West Pierce firefighter tests positive for coronavirus; 19 quarantined
A firefighter with West Pierce Fire & Rescue has tested positive for the coronavirus, the agency announced late Tuesday.
It is presumed the firefighter was exposed off-duty and not on a call, spokesperson Jenny Weeks said. Eighteen employees who came in close contact with the firefighter have self-quarantined.
The firefighter worked at two West Pierce stations before showing symptoms. Both the fire stations have been decontaminated and are still operational, West Pierce Fire said in a statement.
The quarantined employees will return to work April 10. The fire department has a total of 143 firefighter at the six fire stations. All stations are still fully-functioning.
Fire Chief Jim Sharp said the situation is something the fire department has anticipated and planned for.
“Fortunately, we were able to get all of the affected employees into quarantine quickly and keep all of our stations open,” Sharp said in a statement.
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 10:59 AM.
