Allegheny Township takes steps to protect first responders from coronavirus
Although there have been no reports of coronavirus cases in the Alle-Kiski Valley, Lee Shumaker isn’t taking any chances.
Shumaker, Allegheny Township’s emergency management coordinator, told township supervisors last week that he has taken at least a few steps to head off the spread of the virus.
He said hearing reports that some 30 firefighters and 50 police officers in Washington state had been diagnosed with the coronavirus really hit home.
That prompted him to go shopping for hand-sanitizing solutions for emergency responders. He said he had some difficulty locating the product.
“I went to about five or six places until I found it at a Family Dollar store and bought everything they had,” Shumaker said.
He said there are now bottles of hand sanitizer in every police car and every township fire vehicle, and also in the township building.
He said he also bought surgical masks, which will be placed in each police and fire vehicle.
“We’re just trying to be a little proactive, a little ahead of the eight ball if it comes our way,” Shumaker said.
Hand sanitizer, along with thoroughly washing hands with soap and water, is recommended to help keep people from becoming infected by touching common surfaces, such as counters and doorknobs, especially in public places.
“Online, the 12-ounce bottle of hand sanitizer that I bought for $1.50 costs as much as $35,” he said.
Supervisors Chairwoman Kathy Starr commended Shumaker: “The things that Lee did today are things that we should be doing.”
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.