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04/28/2020 12:00 AMThe social distancing regulations implemented due to COVID-19 have affected everyone, including East Haven’s emergency services. Both the fire and police departments have had to make adjustments to their routines and procedures.
While changes have been made, both Matt Marcarelli, chief of the East Haven Fire Department, and Joe Murgo, lieutenant the East Haven Police Department, stress that the departments are both fully functional, healthy, and ready to respond to the public.
“It’s important to note that we are still responding to emergencies, domestic violence incidents, and any other calls for service that involve the act or a threat of any type of violence,” said Murgo. “Nothing has changed in those instances.”
Likewise, the fire department is “here and ready to respond like always, we have just changed a bit on how we do it,” said Marcarelli. “We will be seen on some calls in haz-mat suits and an array of protective equipment that we normally haven’t used.”
‘Do Not Be Alarmed’
Murgo concurred, noting at the police department and on shifts, all staff are wearing masks as stated in the governor’s executive orders. Officers are wearing masks when on duty and responding to calls.
“Please do not be alarmed if you see us at your neighbor’s house with an N-95 or N100 facemask on—that does not in any way suggest they are infected with COVID-19; we are just following protocol,” said Murgo. “We want everyone to know the importance of social distancing. If everyone does their part and follows the executive orders put out by the governor, we will be back to normal life sooner than later. We are asking for everyone’s patience, especially as the warmer weather approaches.”
In addition to wearing masks, officers are also equipped to don full personal protective equipment (PPE)—an isolation gown, eye shields, gloves, booties, and a bouffant cap—if necessary. There have been several other changes in the daily routines at the EHPD, including taking each employees’ temperature upon entering the building, a limit to the number of staff allowed in the building at one time, and holding in-person meetings and roll calls through video conferencing.
There have also been adjustments to the way minor complaints are filed with residents encouraged to use the online reporting portal if it meets the following: The event took place in East Haven; the suspects are not known to you; the suspects have left the scene; you have not suffered any injuries; there is no apparent need for investigation at the scene, to include video surveillance recordings; there is no obvious physical evidence available at the scene; and there are no witnesses to be interviewed.
“We are urging residents reporting incidents in which only documentation is needed or in cases where there is no suspect or it is extremely unlikely to be solvable to use our online reporting portal,” said Murgo. “We are prioritizing the calls for service that require face to face interaction with our officers. In cases that do not need an immediate physical response to the scene, officers are making contact with complainants over the phone.”
Social Distancing
The EHFD has also seen COVID-19 impact “every part of our daily routine.” The biggest challenge Marcarelli and his firefighters face is abiding by social distancing on shift. With social distancing instituted in the station, all employees must also wear masks.
“In a communal and dormitory environment, social distancing is extremely difficult particularly in our 100-year-old fire headquarters, which is cramped for space,” said Marcarelli. “We have a real fear one of our personnel will get sick and infect the whole station or require them to be on quarantine for an extended period of time, which would impact our ability to respond and/ or require many personnel to work greatly extended hours to cover the work.”
Due to the cramped space and social distancing guidelines, much of the training has come to a halt and volunteers and the public can no longer come to the station. By keeping the volunteers out of the station and off of calls, Marcarelli hopes that their exposure will be limited.
“In the event the career staff get sick, we will need [the volunteers] healthy to pick up the workload and replace the career staff,” said Marcarelli. “We can no longer welcome the public into the stations, something that is very common here in East Haven, and we can’t engage the public as much as we would like because the crews need to maintain their own health so we can continue to serve.”
Both the EHFD and EHPD have noted a decrease in calls for service; Marcarelli noted that people aren’t calling 911 as much. At the EHFD, in March 2019, there were 577 calls compared to 418 this past March.
“We encourage them to call if they need us,” said Marcarelli. “We are hearing from the hospitals that their census is way down as well, people are afraid to be in the hospital for fear of contracting COVID-19.”
Addressing Domestic Violence
Murgo reiterated that the EHPD is ready to respond to those in need. He said that the department is in close contact with domestic violence advocates, who are starting to caution that “some domestic incidents within the home might not be getting reported to the police because of the forced close proximity to their abusers.
“This is concerning to us and we are urging anyone who might be in an abusive situation to find a way to contact us if they feel like they are in danger—our response to those types of incidents has not and will not change,” said Murgo. “If domestic violence victims can’t call 911, but can still get a text out, they can text their complaint to 911 and will be able to reach a public safety dispatcher all the same.”
Both departments have not only seen support from Mayor Joe Carfora and the Town Council, but the community as well. They saw the community come together for the East Haven Proud Motorcade on April 11. They have also received donations of supplies and meals from restaurants, businesses, and individuals.
“The support has been amazing not only from the town, but from local businesses,” said Marcarelli. “The firefighters here are very concerned about the public. They would rather see the public help each other; they feel fortunate to be working safely and know that many people are hurting right now, so if neighbors could help neighbors, that’s more important.”
While the EHPD has received meals, snacks, and gifts of cleaning supplies and PPE, Murgo noted that the most valuable gift the staff has received has been simply being acknowledged.
“When people come up to us and say ‘Thank you,’ it means so much to us and reminds us of why we chose this profession in the first place,” said Murgo. “Our community recognizes that no matter the circumstances, we are still out there, day in and day out, making our residents safer. We are still providing the same high level of service our residents have grown accustomed to and we will not waver in that responsibility. We want our residents to know that we will get through this together and as a result, we will be stronger as individuals and as a community at the end of it all.