Officers, With respect to COVID-19, please be aware of the fundamentals of exposure risk assessment. There are always risks. You can manage them, and you can favor one over another, but you cannot eliminate them altogether. For instance, we could guarantee that no member will catch...
Department
Posts authored by the Virginia Beach Department of EMS
Elite – Crew Member Documentation
Please remember to include all personnel present on an incident in the Elite patient care report. While this is not a new requirement, it is perhaps more important now than ever before. Should a crew need to be contacted for follow-up regarding a patient they treated this is the...
COVID-19 safety update
While performing some of our new processes, we’ve identified the following opportunities for improvement: Don’t send more providers than necessary into the 6-foot proximity of the patient. Unless you’re working a code or pre-code, it usually only takes one provider to perform initial examinations and treatments. Keep interns...
COVID-19 safety update
We recommend a new routine for the end of your shift: Put your duty uniform in a clean plastic bag Shower Change into a clean set of street clothes When you get home, transfer your duty uniform directly from the bag into your washing machine and immediately process...
Don’t forget to clean your Toughbook
As we use the ToughBooks in the field don’t forget they, too, need to be cleaned frequently. You may use any non-bleach wet sanitizing wipes to clean the computers. Remember, don’t immerse them in water and avoid using sprays directly onto the devices. If you don’t have a pre-wet...
Department-issued bleach spray at hospitals
Beginning tomorrow, the EMS Department will be providing spray bottles of diluted household bleach solution at the following hospitals for EMS use: Virginia Beach General Princess Anne Independence Leigh You may use the solution to clean ambulances and gear after transporting a patient with a communicable disease...
PPE infographic. Don’t skimp & don’t waste
Clarification: The guidance in the below infographic only applies to encounters with patients who are specifically concerning for COVID-19 per CDC screening guidelines (fever, cough, shortness of breath PLUS recent travel to a hot spot or recent exposure to a known COVID-19 patient). Remember: We do not currently...
PPE infographic. Don’t skimp & don’t waste
— Division Chief Kevin Lipscomb, NRP — Regulation & Support Services — Va Beach EMS Department — “EMS Chief 7” (ECH07)
More N95 masks on ambulances
The EMS Department has now distributed 6 N95 masks to each ambulance, and 3 N95 masks to each zone car. The molded masks are packaged in Tupperware containers. The fold-flat masks are in “Health Kits” that have been bundled in Ziploc bags. Example packages: Some ambulances...
COVID-19 safety update
Now is the time to start stretching our “exposure minimization” muscles. To minimize exposure to a communicable disease, you can manage the following factors… DISTANCE between responders and the patient BARRIERS between the responder and the patient TIME SPENT near a patient SUSCEPTIBILITY of the responder to...