The fire chief for the nation's capital says he's seen a spike in violence against first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We go out and help people, and we don't expect to be shot at," D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly told WUSA-TV. "We expect to at least be welcome to help people. When you're shot at, that changes the dynamics a little bit. But our people are going to continue to go help people. They are service-oriented, that's what they do."
Donnelly's comments after a firefighter-EMT was wounded by gunfire that erupted during a call Sunday. The first responder was treated for a graze wound and released from the hospital Sunday evening.
In an eerie coincidence, D.C. Fire and EMS is getting ready to put a new directing in place that instructs firefighters and EMTs to not respond to certain potentially dangerous situations without police on hand to secure the scene, according to WUSA. Since December 2018, there have been 22 department members injured in assaults, and firefighter-EMT calls for help to police help have risen from around 40 in 2019 to about 60 in 2020..
"We've seen an uptick in these calls, since the beginning of COVID," Donnelly told WUSA. "That also mirrors a national trend. I think all the dynamics going on in our community are creating some stresses.”
