Santa Monica Fire Participates in COVID-19 Safety Stand Down
July 23, 2020 10:50 AM
Due to the recent increase in infection rates in the Los Angeles region, Santa Monica Fire Department joins 30 fire chiefs and their fire department personnel, represented by the Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association, in a COVID-19 Safety Stand Down. Santa Monica Fire Department’s COVID-19 Safety Stand Down is taking place this week and it does not impact fire department services.
“We’re cleaning stations twice a day, adhering to personal safety and hygiene, physical distancing in all our stations and following these guidelines has been critical to our success in minimizing the spread,” said Santa Monica Deputy Fire Chief, Judah Mitchell. “This training is an important reminder to our entire Department that COVID-19 is still increasing in our community and we must be vigilant to wear a face covering and practice all safety measures in everything we do so we can all be safe.”
The COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be a challenge of historic proportions and has already taken a significant toll on our communities. Firefighters and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel have not been immune to the impact of COVID-19. Thousands of firefighters and EMS personnel across the country have contracted this deadly virus, and, sadly, dozens have lost their lives. Although some progress is being made, the spread of COVID-19 appears to be picking up speed, including the spread among our region’s fire and EMS personnel.
It is for this reason that the region’s fire chiefs have agreed to conduct a COVID-19 Safety Stand Down. The COVID-19 Safety Stand Down emphasizes the severe risks that COVID-19 represents to our team members and our communities, and strongly emphasize the vital importance of the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), hand-washing, and physical distancing. It is also important that our team members set an example and conduct themselves in a manner that will protect our communities.
As a part of this Safety Stand Down, Santa Monica Fire Department personnel are participating in the following activities during the week of July 20:
View the COVID Safety Stand Down video, which can be accessed here: https://vimeo.com/438791580/03eb14f2eb
View training documents and discuss the COVID-19 Safety Stand Down Checklist, which can be accessed here: https://laafca.org/COVID19SAFETYStandDown/
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