What happens if the H1N1 goes through our fire or police departments?

By Kirk Mason (mason@wsbt.com)

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By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Sep 14, 2009 at 5:01 PM EST

Story Updated: Sep 14, 2009 at 5:01 PM EST

Now that school is under way, many parents are worried their children could get the H1N1 flu virus, and they're not alone.

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Employers are also wondering what to do if the flu spreads, keeping many of their employees home sick. But imagine if those workers are emergency personnel?

Janey Carey has a Good Question: What happens if the H1N1 goes through our fire or police departments?

WSBT's Kirk Mason looked into it.

Some time in October the first shots of H1N1 vaccine are expected to be available for the most at-risk groups, for example, pregnant women. Also included in that group are some emergency personnel.

Kelly Joliff from the St. Joseph County Health Department says EMTs out treating people are the most likely candidates to receive the vaccine right away.

As for how staffing would work if an outbreak hits a police or fire department, policy depends by department.

For example, South Bend Police said they should have enough officers to work overtime to offset sick workers. They told WSBT News they would be hesitant to turn to other departments for help, because it's possible if there's an outbreak on the South Bend force, nearby St. Joseph County and Mishawaka police probably also have sick officers.

Mishawaka Police say they could handle losing about 20 officers by covering it with overtime. If the number grew higher than that they might have to consider asking other departments for help.

This Friday the St. Joseph County Health Department is having an H1N1 summit in South Bend. They'll meet with leaders from health care, police, fire, emergency and schools to give the latest information and talk about plans. The meeting is not open to the public.

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