Coronavirus East Haven: Man, 79, Positive, Paramedics Exposed

EAST HAVEN, CT — A 79-year-old East Haven man is hospitalized with COVID-19 and two firefighters responded to a medical call and were exposed to the virus, Mayor Joseph A Carfora said. The two are under quarantine at home with their families for 14 days, Carfora said.

Carfora said the man's condition is "unknown."

East Haven Fire Chief Matt Marcarelli said they two are "doing well." But first responders in East Haven, and many other towns, do not have enough protective equipment to keep themselves safe as they try to save lives. Marcarelli said they don't even have enough protective gear in which to train. The department got 220 expired masks from the state's stockpile of some 144,000, Marcarelli said.

He also explained that the fire department went on 4,400 ems calls last year. Doing the math, and based on population, it's predicted that the number of people who will get sick and the department's normal call volume means East Haven's fire department "will have contact with 2,500 or more COVID-19 patients."

Carfora and Marcarelli and Police Chief Lennon reached out to legislators about the "alarming lack personal protective equipment available for first responders."

"Firefighters and police officers will be on the front lines of this pandemic and need equipment to prevent their public safety professionals from becoming sick and unable to respond," Carfora said.
The offices of state Sen. Len Fasano, US Sen. Chris Murphy and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro were "very receptive but the shortfalls came as no surprise to them."

"I need my people to have the right equipment or they may be getting sick and not able to respond," Carfora said.

Marcarelli said that East Haven is ahead of other towns and cities but predicts that the supply in East Haven will not last very long. If predictions of the spread of COVID-19 are accurate, Marcarelli said that "pandemic estimates are about 40 percent of the population could be infected before the virus subsides and his members will be right in the middle of the event" adding in a press release that without "proper personal protective equipment (Marcarelli) fears firefighters may be sidelined due to exposure or illness."

And here we are.

But Marcarelli praised Carfora for his "excellent leadership so far."

Carfora said the town's "main objective is to continue to keep our residents safe and slow he spread of he virus."