Novel H1N1 Pandemic Flu Prevention Strategies

1. Novel H1N1 Pandemic FluPrevention Strategies City of Glendale All Hazards Response Team August 2009

2. Police & FireOn the Front Line

3. Introduction

4. City of Glendale Strategic Objectives • Establish effective communication links with all strategic partners • Manage and disseminate intel and information • Provide financial tracking and accountability for COG expenditures related to the flu outbreak • Provide for the health & safety of all public safety personnel and the public • Monitor the health & welfare of COG personnel and maintain critical services • Operate within a public safety Unified Command structure

5. Tactical Objectives • Plan for acquisition and storage of antiviral and inoculations for Pandemic Flu outbreak • Identify and support points of distribution for antiviral and inoculations • Prevention of Pandemic Flu through distribution of prevention equipment and sanitizers and decontamination of affected area • Maintain and plan for continuity of service throughout the City of Glendale

6. All Hazards Response Plan • How will the City handle a workforce reduction due to employees not reporting to work due to an illness?

7. All Hazards Response Plan • The City of Glendale All Hazards Response Team created a response plan to handle an increase in employee absenteeism due to a disaster or illnesses • The City of Glendale’s All Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT) reviewed several pandemic influenza plans from local, county, and federal agencies to develop a model of how Glendale would respond to a workforce reduction.

8. All Hazards Response Plan • Essential functions of each City’s Division must be adapted, maintained or restored in order to provide vital city services, exercise civil authority, maintain the safety of the general public, and sustain the economic and industrial base.

9. Examples of Adjustments • Redistribution of staffing • Extending work hours • Reducing services to the public

10. Continuity Plan • Our team used our existing City’s Continuity Plan as a basis for our City’s response to a workforce reduction due to widespread employee illness. • Essential functions were prioritized into a tiered response: • Essential (Tier I) • Critical (Tier II) • Vital (Tier III) • Necessary (Tier IV)

11. Essential (Tier I) Functions • Those operational processes that are necessary for the restoration of essential service which, if not delivered within a period 12 hours, may result in significant negative health and welfare consequences for citizens or employees.

12. Critical (Tier II) • Functions are those that produce significant negative health and welfare consequences if terminated for 12-24 hours

13. Vital (Tier III) • Functions are those that produce significant health and welfare consequences if terminated for as long as 72 hours.

14. Necessary (Tier IV) • Functions are all those functions performed by local governments that are necessary otherwise they would not be performed at all, or would be relegated to the private sector. • Tier IV functions generally can be delayed for 2 weeks or more without any negative public health or welfare consequences. • It should be recognized, however, that not providing Tier IV functions may result in a loss of confidence in government, so should be restored as quickly as possible.

15. Workforce Reduction Due to Illness • 0% TO 25% WORKFORCE REDUCTION • 25% to 50% WORKFORCE REDUCTION • 50% or MORE WORKFORCE REDUCTION

16. Additional Concerns • Response to Calls for Service • Security for municipal buildings • Security for other locations • Dependent care facilities • Tracking attendance statistics • Tracking exposures • PPE supplies • Advance Officer Training attendance • Vaccinations • Anti-viral distribution

17. Three ObjectivesPriorities for Public Safety Personnel • Protect our employees and their families • Protect the Department’s Operations • Protect the Community

18. Public Safety on the Front Lines • Frequently wash your hands • Stay in good general health • Get plenty of sleep • Be physically active • Manage your stress • Drink plenty of fluids • Eat nutritious food

19. Additional Prevention Protocols • Stay Clean • Daily/ Routine Disinfecting • 3 Tiered Approach to Police Contacts • Staying Home if your Sick • Making Personal Family Plans • Seasonal Flu and Novel H1N1 Flu Vaccination • Importance of Good Hygiene • Transporting Sick People in Police Vehicles • During Widespread Flu in our Community, implementing higher level use of PPE for public contacts in the field

20. Stay Clean • You should not wear potentially contaminated uniforms or shoes/ boots home prior to decontaminating them. • Recommended that officers wash clothes separate from family, take off work boots in the garage or at work, shower when you get home and WASH YOUR HANDS A LOT!

