In a new order aimed at keeping first-responders safe, Ohio's Health Director Dr. Amy Acton announced that 911 dispatchers will be given the addresses and names of people who test positive for the coronavirus. The information will be kept confidential but will allow first-responders to be prepared when responding to homes.

"They normally think I go out, I take care of a patient, and then I go back home at the end of my shift and I'm done. Now in the back of their mind, these men and women now have the thought 'What if I get exposed?' explained President and CEO of Lane Life Trans Paramedic Ambulance, Joseph Lane.

The new order requires health departments to provide 911 centers with the names and addresses of positive COVID-19 patients.

For EMS workers, like those with Lane Life Trans Paramedic Ambulance, this gives them the heads up to fully equip themselves in personal protective equipment. It also gives them a heads-up to use an ambulance that is specifically designed for COVID-19 patients.

"They're lined in the back with almost a plastic liner in the back, so they're easily cleaned after," said Lane.

For police, being fully dressed in PPE for every call isn't a reality. And while dispatchers currently ask if anyone at the home has flu-like symptoms or COVID symptoms. Boardman's Police Chief Todd Werth said that information isn't always relayed by the caller.

"Unfortunately when people are calling 911 there in a traumatic situation they have a lot going on," explained Werth.

This order is an extra layer of protection for all first-responders.

In Trumbull County, the 911 Director Ernie Cook said placing an alert on addresses with positive cases is something they've already been doing and working with the health department to update the list on a daily basis.

"We were one of the first counties out there to do it, almost all counties have been doing it for a while," said Cook.

 State leaders said the order will help provide consistency across the state.