Editor's note: Find Firehouse.com's complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.

When Wellesley Fire Chief Rick DeLorie heard the coronavirus had infiltrated his department, his response was that it was "inevitable."

The department has strict and constant precautions in place—wearing of masks, social distancing and more—both within the building and for those firefighters who must enter residents' homes. When firefighters come to work, they are first put through a health screening. If cleared, they report for duty. Otherwise, they return home, or if necessary, get tested for the coronavirus.

RELATED:

• COVID-19: First Responders Caught in the Pandemic
• More PPE, Precautions for Firefighters on Coronavirus Pandemic's Frontline

The doors are locked to the public, even if someone is just looking for directions.

"Literally, COVID-19 could walk through the door, unknowingly," said DeLorie.

In a letter on Tuesday to the town, DeLorie confirmed that one firefighter is hospitalized and others have become ill from the coronavirus. They have quarantined members of the department as a precaution, and all but a few with mild symptoms have returned to work.

In a telephone conversation with the Townsman, DeLorie, a 27-year veteran of the department, noted that they have been dealing with different kinds of serious illness for decades.

"You take your best precautions," he said.

He said that while not everyone prays, he does—for the firefighters, for the people of Wellesley that they stay mentally and physically well, for "the town, the country and the world" that everyone reclaims their health and normal lives. "We're here for them."

"Mostly, I pray for the firefighter who's extremely ill," he said.

Despite everything, the morale at the department "is very, very good," he said, adding that "we have the best of the best people there. They a great team and I'm super-proud to be one of them."

———

©2020 Wicked Local Metro, Needham, Mass.

Visit Wicked Local Metro, Needham, Mass. at needham.wickedlocal.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.