We hope and pray that all of our members are well and safe from the COVID-19 virus. To date, we do not know of anyone in the organization that has contracted this very serious virus. We appreciate your understanding and support during this difficult time and would like to remind everyone that when we resume search activities, things will be different. Your health and welfare is paramount to Texas Equusearch as well as that of all your team members. With that said, we are looking at how we can resume operation under the new circumstances while meeting the CDC, FEMA and local guidelines.
One of the ways we will change is by asking each member to do a self health evaluation prior to coming to a search. The evaluation should include the following questions:
- Have you come in contact with any individual who has contracted COVID-19 within the past 30 days?
- Have you traveled outside the United States in the last 30 days?
- Have you run a fever within the last week?
- Have you had chills and shaking or muscle pain?
- Have you experienced shortness of breath or trouble breathing?
- Has anyone in your household experienced fever or cold symptoms in the last couple of weeks?
- Do you have a cough, sore throat, or headache and if so, how long have you experienced these symptoms?
- Do you have excessive mucus or loss of smell and taste?
If you have experienced any of these symptoms, please protect your fellow members and staff by not attending a search. Please let us know if you are sick and need support.
Another way to ensure our members are protected, we will have the command center sanitized prior to and during each search, entry will be strictly controlled.
Each member showing up for the search will be screened for fever when they sign in. If you have a fever of 100° F or greater you cannot search or remain at the search site. A Texas Equusearch medical representative should be present during original check-in (a member of Ken’s team) to create a Decon Corridor where members can be screened prior to searching. If any member starts to exhibit symptoms during the search they should immediately ask for a medical team member for evaluation.
Each member is asked to bring a mask, (bandana or homemade protection as long as it securely covers both nose and mouth) eye protection and surgical gloves if you have them. Texas Equusearch will have a limited supply, but no one will be allowed to search unless they have the proper PPE. We will have sanitizer at the check- in table.
We will maintain safe distancing following the 6 ft. rule from the time you get out of your car until the end of the search. Please help maintain this distance. Avoid contact such as hand shake, fist bump or any other contact. Unfortunately we must treat each other as if we are all infected. If you encounter civilians while searching, always maintain proper distancing.
If dog teams are mobilized, it might be warranted for handlers to avoid canine contact with searchers.
There must be separation while eating or taking breaks. Each person should bring their drinks & snacks and should not be sharing food or drink. If food or drinks are provided for us, it will be packaged by the supplier into individual packages and handled with safety in mind.
When signing in and doing paperwork, all pens need to be sanitized prior to the next person using them. Please fill out all paperwork possible (such as Registration Forms) prior to arriving at search site to reduce the use of pens. All commonly touched surfaces should be wiped with Clorox Wipes regularly.
All members are encouraged, but not required, to be tested for COVID-19 especially if they plan to attend a search or if they experience any symptoms of the virus. The CDC has put a lot of emphasis on testing being a path forward to defeating this virus.
We will not allow other search organizations or people outside our Texas Equusearch membership to participate in our searches unless they have read, understand and agree to our COVID-19 Prevention Plan. This includes family members and friends. Prior to a search, any outside identities must be approved before being allowed to join us in a search. This will allow us to ensure they follow our plan and vet out any that do not want to follow our policy.
We are taking some drastic steps to protect our members and staff. It is very important that you read and understand this plan and abide by the requirements. We have to face the fact that life as we knew it has changed with the introduction of the COVID-19 virus. We appreciate and value every member of Texas Equusearch. Tim Miller and his staff will do everything within our power to keep our members safe. Should you have any questions or issues that you feel we haven’t addressed please contact:
David White @ 281-799-9586 or drwhunt45@yahoo.com
Jack Boggess @ 713-826-3869 or hboggess@comcast.net
Frank Black @ 713-301-6813 or black.frank@sbcglobal.net
Signed by
Tim Miller
Founder and Director of Texas Equusearch