Emergency services prepared for flu

By Lauren Radomski | The Daily Journal

Published 08:36 a.m., September 22, 2009

Local authorities say widespread cases of swine flu could mean changes in the way they respond to calls, serve warrants and process jail inmates.

Though no one is expecting a swine flu pandemic, members of the Fergus Falls Police Department and Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office are revisiting plans developed in response to avian flu a couple of years ago.

A pandemic could force authorities to be more selective in responding to calls, said Sheriff Brian Schlueter. Schlueter said the sheriff’s office would need to make a distinction between calls that required a deputy at the scene and those in which information could be reported over the phone.

“Any emergency or major crime we would always respond to,” Schlueter said, but reports of minor thefts or mailbox vandalisms, for example, may not warrant the presence of a deputy.

The sheriff’s office could also stop serving warrants in a pandemic scenario, Schlueter said. Exceptions would be made on a case by case basis, particularly for people considered dangerous, he said.

From a personnel standpoint, preparing for a possible pandemic means ensuring crucial duties can be completed by more than one person. Fergus Falls Chief of Public Safety Tim Brennan said officials sat down more than a year ago to prioritize department functions and identify who can complete various tasks. They also developed a plan for additional personnel training.

A pandemic that disrupts the delivery of food and other essentials could lead to cases of theft or civil disobedience, Brennan said. That situation is unlikely, he said.

Law enforcement will need to respond to emergency scenarios as they happen, Schlueter said, which is what authorities do on a day-to-day basis.

“You can plan, but you really don’t know what you have until you have it,” he said.

Staff with the Otter Tail County Detention Facility have considered the implications of a flu pandemic on their population.

“We’re kind of in a unique situation here,” said Richard Akerman, jail administrator. “Our options are fairly limited.”

Under pandemic circumstances, jail staff could limit the number of visitors, volunteers, contractors and even potential inmates allowed into the facility, Akerman said. For example, if someone released on bond showed flu-like symptoms when he or she reported to serve a jail sentence, that individual could be asked to return later in better health.

Staff could also create a separate area within the jail for inmates who become sick, Akerman said. He and other jail leadership are reiterating safe practices related to flu prevention.

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