Some 80 percent of calls the fire department responds to are medical emergencies. Emergency medical workers with the San Francisco Fire Department, with help from dispatchers, are implementing distancing where possible on calls, including by asking callers to meet first responders outside, said SFFD Public Information Officer Lt. Jonathan Baxter. First responders are also wearing protective equipment and taking extra decontamination measures.
“What we have in place right now is the dispatchers are asking the person these very questions: Can you come outside to meet the crews? Is there anybody home who is sick? If there are people there with you, can you ask them to go to another room when the first responders arrive?” — Jonathan Baxter
A segment from our radio show, “Civic.” Listen daily at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on 102.5 FM in San Francisco.
