Essential workers share pandemic response experiences
Summer Goddard
The Lake County Courthouse is again open to the public after more than a month of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Healthcare workers aren't alone in the front line response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Firemen, police personnel, emergency service agencies and grocery store employees have all have felt the impact of the pandemic in their daily work. As altered routines, extra precautions and additional duties are now the new normal, a handful of essential workers in various professions took a moment to share their experiences.
Fire Department
“Firemen are programmed to help,” says Ronan Fire Chief Chris Adler. His all-volunteer crew, aware that every call they respond to poses extra risk to their health and safety, still work together, “as a well-oiled machine and roll up their sleeves just like … business as usual. (This) curveball that’s thrown at you means you are cautious.”
The Ronan station hasn’t yet had a call from a person ill with the COVID-19 virus, but Adler knows the Frenchtown Fire Department has. He said he's grateful that Lake County's Office of Emergency Management has provided his fire crew with the masks, gloves and gowns needed to keep safe in the event such a call comes in. Though day to day duties remain much the same, meetings are now held outside to comply with social distancing guidelines.
Adler, a lifelong Ronan resident, says it “breaks my heart” to see the town's empty Main Street. He added that he believes people are beginning to feel a bit stir crazy as he’s recently been seeing a lot more movement in town.
Most concerning to him are the number of out-of-state license plates he’s seen on vehicles in the area. He thinks people are coming here because they see Montana as a safe haven.
Sheriff's Office
As of Monday, April 27, the first business day of the phase one reopening of Montana, the Lake County Courthouse is again open the public. For the past month, the Lake County Courthouse and the County Jail have been on a lock-down to all but employees, who had to first pass a temperature check before being allowed inside the building. Court business is still being conducted electronically and arrested individuals are quarantined for 14 days before being allowed into the general jail population, which is already under quarantine with no visitors allowed. This makes a sort of double quarantine and more work for staff. Patrol officers use caution when dealing with sick individuals using gloves and under certain circumstances safety glasses.
Lake County Sheriff Don Bell said he believes our county is full of good citizens and stand-up people who are taking care of themselves. Although they're not required, many people in the grocery stores are wearing face masks, adding an extra layer of protection. Bell says there’s an advantage to living in an agricultural area with traditions like canning and storing food ahead of time, practices that make staying home easier.
Since the stay at home directive was issued, Bell said there's been an increase in domestic violence and assault calls and this concerns Bell. He cautions citizens to, “Stay safe and stay calm. Go for a walk or do something productive other than take frustrations out on family members.” He suggested, “Take a breather and do laps outside around the house or garden. Get your mind off the stress of the virus that’s here.”
Grocery clerk
After more than 20 years in the grocery business, a local grocery clerk explained that employees are working overtime restocking and disinfecting store shelves during the pandemic. Employees have been generously compensated for the extra effort, which he said is much appreciated.
Preferring to speak anonymously, the clerk described some of the hoarding he observed when news of the virus first became known. It was apparent that people were scared as more and more shoppers began taking more items than they normally would. “It knocked my socks off how it escalated to a frenzy on a national level,” he said. At first it seemed funny to him, but when elderly customers couldn’t even get toilet paper, he became concerned. In a couple of situations customers were stopped from purchasing entire shopping carts full of toilet paper. People from both Wyoming and Washington had come to the store to purchase toilet paper. One of them claimed they were going to sell it for triple the price back home.
A bit of grocery insider information: customers may have noticed some varieties of brand name products have disappeared. Grocery producers have stopped manufacturing certain items - forgoing variety in order to streamline production and create more volume.
Office of Emergency Services
Mark Clary, Lake County's Office of Emergency Management coordinator, has a wealth of experience as long-time volunteer fireman. He’s coordinated response for major fires but has never experienced dealing with something you can’t see. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said he’s been in non-stop meetings with multiple agencies - keeping everyone up to date and working out problems. It’s been like adding a second job, he said, as his work hours have expanded to 60-plus hours per week.
According to Clary, the Lake County Unified Command Center, “Really came together for the betterment of us all.”
“It’s been nice to have both (county and tribal) agencies working together as one.” He praised the health departments for doing a good job getting social distancing messages out to the public and said he's been surprised that most people seem to be following the guidelines pretty well.
Limiting large gatherings during summer months when tourist traffic increases, will be a new challenge, he said. Should the number of positive COVID-19 cases suddenly increase beyond local hospital capacities, plans have been made to isolate those individuals in local motels.
As Montana moves forward with a phased reopening of its economy, essential workers from various professions continue to assess, plan and work for the safety of Lake County citizens.
