Georgia OEMS COVID-19 Guidance for First Responders (EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement)

DPH and the Office of EMS and Trauma will make every effort to keep this site up-to-date. Previously circulated guidance documents from OEMS related to COVID-19 have been replaced by this website.

DPH is working with all of our federal, state and local partners in preparation for and response to this emerging public health threat. As part of that response, DPH is recommending that EMS agencies and 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) follow the current guidance from the CDC. 911 centers may also choose to use the latest Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance Tool published by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.

Many Georgia companies have joined the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by providing critical health care supplies to those on the front lines of this fight: health care workers, first responders and law enforcement, food service industry employees, logistics workers, and reopening small businesses. Please click HERE to see the list of Georgia suppliers of PPE.

Office of EMS and Trauma COVID-19 Update Calls (includes notes for 01/08/2021)
The Georgia Office of EMS and Trauma will be hosting bi-weekly update calls regarding COVID-19 guidance for EMS and the impact on the EMS Educational and Licensing pipeline. Call-in information will be sent to EMS Agency Directors, EMS Agency Medical Directors and EMS Initial Education Programs. Please contact your Regional EMS Director to be added to their contact list to receive the call-in information.

Previous Calls:
Priority COVID-19 Testing for First Responders (EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement) (Updated 4/16/2020)
Healthcare workers, first responders, law enforcement and long-term care facility residents and staff will be prioritized for testing regardless of whether they are or are not symptomatic. To learn more, please review the following documents.
- 4/15/2020 - Press Release - Expanded Testing for COVID-19 In Georgia
- COVID-19 TESTING / Direct Patient Line
Notices from FBI Regarding Healthcare and Public Health Sector (Updated 4/22/2020)
- Individual(s) Targeting Hospital Staff to Solicit the Sale of COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with a Fake Certification Letter in an Email
- Indicators of Fraudulent 3M Personal Protective Equipment
Requesting PPE Resources (Updated 3/8/2021)

PPE may only be requested for emergency supply, and must be requested through your county EMA.
Information for Licensed EMS Personnel (Updated 3/27/2020)
Licensed EMS Personnel have a responsibility to keep patients safe and are expected to exercise due diligence in following CDC and DPH guidance as well as Local Medical Director protocols to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. DPH Rule 511-9-2-.18 (22) Standards of Conduct for Licensees requires that:
- (22) A licensee shall take no action that would jeopardize the health or safety of a patient, including without limitation the abandonment or mistreatment of a patient.
Any unprotected exposure (e.g., not wearing recommended PPE) should be reported to your occupational health services, a supervisor, or a designated infection control officer for evaluation.Public Safety personnel (EMS, fire, law enforcement) who have been exposed to a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should notify their chain of command to ensure appropriate follow-up.
- Personnel should be alert for fever or respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath, sore throat). If symptoms develop, they should self-isolate and notify occupational health services and/or their public health authority to arrange for appropriate evaluation.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences COVID-19 Worker Training Program Webpage (info on protecting yourself from COVID-19 in the workplace)
Information for Public Safety Agencies (EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement) (Updated 4/22/2020)
Public Safety Agencies should review or establish processes to:
1. Ensure personnel are aware of the current recommendations and guidelines issued by the CDC and Georgia Department of Public Health. Providing links to the CDC and GDPH Coronavirus web sites is the best method of ensuring access to the most up to date and current information.
2. Coordinate with City or County management to update and or develop systems or process for reporting a possible or real exposure, coordinating with agency/department Medical Director and public health. As well as developing a quarantine/isolation plan.
3. EMS Agencies should work with your medical director to update your Infectious Disease Exposure policy and equipment/vehicle decontamination procedures as appropriate. The latest CDC guidance should be consulted for this.
Questions? Reach out to your Regional EMS Director.

The CDC has created Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure in a Healthcare Setting to Patients with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), available here.

Links:
Information for EMS Initial Education Programs (Updated 5/23/2022)
EMS Initial Education Programs should be in the process of planning and making decisions on how best to respond to the impact of COVID-19. Since the spread of COVID-19 is continuing, please know that the Georgia Office of EMS and for Paramedic programs, CoAEMSP, supports you as you work through this public health crisis. We will work with our programs to help them navigate issues that impact their students.

All initial education programs (not just Paramedic programs) should consult the CoAEMSP website homepage for the latest COVID-19 guidance related to the completion of initial education programs, as well as the Regional Training Coordinator for your area.

For the latest guidance on what modifications to EMS initial education programs are permitted during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, click HERE . This document includes the information shared on the WebEx on Wednesday, 4/15/2020.

Given the current situation that faces Georgia and our country, it is vital that EMS initial education programs continue and prepare the students to enter the workforce as entry-level providers. Please contact your Regional Training Coordinator if you need assistance.

