This tip sheet is for employers, fire chiefs, and workers of fire departments including deputy chiefs, captains, engineers, firefighters, search and rescue, emergency response specialists, office administrators, etc. It provides an overview of potential hazards and risks due to COVID-19 and guidance regarding control measures.
COVID-19 is a contagious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Infected individuals can spread the virus through respiratory particles when they cough, sneeze, breathe, etc. People can become infected when they inhale particles that contain the virus or by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching their face with unwashed hands.
Communicate to all workers and visitors that people who are sick (or may be sick) with COVID-19 should not enter the workplace (e.g., for meetings, to service vehicles or equipment, etc.).
Notify visitors and the public (when on an emergency call) that protective measures are necessary for the safety of everyone.
Consider installing barriers when physical distancing cannot be maintained (e.g., at reception).
Schedule workers to work at only one station, if possible.
Considerations for workers on 24-hour shifts (where workers eat, sleep, train, and respond to emergencies as a team):
Evaluate the risk to each team and implement appropriate public health measures (e.g., physical distancing, mask wearing, procedure changes, etc.) to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission between team members.
Minimize contact between teams.
Allow living and sleeping quarters to ventilate between shifts (i.e., open windows and doors and leave the space vacant for a short time).
Change bed linens between users, if sharing beds.
Clean and disinfect all high-touch surfaces and objects (e.g., fitness equipment, door handles, controls, tools, rescue equipment, vehicle interiors, etc.) before the next team arrives.
Implement measures that promote physical distancing and reduce indoor crowds:
Remind workers to maximize the distance between themselves and others (including workers from other teams) during any interaction with people they do not live with (e.g., training, department meetings, at an emergency scene, etc.).
Reduce the number of people (e.g., administrators, support staff, planners, etc.) that work at the fire department by offering remote work options.
Conduct training outdoors, whenever possible.
Avoid providing public tours of facilities, hosting public events, or attending any external functions.
Install sanitizer dispensers in high-traffic areas (e.g., main entrance, break rooms, administration offices, inside vehicles, etc.).
Consider limiting the use of equipment (e.g., keyboards and mice, tools, turnout gear, etc.) to one worker, especially when it is difficult to clean and disinfect. If equipment must be shared, instruct users to clean and disinfect the equipment before and after use, especially when changing users.
Considerations while responding to emergencies:
Avoid prolonged contact with members of the public unless providing life-saving care.
Implement procedures and processes that reduce the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 (e.g., requiring respirators when interacting with the public, requiring additional protective equipment when performing life-saving techniques, limiting the number of workers allowed into an indoor space at the scene, assessing individuals for COVID-19 upon arrival if appropriate, etc.)
Have dispatchers attempt to determine the COVID-19 status of any individuals that is present at the emergency site. Make sure that information is relayed to the fire fighters.
Provide contactless methods (e.g., drop boxes, websites) for submitting permit applications (e.g., burn permits) and other similar requests to fire departments.
If opening bay doors for ventilation, place barriers to prevent the public from entering the fire station.
Consider the Risks
The risk of COVID-19 transmission is increased when individuals are exposed to several risks at once, such as:
When person-to-person interactions are longer and more frequent.
In crowded spaces, especially when people cough, sneeze, or exhale forcefully.
In poorly ventilated spaces with other people.
When people have inadequate hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, or do not have access to cleaning facilities and products.
When shared surfaces and objects are touched frequently.
When community COVID-19 hospitalizations or cases are high or increasing.
When sick individuals are allowed to stay in the workplace.
When individuals are exposed to several risks at once.
When other risks are high and workplace health measures are relaxed (e.g., dropping indoor mask wearing requirements, requiring all workers to return to the workplace, etc.).
Consider all possible COVID-19 exposure scenarios in your setting and perform COVID-19 risk assessments. Develop or use an existing risk assessment form to document and evaluate all work setting characteristics, activities, and job roles. It is good practice to review your assessment on a regular basis to make sure your control methods are effective.
Sample questions to ask during a COVID-19 risk assessment:
Are indoor spaces properly ventilated?
Where do individuals gather?
What activities require interactions, communication, or touching shared objects?
How long, frequent, and physically close are interactions between people?
Are people able to maintain adequate physical distance from each other?
Which workers are at higher risk?
What are the high-touch surfaces and shared objects?
Do individuals normally participate in activities that create respiratory droplets (e.g., singing, shouting, etc.).
Are people expected to stay in an enclosed space for an extended duration?
Control Measures
Meet your legal occupational health and safety obligations by doing everything reasonably possible in the circumstances to protect the workers and ensure the health and safety the workplace.
