It’s March 6, 5:00pm, I can’t remember what sparked me to drive to Home Depot and begin purchasing as much germicidal bleach as I could carry in my work vehicle. Was it the conversation that I had with one of my aquatic supervisors about the EPA-approved list of disinfectants and cleaning products that could kill COVID-19, or the conversation I had with one of the police captains about the protocols I was developing for the Fire Department on disinfecting vehicles and work sites, and the procedure to safely provide care to a patient who demonstrated COVID-19 symptoms?
It was more likely that the news was reporting shortages of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes.
It’s March 10. I have secured and built a small cache of PPE, cleaning supplies and two mobile wash stations for Fire Stations 1 and 2. Still needed more supplies.
It’s March 12. We received information that there might be a Shelter in Place order issued here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Spent more time over the weekend buying supplies. Wondering if I would have enough for the Fire Department and potentially the Police Department as well?
It’s March 16. We get the order from county health officials that a Shelter in Place has been issued for the two counties we serve, and four additional surrounding counties. This goes into effect at midnight.
It’s March 20. The governor of California issues a statewide lockdown (Shelter in Place) order that goes into effect at midnight.
A lot has happened since then…
I had secured enough PPE and disinfectant for our Fire Department, which includes the Lifeguard Service Unit, to continue to run smoothly. With the COVID-19 protocols implemented and in place for the Fire Department, I worked closely with and assisted our Police Department in securing enough PPE, and building disinfectant kits for every patrol vehicle, public safety building and substation, so they could continue to operate, feel safe and focus on serving the public.
I was delegated to be the infectious disease officer for our agency. I had no idea what that meant, but soon would. I spent many late nights drafting protocols and decision trees on what to do if an employee ere exposed to COVID-19 at work, or came to work with COVID-19, or thought they had COVID-19, or was in contact with a family member or friend who thought they might have COVID-19…
My wife asked me not to wear my wedding ring, so it doesn’t become a means of bringing the virus home. My hands began to crack from so much handwashing.
My agency activates the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and I am assigned to be the logistics section chief. I began to work with Finance, our Central Stores unit, and a logistics team to secure even more PPE and disinfectant for our entire agency: all 73 parks, and more than 800 employees.
My team focuses on securing the necessary disinfectants, cleaning products and PPE. One week, it’s N-95 masks and surgical masks, another week it’s hand sanitizer. The list goes on: Tyvek suits, coveralls (a washable substitute for Tyvek suits), face shields, no-touch thermometers… and now it’s cloth masks.
I stopped shaving my face and head, mostly because I’m so tired, physically and emotionally. I didn’t realize I had so much gray hair on my face, and how little hair I had on my head. I have five to six meetings every day; I did not realize how many people (men and women) dye their hair, and how many were compelled to give themselves or allow a family member to give them a haircut, a bad haircut.
My permanent lifeguard staff has stepped up and continued to carry the torch by working on the operational aspect of having a lifeguard service for summer 2020. They’ve built contingency plans on what happens when we don’t open for pre-season in April, and when we begin a modified service in June or July, if our lifeguard academy is pushed back by seven weeks and has to run concurrently with full-time lifeguard service, if aquatic programming (swim lessons, junior lifeguards, lifeguard cadets) will have to be reduced or canceled.
My permanent lifeguard staff has built PPE kits for all Park Operations staff (more than 600) so they can safely participate in emergencies if asked to by the Police or Fire Departments. They have distributed those PPE kits to all 73 of our parks that are spread over two counties. They have filled 500 4-oz. hand sanitizer bottles and distributed them throughout our agency. Later this week, they will distribute 1,000 KN95 respirators (non-medical grade respirators) and 3,000 cloth masks to those same 73 parks so staff can safely clean bathrooms, collect trash and perform vegetation abatement for this upcoming fire season.
It’s April 18, my first day off from dealing with any COVID-19 work issues in the last 30 days. I think a lot about what lifeguarding and aquatic programming will look like in the future. Will we open this summer? Will we provide some sort of hybrid for both service and programming? Will swim instructors teach children how to swim or will swim instructors teach parents how to facilitate a swim lesson with both the parent and child in the water? How far can we take virtual teaching and training our returning lifeguards and our new hires when there is mandated social distancing? Are we transitioning into a world where everyone will be wearing a cloth mask: the lifeguard, the swim instructor, and the public, and where approaching an active victim in water can only be done from the rear and ventilations will only be given via a BVM that has a HEPA filter attached to it? I don’t know…but I look forward to the opportunities and until then stay healthy, both physically and mentally, so you too can be part of the solution.
