Dallas Fire-Rescue has continued to respond to calls without delays during COVID-19 pandemic
Dallas Fire-Rescue has continued to respond to calls without delays during COVID-19 pandemic
Dallas Fire-Rescue has now had more than 100 people within its ranks test positive for COVID-19 since March.
DALLAS - Dallas Fire-Rescue has now had more than 100 people within its ranks test positive for COVID-19 since March.
DFR said those infected include some firefighters and employees.
About 40 firefighters and employees are in quarantine because of possible exposure from other employees who recently tested positive.
Jim McDade, head of the Dallas Fire Fighters Association, said only three members have been hospitalized out of the 101 people who have tested positive.
During the pandemic, Dallas Fire-Rescue, which has about 2,000 employees, has continued to do their job, coming in contact with different people every day.
All of the first responders wear masks and other PPE when interacting with the public.
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At its peak, last month, more than 60 firefighters had to be quarantined.
McDade said they have still been able to respond to every call without delays.
”We've been very lucky that we haven't had anyone, we've only had three members that have been hospitalized over the past few months. They are all out now. We’ve been lucky in that case, the Houston Fire Department just lost a firefighter. He passed away from COVID-19. We are lucky that we haven't had anything like that happen,” he said. “PPE wise, the department has done a good job. The state has done a good job of getting everything to everyone. We got dangerously low, but we never ran out of anything.”
McDade said a majority of those who have been infected with COVID-19 got it when they were not at work.