Local fire chiefs are saying COVID-19 has complicated their usual response procedures.

Before Steinbach Fire Chief Kelvin Toews explains the changes his department has made he provides this caveat: “The actual act of firefighting has not changed, if there is a fire, we do what we have to do to put it out.”

Despite having the same objective they have always had, there are new factors firefighters have to address; new dangers that are unrelated to flame and smoke.

“When we go to false alarms or CO alarms, we no longer just enter the building right away,” explains Toews. “We first ask the owner a series of questions about how they're feeling and the health of the individuals who live there.”

After a brief screening process, a limited number of members will enter the building wearing all of the necessary personal protective equipment to assess the situation.

Another big change for firefighters is how they respond to vehicle collisions. On that, Stuartburn Fire Chief Bob Fostey weighs in.

“If we’re dealing with any victims at a motor vehicle accident there are some questions we try to ask, we try to screen them to the extent that we can,” he notes. “We also place an N95 mask on them to help keep any airborne particles away from us.”

If the scene is a structure fire, however, Fostey says his crews are wearing such heavy-duty equipment that social distancing quickly becomes irrelevant.

Perhaps the largest change for fire crews comes after the job is done. Following a scene call Fostey stresses that all of his members are required to thoroughly sanitize every single piece of gear from their breathing apparatuses to their fire trucks. When the cleaning process has ended, each firefighter must file their event report with the standard six-foot gap between them.

Another way COVID-19 has affected the civil service is its disruption of their usual training exercises. As Toews indicates, most fire departments have a few team building sessions every month to keep their strength up and their wits sharp.

“Our last few have been done over zoom, using book work and videos rather than physical training,” states Toews, acknowledging that will need to change. “Eventually you do need to do that physical practical training so we’ll be doing that with social distancing in mind.”

While these novel processes may be cumbersome at times, both Fostey and Toews agree that safety is always a fire department’s first priority, whether that’s putting out fires or preventing the spread of a global pandemic.