Excerpts from fox32chicago.com:
Chicago’s beleaguered
first respondersfirefighters and paramedics will soon be getting some help, as nearly 36 new paramedics will be hitting the streets in the next couple of days after their training was accelerated.A no-frills swearing-in ceremony, with social distancing, of course, occurred for 34 new City of Chicago paramedics who were rushed through the fire academy to help battle coronavirus. The state-certified paramedics crammed 10 weeks of training into four weeks and will be reporting to firehouses across the city within the next four days.
The city also announced it has contracted with the Essex Hotel in the South Loop to provide 274 rooms for
first responderspolice officers, firefighters, and paramedics during the pandemic. The mayor says it’s not for those who become sick, but those who worry about unintentionally infecting their families.The mayor says the city is working on additional hotel accommodations for frontline healthcare workers. Altogether, the city is now renting more than 2,000 hotel rooms for people battling the virus.
