An engine company of Buellton firefighters is under quarantine after coming into contact with a potential COVID-19 patient.
According to County Fire spokesperson Capt. Daniel Bertucelli, the firefighters had responded Tuesday to a woman experiencing a medical emergency. “The engine company, along with other first responders, assisted the woman and she was transported to the hospital,” he said. “At the hospital, the patient’s symptoms began to evolve and become in line with symptoms of COVID-19.”
All of the responders were notified and immediately put into quarantine, Bertucelli said, and while all their equipment had already been decontaminated per normal protocol, deeper cleaning measures were also taken.
The woman has been tested for COVID-19 and is awaiting the results. The firefighters have not yet been tested, but they will be if the woman’s results come back positive, Bertucelli said.