As government officials continue to impose new restrictions on residents for their safety throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, local first responders are also taking steps to protect their own, whose work must continue through the pandemic.
County EMS Director Ray Vipperman said Tuesday that the agency is taking new precautions to ensure safety and limit potential viral transmission.
The first step of that, he said, is screening patients during initial dispatch calls. According to Vipperman, the emergency communications department is implementing statewide protocols to screen patients for COVID-19 symptoms, recent travel and more.