LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Fearful: That's how some workers in EMS feel because of COVID-19.
Not only do they worry they could contract the virus from patients, they're also concerned they could bring it home to their loved ones.
If someone needs help, whether it be a car crash or a building collapse, paramedics with Lancaster EMS say they run towards the danger, but when it's an infectious disease, they say it's an entirely different ballgame.
"Nurses, doctors - we all feel the same way; it's fear, and the fear is truly truly real," explained David Jackson, a paramedic of three years with Lancaster EMS.
It's an invisible enemy that's impacting nearly every aspect of our lives and taking a toll on the people on the frontlines fighting it.
"You're preparing for an avalanche; you see it at the top of the hill, and you see it coming down towards you," explained Jackson.
The avalanche, otherwise known as COVID-19, sent Jackson, a lieutenant paramedic, into a self-quarantine. He's sick, and the symptoms have been consistent with that of COVID-19.
"It hurts to take a deep breath," he explained. "I still have a lot of body aches and things like that."
While he did test negative for the coronavirus, Jackson fears it's a false negative.
"I am hoping that the results of being negative are true, but there are a lot of false negatives so you have to assume it's positive," he said.
Besides worrying about his health, Jackson is concerned for the well-being of his family as well as the future of his profession.
"My colleagues -- they've come to me and discussed career changes -- just quitting the job altogether immediately and going to do something else, and I don't fault them for that," said Jackson.
Though, Jackson believes, at the end of the day, paramedics will put on a brave face and keep serving communities.
"The whole thing is very unsettling, unnerving," said Joe Carr, also a paramedic for Lancaster EMS.
Joe Carr is now out of quarantine; he, too, took a test to see if he had the coronavirus. His results also come back negative.
"What concerned me is my test took a whole week, so I didn't know for a long period of time whether or not I had it," added Carr.
Many heroes on the front lines are asking themselves the same questions.
"Initially, it was like maybe transporting one a day that showed some symptoms and then, it went up," explained Jackson. "Then, a lot of crews are transporting people with symptoms, and you just don't know -- 'Is it a cold? Is it the flu or is it the coronavirus?' In the back of our minds, 'am I going to get this? Am I going to take it home to my family? Are my kids going to get sick?'"
Lancaster County has a team of dedicated volunteers who support first responders during times of crisis. Interested departments should contact Lancaster County's Critical Incident Stress Management or CISM.
CISM offers:
- On-scene support
- Defusing
- Debriefing
According to volunteers with CISM, first responders who are experiencing these critical incidents will likely benefit from CISM intervention: serious injury or death of emergency service worker, death of a child, violence, multiple casualty incidents, suicide of crew member, death of victim known to emergency workers, incidents that attract news media coverage, circumstances viewed as preventable, several tragedies in a short period of time, unusual or unexpected circumstances, and more.
All services by CISM are free, and volunteers are available 24/7.
Call Lancaster County Dispatch (717) 664-1190 or (800) 691-3473.
You can also email Dr. Kenneth Ralph at lancastercism@gmail.com or call him directly at (717) 291-9933.