With everything that has been going on over the past month and a half, Manitowoc County Emergency Services Director Travis Waack has been a very busy man. We spoke with Waack earlier this week, and he told us a little about his hectic schedule. He explained that normally the Emergency Management Department focuses on preparing for a crisis, but now that we are in one, they “go more into response mode. A lot of that is information gathering, so we spend a lot of time on conference calls.”
Due to social distancing requirements, Waack speaks with members of the EMS, hospitals, the health department, the police department, and others in the public safety sector over the phone. Waack says they share information about what each agency is doing in response to the ever-changing landscape due to COVID-19.
Another major aspect of his job is resource coordination. Waack explains that “When an EMS agency or a Hospital shares that they have a need, we are in a position where we are looking to see if that is something we have in our stockpile of resources locally, or is that something we reach out to the state to secure. A lot of that is Personal Protective Equipment such as masks and face shields.” They have also been requesting nasal swabs so more tests can be performed.
Waack shares a daily update on COVID-19 in Manitowoc County on WOMT 1240 AM every day at 8:05 a.m.
