Coronavirus pandemic 'taking its toll' on New York City EMTs: 'There’s just a lot more panic in people’s voices'
New York City EMT Arthur Persaud is used to showing up to the unknown, as it’s part of the job. But ever since the coronavirus pandemic began to ravage New York City, fear and hesitation has crept into each and every 911 call he responds to. “We’re definitely responding with much more caution,” he tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Persaud, a member of NYC EMS (Emergency Medical Services), has served the South Bronx for 15 years and says that area residents are terrified. “There’s just a lot more panic in people’s voices,” he says. “They don’t know what to do. It’s scary to me, it’s frightening.” Paranoia and a lack of information, doesn’t help the situation either. Some underprivileged areas rely on 911 for the slightest health concern. “They don’t have a doctor to pick up the phone and call,” says Persaud. “We are their pediatricians, we are their doctors.” The glut of calls has even set an NYC record, exceeding those placed on 9/11. Persaud says that on March 26 EMS received 7,100 calls, an “insane amount.” Comparatively, he says, around 6,000 calls were placed on 9/11. “Right now EMS and medical services are stretched to the absolute brink,” he says. “I don’t know a solution to it [but] I do know that everyone is busting their hump.”
Video Transcript
ARTHUR PERSAUD: We show up to the unknown and just a lot more panic in people's voices. It's scary to me. It's frightening. My name is Arthur Persaud. I work in the South Bronx for New York City EMS. Emergency medical services, we basically-- we're 911. We're the first ones to show up at your house, the last ones to leave.
I have been working in the EMS for 15 years in the South Bronx. During the coronavirus outbreak, we are definitely responding with much more caution. Before I even fully open a door, I will ask what the symptoms are, what's going on, what do you need? Normally, we would just blanketly walk in your door without any hesitation.
Just a lot more panic in people's voices. They don't know what to do. Where we work in some of the underprivileged areas, information doesn't get around as easy, and their primary care physicians are the emergency room. They don't have a doctor to pick up the phone and call. They don't have a pediatrician.
We are their pediatricians. We are their doctors. A friend of mine who is a medic who had to intubate a patient and was very hesitant to do so because she didn't have enough masks for her and the crew. You know, the person was going to potentially pass away if they didn't get that airway. So you have to say either screw it, I'm going to go in, or take a step back and go, is it worth it?
Almost 100% of the time our guys will jump in and do what they have to do. But now that fear is there that if you get contaminated that's loss of work. That's a loss of time. That's time away from your family, testing, the stress. It's taking its toll.
Right now EMS, as a medical service, is stretched to the absolute brink. I don't know exact numbers for 9/11, but there were around 6,000 calls at that point. The past three days, we have broken the record in a row. Over 6,000 calls two days ago. 6,500 the day before yesterday. Yesterday, we had 7,111 calls which is an insane amount.
I don't know a solution to it. I don't know if there is one right now. I do know that everyone is busting their hump. We don't have restroom breaks. We don't have meal breaks. We have to keep going because we don't know if someone calls 911 and they say, oh, you know, I stubbed my toe, and we don't show up and his foot's chopped off, you know, we just don't know.
I have a wife, my mother, and two very small children at home. For the first week of the outbreak, we've had some very insane scheduling changes. They've cut me away from family. They've made me look for Airbnbs and stuff in the city closer to my station.
I knew I wouldn't be coming home, so I needed a place to sleep. EMS is not provided with sleeping quarters at all, nor do we have a place we could sleep if it was there. Or if we were allowed to stay at the stations, there's really no place to sleep. A lot of our members are out-of-pocket doing hotel rooms, Airbnbs, staying at friends' houses as best they can.
The biggest fear we have about coming home, why everyone's staying away, is we're just scared we're going to bring back the virus. I mean, my kids are small. I don't know what they have, even if they are sick with anything. And I don't want to bring it back to them. I don't want to bring it back to my wife, my parents, my grandparents. It's a little tough having to explain why dad's not coming home for, like, chunks at a time.
Even though this coronavirus is taking up all the air time, we are still doing our basic job. If someone has a mental issue, we are there. If someone has a heart attack, we're still there. If someone, god forbid, gets shot or stabbed, we're still there. We're still doing all that stuff and taking you to the hospital for your cough and cold.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
