Driven To Duty: First Responders Face Additional Risks During Pandemic
Out in the field: Cash House at the Pine Gulch Fire. COURTESY OF CASH HOUSE
In early October wildland firefighter Cash House returned to his Boulder home after completing a two-week assignment on the Cameron Peak Fire, burning 20 miles west of Fort Collins. He was looking forward to sleeping in the next day.
House, 49, is the assistant fire chief for the Four Mile Fire Protection District in Boulder County — an all-hazard fire department meaning firefighters respond to medical, structural and wildland fires. Oftentimes, House is on the front line, with tool in hand fighting the fires. This most recent assignment — as medical unit leader at the Incident Command Post — while perhaps less physically demanding, was mentally straining. “If you make a mistake someone can get injured or killed,” House says.
Prior to the Cameron Peak fire, House spent 14 days actively fighting the Pine Gulch Fire on Bureau of Land Management property north of Grand Junction — an assignment that was both mentally and physically exhausting. It involved 16-hour days of hiking with 50-pound packs, while also trying to remain safe from potential exposure to the coronavirus. There were confirmed positive cases that required isolation of some of the firefighters working on the Cameron Peak Fire.
“I fell in love with the pace of EMS (emergency medical services). It’s one of my passions. I get to help people on their worse days.
— Grand Junction EMT Stephanie Bonello”
House says 27 people working on the wildfire tested positive for COVID-19 — requiring isolation for each diagnosed firefighter.
Tending to emergencies at any hour of the day or night is a high-stress job anytime. Add a pandemic to the mix and the stakes are even higher for first responders.
While House says it’s impossible to social distance from your own crew members while out on a wildfire, firefighters try and distance themselves from other crews, making a point to sleep at least 12-feet apart from one another. Everyone has a “copious” amount of hand sanitizer, while also always wearing masks, he adds. The fire department’s COVID task force provides testing and ensures safety guidelines like mask-wearing, handwashing and social distancing are followed.
In town, when a 911 caller complains of breathing difficulties, first responders consider the possibility that the patient might be contagious with the coronavirus. Personal Protection Equipment – gowns, goggles, gloves and masks – are worn when responding to a call if COVID is suspected.
“We have to take extra steps cleaning equipment and then worry if it’s safe to go back to our families,” House says. “We do a lot of patient follow-up. We can find out an individual’s outcome. Was he diagnosed with COVID?”
If there is evidence of exposure, the firefighters must quarantine for 14 days. A diagnosis requires isolation either at home or a hotel.
House started as a volunteer with the fire protection district before being hired for the job he’s done for 16 years. He says he “loves the physical aspect of it.” Working out and eating healthily is how he maintains his own well-being during his off hours.
“If I don’t stay in shape, I can’t do the job I love,” he shares.
Captain Jason Whitesides. BOTH PHOTOS: KEN REDDING
GJ EMT Stephanie Bonello
In Grand Junction, 36-year-old Stephanie Bonello works as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for the city fire department and is based at the downtown station. She’s been an EMT for 16 years, intending initially to become a nurse. However, after earning her clinical hours riding ambulance calls on the Front Range, she decided to stick with EMT work. “I fell in love with the pace of EMS (emergency medical services),” she says. “It’s one of my passions. I get to help people on their worst days.”
Grand Junction’s all-hazard fire department responds to 911 calls, including “lift assists,” when a person has fallen and cannot get up on their own, or more serious incidents like heart attacks or strokes. Crews also rescue people off Colorado National Monument and from the Colorado River. If a caller is suspected of having COVID-19, head-to-toe coverings are worn, with outerwear discarded at the hospital before returning to the Fire House, Bonello says.
The coronavirus has also changed the way city firefighters interact with the public during non-emergencies. Pre-pandemic, the public could stop by the Fire House anytime to say hello. School tours where children learn about public safety and look at firetrucks have been canceled.
Grand Junction fire teams work 24-hour shifts, followed by 24 hours off-duty for five days, followed by a four-day weekend. Sleep deprivation is a huge issue amongst firefighters, although Bonello says you get used to it. “Some nights you’re up all night, other nights you can nap some,” she explains.
Before joining the department 15 years ago, Grand Junction Fire Department Captain Jason Whitesides worked as a wildland firefighter. The 45-year-old was drawn to the camaraderie of firefighting and the idea of public service after serving in the U.S. Marines for six years.
Although he loved wildland firefighting, after he and his wife discovered they were expecting twins he sought a more regular schedule where he wouldn’t be gone for long periods of time.
In fact, in 2006, while fighting the Little Venus Fire in Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest, Whitesides was caught in a “burn-over.” He and his crew members were forced to deploy their emergency pocket shelters while the flames rolled over them.
At the city’s Orchard Mesa station, Whitesides’ team works out together for an hour each shift while wearing masks and social distancing, he says. Other COVID precautions include limiting the number of crewmembers entering a home when on a call. When possible, callers are encouraged to come outside in the fresh air to limit exposure to any virus. “A huge stress factor is we don’t want to bring this home to our families,” Whitesides notes. Crew members’ vital signs, including their temperatures, are checked twice daily.
Four years ago, Whitesides implemented a peer support team to make it easier for team members to deal with stress. There’s a team counselor available that crewmembers can access privately.
“We run toward fire, we put it out. With COVID we can’t see where the virus is coming from. It’s an invisible problem.
— GJFD Captain Jason Whitesides”
“With that in place, without a doubt we have helped guide people through this rough time,” he says. “When the pandemic hit people were very concerned, nervous of the unknown.”
Firefighters are accustomed to seeing a problem and fixing it, Whitesides explains. “We run toward fire, we put it out. With COVID we can’t see where the virus is coming from. It’s an invisible problem.”
Whitesides speaks for many first responders when he says, “At the end of the day we love being able to help those who need it.”
Originally published in the Winter 2020-21 issue of Spoke+Blossom.