We are also aware of challenges related to testing sites for the National Registry Cognitive exams. For the latest information from the National Registry related to COVID-19, please visit their website here.

Teaching online? You should complete the Distance Education Effectiveness Assessment available HERE.

Links:
- Guidance for interruptions of study related to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Pearson Vue NREMT Essential Services Testing
- Pearson Vue COVID-19 (Coronavirus) scheduling and rescheduling
- CoAEMSP - FAQs Document Released Based on April 5, 2020 Statement Regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
- CoAEMSP website (information on COVID-19 for Education Programs)
- NREMT Page on COVID-19
- CoAEMSP Tools Developed to Support Programs During COVID-19
  - Program Policy. A sample policy that a program may use to develop its own policy on handling exceptions due to the COVID-19 interruption.
  - Student Education Interruption Status Form
- EMS Education Pipeline is a summary document on the status of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) education pipeline during a series of recent conference calls with EMS stakeholder organizations.
Pearson VUE Testing Availability Search (Updated 4/23/2020)
Pearson VUE has added an “Anonymous Seat Search” to the Pearson Vue National Registry Page (https://home.pearsonvue.com/nremt). This will allow anyone to search for availability at testing centers without an Authorization To Test (ATT).

From the Pearson Vue National Registry Page:
1. Select Seat availability from the right-side menu; Click Next
2. Select the Examination for which you wish to see availability; Click Next
  1. You’ll have the option to view testing policies; Click Next
3. Enter an address, including the City, State, and Zip Code; Click Search
4. From the list of available centers, you may select a maximum of three, to view their seating availability.
  1. You may select alternative test centers from an option on the screen.
Electronic Patient Care Report (ePCR) Documentation & ICD-10 Codes to Use (Updated 3/24/2020)
- Recent Travel/Travel Locations
  - As a reminder, all EMS personnel are required to document the recent travel question (itExam.070 – “Has the patient traveled outside their community within the last 30 days?”) on ALL patient contacts in their ePCR.
    “Community” is defined by the medical director and need not be limited to just travel outside of the United States.
    
    Choices for the travel question include: “No,” “Yes,” “Unknown,” “Unresponsive,” “Refused.”
  - If the answer to the travel question is “Yes,” then the medic is required to answer the following additional questions:
    itExam.072 - Beginning Travel Date
    
    itExam.071 - Ending Travel Date
    
    itExam.074 - Travel Locations (Document all places and locations the patient has traveled in the last 30 days)
- Narrative
  - Include the term “COVID-19” in the narrative (eNarrative.01) for any patient that has a confirmed positive COVID-19 test, has an exposure to a confirmed patient, or is a suspected case or patient under investigation.
- Personal Protective Equipment Used
  - EMS Personnel should record what Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was used on each Patient by each Crew Member by recording the appropriate choice in eOther.03 - Personal Protective Equipment Used. This is a multi-select field, so EMS crew members should record any and all PPE that they use related to the Patient.
- Potential Exposures
  - If EMS Personnel have a potential exposure during patient care, then this should be documented properly on the electronic patient care report.
    eOther.05 - Suspected EMS Work Related Exposure, Injury, or Death (Choices are "Yes" or "No")
    
    eOther.06 - The Type of Work-Related Injury, Death or Suspected Exposure (this is a multi-select field)
- Primary (eSituation.11) and Secondary Impression (eSituation.12)
  - The following COVID-19 ICD-10 codes are recommended as of 3/17/2020 for documentation related to COVID-19 - all of these codes have been made active in GEMSIS Elite, and all other software vendors and agencies should make sure that these are available as well:
    Impression: COVID-19 – Confirmed by testing
    ICD-10 Code: B97.29
    
    Description: Prior to EMS interaction, the patient has confirmed COVID-19. Examples include interfacility transports, transport from clinic or skilled nursing where diagnosis is known, etc.
    
    Impression: COVID-19 – Exposure to confirmed patient
    ICD-10 Code: Z20.828
    
    Description: Patient has contact with a patient confirmed by testing. Examples include household members, residents of healthcare facilities with confirmed case, etc.
    
    Impression: COVID-19 – Suspected -- No Known Exposure
    ICD-10 Code: Z20.9
    
    Description: This is for all other concerns. Examples include positive travel history, exposure to suspected/PUI but not confirmed cases, etc.
    
