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Maine first responders are taking precautions to keep themselves safe against coronavirus

Wearing protective gear is what Maine first responders say they have to do to stay safe during the coronavirus outbreak.

BRUNSWICK, Maine — Editor's note: You are starting to hear the term 'flattening the curve' as a way to stem the tide of coronavirus cases. The above video explains what that means. 

While the gown, masks, goggles, and gloves may look alarming, it's what's necessary to keep the firefighters at the Brunswick Fire Department safe from coronavirus or COVID-19.

"Protection for us so we can continue serving the community," said Brunswick Fire Deputy Chief Don Koslosky.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends when first responders address a possible case of the virus, they wear the proper protection.

"We're concerned about bringing it home to our families like everyone else," said Deputy Chief Koslosky.

Throughout the past few days, dispatchers have been screening patients, asking them a series of questions.

"Do they have any respiratory distress? Do they have a fever? And then dispatch will pass that on to us and that will let us know what level of protective gear to wear," said South Portland Fire Captain Robb Couture.

The South Portland Fire Department is also following the same guidelines.

Social Distancing Video

"We're probably going to keep our distance from the patient a little bit if we can. We're going to limit the number of people going on these calls, and limit exposure and we're going to make sure we're wearing our protective gear so we can stay healthy and are able to respond to these calls," said Captain Couture.

Both departments say people should not be scared, and say they're committed to keeping everyone as healthy as possible.

At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus

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