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STATESVILLE, NC – Local first responders are getting trained to handle possible exposure to Ebola.
Deputies at the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office are equipped with new bio-hazard suits that look a lot like the protective gear doctors wear while treating Ebola patients in West Africa.
“It is important that you keep all areas of your body covered at all times. There should be no skin showing,” said Sam Migit, emergency preparedness coordinator at the Iredell County Health Department.
Migit says deputies can run the risk of exposure on a routine call. So, deputies are learning how to put on their personal protective gear; including gloves, duct tape and a mask.
“We need that suit, we need that protection available to our men that are going to have to respond so they can protect themselves,” said Major Marty Byers, with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been more than 17,000 cases of Ebola.
There are no reported cases in North Carolina, but Iredell County officials wants first responders to be prepared.
The health department is also training staff at the Iredell County Emergency Communications Center. 911 dispatchers are asking questions about recent travel to certain countries in West Africa. If the caller;s answer is “yes”, responders are notified when they’re dispatched.
“We need to be proactive rather than reactive. Our people need to be ready to protect themselves should an incident ever occur,” said Byers.
So far about 80 percent of the sheriff’s office deputies have Ebola protective gear inside their squad cars. Migit says there are plans to equip and train all deputies and first responders.
