Don’t Fear Calling 911 During Pandemic

Contributed Photo/San Juan Island EMS

By San Juan Island EMS

This has been a challenging year.

COVID-19 has made many people reluctant to ask for help or see a health care provider, or even worse, caused some to think that they are an added burden if they ask for assistance.

We want to reassure the public that you can continue to call 911 and receive help.

San Juan Island EMS has adequate personal protective equipment, such as masks, and procedures in place to minimize risk. Our responders know how to deal with these risks and have the tools they need.

If you call 911 for EMS, you will be asked some questions to determine if you may have COVID-19. This is not to determine whether we will come or not. It is to determine whether we need to take extra precautions. However, precautions are taken on all calls to ensure safety for everyone involved.

We treat anyone who needs us, without hesitation.

Ambulances have a barrier between the driver and the back and are decontaminated before putting them back into service after every call. The vehicles are kept neat and clean, with a minimum of clutter, to minimize the number of surfaces that need to be cleaned.

Our station is sanitized daily, and operational staff spends their time in separate spaces from administrative staff. We have spread people out so that there are rarely ever more than two people in a room for more than five minutes. Masks are always worn, and station occupancy limited to those who are on shift or have a real need to be present.

One of the concerning trends of 2020 has been how many people are waiting too long to call 911, or not calling at all, and ending up with serious complications. Please don’t let that be you!

And remember that for residents and taxpayers of our district there is no out-of-pocket expense for calling EMS.

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