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First responders discuss changes to slow spread of virus

Officials said crews will be taking precautions like reducing the number of responders who head to a call.

MINNEAPOLIS — Emergency responders in Hennepin County say they're taking precautions to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, as they prepare for a "dramatic" increase in 911 calls. 

Minneapolis police spokesperson, John Elder, said Friday that the department head already seen a "noticeable" increase in 911 medical calls related to the virus.

Hennepin EMS officials echoed that during Tuesday's news conference, asking people to call their doctors if they believe they've contracted the virus, not 911. 

"We do expect our call volumes to increase dramatically and so we’re going to have to try to expedite our calls when we’re there," said Hennepin EMS Chief, Marty Scheerer. "So, if we can reduce the call volumes and get the word out to the public that we don't need to call 911 if you think you have the virus, that would help the entire emergency response system out."

Meanwhile, Scheerer said crews will be taking precautions like keeping their distance from people, if possible, when they respond to calls, and reducing the number of responders who go out on calls.

"For example, if you call today and you have a breathing problem, we probably would send a fire crew with four people on it, two EMS people. So, if the situation changes, we might only send the two EMS people," Scheerer said.

Scheerer said crews will also likely be wearing protective gear, like N-95 masks, gowns, and goggles. He said Hennepin EMS has a stock of "many thousand in reserve." However, they are still working to conserve the use of the masks amid the shortage. 

Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson said he's been in contact with every police chief in the county about what to do if officers get sick.

"We've come up with a plan where if one of the city's officers gets sick, we're going to shuffle officers from a different city," Hutchinson said. 

Hutchinson also said sick workers in the county's jail have been isolated. However, he said, as of Tuesday morning none of them had tested positive for COVID-19. 

When asked whether the county would consider releasing nonviolent inmates to slow the spread of the virus among the jail population, Hutchinson entertained the possibility. 

"We’re working with the bench. We’re working with the county attorney, public defender's office.  I don’t have those answers yet, but our goal is to make sure we have ample room for our staff. Again, if we’re overcrowded, it just makes our staff more susceptible to get sick, and inmates," Hutchinson said. "But I think at this point, we’re working that out and I’m assuming at some point, if it gets worse, that we’ll release people that are nonviolent. We’re not going to release violent people in the streets. That’s one thing that we’re not going to do."

EMS officials with Hennepin Healthcare say across the metro, the average available hospital bed space is around five percent. 

"Which is not a lot," Chief Medical Director for Hennepin EMS, Jeffrey Ho, said. "Which is really sort of the foundation of the message that we're trying to get across. Where if we can slow the spread of this virus to the community, it actually lowers the peak exposure to the community. What would be really bad is if everybody in our community were exposed and got this at exactly the same time. Because that then not only overwhelms the 911 system, it overwhelms the healthcare system and the ICU bed capacity."

Ho said precautions like social distancing, hand sanitation, and avoiding large gatherings help spread out the exposure curve, helping hospitals better deal with a potential influx of patients.

KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about the Midwest specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215. And get the latest coronavirus updates sent right to your inbox every morning. Subscribe to the KARE 11 Sunrise newsletter here.

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