FROM WMUR-TV

Seven Salem firefighters are being quarantined because they might have been exposed to COVID-19, officials said Thursday.

“They’ve been exposed, so we need to deal with them as an isolation quarantine,” Best said.

The fire chief, who is also the town’s director of emergency management, said crews have been on 34 calls where firefighters could have been exposed to COVID-19.

“(That’s) based on the 911 screening criteria that we use when we talk to the patients about recent travel, fever, cough,” Best said.

In one case, a firefighter started exhibiting symptoms Friday, Best said. In the other cases, firefighters responded to two medical calls on Saturday and Monday. While firefighters will normally do an assessment and determine if they need protective gear, Best said there wasn’t time.

“Everything rapidly occurred when they arrived on scene, and they just weren’t able to maintain that physical distancing right off and get their protective equipment put in place,” he said.

The chief said it would be helpful to get test results back as quickly as possible, and his department is working with the state to develop a protocol.

“We’re trying to get the patients that we deal with pushed to the top of the list in a sense so that we can get our work force and emergency responders back on the street,” he said.

Best said he doesn’t know when the test results will come in, but said he’s sure this won’t be the only time firefighters will have to be quarantined. He said he’s trying to develop a regional solution to avoid putting too much strain on any one department.