News

Area Fire Departments Work Together to Serve During Time of Crisis

April 2, 2020
Several Fire Department Logos over text saying We Got This

Apart. Not Separate. Area fire departments work together to serve during time of crisis

 

The COVID-19 virus does not distinguish jurisdictional boundaries and regional fire chiefs, medical personnel and emergency management professionals know it will take a team effort to get communities through this pandemic.

 

Fire chiefs from West Chester, Liberty, Fairfield, Monroe, Deerfield and Mason have developed a work group to share resources and information in order to serve their residents in the best way possible.

 

“It is not unusual for regional chiefs to work together, but in cases such as this the value of our collaborations really becomes clear,” said West Chester Fire Chief Rick Prinz. “By sharing protocols and experiences we can reduce effort and focus on patient care and the care of our first responders.”

 

The work group made up of representatives of northern Greater Cincinnati communities and Butler County EMA Director Matt Haverkos meet regularly by video conferencing to share their experiences and the questions they are hearing from first responders and the residents they serve.

 

Chief Prinz said they are all working to set good examples of physical distancing and wants the community to know that while we all have to stay apart from one another in these times, our residents are not alone and their fire departments are committed to fight the battle no matter how difficult things may get.

 

The collaborative work group has responded to some of these questions and issues in a series of videos available on YouTube at https://bit.ly/2X0DJan.

 

“The crisis ahead of us is far from over and as the situation evolves, there will be challenges to meet,” said Chief John Centers of the Monroe Fire Department. “It’s a scary time, but residents should have confidence that they are served by some of the best first responders who will work together, and will never give up.”