Office of the Fire Chief 

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Fire Chief 
 
 
 

To: All Dispatchers

From: Edward Pitta, Fire Chief

Date: November 2, 2009

Subject: Dispatch Protocol Regarding H1N1

Please be advised that, effective immediately and until further notice, all 9-1-1 calls that are
received for “flu-like illnesses” will have a BLS ambulance emergency response ONLY. Fire
Department and ALS resources will NOT be sent on the initial dispatch to these calls.

Some examples of symptoms and complaints associated with the flu are:

! Fever
! Cough
! Sore throat
! Nausea & Vomiting
! Diarrhea
! SOB associated with flu
! Sore chest associated with cough
! General malaise

This is an effort to minimize the unnecessary exposure of emergency responders to the influenza
virus, including H1N1. If the BLS unit on scene determines that more serious symptoms are
present, they may request that additional resources be dispatched.

Please feel free to contact my office or the Fire Department EMS Coordinator (978-459-5589) if
you have any questions regarding this change in dispatch protocol.