First Responders Will Wear Special Gear During HoCo's Coronavirus

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Due to the new coronavirus, the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services has announced that it will be protecting responders' safety with special gear. Acting fire chief William Anuszewski shared a photo on Facebook of what that gear might look like and what residents could expect so that they aren't caught off guard.

"Moving forward, our responders may be wearing various forms of personal protective equipment to ensure the safety of our personnel and the community. Do not take alarm as these are universal precautions used in an emergency setting to limit exposures," Anuszewski shared.

During a press conference held by Howard County officials to announce the first coronavirus case in the county, Anuszewski confirmed that six members of the Howard County Fire Department are engaged in self quarantine after being exposed to the patient who tested positive. The first confirmed case is an 82-year-old woman who lives at the Lorien Elkridge nursing.

The latest cases involve a man in his 40s who is on dialysis in the hospital; a woman in her 70s who is now self-isolating at home; and another man in his 50s with underlying health conditions who also is self-isolating at home. This brings the total cases in Howard County to four as of March 16.

Also, the department has canceled all of its public trainings and public education visits for the time being, as well as fire inspections. All scheduled and unscheduled occupancy inspections have been placed on hold. However, the State Office of the Fire Marshal will continue to respond to safety related code violations.

Read More:

• 3 New Coronavirus Cases Identified In Howard County
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• MD Comptroller Requests $500M From State To Support Businesses
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• MD Grocery Stores Cut Hours For Coronavirus Cleaning, Restocking
• MD Casinos, Racetracks Ordered Closed By Gov. Hogan