To provide the highest level of protection to workers, use multiple public health measures and workplace controls in a layered approach. No single measure is completely effective alone. Be careful not to create new hazards or negatively impact existing safety controls. Review and adjust measures as necessary in consultation with the health and safety committee or representative.
Create and implement a written workplace COVID-19 safety plan supported by the risk assessment. A written plan may be legally required by the jurisdiction in which you operate. Refer to local authorities for details on what must be included in the plan, if it needs to be posted, etc.
Implement policies and programs to accommodate workers, particularly those who are at high risk of severe disease or outcomes (i.e., immunocompromised, have chronic medical conditions, or are older) from a COVID-19 infection.
Communication and Training
Communicate new and updated workplace controls and applicable public health measures to all workers in languages they understand. Specific training requirements and recommendations may vary depending on your jurisdiction. Allow workers the opportunity to ask questions and share concerns. Respond to questions and provide feedback within a reasonable time.
Train workers on COVID-19 specific topics such as:
Screening: keeping individuals who may be infected with COVID-19 out of the workplace.
Contact tracing: identifying and notifying people exposed to the virus and offering advice.
Screen individuals who enter the workplace, if required by your local jurisdiction. Consider having a screening program even when it is not required as an additional measure to protect your workers.
Determine which type of screening your worksite requires: passive or active.
Passive screening requires individuals to self-monitor and self-report possible illness or exposure to COVID-19.
Active screening requires individuals to respond to questions about signs or symptoms of infection, recent possible
COVID-19 exposures, or recent travel outside of Canada.
Allow individuals that pass the screening to access the workplace. Deny access to anyone who does not pass the screening.
Have workers who do not pass the screening contact their supervisor. The supervisor should instruct them to return (or stay) home and follow local public health guidance which may include isolation, testing for COVID-19, or contacting their healthcare provider or public health authority.
Determine if you are required to implement contact tracing. If so, maintain a list of all individuals (for which contact tracing applies) entering the workplace, including their names, contact information, and time spent in the workplace. This information should be provided to the local public health authority if requested for the purpose of contact tracing. All information must be safely stored and destroyed as required by privacy legislation.
For additional information on screening and contact tracing, refer to:
Ventilate indoor spaces appropriately according to the number of occupants and types of activities.
Open windows and doors to the outside, if possible.
Maintain ventilation systems and seek advice from a ventilation specialist on possible improvements (e.g., increasing air exchanges per hour, reducing or eliminating recirculated air, or upgrading to air filtration and disinfection).
If possible, run ventilation systems continuously or for two hours before and after buildings are occupied.
Run local exhaust fans that vent to the outside to help remove contaminated air.
Make sure that air circulation or cooling fans do not direct air flow from person to person.
If ventilation cannot be improved, consider using portable air filtration units with high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) filters.
Keep indoor humidity between 30% and 50%.
For additional information on indoor ventilation, refer to:
Install transparent physical barriers to reduce the spread of respiratory particles. Barriers should be:
Positioned to block the flow of respiratory particles between individuals, especially if the interactions are frequent and less than 2 metres apart.
Tall and wide enough to cover the breathing zones of both individuals on either side.
Made from non-porous materials.
Cleaned and disinfected at least daily.
Carefully plan the placement of barriers. They must not:
Block aisles or exits.
Negatively impact ventilation.
Reduce visibility.
Affect the ability to work safely.
Completely surround individuals.
For additional information on physical barriers, refer to Physical Barriers – CCOHS.
Physical Distancing
Physical distancing requires people to:
Maximize the distance from others (at least 2 metres in all directions) who are not part of their households or groups.
Avoid non-essential in-person interactions.
Keep interactions as few and as brief as possible.
Physical distancing measures to consider:
Follow occupancy limits and physical distancing requirements of local public health or government authorities. Adjust limits according to each space or when requirements change.
Modify the physical space to make it bigger if possible, such as accessing additional space, providing outdoor space for lines or removing temporary walls.
Spread workstations apart. Avoid having more than 1 worker at a time at each workstation.
Avoid having workers face each other, where possible.
Limit access to seating, sinks, urinals, etc. which are close to each other.
Modify tasks to allow physical distancing.
Determine if any employees can work remotely and provide ergonomic support and resources.
Avoid in-person gatherings such as social events.
Schedule work to avoid having workers crowd spaces.
Allow exceptions to distancing guidance in certain circumstances such as assisting a distressed person, providing first aid, or performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
Provide hand washing stations or hand sanitizer dispensers (with minimum 60% alcohol content) in high traffic areas. Regularly check and restock dispensers.
Encourage everyone to wash or sanitize their hands at appropriate times:
at the start and end of shift,
before eating, drinking, or smoking,
after touching shared or high-touch items, equipment, and surfaces,
after using the washroom,
after coughing or sneezing,
after cleaning and disinfecting,
before and after putting on or removing personal protective equipment or a mask.
