Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The message below has been sent to the Governor and staff. 3 issues have been identified to be priority; exposure guidance, priority testing and PPE. Getting assistance ith these issues ASAP is paramount to keeping our members safe and keeping the fire service operating thru this pandemic.
We wanted to share this with you so you know what our current focus is and what we are trying to accomplish. We also ask that you reach out to your local and state politicians, other than the governor (he knows what we want) and let them know this is our focus so they are aware of our concerns and provide any assistance they can. They may also be helpful in getting PPE from other sources.
Any questions please feel free to call.
Fraternally,
Samuel A. Fresina
President
NYSPFFA
Message to Governor, in part:
- Exposure guidance - need specialized guidance that is much stricter reflecting the emergency response system’s unique risk profile. Watered down guidelines have already allowed 12 New Rochelle firefighters to contract COVID-19 in just the last two weeks and more are out with symptoms. That’s 8% of the entire department confirmed COVID-19 (per capita equivalent of 800 FDNY members getting sick)
- Priority testing - there needs to be a way for emergency responders to get immediate tests and results after significant exposures so they don’t infect entire crews. The current testing difficulties greatly exacerbate the previous bullet point above.
- Equipment - many departments could be out of PPE in a matter of days based on even the minimal spread projections. This includes New Rochelle where there are already hundreds of known cases.
Given Governor Cuomo’s guidance that the crisis will hit its peak in the next few weeks, we feel it is imperative to the continued effectiveness of our emergency response system to address these issues ASAP.