Las Vegas firefighters taking precautions because of flu virus

Emergency responders are taking extra precautions because of the spread of the H1N1 flu virus — and it's not just to protect them, Las Vegas Fire Chief Greg Gammon said today.

"It's also to protect the patients," he said at a news conference, noting that firefighters and paramedics might be "the first ones who get the so-called swine flu virus. They may have the virus for one or two days and not even know it, and still be out running calls."

Dispatchers are asking additional questions when a respiratory-related call comes in, such as whether the patient shows flu-like symptoms or has traveled out of the country recently. If the call appears flu-related, responders wear masks and gloves.

Those types of calls are also being monitored with First Watch, a computer program that tracks all emergency medical calls in Clark County, Gammon said. If there's a spike in respiratory or flu calls in an area, it sends out an alert.

"It may be a specific hotel. It may be a particular neighborhood," he said. "Our firefighters don't always know that they're going into a neighborhood where there might be multiple calls."

If there's an area where that's the case, responders would wear masks and gloves no matter what the call is.

So far, no alerts have been issued, he said. "At this point we don't have any reason to be alarmed."

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.