Some EMTs are living in maekshift houses amid the pandemic to avoid
infecting others. Anthony Almojera
COURIER LIFE, APRIL 17-23, 2020 5
BY ROSE ADAMS
The Fire Department is
offering New York City’s beleaguered
Emergency Medical
Service workers complimentary
housing as they
remain at the front lines of
the COVID-19 outbreak. But,
fi rst responders say the units
are less than desirable.
“The lodging in Queens
is in homeless shelter,” said
Anthony Almojera, the vice
president of the FDNY EMS
Offi cers Union local 3621
who works in Sunset Park.
The alternative lodging
initiative, which the
FDNY kicked off earlier
this month, allows the
city’s fi refi ghters and
EMS workers to sign up
for free housing for the
duration of the coronavirus
outbreak —
giving a safe home to
many EMTs who had
moved into their cars
to prevent the virus’
spread.
The department
has secured 21 hotels,
as well as some
other living spaces,
for the program, and
has housed more
than 130 members so
far, an FDNY spokesman
said. But many
EMTs, though they laud
the Fire Department’s efforts
to provide free lodging,
say the units secured so far
aren’t particularly safe.
“I’m hearing reports
that the one in Brooklyn is
less than savory,” said Almojera.
“One is a hotel
that’s known to have prostitutes
frequent it. It’s in a less
than safe area.”
Another EMS worker
based in East New York said
he heard the lodgings in
Brooklyn included homeless
shelters.
“I heard it was more of
a shelter that they were using,”
said Terence Lau.
“It’s not really a comfortable
place. . .but when you
come to this point, there’s
not much you can really
choose.”
State Senator Andrew
Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge)
is one of 31 legislators that
had called on the Fire Department
to offer workers
free housing. He’s since demanded
that the department
increase the standards
of the free units to grant the
overworked medics some relief.
“While having alternative
lodging opportunities
is vital, they must be of a
standard that EMS workers
are actually comfortable actually
staying in,” he said.
“Our EMS workers are heroes
on the front lines, responding
to hundreds of
life-saving calls each day.
They should never be forced
to choose between subpar
accommodations, sleeping
in their car and potentially
exposing their families.”
An FDNY spokesman
denied that the department
was using shelters for housing,
and said that the initiative
only placed members in
hotel rooms and furnished
apartments.
The EMT housing program
comes as 911 calls inundate
the EMS stations at
record highs — surpassing,
on some days, the number of
calls on Sept. 11, 2001. Paramedics
say that the overwhelming
majority of calls
have been for cardiac arrests,
which they think result
from coronavirus.
“During the day we had
12 cardiac arrests. That’s
unheard of. On a busy day,
maybe one or two,” said Almojera,
adding that 10 of
those 12 patients had suffered
from coronavirus
symptoms.
from COVID-19 pandemic
all about the hospitals being
overwhelmed and not having
the ability to put the patients
anywhere,” he said. “Finding
a hospital that is available
when you need one is a hot
commodity these days.”
And while hospitals are delaying
paramedics’ response
time, emergency services are
seeing record high volumes of
calls.
Making matters worse,
Variale claimed that 24 percent
of fi rst responders — who
routinely interact closely with
coronavirus patients — are
out sick, leaving emergency
personnel vastly overworked
in order to keep up.
“So we are really dealing
with an increased call volume
and a smaller amount of people
handling the call volume,”
Variale said. “And it is taking
a toll physically, mentally,
emotionally. Paramedics are
really feeling it.”
In order to keep ambulances
staffed, Variale said
overtime has been through
the roof with paramedics
working 16 hour-shifts, four
to fi ve days a week, since the
onset of COVID-19.
But the situation did not
come out of nowhere, according
to the union head, who
said the unit has also been denied
proper funding and preparation.
“To exacerbate the problem
further, EMS has always
been grossly underfunded
and understaffed,” Variale
said. “So we went
into this crisis understaf
fed,
and now
24 percent of the workforce is
out sick.”
Variale also blasted FDNY
brass for their alleged failure
to properly prepare paramedics
with adequet suplies.
Paramedics have been told
to do whatever work they can
without using up medical suplies
that are in short supply
around the country as hositals
everywhere deal with an
infl ux of coronavirus-related
patients, he said.
“They are trying to ration
masks, but any call we go
to we have to be concerned
we‘re going
to be exposed”
he
said.
EMTs given porous housing
as 911 calls skyrocket
NIGHTMARE’