BELLA VISTA — There’s a bottle of hand sanitizer on nearly every horizontal surface.

The germ killer is just one of the many ways the Bella Vista Fire and Police Departments have prepared for the flu season.

All personnel have been immunized with the standard flu vaccination, according to Infection Control Officer Rod Barrett, a firefighter and paramedic with the BVFD and a registered nurse. The city of Bella Vista paid for the inoculations.

“The best thing we can do for each other is to take the vaccine,” Barrett said. “All of our best doctors and scientists say take it. The flu is dangerous.”

Fire Department personnel will take the H1N1 vaccination when it becomes available, said Fire Chief Steve Sims.

The Chief will take several steps should theDepartment personnel be hard hit with the flu.

Sims said they would pull from full-time and parttime off duty members if the need arises - there are only 32 men total employed by the BVFD, including Sims and Assistant Chief Glenn Puryear.

“That means I would have to work (as a paramedic or firefighter) too, and so would Glenn.”

They could run the shifts differently, with men taking additional shifts per week if necessary. It is pos-sible, Sims said, that they would have to close one of the three stations and dispatch out of the main fire station at Town Center.

The BVFD has a Mutual Aid Agreement with neighboring fire departments which means if they need short-term assistance to help fight a fire or man the station, they call Bentonville or Pea Ridge.

The agreement does not include personnel coming to work a full shift in Bella Vista.

Sims said he would have to talk to the insurance company because he is concerned that workman’s compensation would not be in effect ifthey were on duty for a different city.

It might be different if state officials declare a State of Emergency, Sims said.

Dispatchers have been trained for specific response to suspected flu sufferers, Head Dispatcher Ron Towle said.

They will question patients about a cough or respiratory problems and fever over 101 degrees.

Sudden onset of symptoms is more indicative of a generalized flu; the H1N1 virus seems to come on more slowly, Towle said.

Respiratory effects can be significant with the H1N1 variety, especially for children and the elderly, he said.

The information dispatchers gather is relayed to the EMS team as they race to the scene.

It is possible that emergency response teams could wear masks or mask someone that is infected or suspected of being infected.

Police Department Chief Ken Farmer said he does not have any specific plans in place, but it was evident he has been thinking about it.

“It’s going to be difficult because of our staffing levels,” if his department is hard hit by influenza.

Healthy police officers would work overtimeand response to non-essential calls could be eliminated, he said.

Farmer said the Arkansas Attorney General must approve written agreements between neighboring departments. He has sent a proposal to Bentonville and Rogers Police departments; they are waiting for a response from the AG at this time.

“If we’re in that position (of needing additional personnel) 99 times out of 100 everyone else will be in the same position,” Farmer said. “Our best bet is prevention.”

News, Pages 1 on 11/04/2009

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