21. Daily/ Routine Disinfecting • Surfaces in the squad car, such as the steering wheel, computer keyboard, door handles, back of the car, need to be disinfected at the beginning of the shift , after very transport and immediately following any potential contamination.

22. 3 Tiered Approach to Police Contacts • Distance- If possible, prior to close contact (six feet or less), officers should take 30 seconds to a minute to observe the suspect or contact for obvious symptoms of coughing, sneezing, wiping at their nose/blowing their nose, congestion, red eyes, etc. Consider doing this as warrant checks are being completed or some other moment of down time. If such symptoms are observed, officers should don N95 masks, gloves and eye protection prior to close contact.

23. 3 Tiered Approach to Police Contacts • Barrier Contact/ respirator- Police and Detention officers should wear an N-95 mask, nitrile gloves and eye protection whenever contacting or transporting a person exhibiting influenza-like illness.

24. 3 Tiered Approach to Police Contacts • Post-Contact Decontamination:- Immediately after contact with a person suspected of having an influenza-like illness, you should wash your hands with soap and water, and decontaminate any potentially contaminated items including your police vehicle, handcuffs, etc. Frequent hand washing and use of a disinfectant are your best defenses.

25. Staying Home if you are Sick • If you have an acute fever and one or more of the following signs or symptoms, you should stay home; nasal congestion, cough, sore throat, limb or joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting or flu-like symptoms. • Adults are usually infectious for 3-7 days after showing symptoms but children may be contagious for up to 10 days. You should stay away from work until your symptoms have subsided for at least 24 hours.

26. Making Personal Family Plans • Every police employee should make contingency plans for who will stay home to take care of your kids if they are sick or who will care for them if your children’s school or daycare becomes closed. • The plans should cover at least a 7 to 10 day period.

27. Seasonal Flu Vaccination • It is highly recommended that all police personnel get the regular seasonal vaccination once it becomes available in October 2009. • This will help so that we are not dealing with so much regular flu illness at the same time as the 2nd wave of the novel flu illness.

28. Novel H1N1 Flu Vaccination • It is highly recommended that all police personnel get the 2009 Novel H1N1 Influenza vaccination once it becomes available; anticipated to be in November 2009. • HR has advised that they will disseminate a schedule letting police personnel know of the date(s) and time(s) the Novel H1N1 Influenza vaccination will be made available to police personnel and their families

29. Importance of Good Hygiene

30. Transporting Sick People Engineering Controls: • Optimize the vehicles ventilation to increase the volume of air exchange during transport by placing the ventilation system in the non-recirculating mode and if feasible, roll down front windows.

31. Transporting Sick People Administrative Controls: • Notify the receiving facility as soon as possible, prior to arrival, if a suspect or person is suspected to have influenza infection. • Minimize the opportunity for contamination of supplies and equipment inside the vehicle. • Continue to follow standard infection control procedures, such as standard precautions, including waste disposal of potentially contaminated items and disinfection of the police vehicle and equipment. • Sick people should be transported using the minimum number of police personnel still ensuring we are being safe in regards to officers safety. (PPE should not be removed during transport)

32. Transporting Sick People Personal Protective Equipment: • Police and Detention officers transporting anyone with influenza-like illness should use an N-95 respirator, nitrile gloves and eye protection.

33. Widespread Flu in our CommunityAdditional Measures Respirator (N-95 Mask): • Police personnel will be asked to wear an N-95 mask for all close proximity public contacts. • As a reminder, do not put your mask in your pocket because it can contaminate your pocket (remember the exterior of the mask has the contaminants on it), you could also deform the shape of the mask resulting in it not fitting properly. You may want to try to hang the mask from something in the car or an object on your belt or vest.

34. Widespread Flu in our CommunityAdditional Measures Response to Calls including a Sick Person, Dead Body, or Anything Medical Related: • Officers should don an N-95 mask, nitrile gloves and eye protection when responding to ANY potentially medical related calls included dead bodies. • Police should wear at least the same level of protective equipment worn by Fire Personnel at the scene if they are in the same proximity.

35. SummaryPriorities for Public Safety • PROTECT OUR EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FAMILIES • PROTECT THE DEPARTMENT’S OPERATIONS • PROTECT THE COMMUNITY