Sandy Springs Public Safety so far has had one confirmed case of COVID-19 among its nearly 330 police and firefighters, but the department is monitoring 25 others who may have been exposed on the job or elsewhere.
The sole positive case was in the police department, according to Patrick Flaherty, section chief for emergency medical services. He released no more details on that person.
Sandy Springs Public Safety employees who suspect they were exposed to the virus are tested by a private laboratory that produces results in less than 24 hours.
If first responders are experiencing signs of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, but their test results are negative, Flaherty said they cannot return to work until seven days after the onset of symptoms, followed by three consecutive days with no signs of the illness.
“They cannot return if they have symptoms, regardless of the test results,” he said. “I check in twice a day with every individual being monitored. At 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.”
This week he is monitoring 25 first responders, including 22 police and 3 firefighters. Of those being monitored, 12 have been tested for the virus. Those with no symptoms are not tested in order to avoid false positive results.
Flaherty urges employees to notify him if signs of any illness arise — from allergies to diarrhea or a headache. Employees’ temperatures are taken at the start of every shift, he explained. “That’s true even for members of the public that come into city buildings,” said Flaherty.
“The virus is in all levels of the community,” Flaherty said. “There is potential for it to be contracted anywhere … in their daily lives. A lot of first responders have second jobs.”
American Medical Response (AMR) provides ambulance services for Sandy Springs and has carried 50 patients that showed symptoms of COVID-19 since March 19, according to Fire Chief Keith Sanders.
There are no confirmed cases among its first responders that serve Sandy Springs, according to Terence Ramotar, public information officer for Global Medical Response, the parent company of AMR. He did not provide information on whether local paramedics are currently being monitored.
Ramotar said AMR employees working in Sandy Springs who become exposed to COVID-19 would be instructed to follow Fulton County health protocol and guidelines of the Center for Disease, Control and Prevention.
“If quarantined, employees are placed on paid leave and are monitored by our Nurse Navigator telehealth monitoring and care coordination group until they can return to duty,” he said, in a statement.
In addition to the Sandy Springs Police Department employee who tested positive, two members of Sandy Springs’ administrative staff tested positive and were recovering earlier this week, officials said.
