INDIANAPOLIS — Nine firefighters with the Indianapolis Fire Department have tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, according to a department spokeswoman.
IFD Battalion Chief Rita Reith said the nine firefighters are in home quarantine and will not return to work until they have been medically cleared by a doctor.
"The firefighters on their apparatus or in their station, that may have had close contact with the firefighter who tested positive, are utilizing the Eli Lilly & Co. testing program," Reith said. "For those tested, once those results are received, IFD will take appropriate measures in consultation with public health officials."
Reith said IFD has more than 1,200 firefighters at 43 stations. The nine firefighters are not at a single station. The department also doesn't know if their positive diagnosis is in any way connected.
"The Indianapolis Fire Department has procedures in place specific for the variables associated with the possible contraction of the COVID-19 virus," Reith said. "The firefighters have followed those procedures with regard to notification and/or testing. Any firefighter who meets criteria warranting a test, is sent through the Eli Lilly testing or using their own personal physician."
Reith said the department has not tested every firefighter on the IFD.