Discourage individuals from touching their eyes, nose, mouth, or mask especially with unwashed hands.
Discourage unnecessary physical contact.
Reduce the number of shared objects and equipment.
Do not allow workers to share personal protective equipment or masks.
Reduce the number of high-touch points by having:
Motion activated doors, faucets, toilets, urinals, and lighting.
Hand motion or foot pedal activated dispensers (for soap, paper towels, sanitizer, etc.) and plastic lined waste containers.
No touch methods of tracking worker attendance such as key cards or electronic messaging.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
Viruses can remain on objects for a few hours to days depending on the type of surface and environmental conditions.
Clean and disinfect the workplace on a routine schedule.
Focus on high-touch objects and surfaces (e.g., doorknobs, handles, rails, buttons, light switches, and faucets), which should be cleaned and disinfected more often and when visibly dirty.
Use approved hard surface disinfecting products.
Provide adequate cleaning and disinfecting supplies and appropriate personal protective equipment.
Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using, handling, or storing the product. Review the product’s label, and (if applicable) safety data sheet to determine what precautions to follow.
Allow adequate time for workers to disinfect any shared equipment between each use.
After cleaning and disinfecting:
Used cleaning cloths, towels, etc. must be properly handled to prevent cross-contamination and laundered or disposed of after every use.
Deposit heavily contaminated items into plastic lined waste containers.
Dispose of garbage at least daily.
For additional information on cleaning and disinfection, refer to:
PPE includes such items as respirators, medical masks, eye protection, gloves, and safety footwear.
Eye protection (safety glasses, goggles, or face shields) may be worn in addition to a mask when in close physical contact with others. Note: face shields do not provide respiratory protection and cannot replace masks.
COVID-19 PPE policies must not interfere when a higher level of protection is needed for a task.
Workers may need PPE for COVID-19 protection if they are:
Performing tasks that require them to be less than 2 metres from another person.
Using cleaning and disinfecting products (refer to the manufacturers’ safe handling instructions).
Follow the mask wearing requirements of your local jurisdiction. If not required, mask wearing should be encouraged as an additional measure when there is a high risk for COVID-19 spread, or when physical distancing is not possible.
Masks should be comfortable, well-constructed and well-fitting, covering the nose, mouth, and chin.
Consider using masks with a transparent window when communicating with people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Masks should not be worn by anyone who is unable to remove it without assistance (e.g., due to their age, ability, or developmental status).
Allow workers to wear masks, even if not required, based on their discretion (e.g., being at risk of more severe disease, working in crowded setting, etc.).
Consider creating and implementing a COVID-19 vaccination policy which meets all applicable government and organizational requirements.
Discuss any concerns about the COVID-19 vaccination policy with the health and safety committee or representative, and union (if present).
Provide accommodation to any worker that has a valid exemption.
Consider providing support for workers:
To attend local vaccination clinic appointments if these times occur during work hours.
Experiencing temporary side effects from vaccination.
Before allowing entry to the workplace, request proof or attestation of vaccination from workers, if required by your government authorities or by organizational policy.
Maintain COVID-19 controls and public health measures as required, even if most workers are fully vaccinated.
For additional information on vaccination, refer to:
Immediately have them wear a mask (preferably a respirator or medical mask, or if neither is available, a well-constructed and well-fitting non-medical mask). A respirator used in this way (i.e., as source control) may not need to be fit tested.
Have them leave as soon as possible.
If they cannot immediately leave, have them isolate in a designated area, away from others, until they can leave.
Call 911 for medical assistance if symptoms are life threatening. If it is a worker, notify their emergency contact.
Complete an incident report and begin an investigation.
Refer to guidance from your local public health authority to determine when the worker can return to work.
Consider updating your sick leave policy to provide support to workers who are or may be sick. Support may include paid or unpaid sick leave, long-term disability, and information on government programs, if available.
It is important that mental health resources and support are provided to all workers, including access to an employee assistance program, if available.
Note that this guidance is just some of the adjustments organizations can make during a pandemic. Adapt this list by adding your own good practices and policies to meet your organization’s specific needs.
For further information on respiratory infectious diseases, including COVID-19, refer to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Disclaimer: As public and occupational health and safety information may continue to change, local public health authorities should be consulted for specific, regional guidance. This information is not intended to replace medical advice or legislated health and safety obligations. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy, currency, and completeness of the information, CCOHS does not guarantee, warrant, represent or undertake that the information provided is correct, accurate or current. CCOHS is not liable for any loss, claim, or demand arising directly or indirectly from any use or reliance upon the information.
