The call comes over their radio — the patient is having trouble breathing, they need an ambulance.

Then, “call the center for special patient information,” says a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher.

The paramedics know it’s likely they’re heading toward the invisible threat that everyone else is trying to stay away from — the coronavirus. But for a few at Mutual Aid in Greensburg, the potential danger doesn’t faze them.

“At this point, we get the information and we go,” paramedic Shawn Penzera said. “You just take the necessary precautions. We’ve done a great job so far.”

Paramedics and EMTs across the state for two months have been on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, connecting those in need of treatment with hospitals. Many say it’s all part of the job — the increased measures and gear necessary to keep themselves and patients safe amid a trying time.

Ambulance workers across the region are showering at their stations and washing their uniforms between calls. The ambulances are being cleaned differently than before, and stations have been closed to the public. It’s all part of their “new normal” at work that might stick around long after the pandemic has subsided, said Josh Smith, a Penn Hills EMS paramedic.

Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review Albert Bouwer (left), an EMT of four years with Foxwall Emergency Medical Services, and Josh Smith, an EMT for seven years with Penn Hills Emergency Services.  

“Because we’re so used to just helping people, we kick into another level where we don’t think of what could happen to us,” he said.

Penn Hills EMS transported a handful of coronavirus patients, said supervisor Diane Fitzhenry. Allegheny County dispatchers are notifying them if the patient has coronavirus symptoms or a positive test, which allows one medic to gear up in a reusable impermeable plastic suit and start asking questions while the ambulance driver stays put, she said.

“They know that they don’t just both run in there,” she said.

It does take a little more time. And the masks they wear, ranging from surgical style to a breathing apparatus, can make it more difficult to put a patient at ease, said Haley Delligatti, paramedic with Foxwall EMS in Fox Chapel.

“We’re used to face-to-face interaction with our patients,” she said. “I guess it’s just not as personable now.”

“We don’t get as much of a rapport with the patients,” agreed Foxwall paramedic Albert Bouwer.

It’s frustrating to him to spend extra time gearing up outside the patient’s house when the person inside might be in desperate need of help. But those additional steps could mean the difference between a negative coronavirus test and a positive one — for the patient and the paramedic.

Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review Megan Stunja (left), an EMT with Greensburg’s Mutual Aid Ambulance Service for over a year, and John Pryle, a paramedic who has been with Penn Hills Emergency Services for 34 years.  

“It’s a little bit longer on scene, but people seem to understand that,” Penzera said. “When we’re coming in, they’re just as much protected from us as we are from them with our full gear.”

Mutual Aid workers used PVC pipe to engineer a contraption attached to gurneys that allows a sheet of plastic to be set up around a patient. The ambulance service, which covers much of Westmoreland County, has transported 103 positive patients as of Thursday. Several ambulances are used solely for coronavirus patients, some of whom are regularly taken to dialysis appointments.

“Every single shortness of breath call … you never really know right off the bat what you’re dealing with,” said Mutual Aid EMT Megan Stunja.

Finding enough protective gear has gotten harder.

Mutual Aid had a stockpile before the pandemic that proved helpful. The items used on calls are regularly replenished in the field by logistics officers who work 24-hour shifts. But now, those supplies are more expensive and getting harder to come by, said Dave Whipkey, logistics supervisor and paramedic. The ambulance service spent $100,000 on additional supplies.

No one at Mutual Aid has tested positive.

Foxwall EMS medics have transported a few possible coronavirus patients, but they now are set to help the Allegheny County Health Department with mobile testing, Chief Josh Worth said.

“That increases our providers’ exposure,” he said.

As medics look to the future, some believe masks and possibly extra protective gear will become part of their every day work flow. The pandemic doesn’t bring any new risks, just one of a longer duration.

“I feel safe here,” Stunja said. “I feel like we’re doing everything we could possibly be doing.”

Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review Shawn Penzera (right), a supervisor and paramedic with Greensburg’s Mutual Aid Ambulance Service. Haley Delligatti (left), a paramedic of three years with Foxwall EMS.  

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