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Madison County Central Dispatch Center is now screening 911 calls for infectious diseases. It’s a protocol they started just a few hours after Indiana confirmed its first presumptive case of the coronavirus on Friday.

Dispatchers usually go through a list of questions when they answer a 911 call. On Friday evening, they started to ask a few more during medical calls.

“We were looking for anybody with fever chills, respiratory distress, recent air travel at the request of the Madison County Fire Chiefs Association,” said Brent Jensen, executive director of Madison County Central Dispatch.

They are also asking if the person has a persistent cough, chills, or new respiratory problems. Jensen said if the person has two or more symptoms from their list, they will give first responders a heads up.

That way firefighters, officers or emergency personnel know if they should wear protective gear, like a face mask or gown, on the call.

“We are not just screening for COVID-19,” Jensen said. “There is some heightened flu activity and we want to make sure our responders are safe from any type of infectious disease.”

As of Monday afternoon, about 10 calls have fit their criteria. Chesterfield-Union Township Fire Department has answered two of those calls. Neither were related to the coronavirus.

“We can not have large numbers of first responders taken out whether its the flu or eventually coronavirus,” said Jamey Burrows, chief of Chesterfield-Union Township Fire Department.

Burrow’s firefighters now wear face respirators if they get a warning from dispatch. Sometimes they wear goggles and gowns too.

“We have to have first responders to do their jobs, obviously, to take care of the public,” he said. “Just like anybody else, they are able to get sick.”

Burrows said his department recently received dozens of respirators and canisters from Indianapolis EMS. They did not get the equipment to prepare for the coronavirus. It was a donation that just came at a good time.

The coronavirus encouraged Madison County to take this extra step yet agencies explain the flu is still a big concern.

Jensen said a few people have called the 911 dispatch center because they are concerned they may have symptoms of the coronavirus. He urged people to not call 911 unless it is a life threatening emergency.

On Friday, state health officials told the public to call their doctor or health department if they have concerns.