Member News
IAFF COVID-19 Health & Safety Update
Watch this episode of the Kitchen Table addressing many of the health and safety issues affecting you on the frontlines during this COVID-19 pandemic, including preparation and personal protective equipment (PPE), exposure documentation, quarantine and protocols and guidelines.
Visit our coronavirus webpage for additional information, including our updated guidance on surgical masks and cloth facemasks. While surgical masks are preferred as they provide more protection, cloth masks can be substituted at the station or at home. It is important to remember that facemasks are not worn to prevent exposure, but rather to limit the transmission of COVID-19 if an individual is asymptomatic.
IAFF guidance on wearing a facemask is also backed by research and other supporting information. Following these procedures and that wearing a facemask can lower the transmission rate of COVID-19 by preventing exposures primarily through elimination. In addition, in a letter to the White House, the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) stated that COVID-19 could be spread by conversation and normal breathing in addition to sneeze/cough-induced droplets, especially among those who are unaware they have the disease.