FISHERS, Ind. --

Emergency personnel are taking proactive steps to deal with possible cases of swine flu, should they appear in central Indiana.

The Fishers Fire Department began meeting with staff and police employees Monday to get up to speed, 6News' Julie Pursley reported.

Firefighters frequently undergo refreshers about how to handle situations involving respiratory illness.

"It's not just us. It's our other agencies in the county as well -- emergency management, the health department," said Ron Lipps, of the Fishers Fire Department. "We're all communicating with each other ... so if this does become a bigger issue for us, we'll be ready."

The department is reviewing the screening of patients and making sure protective masks are up to date. It's also talking about what precautions should be undertaken when paramedics and emergency medical technicians arrive at a scene.

"If we're responding to a case of something that sounds like it could be the swine flu, we'll start from a safe distance back and decide at that point," Lipps said. "If dispatch gives us an indication they think it's going to be related, then they can have the masks at that time."

Hamilton County has taken an extra step to protect emergency personnel as soon as the call comes in.

"Our dispatch system has the ability to flag calls," said Fishers Fire Chief Kenneth Lay. "If you call in and you have certain keywords then there's a line of questions that go along with that. That gives us a better description of what we may be getting into."

Fishers officials said they don't want the public to overreact, but to be aware it is preparing in case the situation becomes dire.

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