More than 300 firefighters have tested positive for the coronavirus, fire union officials said April 2, but it has not forced the closing of any firehouses, and they said volunteers with appropriate training were responding to "less-critical" medical calls to help lighten the load on Emergency Medical Service workers who have been stretched thin treating patients.
"We're doing what we're asked to do," Uniformed Firefighters Association President Gerard Fitzgerald said in a phone interview. But he noted that the sick rate for firefighters was 16 percent, which for his members translated to about 1,300 being absent.
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