Four King County Medic One paramedics have been placed in quarantine due to exposure to the novel coronavirus, the organization shared on March 11.
Two of the quarantined members were working on a primary response 911 unit in South King County, and the other two members are paramedic interns at the Michael K Copass Paramedic Training Program at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to King County Paramedics IAFF Local 2595 secretary Kyle Waterman.
The two paramedic interns work on Seattle Fire Department Medic Units until they are released from training, Waterman shared. King County paramedics move to different stations frequently for shifts.
King County paramedics’ service area extends the entirety south of Seattle and Bellevue’s response area to the Pierce County line.
“Our members are currently quarantined at home, and as of this morning asymptomatic,” Waterman stated in an email on Thursday morning. “Even though our members were exposed to a COVID-19 patient, doesn’t definitively mean they will contract COVID-19.”
Details on specific location of the suspected exposure have not yet been released.
Union board executives continue to speak with the quarantined members by phone daily to ensure needs are being met and to regularly inquire about symptoms, Waterman noted.
“We are confident our membership will do whatever it takes to ensure seamless and uninterrupted Advanced Life Support service to the citizens of King County,” Waterman stated. “Our members are dedicated men and woman who care deeply about the communities they serve and are eager to continue the same service the citizens of King County have come to expect.”
Any member of the public calling 911 should disclose to the call receiver if they are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, even if those symptoms are not the primary reason for the initial 911 call.
“We ask for privacy for our members affected and thank the public for the support and well wishes.”
Talk to us
Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.
To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.
