COVID-19 INFORMATION FOR 911 & Public Safety
Members of the Missouri 911 Community,
The 911 Service Board has been closely monitoring updates surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other leading public safety and health experts.
CISA’s Guidelines for 911 Centers: Pandemic document suite aims to assist public safety partners across all levels of government when developing plans and actions regarding governance, procedures, staffing, and cleaning and disinfecting in response to a pandemic.
Guidelines for Executives: 911 Center Pandemic Recommendations
Guidelines for 911 Centers: Cleaning and Disinfecting During a Pandemic
Working with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Missourians in Emergencies Related to COVID-19
911 COVID-19 Discussion Board : If you are interested in joining a discussion board with other members of Missouri’s 911 community, please email admin@missouri911.org with your email address and subject line “discussion board.”
DHSS Memo Re: Release of Information to 911 & First Responders: This temporary change in policy will protect first responders and preserve much needed PPE by ensuring that public safety agencies can obtain the addresses of suspected or confirmed cases COVID-19 cases.
CDC Interim Guidance for 911 Public Safety Answering Points
DHSS Interim Guidance for PSAPs (March 6)
DHSS COVID-19 Hotline Protocol as it relates to 911
Department of Health and Senior Services Bureau of EMS Letter (March 3) with guidance and resources for Public Safety Answering Points and Emergency Medical Dispatch regarding COVID-19.
PSAP Call-Taking Questions:
The board recommends that PSAP's and dispatch that handle call taking or dispatch of emergency personnel to medical calls will be required to ask the minimum set of questions as recommended by CDC in order to elicit possible exposure to COVID-19 and to alert responding personnel. You can find questions in the document attached here, and also outlined below. Please find the referenced EIDST C-19 card on pages two & three of the attached document.
Any call that comes into a PSAP, that will require a dispatch of Police, Fire & EMS will be asked the following questions:
1. Do you or anyone in your home have currently have or have had a fever in the last 14 days?
2. Do you or anyone inside your home currently have or have had coughing or difficult breathing in the last 14 days?
3. Have you or anyone in your home traveled outside of the state in the last 14 days?
4. Have you or anyone in your home been tested for COVID-19 and received a positive test notification or are you or anyone in your home awaiting a COVID-19 test result?
5. Are you or anyone in your home currently on a quarantine?
a. If yes ask – is it self quarantine or medically advised quarantine
These questions are to begin AFTER determining the location, what is occurring and the other critical information. This could occur even while the units are en route. After asking the questions, we will notify the units via radio of the following if necessary.
Q-Alert – This means that someone in the home is quarantined
PPE Mandatory – This means someone inside the home has a positive COVID-19 test
Upon completion of the above questions if any of the answers were YES then proceed to the EIDST C-19 card and gather the remaining information that has not already been asked and follow the instructions.
Once the call is completed follow the instructions in reference to proper notification of the address, age, sex and symptoms via email as stated on the EIDST C-19 card.