The novel coronavirus is wreaking havoc on Denver’s first responders.

As of Wednesday, the city’s emergency response team confirmed at least 21 employees within Denver’s Department of Public Safety have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Nearly half of those cases have come from the city’s fire department, which reported 10 firefighters are currently quarantined for COVID-19.  

Still, Fire Capt. Greg Pixley told The Denver Post, “We are not in a situation where this is compromising our ability to provide protection to the citizens of Denver.”

Aside from the fire department, the city’s public safety agency also includes Denver 911, the sheriff department and the police department.

Similarly to Pixley, Denver’s chief of police Paul Pazen told Colorado Politics in an earlier interview that the community should rest assured knowing they are protected amid the pandemic.

“We stand ready,” he said. “We’re doing high-quality police work, focusing on those high-level crimes and making sure that our officers are available for those highest-level crimes, not only today, but next week, next month and as we progress through this challenge.”

Although some support staff and investigators are working from home, Pazen said, “the overwhelming majority of our police force is working on the street to keep the community safe.”

Both Denver’s fire and police departments have adjusted their operations according to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

For the fire department, precautions include responding to medical calls donning protective gear, as well as sanitizing ambulances, some of which have been turned into “isolation rooms on wheels,” The Denver Post reports.

The police department is taking reports and statements on low-level, nonviolent crimes over the phone instead of dispatching officers to gather information.

Law enforcement officials are encouraging the community to use its online crime reporting tool for matters involving theft, vandalism, lost property, identify theft and more. 

“We’re still investigating every single crime that comes in. We’re following up on every single lead, on every single witness contact,” Pazen told Colorado Politics on March 18. “We’re just doing this through a distance reporting mechanism and utilizing the same tactics that the rest of society is using.”

Denver’s sheriff department, which over sees the city’s jail system, is also adapting operations amid the coronavirus crisis.

Inmate populations in the city’s jails, which are particularly vulnerable to contagious disease spread due to limited space between inmates, have decreased by 39.5% as of Thursday morning, according to Evan Dreyer, chief of staff for Mayor Michael Hancock. 

“We continue to work to reduce the population in both jails. It is a team effort, which includes the Denver Sheriff Department, Denver Police Department, Denver County Court, Denver District Court and the District Attorney’s Office,” Heather Burke, a spokeswoman for Denver’s Office of Emergency Management, told Colorado Politics on March 27. “We are reviewing our jail population on a regular basis and will work with these partners to determine release eligibility; each situation is unique and reviewed individually.

“Additionally, we continue to work closely with our community resource partners to ensure those being released, and those who have a need to be connected with re-entry services, are receiving that opportunity when identified and they have a place to go,” Burke said.