MO Fire Dispatchers Decry Lack of COVID Protection

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Kansas City Fire Department dispatchers, grappling with a COVID-19 outbreak in their center's tight quarters, say the department has fallen short in efforts to protect them.

Social distancing is difficult in the center, they say, and masks were not mandated until last month.

"People are scared, and they're angry because they feel like KCFD hasn't done a lot to protect them," one employee said.

The worker was among three dispatch employees, as well as another employee's family member, who spoke with The Star, expressing concern about the way the department was mitigating the spread in the dispatch center. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the department's media policy.

Since the start of the pandemic, the disease has been contracted by more than 200 KCFD personnel, who are often in close contact with residents as they respond to emergency calls. The department has a staff of nearly 1,300.

Earlier this fall, a few dispatch employees contracted the virus, each exposing several more co-workers. But to keep the essential 911 service staffed, those who had been exposed had to keep coming to work. At the time, they were the only workers required to wear masks.

In addition, they say, while firefighters who contract COVID-19 have their time off covered, dispatchers have had to use their own sick leave, though they believe they caught the virus at work.

"People who are willing to put their lives on the line for the public good and are exposed to COVID-19 as a result of being in the line of duty — I think we owe them all of the protections that can be afforded," said Missouri state Sen. Lauren Arthur, who raised the issue with the Missouri governor.

The department declined to share how many dispatchers had contracted the virus to respect their privacy. But dispatchers who spoke with The Star put the number at close to 10. The city employees more than 50 dispatchers and their managers.

In an unsigned statement, the department said it encouraged those who have concerns about its handling of COVID-19 to speak with supervisors.

"We value all of our employees and want them to feel supported in these unpredictable times," the department said. "As the pandemic evolved, we have continued to review our policies and procedures and update them based on CDC guidance in conjunction with our local health department."

The employees said it's exceedingly difficult for staff to social distance in the small dispatch center, near Interstate 435 and Blue Parkway, though the department said desks are placed more than six feet apart. They also noted the department didn't mandate masks until Nov. 9, more than seven months into the pandemic.

Prior to that directive, responders wore masks on calls, and the department encouraged them for all employees. The department did not explain why masks were not mandated until recently.

The department said employees who are exposed but remain without symptoms are tested after 12 to 14 days.

"We must maintain a balance between continuing to provide service to our residents while at the same time, keeping our employees safe," the department said.

COVID-19 has struck KCFD personnel in recent weeks, just as it has surged across the region. Three KCFD employees have died of the virus: EMT Billy Birmingham in April and, last month, Capt. Robert "Bobby" Rocha and Scott Davidson, a paramedic and dispatcher.

The Kansas City region added 720 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. The weekly average for new cases was 852, down from 1,151 a week ago.

Under an emergency declaration issued by Gov. Mike Parson this spring, first responders who contract COVID-19 will be presumed to have gotten it on the job, making it easier to obtain workers' compensation. That is normally rare for an infectious disease — for example, influenza — because it's difficult to prove where a worker contracted it.

But the state extended that protection because of the exceptional nature of the pandemic.

Dispatchers, however, are not listed as first responders, meaning it would not be assumed they got the virus on the job.

The department said that "if it is determined the employee's exposure was work related, any leave used is returned and their medical expenses are covered."

One dispatcher's family member said they were still experiencing severe symptoms just a few days before they were expected to either go back to work or start using their days off and stay home.

To expect the dispatch employee to be "upright and functional and aware, alert and 100% on the ball for 12 hours at a time," the family member said, would not be possible.

"Being awake, being up, doing anything for more than an hour or two requires a long sit-down period and a nap."

That same family member also worried about the long-term effects of COVID-19, which can include confusion or "brain fog," fatigue and heart damage. Without workers' compensation protections, "there is the potential for astronomical medical bills" and extended time off.

"Without the protections and support afforded under workers' compensation, these things become the responsibility of the families affected."

Dispatchers are eligible for 80 hours of paid sick leave guaranteed by the federal government for huge swaths of the workforce.

One dispatcher said they had already used some of that leave to quarantine while a family member was tested earlier this year. When they ended up sick with COVID-19, there wasn't enough left to cover the illness.

Arthur, a Clay County Democrat, said she raised the issue with Parson, a Republican, but hadn't heard back. She said she was not sure whether dispatchers' exclusion from the emergency order's benefits was intentional or an oversight.

Asked if Parson might pursue expanding the protections to include dispatchers, spokeswoman Kelli Jones said in an email that workers' compensation "is dictated by state statute."

"Those statutes create presumptions for certain occupations," Jones said. "Specifically, state statute provides for firefighters and police officers given the hazardous conditions associated with their occupations."

Tim Dupin, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 42, said the union was working on behalf of the dispatchers.

"Absolutely we are," Dupin said. "We're a (expletive) union. We're a labor union. We represent our members."

But he declined to answer questions about what protections were afforded dispatchers and hung up the phone.

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