HANCOCK COUNTY — The Hancock County 911 Center has implemented new protocols in light of the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the county.
If a person has symptoms and think they may have COVID-19 and they call 911, operators at the dispatch center will refer them to the Hancock Regional Hospital hotline, whose number is 317-325-2683, said Greg Duda, public information officer for the 911 center.
If a county resident is suffering a medical emergency that might be linked to a coronavirus infection, then dispatchers want them to call 911 as usual.
The dispatch center has come up with a list of questions that operators will ask in that event, Duda said. The answers that a caller provides will then be passed directly to the first-responders, who will be able to take extra precautions.
Joe Fitzgerald, who works for Hancock County Emergency Managment part time is also a full-time firefighter with the Sugar Creek Township Fire Department, noted that first-responders need as much information as possible.
"Most of the counties already have protective equipment, but we’re being careful when we do and don’t use it," Fitzgerald said. "The big thing is, we’re checking everybody to see if they have a fever and if so we’ll get into full protective gear.
"It’s good for us to know what type of situation we’re walking into particularly if we’re trying to aid someone who has the virus or might be carrying it," Fitzgerald said.
Meanwhile, as the 911 center prepares to potentially deal with more calls about sick people, dispatchers have noticed a couple of changes in the nature of emergencies since restrictions were put in place.
First, Duda said, calls for accidents are way down because more people staying at home and not driving. Second, they have noticed an increase in the number of calls for fires, likely because more people are at home cooking.
Duda said they’re asking people to be cautious in the kitchen.
As for the 911 center itself, its already-strict access policy has been tightened further: Only dispatchers and county officials will be allowed inside. Also, movement is restricted to the other side of the building, which houses the county’s emergency management department.
The 911 center also is taking care to make sure employees practice good hygiene, including hand-washing and wiping down work stations, which have keyboards, phones and multiple computer screens, Duda said.
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The Hancock County 911 Center urges people with general questions about the COVID-19 outbreak to seek other sources for the information instead of calling 911.
Good sources of information include the social media feeds for the Hancock County 911 Center; Hancock County Emergency Management, which posts a video every afternoon; the Hancock County Health Department; and Hancock Regional Hospital. The Greenfield Police Department and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department also have up-to-date information on their social media pages.
The Indiana State Department of Health also has a site devoted to information about the outbreak: www.coronavirus.in.gov
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