3. Protect and Defend Human Resources. Your most valuable asset is your people. Encourage your first responders and EMTs to wash their hands routinely, even outside of patient contact. Especially on duty, encourage a combination of alcohol-based sanitizer and soap/water. Further, if crewmembers become sick, encourage them to stay away from work. Even if it is hard to fill shifts (whether you are paid or volunteer), refrain from making exceptions. If even one person is sick and infects your other responders, you could be in a worse situation. For volunteer or even paid organizations, look into backup arrangements (including training) to utilize facilities staff or public safety staff as ambulance drivers if your local regulations allow for it.
4. Isolate the Patient Module. The patient module, as described above, is also intended to be isolated from the cab of the ambulance. This is because the cab is not able to be 100 percent disinfected – the upholstery and other materials may absorb instead of resist biological or other agents. Therefore, keep any pass-through doors closed at all times until the ambulance is disinfected and cleaned. In addition, most ambulance units have a negative pressure ventilation system (venting to the outside) that should also be activated until the module is cleaned and disinfected. Note that these measures should be in place even after the patient is removed because the pathogens may still exist in the module surfaces and air.
5. Report and Track. The only way significant trends and statistics will ever show up in relevant data is if the data is reported in the first place. Campus EMS should provide up-to-date information regarding ILI transports to the public health function on campus and possibly to the surrounding communities.
We don’t have campus-based EMS, so why should we care? Aside from preparing your public safety departments as discussed above, you should still link up with the local EMS providers. This is because as the first responders to your campus, they may be able to track trends and statistics that could prove valuable to your public health infrastructure. These external organizations may not have an obligation to report ILI or other incidents to you but as an institution, you may still be expected to monitor the public health environment. Demonstrate due diligence and establish a formal or informal reporting system with local EMS providers.
Further guidance for EMS can always be found at the CDC’s website for EMS.
Cmdr. Shad U. Ahmed is the Director of the National Institute for Public Safety Research and Training and Chief of Emergency Medical Services at the University of Rhode Island. He is the Principal Investigator on a Homeland Security project developing a national training curriculum for colleges and universities in emergency planning and mass evacuation. Cmdr. Ahmed may be reached at [email protected]
