9/11 first responder working as EMT: Coronavirus deaths are staggering, it's like 'combat triage'

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COVID-19 outbreak straining paramedics, EMT’s as medical resources are limited

Stephen Reid, EMT in Westchester County, New York and 9/11 first responder, compares the coronavirus pandemic to the September 11 terror attacks on ‘America’s Newsroom.’

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Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are forced to implement triage protocol in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic in New York, EMT and 9/11 first responder Stephen Reid said Thursday.

Appearing on "America's Newsroom" with host Ed Henry, Reid said that while there are parallels he could draw between the virus's impact on the city and the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, there are also "a lot of differences."

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"A lot of people were affected by September 11th -- New York, Pennsylvania," he noted. "This is affecting the entire world. Everyone is getting hit hard."

Another difference, Reid noted, is the duration of the tragic events surrounding COVID-19.

"This is a marathon, not a sprint. We're going to have to pace ourselves and be in it for the long haul," the Westchester County EMT stated.

Additionally, Reid said he "couldn't agree more" with the words of FDNY paramedic Megan Pfeiffer, who told the New York Post earlier this week that their job is much "like battlefield triage right now."

“We’re pretty much bringing patients to the hospital to die," she added. “We know what we signed up for — though we didn’t expect this. It’s very straining. We’re all exhausted.’’

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"They're not dying in the field. The people are dying in the hospitals," Reid explained. "The numbers are staggering and are going to continue to be staggering. Protocols are changing on a daily basis. We're not performing CPR in most cases in the field for cardiac arrests. It's combat triage at this point."

New York State has reported over 84,000 cases with now more than 2,200 deaths. Of those cases, over 10,000 are in Westchester County.

Reid told Henry they were black tagging patients like a "multi-casualty incident."

"I know I could save that guy but I need to get to the other 20 people. It's the same disaster -- the same type [of] triage," he remarked.

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"The most difficult thing is dropping my patients off at the ambulance bay and not being able to see them through. We drop them off, we give a report to the nurse, and that's the end of it," he concluded. "And, sadly that's the way it is with the family also. I've been told they've been given 20 minutes to go up and say goodbye. I mean, these people are getting intubated in the hospital, they go up to the ICU, and that's pretty much the end."