NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – FDNY firefighters are being told to stand down from calls that involve people with coronavirus symptoms.
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EMS workers are instead being directed to handle such cases, the New York Post reported.
The order was issued by the FDNY Friday and affects "Segment 2" calls—the second-highest priority calls—that include symptoms like coughing, difficulty breathing and fever.
FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer said the directive was made to prioritize resources and that firefighters firefighters will still respond to high-priority calls like cardiac arrest.
"Firefighters continue to respond to the highest priority medical calls, whether they are potential COVID-19 calls or not," Dwyer said.
Some EMS workers say they're already overworked because of an EMT shortage and that this could lead to even more strain.
"It puts everyone at risk. It puts EMS workers at risk, when we don't have the resources," Anthony Almojera, an EMS lieutenant in Sunset Park, told the New York Post.
There were at least 13 cornavirus cases in the city as of Sunday, with dozens more under mandatory quarantine and thousands more in voluntary isolation.
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