain additional gear.