KS Firefighters Self-Isolate after Treating Coronavirus Patient

March 14, 2020
Five Kansas City firefighters responded to a cardiac arrest care center patient in his 70s, who was taken to the hospital and later died this week.

Editor's note: Find Firehouse.com's complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic here.

Five Kansas firefighters have self-isolated after treating a man at a care center who was infected with the coronavirus and later died.

The five-member crew from the Kansas City Fire Department responded to a call Wednesday concerning a man in his 70s in cardiac arrest at the Life Care Center, KSHB-TV reports. The Wyandotte County man was taken to the hospital, where he later died and tested positive for COVID-19.

RELATED:

J.J. Simma, president of the city's firefighters union, said he had been concerned that the department wasn't taking enough protective measures to guard against the virus. Now that the coronavirus has become a pandemic, the department said it would be taking more precautions for firefighters and patients, according to KSHB.