A message from the Select Board and the Fire Rescue Department.

COVID-19 Update                                 

North Yarmouth Fire Rescue began monitoring the Corona Virus on January 25^th 2020. This began with an article to all members from Maine EMS and the Maine CDC. At that time it was merely brought on the forefront to keep an eye on. On February 28^th 2020, more information was being distributed about the disease. We had begun to look at our policies and had discussions on how to keep each other safe and the practices that we should employ in regards to hand hashing, Personal Protective Equipment, and decontamination processes for our apparatus and equipment. On March 4^th 2020, I sent an email in detail to my staff and town wide discussing the Corona Virus, signs and symptoms, and a few prevention tips. That information also detailed issues we had at that time in obtaining Personal Protective equipment and how we were addressing those issues.

On March 11^th 2020, Assistant Town Manager Grover and I attended a meeting with the Maine CDC, Maine Medical Center, Cumberland County Police Chiefs, and Cumberland County Fire Rescue Chiefs to discuss updated concerns and SOG’s. During that meeting, we received an email from the Governor’s Office recommending the start of social distancing for any gathering of 250 people or more. After the meeting was complete, we met with Town Manager Rosemary Roy to discuss how this recommendation would affect town wide events. During that meeting is was decided it would be best to suspend any meeting going on at the community center for the beginning on March 14^th to allow for proper outreach to those that had events scheduled.

On March 12^th, Chief Payson requested Personal Protective Equipment from the Maine CDC after exhausting all vendors with requests. Maine CDC delivered requested PPE to North Yarmouth Fire Rescue on March 16^th and again on March 19^th.

On Monday March 16^th, Town Manager Rosemary Roy, Assistant Town Manager Debbie Allen Grover, and Chief Payson met with all town staff to discuss this quickly moving subject and how we as a town was moving forward to safely provide services to our community. On March 16^th, we made the decision to close all town offices to the public beginning on March 17^th.  The Fire Rescue Department completed its monthly training on March 16^th to go over response policies and procedures as well as what personal protective equipment will best protect our responders. The Fire Rescue Department new policy will limit the amount of first responders responding to a medical emergency in town. Extra staff can respond to the station and stand by in the event more help is needed on the scene.

Governor Janet Mills issued an Executive Order mandating that all restaurants and bars statewide close to dine-in customers effective March 18, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. for a period of 14 days until midnight, March 31, 2020. Take-out, delivery, and drive-through options can continue. The Governor has also prohibited all gatherings of more than 10 people until further notice, mandating the latest U.S. CDC’s guidance on gatherings. In addition, Governor Mills strongly urged non-essential public-facing businesses, such as gyms, hair salons, theatres, casinos, shopping malls, to close their doors for the next two weeks to minimize public gatherings. Under the authority granted to her during a State of Civil Emergency, Governor Janet Mills today issued an Executive Order (PDF) mandating that all non-essential businesses and operations in Maine close their physical locations that are public facing, meaning those that allow customer, vendor or other in-person contact. The Order also closes non-essential business sites that require more than ten workers to convene in a space where physical distancing is not possible. Non-essential businesses and operations may continue activities that do not involve these types of in-person contact and convening, and should facilitate the maximum number of employees working remotely. The Order was effective March 25, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. and extends for a period of 14 days through April 8, 2020 at 12:00 a.m.

On March 31, 2020 Governor Janet Mills issued a series of substantial new mandates to protect public health and safety in the face of COVID-19, including a Stay Healthy at Home directive that requires people living in Maine to stay at home at all times unless for an essential job or an essential personal reason, such as obtaining food, medicine, health care, or other necessary purposes.

The Governor also mandated a series of other new restrictions, including:

• For essential businesses and operations that remain open, limiting the number of customers in their buildings at any one time, implementing curb-side pickup and delivery options as much as possible, and enforcing U.S. CDC-recommended physical distancing requirements for their customers and employees in and around their facilities.
• Prohibiting the use of public transportation unless for an essential reason or job that cannot be done from home and limiting the number of people traveling in private vehicles to persons within the immediate household unless transporting for essential activities.
• Mandating the continued termination of classroom or other in-person instruction until at least May 1, 2020.
• Mandating that, when out of the home or when at work at an essential business, individuals shall maintain a minimum distance of six feet from other persons.

The Executive Order takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on April 2, 2020 and will last until at least April 30, 2020. The Governor may amend, rescind, or renew this timeline at her discretion. The Governor also extended the closure of restaurants and bars statewide for dine-in customers until at least April 30, 2020 to align with today’s Executive Order.

During this ever growing effort the Fire Rescue Department, Living Well in North Yarmouth, and Town staff has been working very hard to keep the residents in the town of North Yarmouth as safe as possible. North Yarmouth Fire Rescue is partnering with the Living Well in North Yarmouth Committee to provide wellness checks and other needs to the community during the coronavirus pandemic. The Fire Rescue department has a running list of residents in the town that they check on during town wide emergencies, snow storms, power outages, etc. The Fire Rescue Department is making these phone calls to our residents on Tuesdays and Fridays. Our first priority is to ensure the health of our community members. We currently have 52 signed up for our program. During the wellness checks, we have found that there is a need to assist other members in the community, as well as those that are immuno-compromised, with groceries and medication pick-up. Living Well in North Yarmouth has a group of dedicated members from the community willing to help those in need of the pick-up and delivery of groceries and medications. Having groceries and essential picked up will allow those in of items to still receive their essential items while limiting contact with the general public.

This is an ever changing cycle of events. The Fire Rescue Department is working with Maine EMA, Cumberland County EMA, Maine EMS, and our mutual aid departments on a daily basis keeping informed of the most recent updates. These updates are passed on to all members of the Fire Rescue Department and town wide department heads. While we are still providing the much needed emergency services to our citizens. We have also taken steps within the fire rescue department to ensure the health of our members at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. Our fire rescue members follow the same restrictions on responses that any other emergency service may request. We are requiring them to take their temperature at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day if they are responding on a call. If they have any illness, we have requested them not to respond on any calls. We have also asked those members that may be immuno-compromised to limit their response or not respond at all to calls that are suspected to be of the COVID-19 nature. 

On March 31, we made the decision to close the Garden to Garden Kiosk. This was done as a preventative measure due to actions observed by the Cumberland County Sheriff Office. These actions were putting our residents in danger of cross contamination of the virus. The fire rescue department has received numerous requests to do a drive by for birthday parties. We have made the stance that we will not fulfill these requests at this time. We had two request to complete a drive through the parking lot at the community center for birthday parties. Parents would organize a gathering while staying 6’ apart. With the Governors stay home order, we felt this would go against what we are trying to accomplish with minimizing exposures to people. I have also asked my staff to only come out for emergencies. I have cancelled all trainings and meetings until at least May 1^st. For our members to keep up with training, we have moved to an online training program that will give EMS continuing education credits and has a vast library of fire training subjects.  We have asked those members that are at risk or vulnerable to catch the virus, to refrain from responding to calls. We are also initially limiting the amount of EMS providers on the scene of a suspected COVID-19 type of call.   

We would like to thank the community for standing by the decisions made by town management during this crisis. Some of these decisions have been very difficult to make, but have been made in the best interest if the safety and well-being of our community members. The Fire Rescue Department is committed to provide the best services possible to our residents, friends, and family in this time of need.

Respectfully

Chief Gregory A Payson