Petaluma Firefighter's Crew Members Test Negative For Coronavirus

PETALUMA, CA — A Petaluma firefighter who tested positive July 23 for coronavirus is recovering well and is expected to return to work Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Petaluma Fire Department said Thursday in an update.

The firefighter, who developed mild symptoms the morning of July 19 after being at work for 48 hours, immediately went into quarantine as required by the policies of Sonoma County Public Health and the Petaluma Fire Department, Spokeswoman Jessica Power said.

When his test results came back positive four days later, the fire department said 14 other crew members who had previously been in immediate, prolonged contact with him at Fire Station No. 3 were also placed into quarantine.

The 14 quarantined members were tested Tuesday for the virus, and on Wednesday, the fire department received word that all 14 employees tested negative, Power said.

The 14 crew members are scheduled to return to normal duty Friday.

While they were quarantined, Fire Station No. 3 — 831 S. McDowell Blvd. — was closed July 23 and a professional cleaning company came and cleaned and disinfected the station and all equipment.

"After this was verified complete on July 27, the fire engine and ambulance assigned to that station were allowed to return and reestablish response from station 3," Power said.

It was still unclear where the firefighter contracted the virus, Power said, noting that while on-duty prior to testing positive, he had minimal contact with the public.

"When he did have public contact he was wearing a mask and full personal protective equipment which protected himself and prevented any potential spread to the public," Power said.

Because of the positive case, the Petaluma Fire Department has implemented additional procedures to protect the community and employees.

."One such measure is implementing delivery service for groceries to further limit PFD community contact except for emergency calls," Power said.

Further, firefighters will continue to wear masks when in close-quarters on fire vehicles and anytime they interact with the public.

"Continuous monitoring of emergency calls, personnel status, and regular communications with the Sonoma County Public Health Department helped limit the duration of time that members were unable to report for duty and stopped the spread of this disease within the Department," Power said.

"Thank you to our partners at the Sonoma County Public Health Department for their assistance," Power said. "The Petaluma Fire Department wishes to thank the community for their support and concern for our staff they have expressed. We would also like to thank one of our local hotels for housing our members and reserve engine and ambulance while our station was closed. We appreciate the care and concern you’ve show for our members!"