Rocky View County Fire Services is managing the COVID-19 pandemic as well as can be expected.

Several changes have been made in order to better ensure the health and safety of county firefighters including using more personal protective equipment and making adjustments to shift changes and handing off the station to the next crew.

“You have a group of six people living together for 24 hours, so a lot of our process was keeping separation whether it was eating, training, or anything to do within the station,” explained Deputy Fire Chief Gary Barnett.

So far, despite a couple of members coming down with a cold or the flu, none of the firefighters have tested positive for COVID-19.

“Anyone who was feeling flu-like illnesses was kept away from the workplace. There’s been a lot of testing. We’ve got about 250 staff I think in the County and Fire Services and we’ve had no positives yet,” said Barnett

When it comes to emergency calls, Firefighters have been wearing face masks in the fire trucks and other response vehicles. They also have increase personal protective equipment on hand for when they receive a call to respond where there’s a chance the individuals affected may have the virus.

Despite all of the changes, Barnett said the firefighters have adjusted well.