PULSE Magazine | April 2020 Issue

methods are used such as the typical disin- fectant wipes (known as “gross decon”) to aero- sol-based methods (known as “technical de- con”). Gross decon occurs after every call and technical decon is used for more serious cases, including COVID-19 calls. Decontamination can take anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes to sufficiently sterilize the units. When calling 911, Xie stressed how important it is to convey accurate information to the dis- patcher so the correct decisions can be made on how to proceed. If inaccuracies are conveyed, that can lead to time lost, or worse, the transmission of the disease. For Barquer personally, the rise of the disease has stressed his personal life — not only because of his job but for his wife, who is an ER nurse. He stressed, “The two of us both go home after a shift and wonder ‘Is today the day we’re getting sick or is it just allergies?’” Both Barquer and his wife take their tempera- tures every 12 hours to monitor their health. After his call down to San Antonio, Barquer caught the flu, but because of the similarities between that and COVID-19, it had to be initially treated as if it was the latter. He was isolated accordingly until it was determined not to be COVID-19. “Probably 95 percent of my waking moments, I spend worrying about my staff, trying to make improvements for them,” Xie said. As the coro- navirus situation has developed, Xie has been working 16-hour days. Xie continued, “For frontline staff, it has changed the way they view the job. It’s always been dangerous, but now they are some of the most at-risk and it has really changed their conduct.” Some medics, she stated, are sleeping in campers to mitigate the chance of infecting their compromised family members. “It has turned how we do EMS completely on its head,” Xie underscored. More and more of Barquer’s colleagues, including himself, have been tested for COVID-19 as their exposure increases. This test, which Barquer described as painful, involves deep nostril swabs. To the public, Barquer stressed, “Make sure you adhere to the social distancing guidelines as best you can to keep the rate of the spread down. Together with that, we’ll all get through this.” “A lot of people are concerned that the streets are empty, but we view it as a sign of the community coming together to fight through this disease and ensure we come out stronger as a community,” he concluded. Ever since the disease began surfacing in China, Barquer’s superior had game-planned in case it reached closer to home. This preparation has saved them countless hours adjusting to the new normal, but all the precautions in the world can- not fully prepare one for a global pandemic.

“I’m really proud of our medics for adjusting so quickly to this new world we live in,” Xie emphasized. Mitigation is the name of the game, and Austin’s EMS has readily prepared to take this mission on.

Clinical Specialist Phil Barquer

Austin EMSA President Selena Xie

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