Behavioral Health
IAFF – COVID-19 Behavioral Health Considerations (March 2020)
LACoDPH – Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks (February 2020)
Federal Healthcare Resilience Task Force – Mitigate Absenteeism by Protecting Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Clinicians’ Psychological Health and Well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic (March 2020) – This document provides strategies and techniques to maximize EMS capabilities and service to the public, and to hopefully minimize EMS Workforce Absenteeism. These practices and policies would allow for the greatest benefit to the public, while using the resources that are currently available.
OCFA – Coping with COVID-19 (VIDEO) (March 2020)
Fire Responder Safety
LACoFD – Safety Stand-Down (July 20, 2020)
OCFA – COVID-19 Contamination Zones (April 2020)
OCFA – Keeping Each Other Safe – Guidelines for station life during the COVID-19 Incident
LACoFD – Fire House Social Distancing 101 (July 2020)
Personal Protective Equipment
CDC – Decontamination and Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators (April 22, 2020)
FEMA – Preserving Personal Protective Equipment (April 17, 2020) – A summary of best practices for sustaining personal protective equipment (PPE) while ensuring workers are protected during the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Cal Fire/STAC/Santa Clara – PPE for First Responders (April 9, 2020) – Guidance for all first responders-law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and disaster service workers-who may come into close contact with people who are either confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19.
CDC – PPE Burn Rate Calculator (April 2020) – A spreadsheet-based model that will help healthcare facilities plan and optimize the use of PPE for response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Miscellaneous COVID-19 Information
Federal Health Resilience Task Force – Managing Patient and Family Distress Associated with COVID-19 in the Prehospital Care Setting: Tips for Emergency Medical Services Personnel (April 2020) – Intended to provide care instructions for the psychological challenges associated with real or perceived exposure to COVID-19. This document includes practices for therapeutic communication between the EMS provider, their patient and the patient’s family to ensure that every aspect of the patient’s well-being is being managed by EMS.
CDC – Framework for Expanding EMS System Capacity During Medical Surge (April 2020) – The Framework for Expanding EMS System Capacity During Medical Surge is a tool for community planners to help explore the role of EMS in medical surge planning and to examine the need to supplement existing guidance on integrating EMS into community preparedness plans. The Framework was developed from the input of EMS experts and stakeholders.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – COVID-19 and HIPAA (March 2020) – Disclosures to law enforcement, paramedics, other first responders and public health authorities.
Government Agencies
Up-to-date information on what the Federal Government is doing in response to COVID-19. Learn more about the United States Government Response to COVID-19 at Coronavirus.gov.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the lead federal agency for the COVID-19 pandemic response. HHS is working hard to contain the spread of COVID-19, provide resources to state, local, tribal, and territorial public health officials, develop therapeutics and vaccines, and make available proper protective equipment and medical supplies to support this nationwide response. Visit HHS.gov.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the leading national public health institute of the United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the CDC is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC is performing a broad range of activities in response to COVID-19. Lean more.
The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Along with other federal, state, and local agencies and public health officials across the country, the FDA is performing critical work to protect public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about the FDA COVID-19 Response.
The Department of Homeland Security and its dedicated workforce across more than a dozen offices and components are working diligently with the White House to execute an unprecedented, whole-of America response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, is busily executing a whole-of-America response to the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the health and safety of the American people. Learn more about what FEMA, HHS, and other federal agencies are doing in response to COVID-19.
National Organizations
As an entity of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the mission of the U.S. Fire Administration is to support and strengthen fire and emergency medical services (EMS) and stakeholders to prepare for, prevent, mitigate and respond to all hazards. At this critical time, the U.S. Fire Administration is fully engaged in providing information and resources to assist our nation’s fire and EMS services to confront COVID-19. Learn more about how the USFA is helping.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. As an all-hazards information and knowledge leader, NFPA offers a variety of resources that emergency managers, businesses, schools, and health care providers can use to help prepare for, develop or update continuity plans; and protect those who may be vulnerable or exposed to this infectious disease. Learn more.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), a network of more than 12,000 fire chiefs and emergency officers, is working hard to provide valuable information regarding COVID-19. Visit the IAFC’s COVID-19 page to learn more.
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), a labor union representing paid full-time firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in the United States and Canada, has developed useful information and tools to assist during the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit their website for more details.