ALFRED– Chief Chris Carpenter and Alfred Fire Rescue wish to provide the community with an update regarding an outbreak of COVID-19 among department staff.
Alfred Fire Rescue continues to provide fire and emergency medical services with the assistance of local mutual aid partners, and the public is reminded to always call 911 in an emergency.
Seven members of the 45-person department currently have active cases of COVID-19 and 10 employees have been identified as close contacts. Those with COVID-19 are self-isolating and those who are close contacts are quarantining. All of those individuals will be eligible to return to work as early as next week. The department became aware of the first positive case among staff last week.
Members of the department who have not been impacted continue to serve the community through an on-call fire and emergency medical services schedule. Alfred Fire Rescue is also receiving additional support from local mutual aid partners as needed.
“While many in our department have been impacted by COVID-19 at this time, our staff who weren’t impacted by this situation have stepped up, a testament to the dedication the members of our department have to serving our community,” Chief Carpenter said. “We wish the members of our department who are self-isolating or quarantining well as they recover and stay home until it is safe to return to work, and are thankful for the kind support of our community. We will be here for you, as always.”
Alfred Fire Rescue’s emergency medical services providers are expected to receive their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination by the end of the month. The department’s firefighters will receive their first dose at the beginning of February.
Alfred Fire Rescue will provide regular updates as more information becomes available.
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