As coronavirus spreads, first responders are also getting sick. As a result, D.C.-area departments are planning ahead to ensure they can avoid any changes to emergency response.
At last release, D.C. Deputy Mayor Kevin Donahue said 12 police officers tested positive for the coronavirus and 154 were quarantined.
“They can absorb several hundred outages before we get to the point where we have a planned diminishment of service,” Donahue said at a news conference Thursday.
Both D.C. Fire & EMS and D.C. Police assess call volumes and crime to estimate the staffing needed. Police can absorb 10% of employees calling out sick, which is about 400 people. But once the numbers rise past 30% of the department’s 4,000 employees, Donahue said the unit will reach a breaking point.