BREAKING | Boardman Fire Department ‘in a bind’ with COVID-19 outbreak

BOARDMAN — As of today, the Boardman Fire Department will not respond to medical calls due to a coronavirus outbreak in the department.

There are 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the department, and 13 additional people — including fire Chief Mark Pitzer — are quarantined.

With about 35 firefighters in the department, the team is down to about 10.

Township Administrator Jason Loree said the township has been in contact with Lane LifeTrans, the private ambulance company the township uses for emergency medical services. Until the firefighters are back on duty, Boardman Fire Department will only respond to medical calls when Lane LifeTrans requires an assist.

As for fires, the department will rely on mutual aid from nearby fire departments and may need to institute station closures while the 25 firefighters are out.

But, relying on neighboring departments is risky, because "I know that other departments are struggling with this too," Loree said.

"We would do the same for every other community," said Loree, "Just right now we're in a bind and definitely need to rely on some of our area partners."

The Boardman Police Department is also dealing with a possible positive case on its dispatch team. Managing an outbreak in the fire department presents unique challenges, as firefighters live at the station while on duty and ride together when responding to calls.

"There's only so much overtime you can offer to people able to work," Loree said. "You can't just find someone off the street to replace a firefighter or a police officer or a dispatcher."

This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 1:56 PM with the headline "BREAKING | Boardman Fire Department ‘in a bind’ with COVID-19 outbreak."