First responders take extra precaution to not contract coronavirus

Being a first responder is already a job filled with potential danger but as more people get sick with coronavirus, they are worrying they will contract the virus on the job.

News 12 Staff

Apr 1, 2020, 9:32 PM

Updated 1,484 days ago

Share:

Being a first responder is already a job filled with potential danger but as more people get sick with coronavirus, they are worrying they will contract the virus on the job.

Michelle Panetta is a Nassau probation officer who runs the law enforcement support organization Beyond the Badge New York. The nonprofit raises awareness for suicide and mental health within law enforcement.

"It gets hard. The more people that get sick, it becomes a strain to us. It becomes longer hours, rotating shifts, you might have to go to a different command that you're not normally stationed at," Panetta said.

To try to ease the mental stress during this pandemic, the Panettas teamed up with Yoga Shack and Fitness 19 in Malverne to offer free online classes for law enforcement.

All departments have added changed protocols to try to protect its first responders. For example, in the New Hyde Park Fire Department, they bring out the ambulance first and the door between the driver and the patient is constantly sealed.

"We're not sure what we're going to, so we're treating everything, every response, whether it's a fire or rescue call, as if it's a COVID-19," said Jim Kane, from the New Hyde Fire Department.

Right now, there are 91 members of the Nassau Police Department who are sick with coronavirus and 45 in the Suffolk Police Department.
undefined


More from News 12
0:55
NYPD: Search for person in the water near Coney Island boardwalk unsuccessful

NYPD: Search for person in the water near Coney Island boardwalk unsuccessful

1:56
Temperatures to plummet overnight; winter-like chills expected Thursday morning

Temperatures to plummet overnight; winter-like chills expected Thursday morning

1:47
Libraries could see new changes following no reversal of $58.3 million budget cut

Libraries could see new changes following no reversal of $58.3 million budget cut

1:52
Hundreds don denim to stand in solidarity with sexual assault survivors

Hundreds don denim to stand in solidarity with sexual assault survivors

1:14
Police Athletic League hosts annual singing and dancing competition for kids

Police Athletic League hosts annual singing and dancing competition for kids

1:35
New Yankees murals at Bronx Terminal Market pays homage to Black baseball legends

New Yankees murals at Bronx Terminal Market pays homage to Black baseball legends

1:45
Dunkin' on Rockaway Parkway reopens following upgrades

Dunkin' on Rockaway Parkway reopens following upgrades

0:21
Express announces 2 Brooklyn stores to close after filing for bankruptcy

Express announces 2 Brooklyn stores to close after filing for bankruptcy

1:53
Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

1:21
Fire officials: 5 families displaced by Bensonhurst fire, 7 firefighters injured

Fire officials: 5 families displaced by Bensonhurst fire, 7 firefighters injured

1:04
DOT adds $6 million to boost overnight and evening deliveries over peak hours

DOT adds $6 million to boost overnight and evening deliveries over peak hours

0:20
MTA service alerts system now includes bridges, tunnels

MTA service alerts system now includes bridges, tunnels

0:18
NYPD: 26-year-old fatally shot in the neck, torso in Crown Heights

NYPD: 26-year-old fatally shot in the neck, torso in Crown Heights

1:46
Traverse Green-Wood Cemetery in 'And Then, Now' performative walk experience

Traverse Green-Wood Cemetery in 'And Then, Now' performative walk experience

0:38
DA: Brooklyn man sentenced to life for deadly armed robbery, shooting in East Williamsburg

DA: Brooklyn man sentenced to life for deadly armed robbery, shooting in East Williamsburg

1:31
Protesters hold Seder sit-in at Grand Army Plaza

Protesters hold Seder sit-in at Grand Army Plaza

0:59
City now has power to padlock illegal cannabis stores

City now has power to padlock illegal cannabis stores

DA: 3 teens indicted for killing bystander, wounding 4 in subway shooting

DA: 3 teens indicted for killing bystander, wounding 4 in subway shooting

1:57
State taxi federation raises reward for information to help stop carjackings, robberies

State taxi federation raises reward for information to help stop carjackings, robberies

2:16
New bill would hold Brooklyn landlords accountable of unacceptable living conditions

New bill would hold Brooklyn landlords accountable of unacceptable living conditions