Even though they’re still doing their jobs out in the public, our first responders have dealt with changes big and small to their daily routines because of coronavirus.
The doors are usually open to the public at East Hartford firehouses.
Coronavirus has forced the department to put restrictions in place.
"Regrettably we have to close the firehouses to visitors. And we enjoy having the neighbors stop by and kids from the neighborhood and all that but unfortunately today in today's world until further notice we can’t do that," Chief John Oates said.
Most first responders’ work is not inside a firehouse, police station, or ambulance bay, but rather out in the field.
Making sure its EMTs and paramedics are healthy is a priority at Ambulance Service of Manchester, to the point that it does a temperature check on all employees coming on shift.
ASM Infection Control Officer Melissa Osborne said, "In order to continue serving these communities effectively, we have implemented a health screening for both our office and our road employees. This will ensure the continued health and safety of our employees and the communities and patients we serve.”
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At the Vernon Police Department, they’re coming up with innovative ways to be mindful of social distancing due to coronavirus.
"We've been looking at what reports we can take over the phone, versus what reports require a police officer. And there’s many types of things. For example, a fraud that in many cases we can take those reports over the phone, without having a face to face meeting with the person," Lt. Bill Meier explained.
