Rio Vista Fire Department scales back services over COVID concerns
The fire department says it will stop responding to certain non-emergency calls after Solano County regresses to the "purple" COVID-19 restriction tier.
(Photo courtesy Rio Vista Fire Department via Facebook.com)
The Rio Vista Fire Department says it will no longer respond to certain non-emergency situations after Solano County was moved back into the more-restrictive “purple” COVID-19 tier.
In a public bulletin published on Wednesday, the agency says it is rolling out modifications to some of its operations in order to keep its firefighters and members of the public safe.
Starting this week, the fire department says it will no longer respond to certain non-essential services, including smoke detector battery changes, public appearances and discretionary fire inspections.
Other services, including fire alarm calls, required public inspections and fire prevention work will continue, though in some cases the fire department may modify its response based on public safety considerations.
The agency said it did not make this decision lightly, but instead considered what might happen if even one of its firefighters became ill with the novel coronavirus.
“We are a small organization, and if even one firefighter got ill, it could result in negative impacts to the fire department and threaten our ability to respond to emergency incidents,” Jeff Armstrong, Rio Vista’s fire chief, wrote.
The fire department is still fully staffed and able to respond to “all incidents threatening life, property or the environment,” Armstrong said.
Rio Vista has one fire house that is staffed around-the-clock, even on holidays, and responds to incidents within the city’s limits and in certain surrounding areas. At least three firefighters are on the clock at any given time, according to information on the agency’s website.
In addition to fires, the department responds to vehicle crashes, hazardous material calls, medical incidents and some public assistance requests.
This newsletter is an all-volunteer effort. If you would like to show your appreciation, consider making a donation in any amount or converting your email subscription into a paid one. Discuss this newsletter and other stories from across Solano County on our Facebook group here and follow our new Twitter account here.