    Impression: COVID-19 – Concern for disease, ruled out
    ICD-10 Code: Z03.818
    
    Description: Encounter for observation for suspected exposure but is ruled out after evaluation
- Other EMS or Public Safety Agencies at Scene (eScene.02) Other EMS or Public Safety Agency ID Number (eScene.03), and Type of Other Service at Scene (eScene.04)
  - It is important for EMS Agencies, especially transport EMS agencies, to record all other EMS or Public Safety Agencies that are present on scene. This information may used by the hospital and medical epidemiologists to notify all responding agencies of potential or confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Stress Management and Mental Health during COVID-19 (Updated 4/14/2020)
- Addressing Stigma
- Stress and Coping (COVID-19)
Webinars and Other Training Related to COVID-19 (4/22/2020)
- NHTSA Office of EMS webinar on COVID-19
- COVID-19 EMS Patient Management: Myth vs. Reality
  - PowerPoint
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update and Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences COVID-19 Worker Training Program Webpage (info on protecting yourself from COVID-19 in the workplace)
- Crisis Standards of Care and COVID-19: What EMS Needs to Know - March 26, 2020
- Addressing Your Questions About COVID-19
- OpenWHO Offers Free Online Courses for Responders
- CDC COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Professionals
- Medical and Public Health Considerations of COVID-19
- American Public Health Association/National Academy of Medicine COVID-19 Webinars
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) News and Resources from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (includes recorded webinars)
- NAEMSP COVID-19 Resources, including protocols (includes recorded webinars)
- ACEP COVID-19
- NETEC, the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center - COVID-19
- COVID-19 Clinical Rounds Peer-to-Peer Virtual Communities of Practice are a collaborative effort between ASPR, the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center (NETEC), and Project ECHO. These interactive virtual learning sessions aim to create a peer-to-peer learning network where clinicians from the U.S. and abroad who have more experience treating patients with COVID-19 share their challenges and successes; a generous amount of time for participant Q & A is also provided.
  - Access previous webinars and sign up today to receive information on upcoming webinars!
CDC and Other Links Relevant to EMS Agencies and Personnel (Updated 5/6/2020)
Clinical
- CDC Clinical Guidance for Management of Patients with Confirmed COVID-19
- CPR & Resuscitation
  - The Implications of COVID-19 on Patient Care and Provider Safety (video)
  - Circulation: Interim Guidance for Basic and Advanced Life Support in Adults, Children, and Neonates With Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19
- COVID-19 Content: An AHA Compendium
- Resources for Hospitals and Healthcare Professionals Preparing for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19
- DoD COVID-19 Practice Management Guide - Clinical Management of COVID-19
- NAEMSP COVID-19 Resources, including protocols
- Surviving Sepsis Campaign COVID-19 Guidelines
- COVID-19 Clinical Rounds Peer-to-Peer Virtual Communities of Practice are a collaborative effort between ASPR, the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center (NETEC), and Project ECHO. These interactive virtual learning sessions aim to create a peer-to-peer learning network where clinicians from the U.S. and abroad who have more experience treating patients with COVID-19 share their challenges and successes; a generous amount of time for participant Q & A is also provided.
  - Access previous webinars and sign up today to receive information on upcoming webinars!
- Ten Clinical Tips on COVID-19 for Healthcare Providers Involved in Patient Care
- COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines (NIH)
- CDC Symptoms of Coronavirus
- Management of Acute Myocardial Infarction During the COVID-19 Pandemic (JACC)
- Information for Pediatric Health Providers
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): Coronavirus (COVID19) Clinical Guidance Repository
Crisis Standards of Care
Planning and Mitigation
Guidance (other)
Funding
Research
Behavioral Health
MISC
CDC and Other Links Relevant to Fire Agencies and Personnel (Updated 5/6/2020)
CDC and Other Links Relevant to Law Enforcement Agencies and Personnel (Updated 5/1/2020)
Resources for 911 Dispatch Centers (Updated 4/30/2020)
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Infection Control Links and Information (Update 5/6/2020)
PPE
- CDC guidance about N95 reuse and decontamination
- PPE COVID-19 resources page from Emory with printable donning/doffing guide and conservation measures
- Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of PPE
- Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators
- PPE Burn Rate Calculator
- CDC guidance for Decontamination and Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators
  - This updated guidance now includes information about Battelle decontamination (see section above on this webpage about how you can make use of the Batelle decontamination system)
- Personal Protective Equipment Supply for Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Infection Control
- EPA's Registered Antimicrobial Products for Use Against COVID-19
Fraudulent PPE Warnings
- FBI Warns of Advance Fee and BEC Schemes Related to Procurement of PPE and Other Supplies During COVID-19 Pandemic
- Counterfeit Respirators / Misrepresentation of NIOSH-Approval
Legal Issues Related to COVID-19 (Updated 4/30/2020)
COVID-19 Resource Pages from other Agencies/Organizations (Updated 5/6/2020)

Georgia OEMS COVID-19 Guidance for First Responders (EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement)

COVID-19 Resources for EMS