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WATERVILLE, MAINE - MAY 5, 2020
Damian Brockway, a paramedic, checks the vital signs of a patient on a 9-1-1 call in Waterville on May 5, 2020. Staffing in EMS is critically low even during the best of times. Like many EMS workers in the business, moving around to agencies is rather normal. Brockway left Delta to take a new job as one of the paramedics covering the Jackman area.
Exposure to coronavirus itself has also stymied training. The EMS instructors all work at services in the field, and any student beyond the Basic EMT level of training is likely employed by a service. Exposure potential is high and can disrupt class schedules. Exposure of anyone in class can mean several providers have to be quarantined and are out of service, further stressing the fragile staffing numbers.