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Two part-time EMS workers in Pennsylvania were placed on leave after not wearing masks while on duty.
The punishment of two East Hills Ambulance employees in Cambria County stemmed from an incident about a week ago, WJAC-TV reports. While on duty, two EMS workers took off their masks, which they wear as part of the PPE protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carl Moen, executive director of the Southern Alleghenies EMS Council, which helps oversee EMS regulations, told WJAC that first responders should be wearing a surgical or cloth masks on all calls. If a patient shows symptoms of COVID-19, then those workers should don N95 masks, gloves, gowns and eye protection.
“Number one, they need to protect themselves," Moen told WJAC. "They aren’t any good to their community or anyone else if they become ill with COVID-19. Secondary, they need to wear those masks and take those precautions to make sure they are protecting their patients and their families."
Despite the lapse by the two reprimanded EMS workers, Donald Gawel, East Hills Ambulance's manager, told WJAC that employees do follow pandemic protocols regularly.
